Finding the Right
Massage for Your Body.

Most people book the same massage every time, usually the first one they ever tried. That is fine — but you may be leaving something on the table, so to speak.

Start with the question, not the name

Rather than choosing by menu name, ask yourself what you want to be true in an hour's time. Do you want to feel looser, or do you want to feel calmer? Those are different treatments, and confusing them is the most common reason someone leaves slightly disappointed.

If you want to feel calmer

Swedish massage is the answer. Long, flowing strokes at a medium pressure across the whole body, with nothing that asks you to grit your teeth. It is the treatment I recommend to anyone who has never had a professional massage, and to anyone who has had a genuinely difficult month.

Want the same thing but longer and with scent? The Aromatherapy Ritual is ninety minutes of the same technique, with a blend you choose yourself at the start.

If you want to feel looser

Deep tissue is the booking. It is slower, firmer and concentrated where the problem actually is, rather than distributed evenly. An hour of deep tissue may only cover your back, neck and shoulders — that is the point.

Firm is not the same as painful. If you are bracing or holding your breath, the pressure has gone past useful.

A good therapist will check in more than once, and a good guest will answer honestly. Enduring it does not make it work better.

If your back is simply stiff

Warm Stone Massage sits between the two. The heat does a great deal of the work before the hands do, which means depth without as much pressure. It is our most-requested treatment in the cooler months, and a good option if firm work usually leaves you sore.

A few practical notes

• Sixty minutes is not always enough. If you want the whole body covered and focused work on one area, book ninety.
• Tell us about the desk. How you sit for eight hours a day tells us more than any form.
• Do not book straight after training. Leave a day, or the muscle will not thank you.
• Regularity beats intensity. Monthly medium pressure does more than an annual session that leaves you bruised.

Still unsure?

Book Swedish. It suits almost everyone, and at the end of it your therapist will know your body well enough to tell you exactly what to book next — which is a far better recommendation than anything on this page.

Massage is a wellbeing treatment, not medical care. If you have an injury, persistent pain or a diagnosed condition, please speak to a doctor or physiotherapist first.