Deep tissue massage in Bath

Deep tissue massage helps unlock your body. It works with the muscles and tendons which hold posture and enable activity.

Where there is limited mobility we might use more pressure combined with manipulation and stretches to increase the range of movement. The focus is often on the underlying (deep) muscles involved in body use.

Consider deep tissue massage if

You are having difficulty with everyday activities
Your neck and shoulders are stiff and sore from computer use
Your hips are aching from sitting or driving
You have lower back pain
You find it difficult to maintain good posture
You’ve tried stretching and movement but it doesn’t seem to help
The strength and range of movement in the affected area is decreasing

Our deep tissue massage is effective because:

We listen and take an intelligent approach
We gauge the right pressure for maximum benefit
We notice to how your body responds and fine-tune the treatment
We give each affected muscle your the time it needs to release
We look at the wider picture

Deep tissue massage is directed where it is needed. The aim is to reduce any pain and increase freedom and mobility.

“I had a deep tissue massage. Aleksandra provided a great service. She took the time to understand my problem areas and discuss maintenance exercises going forward. I would highly recommend.”
Maria (Google review) Jun 2023

Why deep tissue?

Tension in muscles restricts movement and can lead to recurring aches or sharp pains. Aches usually build up over a period of time due to a repeated everyday action or posture. Damage to the soft tissue can cause pain and swelling. We work carefully around pain – finding ways to ease the tension that causes it without inflaming the problem.

Sitting at a desk or laptop and driving can all put the body into a strain position which is held for a long period with no opportunity for the muscles to recover. Massage can help get your muscles into better condition so better posture becomes easier.

Why choose us for deep tissue massage in Bath

Understanding. We want to find out what’s happening in your body.
Pain-free massage. We believe that pain is part of the cycle of tight muscles. We may use strong techniques but we want to promote release and flexibility without triggering a pain response.
Depth. We go deep by carefully using and maintaining the correct balance of pressure and movement.
Recommendations. We can help you understand the symptoms you’re experiencing and suggest the next steps.

Every treatment begins with a discussion about your needs.

FAQs

Is deep tissue massage painful?

Deep tissue massage can be intense, but should not be painful. We are usually trying to release your body. Pain doesn’t help that process.

Can deep tissue massage cause damage?

Done properly deep tissue massage will not cause any damage. Our qualified therapists will carefully assess any problems you have and take this into account.

Can I have deep tissue massage during pregnancy?

Please book a pregnancy massage with us. Your therapist may use deep tissue techniques depending on your needs.

Does deep tissue massage help with fibromyalgia?

Many people find that massage helps with fibromyalgia, although it can make muscles more sensitive. Please mention this on your consultation form and discuss it with your therapist.

Can deep tissue massage help back pain?

Much back pain is muscular which massage can help with. If you are unsure, please seek medical advice.

Does deep tissue massage help with sciatica?

In many cases sciatica is due to a nerve being trapped between tight muscles. This is sometimes referred to as piriformis syndrome. Massage can be very effective. Other causes of sciatica need to be medically treated.

Will deep tissue massage help with shoulder or hip pain?

We can explore the many muscles that are active around these joints and home in on problem areas to help reduce pain and increase mobility. Please tell us in advance if you’ve suffered a recent injury.

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Prices & availability

Ask a question about deep tissue massage

Massage treatments

Our massages are tailored to you.
You can choose a massage type at the time of booking to give us an indication of your needs, but we always start with a consultation to explore the details.

Deep tissue massage in Bath

Deep tissue massage helps unlock your body. It works with the muscles and tendons which hold posture and enable activity. Where there is limited mobility we might use more pressure combined with manipulation and stretches to increase the range of movement. The focus is often on the underlying (deep) muscles involved in body use. Consider…
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Neck and shoulder massage

The neck, shoulders and the muscles that connect with them are places many of us feel stress and tension. Our neck and shoulder massage focuses on tension in these areas, soothing away stress. The treatment can reach up around the head and jaw. We’re aiming to make you feel that the weight has been lifted.…
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Massage for Two

The perfect massage experience for couples, family and friends in Bath On holiday or travelling If you’re visiting Bath with your partner, friends or family Massage for Two is a great way to relax and enjoy together. Check out our reviews on TripAdvisor. As a celebration For couples it can be a celebration of a…
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Deep relaxation

Everyone wants to feel more relaxed. We know our heads are juggling life’s demands and our bodies are straining, unable to be free. Take a step out of that world and allow yourself to find peace, space and calm. Allow your body to become soft and rest easily. We bring you in to a comfortable…
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Prenatal Massage

