Meet the Team

Nicky is the Founder and Director of Xhilarate Office Massage.

She originally trained at Chichester College of Arts, Science and Technology where she graduated as highest placed student in June 1999 with a BTEC HND in Beauty Therapy. Prior to launching Xhilarate, Nicky was Senior Therapist at The Spa at County Hall before going on to manage the esteemed and exclusive Chelsea Club Spa for Chelsea Football Club for a further 7 years. It was here that she was awarded with the prestigious title of ‘Body Therapist of the Year’ at the British Beauty Awards in 2002, and became renowned for her massage therapies: her high profile clientele have included Robbie Williams, Mrs Abramovich and the Chelsea football club team.

Drawing on her 10 years of experience in treating high net worth professionals, Nicky understood that there were huge shortfalls in the corporate world when it came to wellness at work. Thus, Xhilarate Office Massage was formed to help improve employee wellbeing and combat the ever-increasing levels of stress in the workplace.

Her mission is to provide a powerfully unique massage experience of outstanding and unrivalled quality to recharge mind and body and help create a happier, healthier workplace. Nicky has a hands on approach to the business and her passion, expertise and dedication to exceeding client satisfaction are what define the Xhilarate Experience.

By establishing regular office massage sessions, her aim is to build a positive work environment where staff feel valued and sustained benefits can be achieved for both employees as individuals and organisations as a whole.

Nicky is a firm believer in Meditation and has trained in Mindfulness Meditation with both the Now Project and Calmworks. She enjoys walking, yoga and has a keen interest in Photography having completed a beginners course at City Lit along with several Street Photography workshops. Nicky is also a mother to her two young sons who keep her on her toes!

Favourite quote: ‘A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both’ – LP Jacks

Nina’s journey as a massage therapist began in November 2008 when she completed her NVQ in Beauty Therapy at LCBT. Soon after Nina gained her diploma she started working for Xhilarate and as such is our longest serving massage therapist. Since then she has undertaken both Foundation and Advanced training with Touch Pro in order to develop her massage technique. In addition, she has completed a one-day workshop with Walk-in Back Rub.

Nina believes that true healing comes from nourishing the mind, body and soul and therefore has a keen interest in educating herself in different areas of alternative medicine and massage.

In October 2014, she enrolled on course in Mindfulness and utilises this practise in both her massage therapy and personal life. Nina particularly enjoys seeing the immediate beneficial effects of massage in the workplace. She has received consistently positive feedback over the years and is one of our most requested therapists!

Aside from her professional life, Nina is passionate about cycling, running, music and spending time with family and friends.

She ran her first marathon in Brighton back in April 2017, followed by the Portsmouth marathon in December 2018 and amazingly tackled a half ironman in Lanzarote in October 2019. Nina is big fan of off-road running as she loves to be out in the fresh air amongst nature.

She loves to compete in OCR events like Tough Mudder, Spartan and Warrior Run which encourage positive teamwork.

However, her favourite sport is Cycling, and she cites taking part in the London 100 as one of her most memorable sporting achievements.

Favourite quote: ‘You’ve got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you’ve got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from mistakes, but never regret’ – Unknown

Kornelija is qualified in both Onsite Chair Massage (Touch Pro) and Holistic Massage Therapy (ITEC) and Beauty Therapy Level 3 VTCT.

Kornelija realized her passion for massage in early teenage years. Although it took quite a few years to step towards her dreams, she joined the Xhilarate team in early 2016 and hasn’t looked back since.

Being a chair massage therapist at Xhilarate, Kornelija enjoys helping people cope with stress in the workplace and delights in seeing happy faces after each session. She likes to focus on each client’s individual needs and is always willing to go an extra mile for them.

Kornelija recently came back from maternity leave and spends most of her free time with her son. She loves holistic psychology, spiritual practises and enjoys living a natural, organic lifestyle. Like many people, she seeks inspiration in the thoughts and words of others.

Favourite quote: “When you know how to listen everybody is the guru.” -Ram Dass

Sophie studied Full Body Massage and Indian Head Massage before starting at Xhilarate in late 2017. She immediately completed Touch Pro foundation training and has more recently gained her advanced certificate. Sophie has always had a keen interest in meditation, yoga and nutrition, and became interested in massage as a way to help people to relax and focus, and found it complemented her other passions for wellbeing perfectly.

Working for Xhilarate is very rewarding for Sophie, and she loves to see how massage in an office environment can really transform someone’s working day and ease physical pain and tension brought on by desk work or long commutes. She is motivated to deliver quality treatments to be able to bring a feeling of calm to people who are stressed, anxious, tense or tired.

Sophie is also a drummer, a clarinettist and enjoys writing and playing live music. She loves walking and cycling, and has recently returned from a trip to Mexico where she spent time playing music and learning Spanish.

Favourite quote: ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.’ – Ian McLaren

Susanna has been with Xhilarate since February 2018. She has recently completed Touch Pro foundation and advanced training which builds on her natural style blended from Swedish and Thai massage techniques. Susanna was interested in massage and anatomy from a young age and in 2004 completed her ITEC Anatomy Physiology and Massage (Swedish). She later went on to take an intensive Foundation course in Traditional Thai Massage at the International Training Massage School in Chang Mai and learnt reflexology and chair massage (2007), Level 1 Reiki (2007) as well as completing an intensive Yoga Teacher Training Course at Sivananda, Ketala, India in 2012. She has worked in hotels, spas, exhibitions as well as with private clients.

