It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a massage unit and a massage machine which can increase a protruding amount of a massage ball. A massage unit 700 includes a pair of massage elements 350; a forward-backward axis 722 forming a swinging fulcrum point for moving the pair of massage elements 350 toward a body of a person to be treated; and an up-and-down axis 732 for moving the massage unit, wherein the forward-backward axis 722 is formed in parallel with the up-and-down axis 732 and provided nearer to the side of the body of the person to be treated than the up-and-down axis 732.