Pregnancy is a precious time in a woman’s life, but it can also be overwhelming and daunting, both physically and mentally. As each pregnancy and each woman are unique your treatment will be specifically tailored to your needs following our initial consultation. You will be mainly on your side during the treatment. The side lying…
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Regular treatments

We have some of Bath’s most thoughtful and intuitive massage therapists. We want to get to know our clients and help them move in a positive direction, wherever that leads. A good therapist has a gentle curiosity which combined with deep and intuitive massage creates a way to explore the whole of a person, exploring…
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Swedish body massage

Classic body massage in Bath A Swedish body massage is to enjoy. Ease the stresses out of your body, give it a shake up or receive some detailed work around your head, neck and shoulders. If your main aim is to chill out then this is the body massage for you. This style of massage…
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Back massage

What to look for when you’re considering back massage in Bath. Poor posture, mental tension and injury can lead to tightness, soreness and pain. Early intervention can help. Long periods of sitting or driving lead to lower back ache which can progress to stiffness and pain – often associated with tight hips Before we begin…
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Holistic massage

Holistic massage helps you on your path through life, supporting you physically, mentally and emotionally. Together we look at you as a whole person. Clients often want to tell us about their life, challenges they face and where they would like to be. Our caring and empathetic approach can help them find their way. Time spent…
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Remedial massage

Remedial massage works with whatever problem or problems you are suffering. This could be lower back pain, limited movement in the shoulder, difficulty sleeping or headaches. We look at the whole picture, listening to what you tell us and using what we feel to inform our direction. We work with you to create a massage…
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Massage therapy

What to look for when you’re considering therapeutic massage in Bath. Many of us turn to massage when we have a particular need – usually physical, often with a mental or emotional element. At Natural Touch we consider ourselves primarily as therapists – working with people. Massage is our method of engagement. As you would…
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Body massage in Bath

If you’re looking for a body massage you’re probably thinking about relaxation, about any aches and pains you have and looking after your long term health. A good massage gets into your muscles, stretches you how you need to be stretched and leaves you refreshed and calm. We believe that the best massage comes from…
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Our massage goes deeper because we listen

We take the time and care to make sure you get what you need. Our massage goes deeper because we listen to you, listen to your body and notice how you respond. We don’t follow a formula. Each treatment is created for you. Our local professional therapists are experienced in life and bring thought and care to their work.

Swedish body massage

Classic body massage in Bath

A Swedish body massage is to enjoy. Ease the stresses out of your body, give it a shake up or receive some detailed work around your head, neck and shoulders. If your main aim is to chill out then this is the body massage for you.

This style of massage balances relaxing the bodily relaxation with mental relaxation.

Your massage will be tailored you. During the initial discussion you can let your therapist know how you feel and what you need. You can choose which parts of your body are included or opt for whole body. Your therapist will naturally be drawn to the parts that need it most.

Mostly this style of massage uses plenty of oil to allow long sweeping strokes over your body. Your therapist will judge the pressure you need, but just let them know if you prefer deeper or lighter.

Most people undress down to their underwear, but you can keep on any clothes if you’re more comfortable that way. You’re in charge. Your therapist will adapt the treatment.

Your massage can include back, neck, legs, feet, shoulders, head, face, arms and hands – whatever works for you.

And if there is anything to pick up on, your professional therapist can give you feedback and advice about what they’ve found.

We are your natural choice for body massage in Bath.

“After walking the Cotswold Way, my husband and I booked massages to tend to our sore muscles. Nigel and Mary were very attentive to our needs and we left there feeling so relaxed and rejuvenated. It was heaven. Our only regret was not booking a longer session.”
Johanna (Google review) June 2022

Check out our reviews on TripAdvisor.

See slso neck & shoulder massage

Back massage

What to look for when you’re considering back massage in Bath.

Poor posture, mental tension and injury can lead to tightness, soreness and pain. Early intervention can help.

Long periods of sitting or driving lead to lower back ache which can progress to stiffness and pain – often associated with tight hips

Before we begin we’ll take some details. Tell us what you’re feeling and a brief history of how it’s developed. That helps us understand what’s going on.

The first stage of the treatment covers the whole back. It starts the relaxation process and introduces movement and warmth and soften the muscles and tissues. During this process your therapist is already exploring areas of focus.

In stage two we go deeper, building a picture of the areas of tension as we work in to them. Here you start to notice the effect of the massage as your body softens your breathing slows and you begin to feel calmer.

Stage three gives specific treatments to affected areas. That might be deeper, slower massage using more pressure, stretching, trigger point release, working with connecting tendons or fascia. You’re going to feel this – in a good way! Deeper work can be deeply relaxing and the physical release is mirrored by a mental release.

