ON THE DAY

The Zen Den is located in Tunbridge Wells town centre, on Garden Road - just off Camden Road. The treatment room is within my private residence and for this reason I don’t advertise the full address online; instead, it’s provided in your booking confirmation emails.

Your booking confirmation emails contain detailed directions on nearby parking and how to find the house, so please take the time to read over it before your appointment.

Important: don’t type “The Zen Den” into Google Maps if you’re using that to find me; it will take you to the old Neal’s Yard Remedies store on Mt Pleasant Rd! Instead use the post code provided in your booking email.

There is no parking available at the property.

The nearest parking is Royal Victoria Place. Free 2-hour parking is available on St James Road and Beulah Road, subject to availability. Please check the parking signs and allow necessary time to find parking before your appointment.

Please arrive five minutes before your appointment time to ensure we can begin your treatment on time.

When you arrive you will be directed to the bathroom to wash your hands (and use the facilities, if you’d like) before removing your shoes and entering the treatment room. We’ll have a quick chat about how you’re feeling and what you’d like me to focus on during the treatment, and then I’ll leave the room and give you some time to get undressed and comfortable on the treatment table.

If it’s your first session with me, you’ll complete a New Client Consultation Form as part of the pre-treatment chat.

I aim to spend the entire treatment time administering the treatment (eg if you book 60 mins, those 60 mins are spent massaging) rather than cutting treatments short by 5 mins to allow for changing and turnaround.

I time the gaps between clients very specifically to allow for sanitisation, treatment notes and any breaks I may need, so it’s important that you arrive on time (which is five minutes before your treatment starts!).

I’m afraid I can’t run over or make up treatment time in the event that clients arrive late.

Unless pre-arranged, if you arrive more than five minutes early then please wait at the end of the path for a few minutes as I may be busy preparing the room, making treatment notes, or having my break.

There’s nothing worse than being cold during a treatment. The table warmer is available all year round to ensure coziness, and during the winter months the table will be pre-heated before your arrival. There are extra blankets, too!

I recommend bringing some cosy socks with you during the winter months.

Underwear

For her: full coverage underpants & a comfortable bra (optional).

For him: full coverage underpants or sports briefs, or shorts. Mid-thigh shorts are a little too long - short shorts are best, and with a very stretchy waistband.

It’s important that you wear underwear with good coverage so that you can feel comfortable during Structural Rebalancing sessions or just when we do mobilisation work. Treatments are holistic so we might not always do this work, but it's good to have some comfy options with you just in case.

To ensure your comfort, only the area being worked on is uncovered. (Unless we’re doing more of a remedial/mobilisation focused session, in which case you might choose to be in leggings and a sports bra - also fine!)

Underwear (pants) must be worn during treatments.

All treatments are holistic, meaning there is no set routine and each session is tailored to suit your needs on the day. You’re in charge of how much pressure is applied, but remember that we’re never aiming for pain. I’m passionate about this; you can read all about the biological reasons why “no pain, no gain” doesn’t apply to bodywork here.

While your tissues and your body language may provide clues as to a pain response, I still can’t tell exactly what you’re feeling - so always speak up if you’d like anything adjusted: more or less pressure, an area of tenderness or pain, the temperature of the table, etc.

You can decide which areas we focus on - the only thing we’re limited by here is the treatment length. Check out the treatment timings to see what we can fit in.

Many clients find it comforting to talk for the first few minutes of a treatment; then, as they settle in, the conversation tends to drift away.

For some clients, part of the relief they get from their treatments is in having the space to vent and get things off their chest to someone they can trust, and they might spend a lot of their treatment chatting.

As your massage therapist, my job is to facilitate your healing in whatever way you need (within my skillset). For some that means silence; for others, talking; for others, something in-between.

If you love to chat…

Go for it, but please be aware that sometimes you may not receive the full benefits of your massage if you’re talking the entire time. What I mean by this, is that slow breathing and stillness enhance the benefits of the massage. Breathing deeply, with a slow and steady inhalation to exhalation ratio, signals our parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body down. You can’t achieve this when you’re chatting!

Physically, around 100 muscles are used when you speak. Unless I’m using active massage techniques (where the client performs a movement engaging either a concentric or eccentric contraction), we actually want your muscles to be unengaged. Think floppy, like a dead weight. I should be able to lift you arm, for example, and move it around freely without any resistance or control from you. For many clients it can be difficult to achieve this level of relaxation whilst talking.

So even if you prefer to talk, I may at times ask you to take some deep breaths to calm your body so it can better receive the work.

If you’re the silent type…

Great! I’ll occasionally check in with you about the pressure, areas of concern, or to guide you through a movement/exercise. I won’t chat unless you initiate a conversation, but I also want to ensure you get the most from your treatment. which means checking that what I’m doing is working for you.

While your tissues and your body language may provide clues as to a pain response, I still can’t tell exactly what you’re feeling, so always speak up if you’d like anything adjusted: more or less pressure, an area of tenderness or pain, the temperature of the table, etc.

This is your treatment and I want it to be perfect for you! That means communication throughout the session (not to be confused with chat!).

Occasionally, new clients admit they’re feeling a little nervous about receiving bodywork or that they’re feeling self-conscious about their body. This is totally normal, especially if receiving hands-on bodywork is new to you. Here are some truths from me to (hopefully) put you at ease:

• Your body is incredible

• I see all different shapes and sizes of body every day, but I’m not really looking at your body - I’m listening to it. Some of you are rolling your eyes at this point, but it’s true. My focus isn’t on what you look like on the table; I’m busy listening to your soft tissue through my hands!

• You never need to apologise for not having shaved your legs before your treatment. I promise, I really don’t care.

• Only the area that I’m working on will be uncovered, so you never need to worry about being exposed. I’ll need to access your entire back, but if you prefer to start the treatment wearing a bra, that’s fine - just make sure you wear a bra with clasps at the back, rather than one that needs to be taken off over your head. Then I can unclasp it to work on your back, and re-clasp it before moving on.
  If it helps you feel held, then wear your biggest Bridget Jones pants (as long as they’re comfy - the towel will be tucked into your pants so that I can get to your lower back, so make sure your underwear can be rolled down easily. A very tight waistband won’t be comfy!)

• You’re in charge of your treatment! We focus on areas, and avoid areas, of your choice.
  For example, some clients opt not to have their abdomen massaged when they’re pre-menstrual, and some clients simply don’t like having their feet touched. It’s all fine - just let me know.