Posted on October 9th, 2025

Search “massage in Hornchurch” and you will get a long list. Spas, salons, mobile therapists, clinics, and a few places that are not really any of those. The prices vary by a factor of three, and nothing on the search results page tells you why.

Here is what actually separates them, and the questions worth asking before you hand over your card details.

1. Is the therapist registered with a professional body?

This is the single most useful question. In the UK, “massage therapist” is not a protected title — legally, anyone can use it. What fills that gap is voluntary registration with a professional body that sets assessed training standards, requires insurance, and publishes a code of conduct.

Ask which body, and ask for the registration number. A therapist who is registered will tell you without hesitating.

2. Are they licensed, or properly exempt?

In Greater London, massage and similar treatments are regulated under Part II of the London Local Authorities Act 1991. Premises generally need a special treatment licence from the local council — in our case, the London Borough of Havering.

There is an exemption under Section 4 of that Act for therapists registered with certain recognised professional bodies. Our therapists fall under that exemption, and Havering has been notified of their registrations.

Either answer is fine. What should concern you is a business that cannot answer the question at all.

3. Do they carry professional indemnity insurance?

Any established clinic will. It is usually a condition of professional body membership. It is a fair question to ask, and the answer should be immediate.

4. Will they turn you away?

This one sounds odd, but it is the strongest signal there is.

A clinic that treats everyone who walks in, regardless of what is going on with them, is not doing a proper consultation. There are genuine reasons not to treat someone, or to change the plan: recent surgery, anticoagulant medication, a history of blood clots, an active infection, some stages of pregnancy, ongoing cancer treatment.

None of those is automatically a no. Most simply mean a gentler approach. But you want a therapist who asks, and who is willing to say “not today, and here is why”.

5. Are they selling you a treatment or recommending one?

If you book a deep tissue massage and your therapist thinks a lighter treatment would serve you better, they should say so — even though it may cost less.

Similarly, if you arrive with a genuine injury, a good clinic will tell you when massage is not the answer and point you towards a GP or physiotherapist. We do this regularly. It costs us a booking and earns us a client who comes back.

6. What are the practical details?

Worth checking before you book:

• Deposit and cancellation terms. Ours are 50% to secure the appointment, 48 hours’ notice to cancel, and the deposit retained if you don’t turn up — nothing charged on top of that. All of it is written down rather than explained after the fact.
• Whether the price includes VAT. Ours do.
• Accessibility. We are step-free at the entrance and in the treatment rooms.
• Can you request a female therapist? With us, yes — just say when you book.
• Do they treat under-18s? We do, with written parental consent and a parent or guardian present in the room throughout.

Questions worth asking on the phone

If you would rather just ring and ask, these five cover it:

1. Are you registered, and with which body?
2. What is your training and experience?
3. Do you carry professional insurance?
4. How many sessions do you think I’ll need?
5. Can I claim this on my health insurance?

We are happy to answer all five for any of our therapists, before you book anything. If a clinic hesitates on the first three, keep looking.

Where we are

Motion Remedy is at 27a Station Lane in Hornchurch town centre, between Frankies Wine Bar and Lloyds Bank — a minute from the Hornchurch Town Centre bus stop and ten minutes’ walk from Hornchurch station on the District line. We are open 10am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Call 01708 898950, or see our treatments.

Motion Remedy is the trading name of Balancing Health Limited, a massage and sports therapy clinic in Hornchurch serving Havering, Upminster, Romford and Emerson Park. Nothing in this article is medical advice.