I love paying people to touch me. As a rule, if it involves cash, you're more likely to walk away a…read morehappy girl. At Kobkun Thai Therapy on Essex Road (I haven't tried the one on Upper Street yet), the wonderful woman who rubbed my back, thumbed my arms and stood on my shoulders deserves a prize or trophy for her wonderful acts of humanity. I will admit, that this is the first time I have indulged in a massage in London properly. It's stressful times and after a considerable period of my body lacking attention I jumped on Tinker and cycled down here. I didn't make an appointment but as soon as I walked it, the line of knitting Thai ladies made it very clear this wouldn't be a problem. It smells lovely in here and straight away I felt the worries of the world float away. You walk in and take off your shoes off and fill in a little health form. You then tell them what kind of massage you want and you're taken down into a cosy treatment room. The rooms are lovely, very calming and toasty warm. There is a large futon and pillow on the floor, you're told to strip down to your under crackers and lie on the bed while your lovely lady leaves the room. She then comes back as you lie pretty much starkers on the futon and gives you a good rub. £30 for 30 minutes and when I left I felt like a new woman. Life changing! They told me that they are open until 10.30pm most days so if after work you feel like you need to chill out and you have £30 burning a whole in your pocket, I can think of a lot worse ways to spend your evening.

This was my first professional massage, which is probably a good thing to know if you're going to…read moretake my word for the quality of Kobkun. The gals here were really clear about what little was expected of me throughout the appointment, which I really appreciated. The whole visit from making reservations on the phone to emerging blissed-out from my 45 minute traditional thai massage was comfortable and well-managed. I had a bit of a strange request (I think it was uncommon, but maybe it's not!) as I called up just the day before my monthly date night with my beau to request a time slot for both of us to get massages in the same room. They had no problem accommodating us. The room was very comfortable, infused with calming scented oils, and so deliciously warm that I forgot the winter weather outside! It was a real treat. Price-wise, it's pretty standard for London, about a pound a minute.

Initially, I was all set to give this place only two stars. I was told to arrive about 15 minutes…read moreearly to fill out paperwork, which I did. Their first appointment is at noon, which was my appointment today, and when I arrived at about 11:45 the lights were mostly off. But they turned the lights on and gave me the paperwork to fill out. I was then told my massage therapist hadn't yet arrived. Hmmm, okay.... she arrived at about 12:10 and took me in right away - but I did get rather turned off by the lack of professionalism in terms of either offering me another massage therapist, keeping me updated on her whereabouts, making sure I wasn't in a rush to leave, etc. Marianne, my massage therapist, finally arrived and took me in immediately and filled with apologies. Anyway, once I was taken in, things started getting better. You leave your shoes by the waiting room, which is a nice touch - it adds to the spa like feel of the place, and minimises noise of people walking around. The rooms are lovely - well lit by candlelight, soft music playing, etc. I didn't love the fact that my body was covered with a smallish towel instead of a sheet, but once I got into the massage I forgot about it. I had booked a deep tissue massage and was a bit turned off by the light touch Marianne had at first, but she still somehow managed to get in there and loosen my muscles. At one point she pulled my shoulder blades out, which I've had done before and usually find myself gasping to not yell out, but with Marianne it just felt like a nice gentle stretch that left me feeling quite limber. I'm used to deep tissue massages being very strong and really working out my muscles, with me grunting from the pain (the good sort of pain, though!). That's not how Marianne did it - somehow, I received a deep tissue massage and managed to doze off! Afterwards she left me dozing in the room, and when I finally got up and got dressed, she met me in the waiting area with some tea and water, a stack of magazines, a blanket, and my choice of daybeds to curl up on and relax. I was told there was no rush for me to leave, and I truly felt that way. I'll be back.

I had my first massage here or as I like to call it "man-sage" last weekend. I am not a fan of…read moremassages, I generally find them pleasant but not something I'd pursue as some do. I generally find a good wet shave much nicer. I was cajoled into coming here and indeed I had originally suggested it to the cajoler due to reviews and proximity. Slightly worryingly the questionnaire described what one would normally describe as 'side effects' as a 'healing reaction'. It seems complimentary therapies are continuing to be good at rebranding. The place is certainly very clean and zen full of furniture from Lom Bok (I have just moved and studied furniture stores). The staff do a good job of putting you at ease. There was quiet music, soft smells and lots of places to meditate. The lady who looked after me was very good, very professional and and concentrated on my back where I get the most pain post swimming. The price wasn't bad at £65 for 45 mins and had a nice relaxing tea at the eng just outside a small garden. If my pain had gone or Id felt better this place would get five stars but Ive yet to find that place. I think I'll continue with my shaves but certainly I'd go back if I was gifted a session.

