Massage treatments

Every treatment has its own technique, pace and purpose. Knowing the difference before you book means you get the session you actually need and the right therapist for it. Still unsure? Read ourguide to choosing a massage.

Swedish Massage

The classic full-body treatment: long strokes, kneading and gentle pressure

Swedish massage is the treatment most people picture when they hear the word massage, and the foundation on which most Western techniques are built. The therapist works with oil or lotion over the whole body using five classic movements: long gliding strokes (effleurage), kneading (petrissage), friction, rhythmic tapping (tapotement) and vibration. Pressure is light to medium and adjusted as the session goes on.

Deep Tissue Massage

Firm, targeted pressure into chronic knots and tightness

Deep tissue massage uses slow, firm strokes and sustained pressure to reach the deeper layers of muscle and the connective tissue around them. Where Swedish massage glides over the surface, deep tissue works into it, using forearms, elbows and knuckles as well as hands to release adhesions and chronic tension.

Sports Massage

Recovery, flexibility and injury prevention for active bodies

Sports massage is a results-driven treatment built around how the body is being used. It combines deep pressure with stretching, joint mobilisation and techniques such as muscle energy work and soft tissue release, and the therapist will usually assess posture and range of movement before starting.

Relaxing Massage

Gentle, flowing strokes to melt tension and quieten the mind

Relaxing massage puts the nervous system first. The pressure is light to medium, the strokes are slow and continuous, and nothing is done abruptly; the aim is to move you from an alert state into a genuinely rested one, which for many people is the hardest thing to do on their own.

Full Body Massage

Head-to-toe treatment covering back, limbs, neck, scalp and feet

A full body massage works every major area in one session: back, shoulders, neck, arms, hands, legs, feet and usually the scalp and face. It is a format rather than a single technique. Most therapists deliver it in a Swedish style, but it can be relaxing, deep tissue, aromatherapy or hot oil depending on what you ask for.

Thai Massage

Assisted stretching and rhythmic pressure, fully clothed on a floor mat

Traditional Thai massage is performed on a firm mat on the floor, with the client in loose clothing and no oil. The therapist uses hands, thumbs, elbows, knees and feet to apply rhythmic compression along the body's energy lines (sen), and moves the client through a sequence of assisted yoga-like stretches. It is sometimes called lazy yoga for that reason.

Lomi Lomi Massage

Hawaiian bodywork with fluid, wave-like forearm strokes

Lomi lomi is the traditional massage of Hawaii, and the word itself means to knead or to work in and out, like the paws of a contented cat. The therapist uses the forearms as much as the hands, in long, continuous, flowing strokes that travel the length of the body and often work two areas at once — a leg and the back, say — so that the body is treated as a whole rather than in sections.

Hot Stone Massage

Smooth heated basalt stones that ease deep muscle tension

Hot stone massage uses smooth basalt stones heated in water to around 50°C. The therapist places them along the spine, in the palms and between the toes, and uses others in the hand as an extension of the palm to glide over the body. The heat penetrates muscle far faster than hands alone can, so tension that would take twenty minutes to soften with pressure releases in a few.

Aromatherapy Massage

Swedish technique with essential oils blended for mood and body

Aromatherapy massage pairs a gentle Swedish-style treatment with essential oils chosen for their effect: lavender and chamomile to calm, rosemary and peppermint to lift energy, eucalyptus to clear the head, ginger or black pepper to warm tired muscles. The oils are diluted in a carrier oil and absorbed through the skin, with the scent working on mood at the same time.

Reflexology

Pressure on reflex points of the feet and hands to restore balance

Reflexology works on the principle that points on the feet, hands and ears correspond to organs and systems elsewhere in the body. The therapist applies precise thumb and finger pressure to those points, usually working the whole foot in a set sequence and spending longer where the tissue feels congested or tender.

Shiatsu Massage

Japanese finger pressure along the meridians, clothed and without oil

Shiatsu is a Japanese therapy rooted in traditional Chinese medicine. The name means finger pressure, and that is the core of it: the practitioner uses thumbs, palms, elbows and sometimes knees to apply sustained pressure along the meridians, the channels through which energy (ki) is understood to flow, together with gentle stretches and rotations of the joints.

Pregnancy Massage

Specialist prenatal treatment adapted for each trimester

Pregnancy massage, also called prenatal or maternity massage, is adapted throughout for a changing body. The therapist positions you on your side with pillows and bolsters, or on a couch with a cut-out, never flat on your back after the first trimester, and uses gentle Swedish-style strokes with light to medium pressure. Certain areas and essential oils are avoided.

