Please note, both our branches will be closed from Thursday 22nd December through Sunday 1st January. We will be open again as usual from Monday 2nd January
We wish all our lovely customers a very happy Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2023
From your friends at Thai Kosai đ
Wishing all our customers, family, friends and colleagues a very happy Songkran (Thai new year) and Easter!
Both our shops (in Holborn and Spitalfields) will be closed for four days over Easter, from Friday 15th April to Monday 18th April. We'll be open again as usual from Tuesday 19th April.
Hope you all have some time off too, and we will see you for a massage soon!
We have written before about some research carried out in Los Angeles sponsored by NIH which measured changes in hormone levels before and after a massage. The study observed measurable decreases in cortisol â the stress hormone â as well as increases in lymphocytes, the white blood cells that form a key part of the immune system.
But the benefits donât stop at decreased stress and improved immune strength; massage has also been shown to increase levels of other hormones and chemicals which improve wellbeing, such as endorphins, serotonin and dopamine.
Endorphins are the most well known of these âpositive hormonesâ. When endorphins bind to receptor neurons they reduce the intensity of any pain sensations, as well as promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. While there is no comprehensive body of research that proves the release of endorphins is caused by massage (as opposed to, for example, the simple act of lying still), it is a theory widely advanced by massage therapists.
There is a larger body of evidence that massage increases levels of serotonin and dopamine. Dopamine is the classic âreward systemâ feel-good hormone, and is associated with all pleasurable sensations. Serotonin helps regulate our mood as well as sleep, appetite, digestion, learning ability, and memory. Quantifying the increase has been the subject of a range of research, and increases of circa 30% have been measured.
What we do know for certain â from mountains of anecdotal evidence and practical experience â is that regardless of the changes in blood chemistry, massage does enhance feelings of wellbeing. So if you want to enjoy the natural dopamine high that follows a good massage, why not book yourself in at our brand new massage spa in Holborn.
With the London marathon still a few months away (for the last year before it reverts to its normal spring timing), itâs time to dust off our marathon advice!
Itâs all too easy to leave your massage therapy to the last minute. In the same way you wouldnât shock your body by wearing brand new trainers for the run, you shouldnât leave your massage routine until itâs too late. Weâve had customers who never get regular massages come in just a couple of days before an endurance event, with a long list of niggles! In these cases, the best option is normally just a general treatment, leaving a longer therapeutic course until after the event. In the immediate run-up to an event like a marathon the advice is typically for âactive restâ, so this would be the best time for more relaxing massage and not a therapeutic deep tissue massage. After all, your body shouldnât be in ârepairâ mode in the days before the event
But with a bit more preparation time in hand, itâs worth planning a massage course into your training schedule. People often underestimate the benefits of including a regular massage in a training schedule. You can gauge your response to regular massage to assess your training progress, and how hard youâve pushed yourself. As you start building up your distance, this can often cause a build up of small stresses being placed on certain joints and muscles, which can foreshadow an injury. A regular massage can keep tabs on these, and perhaps help you spot a problem before it becomes one. One piece of advice any trainer will give is not to skip rest days â so why not include a massage on those days to help foster muscle recovery!
Our massage shop in Holborn is within walking (limping?) distance from the finish line. Directly after the marathon you may well find some massage therapists working nearby. The post-marathon massage is often little more than a ârub downâ, with long flushing strokes along the legs, and some calf and thigh stretching to ease any cramps (although the best treatment for cramps is usually fluid, ice, and stretching, rarely direct pressure massage)
Good luck if you are running it, and we hope to see you during your training programme.
Nothing to do with the impossibly complicated DiCaprio movie of a similar name, âinteroceptionâ is your sense of the physiological condition of your entire body. Essentially it is your own sense of how you feel. At its most basic, this means noticing the sensation of, for example, a dry mouth (thirsty!) or a rumbling stomach (hungry!). But how many us have a good sense of our own heart rate, or breathing rate, or can correctly interpret signals from muscle fascia? We all have different degrees of accuracy in our senses of interoception just as we do with other senses, like eyesight. People with impaired interoception are often unable to distinguish between different physical sensations and sometimes have trouble feeling anything at all, including emotions. In fact, depression has been associated with impaired interoceptive accuracy. But clinical treatment to improve impaired or disturbed interoception are rare, which is where alternative therapies could help.
As massage therapists, obviously our job is to make our customers feel better. Sometimes this is a case of helping you relax (for which we recommend our Thai aromatherapy massage); sometimes itâs about loosening up a tight muscle (for which we recommend our Thai deep tissue massage). Massage stimulates the nerve endings in muscle fascia, which is a direct path to enhancing body awareness. Slow techniques in particular, that tend to induce feelings of relaxation, allow customers to accurately process sensory input. So as you start coming for more regular massages, a welcome side effect can be an improved sense of interoception. Ultimately, improved interoception can boost your capacity for self-care, and to help guide us to the exact location of discomfort.
We encourage our massage therapists to focus on their interoception too â you may notice your therapist taking a few deep breaths before starting your massage. Recognising the early signs of bodily strain is important to keep our therapists working at their best.
If youâre thinking about starting a course of massage in the serene surroundings of our new spa in Holborn, then please go ahead and book yourself in!