Necessary to be massaged, say (6)
I believe the answer is:
needed
'necessary' is the definition.
(similar in meaning)
'massaged say' is the wordplay.
'massaged' becomes 'kneaded' ('knead' can be a synonym of 'massage').
'say' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'kneaded' is a homophone of 'NEEDED'.
'to be' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for needed that I've seen before include "Required, necessary" , "Required something essential" , "Lacked something essential" , "'Wanted, required (6)'" , "Essential; called for" .)