Expert Rolfing SI & bodywork therapy in Primrose Hill, North London.

Some reasons you may wish to start Rolfing?

  • Help with body tension, discomfort & posture

  • Aid recovery from illness & injury

  • Remedy for touch deprivation

  • Manage stress better

  • Increase mental well being

  • Develop body awareness + somatic literacy 

  • Complement talking therapy

  • Healing

Nico Thoemmes

I began exploring touch based therapies when I was 19 and have now been in practice as a professional bodyworker for 17 years working with clients from a variety of backgrounds with varying needs. 

I trained with the British Academy of Rolfing graduating in 2014 and I offer both the Rolfing 10 series and more general massage/bodywork treatments using various techniques I have evolved over the years.

I first discovered Rolfing while training in Contemporary Dance at the Laban Centre in London, one of Europe's leading conservatoires for dance and movement studies, and became fascinated by the effectiveness and the deep, yet sensitive style of touch.

I love helping people connect with their body, resolve pain and feel blessed to be able to work with touch and movement and strive to bring intuition, presence, creativity, empathy and technical skill to my work.

Alongside my practice I have a keen interest in entrepreneurship and co-founded the morning gloryville conscious clubbing movement and am currently working towards delivering blue mind barge which grew out of an interest in sauna bathing and cold water swimming. 

  • I came to see Nico around 3 months ago. I have suffered from long term upper left back/neck issues and more recently left hip pain, that no massage or acupuncture or osteopathy could ever cure. A friend from Mexico told me about Rolfing, so I thought I would give it try. My left hip pain has vanished and my upper back has significantly subsided

    Google Review

  • I've seen Nico a few times now, mainly for neck pain/tension, which I've had for a while. I hadn't tried Rolfing/Myofascial release before so wasn't sure what to expect but I really liked it from the first treatment. It's relaxing and grounding and feels like it's actually releasing and healing something on a deep level, rather than a "superficial" type of massage. I have definitely noticed a difference in terms of pain/discomfort after only a few sessions. Nico is caring and professional and it feels like you are in safe and knowledgeable hands. Would definitely recommend.

    Google Review

  • Finding Nico was a godsend. Nico’s gentle yet firm touch helped me get my body back. Being hyper mobile, I had to learn how to hold my body, how to walk and Nico was there to re- align me again and again.

    Google Review

  • Best massage I've ever had. Nico provides such a warm and welcoming environment that allows you to relax and enjoy. Would highly recommend.

    Marc

  • The best deep tissue massage I've experienced so far. An unexpectedly different deep tissue technique which was incredibly relaxing. I came away feeling that my body had been treated and worked in a way which really did loosen everything that felt tight without being roughly pummelled

    Vanessa

  • “Nico is an exceptionally talented Rolfer. He works like an artist with deep understanding and intuition for the body. His calm, kind and warm personality provides a safe environment. I learnt so much from him”

Touch

Rolfing aims to target the fascia or connective tissue. The ‘fascial’ style of touch employed is unique and characteristically deep and compressive in nature yet delivered with technical skill and sensitivity combines to feel amazing for the receiver.

Many people welcome a strong style of touch, and are comfortable with a degree of strong sensation or ‘sweet pain’ quite distinct from unpleasant pain and intersects with pleasure more than we might think. 

Rolfing feels different from many forms of massage and bodywork, often more focused and greater attention is spent focusing on what is unfolding in your body/mind as we work such as perceptions, emotions, connections.

Rolfing SI

Rolfing Structural Integration sits within the somatic field of therapies where your body takes centre stage. We pay attention to your felt sense, how you feel in your body, exploring questions such as grounding, support, posture and tension and relaxation.

Dr Ida Rolf developed the pioneering work over a long and dedicated career. She asked a fundamental question: “What conditions must be fulfilled for the human body’s structure to be organized and integrated in gravity so that the whole person can function in the most optimal and economical way?” One of her greatest contributions to the field of bodywork was the discovery that gravity, as an organizing element, is uniquely important for body structure, movement coordination, spatial perception and human expression.

To pass along her work to others and make the education process accessible, she developed a series of ten sessions now called the Ten Series. 

Rolfing 10 series

Traditionally Rolfing is received by clients over 10 themed sessions known as the 10-series. Emabarking on a process helps to build a meaningful therapeutic alliance that builds over the sessions.  

Each session focuses on a different region of your body and has a series of goals such as freeing your breath, opening your feet to the ground, mobilising your pelvis and so on.

I take many clients through the 10 series, but I am equally open to working with you for a shorter or longer duration depending on your circumstances and needs.