BACKGROUND: Heart rate variability (HRV) is one of the tools that can assess autonomic activities during exercise or recovery. Massage is an often-used recovery method with varying recovery outcome. This study was to investigate the effect of lower limb massage on recovery HRV following repeated knee flexion and extension exercise-to-exhaustion. METHODS: Nine healthy men aged between 20 and 30 years old were recruited and randomly assigned to a control group (n = 5) and massage group (n = 4). The HRV spectral analysis was performed at baseline, pre-exercise, post-exercise and immediately post-intervention. For intervention, the participants in the massage group received a 10-min massage on the quadriceps and hamstring muscles of the dominant leg whereas the control group received none. The HRV was presented as low-frequency (LF) peak (Hz), power (ms(2)), power (normalised unit; n.u.) and high-frequency (HF), peak (Hz), power (ms(2)), power (n.u.) as well as LF/HF ratio. RESULTS: Spectral power analysis showed there were no significant differences in the LF indices and LF/HF ratio with massage. HRV normalisation data revealed a within-subject difference with massage. CONCLUSIONS: Massage caused an immediate parasympathetic activation during recovery from a single exhaustive muscle contraction exercise. Hence, massage may be used to potentiate recovery.