Ben Pianese: Co-Founder & Visionary Custodian
Ben’s goal was not to create a typical Thai spa, but an Atelier: a space where the human body receives the same precision, patience and respect as a bespoke suit.
Ben Pianese: Co-Founder & Visionary Custodian
The Atelier Philosophy & The Tailor’s Legacy
Ben Pianese has shaped our Atelier philosophy through his long-standing connection to Islington and more than twenty years of hands-on bodywork experience in London.
Since 1997, Ben has watched Upper Street change while still holding on to the quiet legacy of skilled trades, independent shops and master craftspeople. Those values — patience, individuality and skilled hands — became part of the way he imagined Asiatic.
Ben believes bodywork should be tailored to each person, much like a bespoke garment. Pressure, pace, focus areas and techniques are adjusted to the client’s body and comfort on the day, rather than following a standard routine.
Our Angel studio at 93 Upper Street and our Highbury studio at 262 Upper Street are both set within buildings with their own local histories. By creating our ateliers inside these former craft spaces, Asiatic continues a tradition of personal service, skilled work and independent trade.
Today, Ben helps guide the standards behind Asiatic’s Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ approach, ensuring each treatment feels thoughtful, personal and grounded in skilled touch.
A Remedial Bodywork Foundation
Ben’s work is built on strong anatomical knowledge and 25 years of bodywork practice. His skills include:
- ITEC Level 3 & 4: Sports Massage Therapy
- Clinical Anatomy & Physiology
- Neuromuscular Therapy
- Myofascial Release
- Diploma: Traditional Thai Yoga Massage
Ben’s approach is remedial and movement-aware, focusing on soft-tissue techniques, assisted stretching, muscle energy technique and focused pressure. He pays close attention to posture, movement, muscular tension and the body’s response throughout each session.
This experience has shaped Asiatic’s Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ approach, which is thoughtful, adaptive and grounded in skilled touch.
Where Design Meets Bodywork
In addition to his bodywork, Ben has shaped the overall experience at Asiatic. He has influenced everything from the treatment flow and interior design to the colours, textures and calm atmosphere of the studios.
Ben also founded Massaggi, a bodywork practice in Central London, where he built experience creating wellness spaces with distinct identities and purposes. At Asiatic, his vision is gentler and more atmospheric: a place where design, skilled touch and client care come together.
Ben believes the environment is an important part of the treatment experience. A studio should never feel rushed, clinical or impersonal. It should help clients settle before any hands-on work begins. That’s why every detail matters, from the wall colours to the feeling each room creates when someone walks in.
FAQs
A conversation on bodywork, craft and the Asiatic Atelier philosophy.
Ben Pianese has trained in ITEC sports and remedial massage, anatomy and physiology, traditional Thai yoga massage, neuromuscular therapy, myofascial release, trigger point therapy, muscle energy technique and Magrin Method coaching.
This training supports a remedial, movement-aware approach to bodywork. Instead of offering a general massage routine, Ben uses soft-tissue techniques, assisted stretching, focused pressure and careful attention to posture, movement and the body’s response throughout each session.
Further information about Ben’s qualifications and professional background is available on his therapist profile.
Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ is Asiatic’s founder-led approach to massage and bodywork.
It brings together skilled touch, pressure awareness, movement, posture, breathing space and careful communication. The aim is to create a treatment that adapts to the individual client, rather than following a fixed routine.
Ben helped shape this approach through years of hands-on practice, remedial bodywork experience and the belief that the body should be treated with patience rather than force.
Ben’s approach is hands-on, intuitive and adapted to each person’s needs.
While a typical massage may follow a set routine, Ben tailors his work to the individual in front of him. He observes posture, movement, muscle tension, comfort, and the body’s response during the session.
In addition to his training in remedial bodywork, Ben has studied bioenergy, body awareness and energetic perception. This has influenced the way he notices patterns of tension and focuses on areas that may need extra care.
He uses soft-tissue work, assisted stretching, muscle energy techniques and focused pressure to shape each session in a way that feels personal rather than routine.
Asiatic is a Massage Boutique and Wellness studio with two locations on Upper Street: Asiatic Angel at 93 and Asiatic Highbury at 262.
We use the word Atelier to describe our philosophy, not as a formal business category. Both studios are in older Islington buildings with a history of skilled trade and personal service. Our first studio, Asiatic Angel, opened in 2009 inside the former Bargain Centre textile shop. Asiatic Highbury was created later with a different atmosphere, but with the same respect for craft, detail, and calm, hands-on care.
For us, Atelier means bodywork shaped with the patience, precision and individuality of skilled hands.
Ben describes bodywork as an “atelier” because he believes it should involve care, skill, and close attention.
To Ben, an atelier is more than a beautiful space. It is where skill, patience, and personal attention meet. Like a tailor fitting a garment, he believes bodywork should be tailored to each person.
This approach guides how Asiatic works at both Upper Street studios. They focus on thoughtful pressure, careful pacing, a calm setting, and treatments that feel personal instead of standard.
Ben Pianese has delivered 50,000 hands-on bodywork sessions over more than two decades of practice in London.
This experience has helped shape the standards behind Asiatic’s Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ approach. Ben’s work is grounded in practical touch, careful observation and the belief that each body should be approached individually rather than through a fixed routine.
Structural Tailoring is one way we describe the thinking behind Asiatic’s Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ approach.
Similar to a tailor adjusting a garment for an individual, the therapist adapts pressure, pace, angle and technique to suit the client’s body and comfort during each session.
It does not follow a fixed routine. It is careful, responsive bodywork shaped around the person in front of us.
Ben’s somatic approach recognises that physical tension can sometimes be connected with emotional holding patterns, stress and long-term habits in the body. His training in the Magrin Method has influenced the way he works with touch, breath, body awareness and gentle release.
This approach works through the body rather than focusing only on the mind. It is not psychotherapy, medical treatment or a substitute for mental-health care. Still, it reflects Ben’s belief that skilled bodywork can help clients feel more connected, settled and aware of their patterns of tension.
Ben Pianese’s professional work and business journey have been featured in national and London media, including The Guardian Small Business Showcase, The Huffington Post and London on the Inside.
These features highlight his long-standing role in London’s massage and wellness industry, as well as his commitment to raising professional standards in bodywork, efficient practice and hands-on care.
Ben believes Londoners are increasingly seeking skilled, personalised, hands-on care.
Despite the fast-paced, digital environment of the city, there remains a need for quiet spaces, experienced therapists and bodywork that feels thoughtful rather than generic. This perspective continues to inform Asiatic’s Atelier standard.
For Ben, the future of wellness is not only defined by new trends or technology, but by a return to skilled touch, personal attention, and environments that allow the body to settle.