Women-only studio · Stoke-on-Trent
Massage guides
Practical, honest guides on massage in pregnancy and for everyday aches, tension and wellbeing, written from years of hands-on work in the women-only studio.
Recent guides
Pregnancy
Postnatal massage: when you can have one after birthA newborn is hard on your shoulders, neck and back. When you can come for a massage after the birth, and when it is better to wait.5 min read
Can you have a pregnancy massage on the NHS?Massage is not something the NHS funds during pregnancy, but that is not the whole picture. Here is what the NHS does offer for pregnancy aches, what some maternity units provide in labour, and where private massage fits.6 min read
Can massage bring on labour?One of the most common pregnancy worries: will a massage start my labour? The honest answer, the difference between relaxation massage and deliberate acupressure, and why a trained therapist has it covered.5 min read
Can you lie on your front for a pregnancy massage?"How on earth do I lie down with a bump?" is one of the biggest reasons women hesitate to book. The simple, comfortable answer: side-lying, fully supported with pillows.5 min read
Pressure points to avoid in pregnancy massageThere are a few acupressure points traditionally avoided in pregnancy. What they are, why a trained therapist already works around them, and why this is nothing for you to manage yourself.5 min read
Massage in the third trimester (36 to 40 weeks)The aches and broken sleep of late pregnancy are exactly when many women most want a massage. Why it is safe right through to 40 weeks for a healthy pregnancy, how it adapts, and the signs that mean check first.6 min read
Women's wellbeing
Christmas gift ideas for her: a massage voucher from £25A massage voucher is a Christmas present she can actually use, at a time that suits her. Ideas from £25, how to buy one, and what to do if you are leaving it late.4 min read
Why a women-only massage studio?Every appointment at Essential Massage is with a woman, one at a time, in a private log cabin. What women-only means here, and why so many women look for it.4 min read
Does reflexology help heel pain and plantar fasciitis?Sore heels and the sharp morning pain of plantar fasciitis wear you down. How reflexology can bring comfort to the area, where its limits honestly are, and when to get it properly checked.5 min read
Can massage help sciatica and piriformis pain?A lot of "sciatica" is really a tight muscle squeezing the nerve. How massage eases that, where it genuinely helps, and the warning signs that mean see a doctor first.6 min read
Does massage lower cortisol and calm the nervous system?The calming reset behind almost everything massage does for stress, sleep and tension. How it settles an over-revved nervous system, and what the research on cortisol does and does not show.5 min read
Can massage help jaw tension, TMJ and teeth grinding?A clenched, aching jaw, often from stress and night-time grinding, is more muscular than most people realise. How massage releases it, the headaches it can lift, and where the dentist comes in.5 min read
