Tell me about Massage Therapy:

In today’s busy world it has become more necessary than ever to look after ourselves. Massage therapy has as a result become an important element of general healthcare for many people. While massage therapy has been used since the ancient and medieval times to treat illness, it’s become highly popular again in the last 15 years and is now widely practised in professional sports as well as business organisations as a way to combat stress.

There are a wide variety of massage treatments available such as acupressure, barefoot deep tissue, Swedish and Balinese massage etc, all suitable for different treatment requirements. It’s even been documented that in Romania, some illnesses were treated by a massage in which the client was trodden on by a tame bear! While TasterLab wouldn’t advocate using a bear to tease out those stresses and strains, we would recommend selecting a treatment that suits your needs.

Is it really for me?:

Chances are, if you live in London, your body and mind need some attention and a bit of therapy! But depending on your line of work and your lifestyle, your needs will differ as will the best type of treatment for you. We've outlined some of the most common forms of treatment for you to work out what suits you best. Please see below:

• AROMATHERAPY: This is a treatment using alternative medicines or essential oils to improve a person’s mood, cognitive function or health.
• SWEDISH MASSAGE: This is the original body massage technique which involves a sequence of movements working superficially and deeper into the tissue layers.
• REFLEXOLOGY: This type of massage focuses on the feet and sometimes the hands and ears, with the goal of encouraging a beneficial effect on other parts of the body to improve general health.
• DEEP TISSUE: This type of massage is usually for people with a specific problem or pain that needs correcting. It focuses on deeper layers of muscles and connecting tissue.

What else do I need to know?

Dress: Casual and comfortable

Cost: Free with TasterLab.com (normal cost around £45 per hr)

Great for: Relaxing, combating stress, realigning body and mind