Requires massages, we're told (5)
I believe the answer is:
needs
'requires' is the definition.
('need' can be a synonym of 'require')
'massages we're told' is the wordplay.
'massages' becomes 'kneads' ('knead' can be a synonym of 'massage').
'we're told' shows a homophone (sound like).
'kneads' sounds like 'NEEDS'.
(Other definitions for needs that I've seen before include "What we require" , "Requires, is in want of" , "necessity once" , "Wants, requires" , "Requires or lacks" .)