Remedial Massage

Precise, assessment-led treatment for injuries and musculoskeletal pain

Remedial massage sits at the clinical end of the directory. It begins with an assessment: the therapist takes a history, looks at posture and movement, and tests the affected area before deciding what to treat and how. The treatment itself draws on deep tissue, trigger point work, myofascial release, stretching and joint mobilisation, chosen for the problem in front of them.

Trigger Point Massage

Focused pressure cycles to release painful muscle knots

Trigger points are small, tight bands within a muscle that are tender to touch and often refer pain elsewhere: a knot in the shoulder that causes a headache, one in the glute that sends pain down the leg. Trigger point therapy finds these points and releases them with cycles of direct, sustained pressure, held for thirty seconds to a minute, released, and repeated until the tissue softens.

Ayurvedic Massage

Warm medicated oils and traditional Indian strokes to rebalance the body

Ayurvedic massage comes from India's traditional medical system and is one part of a wider approach to health. The best known form, abhyanga, uses generous amounts of warm herbal oil chosen for your constitution (dosha), applied with long, rhythmic strokes over the whole body, often by a therapist working both sides in unison. The oil is left on for a while afterwards to absorb.

Hot Oil Massage

Warmed oils, long firm strokes and acupressure to melt fatigue

Hot oil massage uses oil warmed to just above body temperature, applied generously and worked in with long, firm strokes. The heat relaxes the muscles before the pressure arrives, so the therapist can work more deeply than with cold oil while the session still feels soothing. Coconut, almond, sesame and olive oils are common, sometimes infused with herbs or essential oils.

Couples Massage

Side-by-side treatments for two, in the same room at the same time

A couples massage is two treatments given at the same time in the same room, by two therapists working side by side. Each person chooses their own treatment and pressure — one might have deep tissue while the other has a relaxing massage — and the shared setting is the point: a way to unwind together, mark an anniversary or simply spend an hour in the same calm space.

Holistic Massage

A whole-person treatment for body, mind and emotional wellbeing

Holistic massage treats the person rather than the symptom. The session starts with a conversation about how you are — sleep, stress, work, mood, physical complaints — and the therapist shapes the treatment around that, drawing on Swedish massage, aromatherapy, gentle stretching, breathing and sometimes energy work such as reiki.

Indian Head Massage

Seated treatment of scalp, neck and shoulders from the Ayurvedic tradition

Indian head massage, or champissage, is given seated and clothed, which makes it one of the quickest and most accessible treatments to book. The therapist works the upper back, shoulders, neck, scalp and face with a combination of kneading, friction, pressure points and gentle tapping, sometimes with a little warm oil in the hair and sometimes without.

Jet Lag Massage

A targeted treatment to reset your body clock after long-haul travel

Jet lag massage is designed around the specific toll of long-haul flying: swollen legs and feet from hours of sitting, a stiff neck and back from an aircraft seat, dehydration, and a body clock that is several hours out of step. The treatment combines lymphatic drainage strokes on the legs, firm work on the back and neck, and scalp and foot massage to encourage sleep or alertness depending on the time of day you arrive.

Therapeutic Massage

Clinically targeted soft tissue work that treats the cause of pain

Therapeutic massage is soft tissue treatment with a clear clinical aim: to restore function, reduce pain and address what is causing a problem rather than only easing its symptoms. It is the umbrella under which deep tissue, myofascial release, trigger point work, stretching and lymphatic drainage all sit, and a therapeutic session will use whichever of them the assessment calls for.

Four Hands Massage

Two therapists working in synchronised rhythm for a deeper release

In a four hands massage, two therapists work on you at the same time, mirroring each other's strokes so that both sides of the body receive identical attention in the same moment. The effect is distinctive: the brain cannot follow two sets of movements at once, stops anticipating the next stroke and lets go far more quickly than it does under a single pair of hands.

Back Massage

Thirty focused minutes on back, neck and shoulders

A back massage concentrates on the area where most people carry their tension: the whole back, the neck and the tops of the shoulders. It is the standard short treatment in the directory, usually thirty minutes, and the one to book when you have a specific ache, a limited lunch hour or a limited budget.

Anti-Cellulite Massage

Vigorous, circulation-boosting work on thighs, hips and legs

Anti-cellulite massage is a firm, brisk treatment aimed at the thighs, hips, buttocks and sometimes the upper arms. The therapist uses deep kneading, rolling, cupping and fast friction strokes, often with a warming or caffeine-based oil, to increase local circulation and lymph flow, break down fluid retention and soften the fibrous bands that give cellulite its dimpled look.