At the end you’ll have a few minutes to relax and move slowly when you’re ready. There’s time to talk about what we’ve found and discuss the next steps.

“I had the most amazing treatment yesterday with Eva. I have been suffering with back pain and had no idea this place existed and I’m so glad I’ve found it. It was the most amazing massage; I felt relaxed on a deep level after the treatment. Thank you so much, I can’t wait to book again and will recommending you to everyone!
Juliet (Google review) Jun 2022

Meet our team. All our therapists are MTI professionals.

Preparing for a performance event

So you’re training for the big day. Can massage help?

People often think a massage will be useful after a big event, but how can it improve your performance? Building a few massage treatments into your training plan might just help you keep on form.

So how can massage help?

1. During a performance event you are probably going to push your body beyond what you’ve done in training. Something is going to limit your performance. Massage can help you deal with problems as they arise in training so they don’t come up and bite you when it really matters.

2. To work efficiently muscles need to engage and release. You may be putting a lot of effort into engaging muscles, but not thinking about them releasing. In its optimum condition muscle become soft when it relaxes – feel the difference in you biceps as you tense and release. A massage which pinpoints tight muscles can help release them and, importantly, give you the know-how to work with them yourself.

3. Your massage therapist can help you tune in to and understand the feelings you get in your body and advise on the right course of training. If you get a pain, for example, should you ease up your training, stop all together or carry on with your plan? What stretches or specific exercises might help?

4. Most events require strength and suppleness. Rigidity anywhere in your body will hold you back. The same applies to poor posture.

5. and last, but not least, you will feel better, happier and more relaxed. But that’s for wimps, right?

And if you want a massage afterwards to celebrate your achievement, well you deserve it.

Prices and booking

Remedial massage

Remedial massage works with whatever problem or problems you are suffering. This could be lower back pain, limited movement in the shoulder, difficulty sleeping or headaches.

We look at the whole picture, listening to what you tell us and using what we feel to inform our direction. We work with you to create a massage that best suits your needs.

We’ll use direct massage techniques where we find muscular related problems and more soothing and nurturing techniques as required. Where a site is too painful to work directly we can use other strategies.

Remedial massage can also be used to investigate problems and help you decide on any further treatment. Discussing problems during the treatment can be helpful. Attitudes to health and well-being and your relationship with your body can be useful topics of conversation. Where we offer advice it will be constructive and realistic.

Our approach to remedial massage

Our massage is not painful. We believe that pain is part of the cycle of tight muscles. We want to create movement and flexibility without triggering a counter-productive pain response.

Our approach is flexible, informal and open.

Understanding. It’s important to find out what’s happening.
Effective massage.
Recommendations. We can help you understand your symptoms and suggest the next steps.

“Nigel listened attentively to my sports related issues. A couple of sessions made a huge difference in my training. I’d recommend his expert sessions to anyone with serious goals in mind. Being in my 40s i needed advice on continuing and preserving my limbs which Nigel provided.”
Simon (Google review)

What simple change can improve your posture?

Our posture – the way we hold and move our bodies – depends on our activity, our habits and our emotional state – and it can change.

Posture is a recurring topic for us. People wonder if poor posture is exacerbating a problem. Sometimes we notice a pattern suggesting posture is a factor. Poor posture can cause problems, but it’s also a symptom. If we want to improve posture it helps to remember that is the result of circumstances – physical and psychological.

Unhelpful inherited values

We’ve all tried “standing up straight” only to flop back down a few moments later and give up. It’s easy to conclude there is no point trying.

There are so many things wrong with “stand (or sit) up straight” it’s hard to know where to begin. Firstly it assumes there is good and bad posture – not very helpful. Secondly the negative tone has echoes of a parent or militaristic school teacher. It makes us think that it’s our fault we have “bad” posture.

When we do try to adjust our posture we’re probably not sure what we’re doing. We have no route to progress and nothing to guide us. We didn’t decide how we would like our posture to be and how to achieve it. It’s also really hard work. We’re trying to force ourself into a shape we’ve labelled “good” posture and soon stop because it’s so much effort. When we do stop our body reverts back to the position it was in before. We call it failure and don’t want to try again.

So, let’s take a more sensible look at what forms our posture and how we can work with it.

Our posture isn’t set. Our bones are dynamic – moved by our muscles. Our spine is a series of joints, each with a range of movement. Habit and how we feel are also very important. We are generally not aware of our posture. Our unconscious mind takes care of it. Luckily for us though we can take control and with practice change the pattern.

You can change the position of your body more easily than you think. The trick is to find a position which is comfortable and looks good then you will want to adopt it. It’s then a matter of forming new habits.

