Meet Anita: Helping Active Bodies & Busy Minds Feel Good
Hi, I'm Anita .
Hi, I’m Anita. Sports massage therapist, lifelong lover of active movement, and firm believer that feeling good in your body matters.
I’m here to help active bodies and busy minds feel their best. Whether you’re training hard, getting back to something you love, carrying a few too many niggles, or simply feeling like your body could do with a bit of attention.
My approach is practical, individual and never one size fits all. I'll assess what’s contributing to your tension or discomfort, work with your body rather than against it, and tailor each treatment to what you actually need and wish to achieve.
My passion is sports recovery and helping active people keep doing the things they love, consistently. You absolutely don’t need to be a serious athlete to benefit from massage. Your activities might be running, cycling, weight training, martial arts, netball, walking the dog or simply navigating a busy stressful week!
Expect a friendly, down to earth approach, a calm space and no judgement. Just somewhere you can switch off, feel supported and get the treatment that’s right for you.
Becoming a massage therapist feels less like a career change and more like coming full circle.
I studied Behavioural Health Science at university, so I’ve always been fascinated by people, wellbeing and the relationship between how we think, feel and function. After many years working in the hospitality industry, I reached a point where I wanted to build something that felt more connected to who I am and what genuinely matters to me.
I’ve always been active and fascinated by how the body works. Particularly the relationship between movement, recovery and the way our physical and mental wellbeing influences one another. I’ve experienced first hand how much being able to move, exercise and get outside can affect how you feel, and how frustrating it is when your body gets in the way.
That led me to retrain and qualify in Sports Massage, turning something I’d always been passionate about into a career where I can help other people feel better in their bodies and keep doing the things they love.
An Australian-born Brit, I bring a relaxed, friendly and honest approach to everything I do. I’m not interested in making massage feel intimidating or clinical, I like people to feel comfortable, listened to and genuinely cared for. Oh, and I welcome music requests for treatments, so bring me your best!
How I Work
I don’t believe you need fixing.
I provide personalised massage treatments for active people who want to feel better, move well and keep doing what you love.
That might mean supporting recovery after regular training or a speciifc event, working with muscular tension or recurring niggles, easing the physical effects of a busy life, or simply giving your body some much needed attention and relaxation.
Every treatment starts with understanding what’s going on for you rather than simply working through a standard routine. I assess what may be contributing to your tension or discomfort and tailor the treatment accordingly, using a combination of soft and deep tissue massage, passive and active stretching, active massage techniques and other approaches where appropriate, such as Myofascial Cupping.
My focus is always on helping you feel better, not on how much pressure I can apply!
Whether you’re a committed cyclist, runner, gym-goer, weekend warrior or just someone whose body is feeling the effects of everyday life, you’re most welcome here.
Ask Anita
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Honestly? It feels a bit like coming full circle.
I've always been active, intrigued by the body and naturally curious about how to help people feel better, giving back to others in a purposeful way. I've also had a long history with massage myself, and I know how much the right treatment can change how you feel, both physically and mentally.
I love the puzzle of figuring out what a body might need (solutions!), and I'm fascinated by how closely our physical and emotional wellbeing are connected. Massage brings all of those things together rather beautifully.
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Road cycling. Road cycling. Road cycling.
Don't get me started on bikes: the adventures, the snacks, the ridiculous distances, and the brilliant people I get to ride with. Cycling is my space to switch off, clear my head and fill my soul, and I take a slightly unreasonable amount of pride in battering my legs over some chunky distances.
Close behind are weight training, Pilates, yoga, hiking and softball.
But secretly? If someone offered me the chance to go skydiving, water skiing and race top-fuel dragsters daily, I'd be there in a heartbeat. Apparently I like a bit of adrenaline…
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The mental health benefits, without a doubt. Endorphins are REAL!
I love feeling strong, pushing myself, and that brilliant sense of achievement when you realise you've done something you weren't sure you could. I equally love the camaraderie. There's something pretty special about being around people who share a love of moving, whatever the sport.
Ultimately, though, it's about feeling good, staying fit and healthy, and being able to keep doing the things I love.
Getting older? Yes. Slowing down? No. Growing up? Jury's still out.
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Food. Always food. I'm basically the #snackqueen!
Post-training: it's currently generously buttered Vegemite on toast (and yes, Vegemite IS the GOAT, better than Marmite. Fact.) with an iced vanilla protein decaf coffee.
After a big ride, there's a bit more of a ritual:
A chocolate & cookies protein shake, the Bulk Recovery Shake. It's not sponsored, but if anyone from Bulk is reading this… my inbox is open, HMU 😉
Shower
ALWAYS stretch
Then I inevitably crave red meat, so usually steak and greens
If I'm riding with friends, though, all bets are off. Pizza or a burger will absolutely do the job. Moderation, right?!
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Dangerous question, as I LOVE music! My taste is ridiculously eclectic, but here's roughly what you might hear:
Rock / metal / punk / indie (my personal loves): Biffy Clyro, Nothing But Thieves, We Are The Ocean, Tool. Depending on the client and what they need, there might be something with a bit of a beat quietly in the background.
