What you book this for
This is the booking I'd point you towards if you've come in with something specific that needs work. Shoulders that won't drop. A lower back that's been tight for a fortnight. Neck stiffness after a desk week. Legs that haven't quite recovered from training or a long run.
The session is shaped around that area. More time on what's tight, less on what isn't. The rest of the body still gets included so it doesn't feel like a half-session, but the priority is clear from the start.
What Swedish massage actually is
Swedish is the most widely taught form of Western massage therapy and the one most people picture when they hear the word "massage". It's built on a small set of named techniques: long gliding strokes (effleurage), kneading (petrissage), friction across the muscle, and lighter percussive work. I work through these in different combinations depending on what your body's asking for on the day.
The aim is to release muscular tension, encourage circulation, and leave you feeling physically lighter. It's a grounded, physical treatment: nothing exotic, nothing showy.
How the work feels on the table
Pressure varies across the session. I usually start with longer flowing strokes, partly to warm the tissue and partly to find what's tight versus what's just held tense for the moment. From there I work into the areas that are asking for it, with more pressure where the muscle wants it and lighter strokes where it doesn't.
Knots get worked steadily. I won't grind on something that hasn't softened yet, and I won't skip past it because it's uncomfortable. The pressure should feel useful rather than punishing. Tell me on the table if it's too much or you'd like more. Your feedback matters more than my read of the muscle. More on why this kind of work matters in this short blog post.
Where deep tissue fits in
Swedish and deep tissue aren't separate bookings here. They're the same session, with the pressure dialled up on the areas that need more. If you arrive with a knot that's been there for three weeks, that knot gets the firmer end of the work; the calf that's fine doesn't.
What people sometimes mean by "deep tissue" (slow, sustained pressure into a specific layer of muscle) sits naturally inside a Swedish session. You don't need to choose between them. Just say what you want worked on.
The naturist part
The setting earns its keep on this kind of session in particular. Without towels being repositioned every time I move to a new area, the pressure stays continuous through the work. A tight glute can be released properly, a hamstring worked from origin to insertion without breaking the line. The wider context, if it's new to you, is on the full body massage page and in my first-time guide.
Swedish or full body: which one
If you've come in with a specific complaint (your shoulders, your lower back, recovery from training) this is the booking. If you'd rather not think about which area needs work and want everything attended to in one continuous flow, our full body session is the standard introduction and where most first-timers start. Some people start with one and come back for the other once they know what they want from a session.
The practical side
Sessions are private and appointment-only, and I use a plain unscented oil. The five minutes at the start matter a bit more on a Swedish booking than they do on a full body session. Telling me where the trouble lives, and how it's been behaving, saves the work having to find its own way in.
Session lengths and current prices are on the prices page. The phone is the easiest way to ask anything before booking.