It helps to look at the whole body. The angle of our pelvis, for example, is going to affect our lower spine, which in turn affects the upper body shape.

A positive attitude is important. We are moving to something better for ourselves that we have chosen.

Because it’s hard to do this on your own I have designed a practical workshop to look at your posture, see how you feel about it and how you would like it to be, make some suggestions and together come up with one or two easy things you can repeat frequently throughout the day – positive steps towards the posture you want.

Posture workshop

My posture workshop is to help you
– know where you are starting and what you are trying to achieve
– feel confident about what you are doing
– find something sustainable you can integrate into your everyday life
– find something realistically achievable that will give you results
– feel supported in the process and have something to guide you

What happens in the workshop?

We look together at your posture and talk about how you see yourself and how you would like to be. Using photography helps.

Then I help you find a new posture – something you feel good about. Again we can use photos and see how you feel when you see yourself.

You’ll get chance to try your new posture – take it for a test drive. We want to make sure it’s going to work from day 1.

Once you have found and practised your new posture, you can leave with a sense of purpose, direction, realistic expectation and the photos to remind you, inspire you and guide you. I can also check up to see how you are getting on.

Prices and booking

I didn’t expect it to hurt there

Following lines of tension finds the areas that really need massage.

It’s quite common for people to feel pain at a specific point, but following investigation we often find that the painful spot is part of a wider band of tension. A typical example is lower back pain which can result in sharp, painful twinges often triggered by a particular movement. There’s probably tension down into the hips and up into the back.

In this case I explain that I’ll work at the point where the pain occurs, but also explore a wider area. What I want to do is uncover the whole chain of tension and work along that chain so that the whole problem is reduced. I’m using my sense of touch to check the condition of the tissues – muscles and tendons – and locate the tension. Healthy muscle is soft and flexible. Muscles which feel tough aren’t able to release properly. The associated tendons, which connect the muscle to bone, feel like taught ropes.

Once I massage into these areas clients can be surprised that they are tender, but welcome the relief. It’s taking the pressure off the painful area.

The pain is often due to muscle damage so I will work carefully in that area. Pain causes more tension and that’s counter productive. People know what feels right for them so I just ask.

Once the treatment is over the pain should be eased and the client feels more relaxed. We also have a better understanding of how their body is behaving. We might talk about possible causes and explore possible solutions such as stretches or movements they can do themselves or changes they can make to their environment or activity patterns to help.

One massage can often be a turning point and indicate the next step towards recovery.

Working with pain

How massage therapy can help when you are in pain.

Pain is relevant to massage therapy in a number of ways. In this article I look at the treatment of painful conditions such as lower back pain.

I have seen how pain can impact people’s lives. Pain effects everyday activities and can be upsetting and worrying. Pain makes it hard to concentrate on other things. People suffering from pain adapt their movements and activities in an attempt to avoid it. Clients say things like, “The only position I’m comfortable in is x, y or z and that’s getting worse.” The body also adapts unconsciously by changing posture and calling on other parts of the body to take the strain.

Of course pain can be a symptom of many things and if you’re not sure, do see your doctor. If however your pain is muscular then you might find that your GP doesn’t offer much help to address its cause.
Massage works to relieve pain in a number of ways. 1. by finding and relaxing muscle tension that is causing or contributing to your pain. 2. by relaxing the whole person 3. by changing the way you perceive pain 4. by helping you understand the mechanics of the problem you are experiencing. 5. by helping you make beneficial changes in your life 6. by changing the way your body feels and the way you feel about your body.

As I therapist I need to be sensitive. I don’t want to trigger the pain – which would exacerbate the problem. I have a range of techniques so I can adapt around the sensitivity yet still be effective.

A client I saw recently had stiffness in his neck which caused pain up into his jaw and temple and behind his eye. During his massage sessions I’m working to help release his neck which is the immediate cause I’m also working around his hips and back to help his posture – and we’re discussing the influences which affect his everyday posture. It’s also a supportive environment where he can talk about his health and take time to relax.

As I work into painful areas I’m using my sense of touch and my clients reaction to judge what’s needed. As well as providing physical relaxation, I want my client to experience that part of their body in a new way; a way that can respond positively without pain. I think this is an important part of my treatment as it breaks the cycle of pain and tension.

After treatments clients report feeling looser, have increased movement and simply feeling better. Sometimes there are great steps forward in a single session, but I can’t promise.
Once a particular issue is resolved, people often opt for a regular treatment to keep them supple and head off any future problems.

If there’s anything you would like to discuss, please call me.

Call 07941 094318

Email: enquires@naturaltouchbath.co.uk