Aussie beach/folk vibes: Ziggy Alberts, John Butler Trio, The Lumineers, City & Colour.
Chilled instrumental: if someone arrives with a completely depleted nervous system, I'll dial it right back.
Or just tell me what you fancy listening to. I'm very happy to take requests! Although I reserve the right to veto rap or techno. Some things are simply beyond my therapeutic remit.
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I'm told I'm now a bit of a pseudo-Aussie, thanks to my increasingly diluted accent.
Australia will ALWAYS be home. My soul still belongs there, and I genuinely need to get back regularly. But the grass isn't always greener, and England has very much become my second home:
I've made some incredible, supportive and inspiring friendships here
I can be outdoors and active all year round (Australia is far too hot for cycling and hiking for a good chunk of the year!)
Having Europe on the doorstep means endless opportunities for adventures
I feel very fortunate and grateful to get the best of both worlds. Australia has my heart, England has my life. And apparently my accent is somewhere in between.
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Ohh, this is a big, deep question. Sit tight!
I'm a massive petrolhead.
My dad was my everything, and a huge part of my childhood was spent immersed in American muscle cars with him. His first baby was a 1968 Corvette, which is still very much part of the family. Thankfully, I still get to drive it when I go home to Sydney. There's something about a big, loud, slightly ridiculous V8 rumbling into life that just gets me. It's in my blood.
At 17, I asked my dad's mechanic (the lovely Tom) if I could do an apprenticeship with him. Unfortunately, he'd just hired someone, so the timing was rubbish. I still like to remind him every time I visit that life could have looked very different if he'd said yes. I make a point of visiting him when I'm back in Australia each year, so clearly I haven't quite let the dream go.
And then there's the tattoo…
You might occasionally catch a glimpse of it, but what you probably won't realise is that it's a rather substantial piece of artwork covering my whole back, with a very Aussie theme. The flags from the Corvette are incorporated into it too, so there's a lot of my dad, Australia, cars and childhood wrapped up in one slightly enormous piece of me.
So yes, I spend my working days talking about muscles, movement and helping people feel better in their bodies… but give me a big V8, an open road and somewhere to go, and I'm also very much my dad's daughter.
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"No pain, no gain." Absolutely not. Cringe.
I'm not here to see how much discomfort you can tolerate, or to prove how deep I can get into a muscle. More pressure doesn't mean a better treatment, and I'm definitely not going to spend an hour aggressively attacking the bit that hurts just because it's the bit that hurts. Chasing the pain is rule 101 of what I don't do.
I also won't:
tell you I can fix you (you're not broken!)
promise that one treatment will solve everything
confidently announce that I've found the problem
Bodies are complicated, and there's usually more going on than one tight muscle or one sore spot. It's all interconnected, and it's highly likely to be an ongoing journey.
What I will do is listen, assess what's going on, work with what your body is actually giving me on the day, and explain what I'm doing and why.
So if you come in expecting me to absolutely destroy your muscles in the name of recovery… I'm afraid you may be disappointed. If you come in wanting to feel better, move better and understand your body a little more, we'll get on just fine.
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Honestly? Probably just being me.
It's taken me a surprisingly long time to realise that the things that make me me are some of the things that make me a really good therapist: the AuDHD brain, the slightly chaotic bumbling around, the tendency to notice absolutely everything, and the fact that I've never been particularly good at pretending to be someone I'm not. (If you want someone to sugar-coat things, I'm not your lady.)
I can be quiet and calm when that's what you need. I'm so happy to let you switch off, put your brain somewhere else for an hour, and just hold the space.
But if the vibes are there? I'll also be your biggest, loudest cheerleader. I love hearing what you're training for, celebrating the little wins, and getting properly invested in helping you feel great so you can keep doing the things you love.
I feel I'm pretty good at reading the room, listening to what people actually need, and adapting, rather than treating everyone like a paint-by-numbers massage.
And then there's the physical superpower… I'm 5'3". I am also, apparently, quite bloody strong. So please don't let the size fool you 😂
Small package. Surprisingly powerful hands. Big heart.
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A very wholesome combination of doing absolutely nothing productive and being outside with people I love.
First things first: an oat flat white while I binge approximately a week's worth of Home and Away. No judgement around here, please and thank you, ha!
Then outside: probably a walk through the woods and along the Weston promenade. If the tide is in, even better, it's beautiful. There's usually an obligatory stop at Cove Cafe for an ice cream, or a slab of cake from Stacks. You can find both on my Recommendations page, because obviously I'm going to enable you.
If I'm Bristol-bound, I love wandering around the Harbourside with a New Cut coffee and good friends. Dogs are always welcome. Always.
Auntie duties: I'm also honorary auntie to my best friend's twin boys, who are nearly five and have absolutely no objection to snacks, silliness and running around. You may not be shocked to hear that neither do I. I love having them in my life.
To finish: Yoga Nidra at the beautiful Sacred Space in Weston, taught by my wonderful friend and client, Kerrina.
Basically, my perfect day off is a pretty good reflection of me: a little bit of doing nothing, a little movement, good food, fresh air, people I love and plenty of silliness. And absolutely no requirement to be productive.scription