90 minutes massage with hot stones by Natty Very…read moreinvigorating massage by Natty it helped with aches and pains Daniela B

I really like this place, great massage , friendly staff, clean and private…read morevery reasonable price. I definitely return.

I have been to kalma spa so many times and booked 2 courses of treatments and paid in advance for…read moreboth, one course cost £280.50 for 6 massages which is now finished and other over £1000 that I am still under going. The staff and including the manager are lovely. I'm a very happy and satisfied customer. Would highly recommend.

Ok don't let the old reviews deter you from checking this place out! Initially, we were quite…read moreworried due to low ratings on Yelp but these were super old and we also checked the reviews on Google, which were more recent and better. Since it was super close to where we were staying, we decided to give it a shot and we were so glad we did!!! The first time we came here, we got a 60mins couples massage. It was so great that we came back another day and got 90mins! 90mins was perfect. Both times, my masseuse was Nan, and she was amazing! She really pinpointed all the knots on my shoulders and neck and her pressure was on point. My husband got Justyna and Pammy and they were both great as well. It was quite shocking that he enjoyed both masseuses cause no two masseuses are ever the same. So he believes that they might've gone through the same systematic training to ensure consistency and quality. Overall, our two massages were amazing so I definitely recommend checking it out if you're ever in London!

I had an amazing massage with Monika who was both a wonderful practitioner and a very nice and…read morepleasant person! Would 10/10 recommend her, and also the facility itself was quiet, nice, and peaceful. Perfect place to recharge.

The Thai combo massage by Bour was 10/10 top massage I've ever gotten (and I get one a week so I…read morewould know). This will be my new go-to spot for massages hands down. The ambiance is calm and the music they had in the back while getting a massage was so relaxing and put me right to sleep. They give you some yummy digestive tea after which comes straight from Thailand. The staff is so sweet and prices are so beyond reasonable! Will definitely be back!!!

This place has been there for a long time so we assumed it must be really good. It was very clean…read moreand the hostess was very nice. We received water before and complementary tea and cookies after so that was very nice as well. We had paid for 90 minute massage and didn't end up with one. It was more like 75 minutes. After we said something about that, they tried to tell us that they started earlier, but since I was looking at my watch, which I always do, I said that was not possible. So they gave us a 10% discount which was satisfactory. We went for a couples massage after traveling for a bit thinking we would like to destress on our holiday. I'd say it was a good experience, not great. We'd probably go to a different massage place next time.

I went to Natural Ways last Thursday for half an hours massage. The masseuse that day was Jessie…read more She had a friendly personality, spoke good english and gave me an excellent massage. She initially asked if I wanted a gentle, intermediate or firm massage and I opted for firm. The massage room was clean and not cold. I plan to go back there again.

I went to a relaxing shoulder and neck massage and felt like a truck had hit me. More expensive…read morethan most in the area. The massage room was cold and not relaxing at all. I basically grimaced the entire way though hoping that the torture would end soon. Also, if you phone up and ask for something in particular (like waxing or something) if they ahven;t got someone there to do it, they still say they have, so you turn up and then inform you they are unable to do it, but can offer you something else. Never ever going back there again!

Overall, I could only recommend this salon for bikini waxes if you have a lot of time on your…read morehands, find waxes excruciatingly painful and have £50 to spare. I was quite disappointed by my experience at Earth-Spa. I went there for a much-overdue Hollywood wax, having chosen the salon for its luxury-feel and kind-to-skin waxing method. On the plus side, the waxing method was one of the less painful that I have tried. However, the wax took about 50 minutes (!!! -- the last place I went to, the same wax took 5-10 minutes), and after all that, I got home to find patches of hair still there. Worse still, while the website listed the price of the wax as ~£40, at the salon I was charged ~£50 since apparently prices had just gone up and the website had not yet been updated. I called to offer feedback to the salon, and the manager offered to have another therapist clean up the last wax properly. The next girl I got was lovely, however even this clean-up wax took a long time (about 30 minutes) and I again left with patches of hair that should have been removed.

I had the pleasure of going to Earthspa three times last week. Yes, I'm a glutton for spa…read moretreatments. I got all three treatments from the same young woman, Lauren, who was fantastic. The facilities are really nice--very new and clean. The facial I got was excellent, Lauren used dermatologica products and gave me some to take home and try. She also did a little face-mapping and told me what to use where. Waxing was also perfect, 5 stars. The manicure/pedicures are the one weak point for Earthspa. They just don't seem to have the facilities for it. They had me on the massage table and although it was very nice and comfy it didn't allow for any sort of soaking, etc. They really need a pedicure chair in my oh-so-humble opinion. For the prices they are charging (pretty spendy) I want a few more layers of skin off my feet removed than is possible without a soak. Overall though, I thought the place was great. If you are going to book, I'd suggest making an appointment with Lauren, she's excellent.