Bath has drawn people seeking healing for more than two thousand years and The Bath Massage Company has been the city’s trusted home of expert massage since 2010. This summer it began a new chapter under new owners at a new venue, opposite the Apex hotel.
Offering everything from deep tissue, lymphatic, sports and holistic massage to structural rebalance, couples’ treatments and holistic facials, the practice also provides specialist pregnancy and post-natal massage, helping mums with everything from third-trimester aches to the important recovery time after giving birth.
Mel Leeson and Nat Ryan took over the practice from founder Polly, who built it over many years and has now moved on to focus on her space in Devon where she now lives.
“Polly built something with real integrity: a loyal community of clients and a team of therapists who care deeply about their work,” says Mel. “We’ve known each other for fifteen years and when she decided to move on, she wanted the business to go to people who understood what she’d made and who would look after her clients and therapists. It feels like the business has been passed from one pair of hands to another.”
The two new owners first met in a treatment room. Years ago, Nat came to Mel for acupuncture as part of her own fertility journey. Treatment became friendship, and Nat, now a mum of three, went on to support Mel on the business side of her practice long before this opportunity arose.
Mel began her career as a massage therapist before completing her acupuncture degree, and has spent more than fifteen years running a holistic practice across Bath and Bristol, with specialist expertise in women’s health including pregnancy, fertility and children’s acupuncture. Nat spent over a decade leading teams for international consumer brands before retraining, and now mentors founders of purpose-driven businesses.
Looking after their team is at the heart of their plans. Massage therapists are highly skilled, yet across the wellness industry they are too often undervalued and underpaid. Mel has run her own acupuncture practice on an associate model for years, where practitioners work as independent professionals and keep a fair share of what they earn. She and Nat are bringing that same approach to The Bath Massage Company: therapists respected for their expertise, treated as partners and paid properly for their craft.
That team is growing, with three new therapists joining this autumn, bringing more availability across the week and making it easier for clients to find a treatment that suits their needs.
For regulars, a monthly membership offers a choice of massages at a reduced rate. And with Christmas approaching, gift vouchers run from a single treatment to a six-month membership, emailed instantly and valid for twelve months.
“Our aim is simple,” says Nat, “a warm, well-run practice where our massage therapists do their finest work, and every client leaves more relaxed and restored than when they arrived.”
The Bath Massage Company, 18 Charles Street, Bath BA1 1HX. Book online at thebathmassagecompany.com or call 01225 962 883.
