Zen and Chill

M A L D I V E S 🏝️

I spent a few months as a peak-time therapist at Velaa Private Island, and honestly, the whole experience blew my mind 🤯

The standards, the expectations, the attention to detail… NEXT LEVEL. From the onboarding sessions to working alongside some of the best therapists from all over the world, I learnt SO much. It really opened my eyes to what exceptional service looks like.

The island was so tiny you could run a lap around it in under 7 minutes, and I ate tuna curry three meals a day! 😂🐟

Experiences like this, combined with working alongside physiotherapists, have shaped the therapist I am today😎🙋🏻‍♀️ From understanding the importance of precision and attention to detail to developing a deeper appreciation for the body and how it works, every experience has added another layer to my approach.👌🏼

It’s definitely ruined my expectations of island holidays forever,😂 but more importantly, it’s an experience I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. 🫶🏼🏝️💕

You are just a piece of meat to me. 😂🥩

Just like a butcher doesn’t see an animal but sees breast fillets and tenderloins, I don’t just see butts and backs. I see gluteus maximus, erector spinae and layers of muscles working together.

When I’m treating your neck or shoulders, I’m not just randomly pushing into sore spots. I’m constantly palpating, identifying anatomical landmarks and considering muscle attachments so I can be more precise about the tissues I’m targeting.

This is the difference between understanding anatomy and simply memorising a sequence of massage movements. And this knowledge really matters when you’re treating injuries, working with altered muscle function or adapting your approach to different body types and soft tissue presentations. 😎👌🏼

Apart from the fact I’ve never been a huge fan of phone calls, they’re just not practical for a service based micro business.

I’m either in the middle of a massage or doing hair, so chances are I’m going to miss your call. Then when I return it, you’re doing school pickup, working, driving, or whatever it is people do… and I miss you again. 🫠

Calling a business works when there’s a receptionist sitting there ready to answer incoming calls. As a single owner/operator business, that’s simply not me. 🤷🏻‍♀️

So, for the sake of everyone’s time and efficiency, texting me with the details of your enquiry works SO much better. I can reply when I’m actually free and, importantly, I have all the information in writing.👌🏼

Also… one creepy phone call was enough for me to remove my number from visible sites like Google. 🙅🏻‍♀️🤚🏼

So please, text > call.
Your message will get to me. Promise. 🤎

It’s been a year since I’ve done one of these… 😆 Hello, I’m Kei👋🏼

Even after all these years… beautiful hair still gives me the biggest buzz. 🤎🥰😌

Blendy Dreamy Blonde🥰🫶🏼

🎉 ZEN & CHILL IS ONE! 🎉

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I took the plunge and decided to go out on my own 100%!

It was partly a whim, partly the universe lining things up and pushing me… and honestly, I didn’t think about it that deeply. 😂

Maybe if I had, I might not have done it. I’m not really a risk-taker, and I’ve always loved being an employee (and I’m a bloody great employee! ).

But somehow, everything lined up — and here we are, one year later🫶🏼

My bookings continue to grow, I’ve found such a supportive community, and I’ve made so many wonderful connections with clients from all different backgrounds.

Running a micro business on your own is HARD work. Messages, enquiries, spreadsheets, a ridiculous number of bank accounts… 😳🥸

But somehow it all becomes second nature. And before you know it, you’ve built something that actually provides you with a living.

Still pretty surreal to me!😌

I’m incredibly grateful for everything I learnt from my previous employers, colleagues and everyone who took the time to train and teach me over the years.🙏🏼

And of course, the BIGGEST thank you to my wonderful clients — new and old🤎

Thank you for choosing me and supporting my little business. I genuinely appreciate every single booking.🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

I’ll keep doing what I do with care, compassion, quality… and humour. 👌🏼

And if I’m being honest, I do have ONE tiny regret…

My business name. 😂

Zen & Chill is how my clients walk out of my business.

It does NOT necessarily reflect my personality.🧐

Some days I’m far from zen or chill.

Maybe more Zesty & Chilli. 🌶️⚡️

But now that I’m a business owner, I have to be nice to strangers even when they absolutely deserve to be yelled at. 🙊

Here’s to Year Two — more great massage, great hair, great people and hopefully a little more Zen & Chill in me🙏🏼😌✨

🥂 Thank you for being part of the journey! K x

🐠 Massage in the ocean, amongst tropical fish in the Great Barrier Reef.

This was Ocean Dreaming, one of the treatments I offered when I worked at One&Only Hayman Island.(currently Intercontinental)

It was my first job after completing my Diploma in Remedial Massage, and it was where I really learnt how to take everything I had been taught at massage school and apply it in a more harmonious, cohesive and high-end way.

Guests would travel from the other side of the world specifically to experience this treatment.

And while it makes for an amazing photo opportunity… from the therapist’s perspective, it was a bit of a whirlwind! 😂

First, the weather had to be perfect. Not just a beautiful sunny day — the wind had to be low enough that waves wouldn’t be splashing into the guest’s face throughout their 90-minute massage.

Then we had to position the massage table according to the tide.

Because obviously, the last thing you want is to start a 90-minute massage in the ocean and discover halfway through that the ocean has decided to reclaim your client. 😂🌊

I wore wetsuit pants with my spa uniform top, and the first effleurage was done using sunscreen to help protect the guest from the UV rays.

And the best part?

Massaging while fish and all sorts of little ocean creatures casually swam around my legs. 🐠🦀

It was definitely not your average day at work.

As much as I absolutely love being able to practise bespoke massage in my own way now as a business owner, I do sometimes miss the variety — and occasionally outrageous treatments — that were offered in the resort spa world.

Ocean Dreaming was certainly one of them. 💙🌊

From tropical waters at Hayman Island to my little studio at Paradise Point… I’ve definitely had an interesting journey in massage. 🥰