Apple Jatikate: Co-Founder & Managing Director

Apple helped shape Asiatic with the discipline of finance, the warmth of Thai hospitality and a wider respect for Asian bodywork traditions.

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Apple: Co-Founder & Managing Director

From Bangkok to Upper Street, Apple brings Thai hospitality, Metta and careful service standards to Asiatic’s Angel and Highbury studios.

From Bangkok to Upper Street

Apple Jatikate, co-founder and Managing Director of Asiatic, grew up in Bangkok, Thailand. She started her career in finance and human resources before discovering how deeply traditional Thai massage could support calm, wellbeing and a renewed sense of purpose.

This experience shifted her path. A personal moment of reconnection became part of the foundation for Asiatic: a Massage Boutique & Wellness studio defined by Thai hospitality, skilled practitioners and attentive care.

Apple later trained in traditional Northern-style Thai massage at the Old Medicine Hospital in Chiang Mai, a respected centre for Thai massage. Today, she combines Thai heritage, Metta, practical service standards and the discipline needed to lead a trusted wellness studio in London.

Asiatic opened on Upper Street in 2009 with modest resources and a clear promise: every client should feel genuinely cared for from the moment they arrive.

The original studio, now Asiatic Angel at 93 Upper Street, grew through dedicated service, client trust and local word of mouth. The brand evolved from its Kobkun Thai Therapy roots into Asiatic, offering a refined approach to Thai bodywork, boutique hospitality and modern wellness in Islington.

Today, Asiatic operates two locations on Upper Street: Asiatic Angel at 93 Upper Street and Asiatic Highbury at 262 Upper Street. Each studio offers a unique atmosphere, but both uphold founder-led values: skilled therapists, clear standards, thoughtful service and respect for every client.

Care in Every Detail

As Managing Director, Apple maintains high standards across both Asiatic studios. Her experience in finance and HR gave her a strong understanding of structure, organisation and people management. At Asiatic, she applies these skills more humanly: to foster consistency, care and trust.

For Apple, a quality massage studio is defined by more than the treatment. It starts with a warm welcome and extends to the atmosphere, attentive listening, cleanliness and the respect shown to each client throughout their visit.

This is the Asiatic Standard: Thai hospitality, practical discipline and warm, attentive care working in harmony.

Thai Heritage & Metta

Apple’s Thai heritage shapes the atmosphere at Asiatic. In Thai culture, care is often expressed through small details: a warm welcome, a calm voice, thoughtful gestures and respect shown before any treatment begins.

Metta, often translated as loving-kindness, is a core value for Apple. At Asiatic, Metta is not a slogan. It is demonstrated in the team’s patient, respectful and attentive approach to every client.

Apple believes traditional Thai massage remains relevant in modern London, especially for those with busy, demanding lives. She aims to preserve the warmth and authenticity of Thai bodywork while adapting the experience to the needs of today’s clients.

Rooted in Islington

Apple’s leadership ensures Asiatic remains personal as it grows. Instead of becoming a generic spa, Asiatic continues as an independent Massage Boutique & Wellness studio with a clear identity, two Upper Street locations and a strong connection to Islington.

Asiatic Angel and Asiatic Highbury each offer a distinct atmosphere. Still, both are built on the same principles: skilled therapists, clean spaces, thoughtful service, calm design and respect for Thai bodywork traditions.

For Apple, growth should not compromise the personal touch that defines Asiatic. Being local is more than an address; it means being present, building trust and providing a place clients can return to throughout different stages of life.

Apple views Asiatic as a calm space within a busy neighbourhood, where clients can pause, feel cared for and reconnect with their bodies before returning to daily life in London.

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FAQs

Thai Hospitality, Metta and the Asiatic Standard

We chose the name Asiatic to reflect a broader vision than what people might expect from a typical Thai massage brand.

Asiatic comes from the Latin word Asiaticus, meaning connected with Asia. Versions of this word appear in many languages, including Italian Asiatico, French Asiatique, Spanish and Portuguese Asiático, Greek Asiatikós and Russian Aziatskiy. For Ben Pianese, whose background is Italian, the word carried a sense of style, heritage and international meaning.

The name also reflects Ben’s respect for Asian bodywork traditions beyond Thailand, including Tui Na, Shiatsu and acupuncture. While Asiatic is rooted in Thai hospitality and traditional Thai massage, the name gives us space to honour the wider bodywork traditions found across Asia.

By 2021, many London massage businesses had similar Thai names and shop styles. We wanted something more distinctive, mature and true to our vision. Asiatic allows us to honour our Thai roots while building a brand with more depth, originality and cultural breadth.

You can read the full story in our journal post, the story behind the Asiatic name.

Apple’s Thai background brings warmth, hospitality, and attention to detail to Asiatic. From the welcome at reception to the calm treatment rooms, her influence helps the studios blend Thai tradition with modern London wellness.

Her experience keeps Asiatic connected to the spirit of Thai bodywork while offering a refined, boutique experience for clients in Angel and Highbury.

The Asiatic Standard is the level of care clients should feel throughout their visit.

It includes skilled bodywork, clear communication, clean rooms, thoughtful hospitality, calm interiors and respect for each client’s comfort. For Apple, a treatment should never feel rushed or impersonal. It should feel thoughtful from start to finish.

Being part of Islington means joining a neighbourhood with a strong independent spirit.

Apple sees Asiatic as part of Upper Street’s local community, alongside the cafés, restaurants, shops, and neighbours that make the area unique. Since 2009, Asiatic has grown thanks to local trust, returning clients, and word of mouth.

Metta is often translated as loving-kindness. For Apple, it means treating people with patience, respect and genuine care.

At Asiatic, Metta is evident in the way clients are welcomed, listened to, and cared for. Treatments are never rushed or done on a routine basis. Instead, the focus is on making each client feel seen, respected and cared for.

Apple’s journey to Asiatic started with her own experience of traditional Thai massage. After years in finance and HR in Bangkok, she found that a single thoughtful treatment could bring calm, care, and reconnection in ways corporate life could not.

That experience inspired her to study Thai massage and later help create Asiatic, London’s first Massage Boutique & Wellness studio, shaped by Thai hospitality, skilled hands, and attentive care.

Apple maintains standards through structure, training, communication, and daily attention to detail. Her background in finance and HR gave her skills in organisation and people management, which she now uses at Asiatic in a more personal, service-focused way.

She focuses on keeping both studios consistent in cleanliness, therapist conduct, client care, room presentation, and the overall sense of calm.

Hospitality matters because clients begin to feel the experience even before the massage begins.

Apple believes that how someone is welcomed, spoken to, and cared for is just as important as the treatment itself. A calm greeting, a clean room, a thoughtful therapist, and a respectful atmosphere all help clients relax before the massage starts.

Apple hopes clients feel welcome, respected and genuinely cared for.

No matter why someone visits — whether for Thai massage, deep tissue massage, pregnancy massage, foot massage or a restorative treatment — the aim is always the same: to help them leave feeling calmer, lighter and more connected to themselves than when they arrived.

Asiatic balances Thai tradition with modern London wellness by honouring the roots of Thai bodywork and tailoring the experience to today’s clients’ needs.

The team uses Thai massage principles, stretching, pressure work, hospitality, and Metta, while also thinking about comfort, communication, modern lifestyles, and what clients expect in a busy city.

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