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 realised that there were huge shortfalls in the corporate world when it came to wellness at work and employee wellbeing. Thus, Xhilarate Office Massage was formed in response to the growing need for addressing the ever-increasing levels of stress in the workplace.
Her mission statement is to ‘Deliver a powerfully unique massage experience of outstanding and unrivalled quality that helps to alleviate stress in the workplace, allowing the client to feel instantly calm, focused and refreshed.’ 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.
Nicky is a firm believer in Meditation and has trained in Mindfulness Meditation with both the Now Project and Calmworks. She enjoys running, Pilates, loves to travel and is currently learning French. Nicky also has a keen interest in Photography and has completed a beginners course at City Lit along with several Street Photography workshops.
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
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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 recently 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.
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
Shalini joined the Xhilarate team in March 2012. She combines deep tissue massage with her training in seated acupressure techniques (Touchpro, April, 2013).
As an actress, Shalini balances her work with Xhilarate with life on the London stage. With the mental stresses of life often taking a physical toll on us, she fully believes in the transformative potential of massage therapy. Seeing first-hand how something as simple as a 15-minute massage in the middle of a busy working day can completely change a person’s energy and outlook is her absolute favourite part of the job!
Favourite quote: ‘Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire’ – Unknown
Briony joined the Xhilarate team in February 2017 having returned from her travels in South America. It was there that she studied ‘Shiatsu Dance Massage’ in Puerto Rico under the tuition of Bartus Allen. This practice centres around the breath and utilises one’s own body weight in order to enhance the flow of Shiatsu massage techniques. Briony has a Diploma in Anatomy and Physiology and has completed Touch Pro foundation and advanced training as well as a one day workshop with Walk-in Backrub .
Briony’s background is in performance arts. She trained in dance and theatre from an early age, which led to a current 20 year profession in dance, high physical theatre and circus. She attributes her keen understanding of the body and passion for well and healthy bodies to the years of working extensively with her own and a dedicated yoga practice.
She is thrilled to be working with the wonderful Xhilarate team, is inspired by the knowledge and conscious caring of the director and to be fulfilling a long term ambition to be of service in the wellbeing of others. Briony loves meeting all the different people too.
Her other passions are food, farming and sustainable living. She has just returned from a number of years as a volunteer in the rain forest and organic farms in Puerto Rico. She loves animals, country walks, movies and books and keeping bee’s!
Favourite quote: ‘Whoever is happy will make others happy too. He who has courage and faith will never perish in misery.’ – Anne Frank
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 and clarinetist and spends a lot of time playing live music. She loves to cook healthy food, read and go walking and cycling, and is also interested in photography.
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’.
Emma started working for Xhilarate in February 2016 shortly after qualifying in Touch Pro training early in 2016. Emma has also qualified from the School of Healing Arts, Indonesia in Thai Yoga massage.
The body has always been a point of interest for Emma: working with individuals and interacting with their bodies though massage proves extremely rewarding. She enjoys the physical practise of manipulating muscles to help alleviate stress and is fascinated by how this can help heal on many levels, considering how mental health manifests in the body and vice versa.
As well as enjoying travelling and working across London, Emma takes pleasure in working with a diverse clientele through Xhilarate. She is inspired by the way in which on-site massage treatment can allow people to combat stress, tension and fatigue as an effective and powerful solution. She enjoys working by herself as well as in Xhilarate’s tight nit and supportive team.
Outside of Xhilarate Emma works on various collaborative and personal art projects internationally: as an artist she works on sculpture, set design and performance. Currently she is doing MA research on Masks in fine art performance at University Arts London.
Favourite Quote: ‘If the problem can be solved why worry? If the problem cannot be solved worrying will do you no good’ – Śāntideva
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
Ruby was a Casino Croupier for 15 years before deciding that she wanted to do something that would make a positive difference to people’s lives.
In 2010 Ruby embarked on a journey with Reiki which was the catalyst for her move into the holistic health field. She trained in Massage in 2013 gaining ITEC Level 3 qualifications in Holistic Massage and Manual Lymphatic Drainage before moving on to do further training in Deep Tissue, Natural Face Lift and Pregnancy Massage. Ruby now has an established practice with a clinic in Brixton, South London as well as working with post-operative cosmetic surgery patients.
Ruby is incredibly passionate about what she does and believes that massage is not only beneficial to the physical body but is a powerful tool for releasing stress and anxiety. She is always learning and looking to improve her skill set with plans to undertake Vodder Manual Lymphatic Drainage Training to enable her to work with Lympoedema patients and is also currently training to be a Life Coach.
Ruby trained in seated acupressure massage after working with so many clients who came to her for deep tissue treatments with back, neck and shoulder issues as a result of prolonged desk work and high stress levels. To be able to actually enter the workplace and provide staff with the opportunity to take a real break from their busy day appealed to Ruby. Working with Xhilarate she has seen first hand what a huge difference a 15 minute massage makes to a person physically and energetically and finds it incredibly rewarding.
Outside of her professional field, Ruby enjoys gardening at her allotment and spending time with her young son.
Favourite quote: ‘The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance’ – Alan Watts
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
Letty is our Deep Tissue & Sports Massage Practitioner. She was first introduced to healing and massage during her 3 years of travelling in Mexico. She qualified in 2011 with a distinction in ITEC Holistic and Swedish Massage and then went on to train in Deep Tissue and Acupressure Chair Massage. She is also certified in Sports Massage and Remedial Therapies (BTEC Level 5) as well as Traditional Thai Yoga Massage which she studied in Thailand.
When it comes to treating clients, Letty has an exceptionally calm and friendly approach. She treats each person individually and with unconditional love. Listening to the client’s needs is the first step towards recovery and healing. She likes to mix different sports massage techniques and stretches in order to release tension in the muscles of the body.
In working for Xhilarate, Letty enjoys delivering efficient and professional treatments in the workplace and takes pleasure in being part of such a well-organized and efficient team. She practices sports such as self-defense, cycling and yoga and is greatly inspired by the Buddhist philosophy that she came across while travelling in Asia.
Favourite quote: ‘Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.’ – Buddha
Antonia began studying Reflexology at the end of 2002, having completed a Diploma in Iridology, whilst still working full time in the media. She quickly realised her calling and went on to train with TouchPro, qualifying in both seated acupressure massage and reflexology in 2004. She then worked backstage in theatres and on film sets, and for the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 2005 she travelled to Thailand to study Thai Yoga Massage and received a diploma from the International School in Chiang Mai. In 2006 she began the long road to train as a Nutritional Therapist, qualifying in 2010 under the tutelage of renowned naturopath Jacqui Day and thereafter joining nutritionist Patrick Holford’s Zest4Life organisation as a registered Coach. She now combines Reflexology, Massage and Nutritional Therapy to deliver a truly holistic approach to wellbeing.
Antonia is a keen swimmer, a big believer in the practice of meditation and yoga and mum to 4 year old 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