Susanna has developed a well-rounded and intuitive style with a solid basis in physiology & anatomy. She loves the gentle but powerful nature of helping people release stress and tension through touch therapy. She is particularly interested in the effectiveness of working with pressure points in releasing energetic blocks and helping the body to heal itself.

Susanna is also a Furniture designer/ maker currently, designing a range of furniture for boats. She has a background in Public Sector work.

She is a keen cyclist and wild-swimmer and enjoys climbing and surfing. Her other passions are sustainable design and materials. Susanna has a long-time interest in mindfulness, especially the work of Jon Kabat Zinn and loves art, nature and spending time with people.

Favourite Quote: ‘Sky above, Earth below, Fire within’.

Ana started with Xhilarate in May 2018 and soon aftercompleted Touch Pro foundation training.

She is certified in Level 1 Reiki, has attended a Vipassana 10-day Meditation Course and studied Full Body Massage in 2017. Massage has been practised in Ana’s family since childhood, for relief from tiredness or pain.

As an Xhilarate practitioner, she believes in the immediate benefits of massage in the workplace and enjoys contributing to the wellbeing of the clients she treats. The joy of working with different people and the flexibility of travelling around London to different offices are also pleasurable aspects of the job.

Ana is a highly motivated individual with a strong believe in self-improvement, advising individuals how to achieve a healthier lifestyle and brings a positive sense of wellness to others.

Ana has had a successful career in Customer Service, has a BA in Sculpture – enjoying working mainly with Wood Carving and believes in the therapeutic benefits of art and alternative therapies.

She practices meditation, yoga, cycling, walking, running and swimming in the sea and likes being in great company with good food, excellent music, travelling and learning new things.

Favourite Quote: “Everything that happens to us is a reflection of who we are.” – Deepak Chopra

Vicki has always been passionate about taking care of herself through good diet and meditation, which led her to pursue a career based in complementary therapies, qualifying within ITEC Holistic Full Body Massage (July 2016), Advanced Seated Acupressure massage (September 2016) and Deep Tissue massage (May 2017). Over the last few years she has always continued learning and became an associate member of the FHT in 2016. She is currently studying for her ITEC Level 3 Sports Massage. Vicki believes that massage itself is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, as well as allowing the mind and body to connect. She is naturally gifted in helping people to feel good within themselves.

In her approach, she likes to treat every client holistically. Her aim is to help each person reconnect with their body through massage, aiming to alleviate stress and minimise minor back pain caused from poor posture and sitting at a desk for too long. Vicki considers her best qualities to be exceptional client care combined with great knowledge and technique.

Vicki joined the Xhilarate team in March 2018. She enjoys providing treatments whilst working within an exceptional and inspiring team. Vicki is a keen runner and loves to be in nature, she finds this to be her meditation.

Favourite quote: ‘To keep the body in good health is a duty… otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear’-Buddha

Cara is our Yoga teacher and joined the team in September 2015 having qualified as an Ashtanga Yoga teacher in April 2015 (Namaste Italy Yoga School: 200 Hours Yoga Alliance). As part of her Yoga training, she studied Anatomy and Physiology, Thai Massage, Iridology, Shamanism, Pilates, Aerial Yoga, Acro Yoga, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.

Every time Cara teaches, she enjoys learning something new. The rewards of teaching are physical as they would be in practising as a Yogi – e.g. having more energy and strength. But the rewards are also personal, meeting and helping people to adjust their practice to suit their individual needs and limitations, watching them grow stronger and finding different levels of wellbeing within each class. Cara is touched by the sense of unity that is created with like-minded people during each session and loves to watch people become immediately more relaxed and open after every class.

Having previously worked in an office herself, she understands the importance of leading a bright balanced life, and feels passionate about counteracting anxiety, stress or physical strain caused by office work. Her style of teaching combines Yoga with Pilates, Tai Chi and Singing principles that help to alleviate that pressure and ultimately lead to a greater sense of strength and wellbeing.

Cara enjoys socialising with friends, wild-swimming, walking, dancing, and singing. Her passions and inspirations are live music, choirs, Flamenco music and dancing, food from around the world, creative writing, visiting the sea, geology, ceramics and literature based on old Fables and Myths.

Favourite quote: ‘Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving’- Einstein

Antonia Maguire is a Nutritional Therapist, Naturopath and Health Coach who has been working in the Corporate sector for over 15 years. After a busy career in the media, she believes in a practical and sustainable approach to good nutrition, working with individuals and groups over a period of weeks to achieve the best results. Her nutrition seminars and workshops are fun, interactive and encompass all aspects of health and wellbeing with regard to diet and lifestyle.

Antonia is a regular food blogger and newspaper columnist. She is a keen swimmer, a big believer in the practice of meditation and yoga and mum to her little girl Orla!

Favourite quote: ‘Success is attained one step at a time: There is no sudden leap to greatness. Your success lies in doing day by day. Your upward reach will come from working well and carefully. Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience. A bottle fills drop by drop. Good work done little by little becomes great work. The house of success is built brick by brick.’- Buddha