Posted on February 5th, 2026

Thai massage is the treatment people most often book without quite knowing what they have booked. Some arrive expecting a quiet hour face-down on a table. Others expect a floor mat and to stay in their clothes. What we offer is neither of those — and for the right person it is more useful than both.

If you are searching from Upminster, Emerson Park, Gidea Park or Cranham, we are a short drive or two stops on the District line away, at 27a Station Lane in Hornchurch town centre. Here is what you are actually booking.

What Thai massage involves at our clinic

Thai massage combines firm, sustained pressure with assisted stretching and gentle joint mobilisation. Your therapist works along the muscles, then moves your limbs through stretches you would struggle to hold on your own.

We deliver it on a treatment table rather than a floor mat. That means it works the same way as our other treatments: you undress to your underwear, you are covered by towels except for the area being worked on, and you undress and dress in private. If you would rather keep more clothing on, just say and we will work around it.

So the difference from a Swedish or deep tissue massage is not what you wear. It is what your therapist does. Thai massage is active — you are moved, stretched and mobilised rather than simply worked on.

How it differs from a Swedish or deep tissue massage

• Pace. Thai is active and includes stretching and joint mobilisation. Swedish flows continuously. Deep tissue is slow and focused.
• How it feels. Thai is firm and rhythmic, and closer to being taken through movement than to lying still.
• Best for. Thai suits stiffness and restricted movement. Swedish suits whole-body tension and switching off. Deep tissue suits one stubborn area.

If your complaint is “I feel stiff and I can’t move like I used to”, Thai is usually the better answer. If it is “I need to switch my brain off for an hour”, Swedish probably is.

Who it suits, and who should mention things first

Most people. It is popular with anyone who sits at a desk all week, and with people who find a standard table massage too passive.

Tell us when you book if you are pregnant or think you might be, have had recent surgery, take blood thinners, have a history of blood clots, or are undergoing cancer treatment. None of these is automatically a no — most simply mean we adapt the treatment or suggest something gentler. Because Thai massage involves stretching and joint movement, it is particularly worth mentioning any joint or back problem before we start. We always consult before treatment rather than after.

How long to book

An hour is the minimum for full-body work. Thirty minutes is better value if you want us to concentrate on one area — the usual candidates being shoulders, hips and lower back.

Ninety minutes gives your therapist room to work without rushing, which for a first Thai massage is worth the extra.

Getting here from Upminster and Emerson Park

We are on Station Lane between Frankies Wine Bar and Lloyds Bank.

• From Upminster: ten minutes by car, or two stops on the District line to Hornchurch, then a ten-minute walk
• From Emerson Park: five to ten minutes by car
• From Gidea Park or Romford: fifteen minutes by car
• Parking: Dorrington Gardens car park (code 41305) is a minute away, with pay and display street parking at Mavis Grove (code 41945)

The clinic is step-free at the entrance and in the treatment rooms, and we are open 10am to 8pm every day.

Booking

Book online, or call 01708 898950 if you would rather ask a few questions first. If you have never had a Thai massage before, say so when you book and we will take extra time explaining what is coming.

Book a Thai massage · Compare our treatments · FAQs

Motion Remedy is a massage and sports therapy clinic at 27a Station Lane, Hornchurch, serving Upminster, Emerson Park, Gidea Park, Romford and the wider Havering area. Nothing in this article is medical advice.