Who we are and what we do....

Could This Be Right For You?

Essentials for Health was founded in May 1992 by Gill Tree with the intention of spreading the healing power of touch throughout the UK and beyond, by training therapists to the highest standards possible.

With this aim in mind, each Essentials for Health course is designed to equip the aspiring Therapist with a broad range of skills and knowledge in the areas of Massage, Aromatherapy, Sports Massage and related disciplines. We offer an exceptionally high standard of tuition and our student's exam success rates are excellent. We maintain regular contact with all graduates, creating opportunities for our trained professionals to meet, share knowledge and continually update their skills.

We currently offer professional diplomas in Holistic Massage (BTEC or ITEC), Aromatherapy (IFA) and Sports Massage (BTEC). In addition, we also offer the IAIM - Infant Massage Instructors Certificate. We are a central London based School and a leading provider of Massage courses in the UK, training over 300+ students per year - many of whom are international and come from all over the UK and Europe to learn with us.

We offer advanced courses to therapists to continue their ongoing development and learning which includes the latest techniques in Massage and an opportunity to focus on specific topics eg. Massage for the Elderly, Pregnancy Massage, Massage for the Back etc. Our 1-day introduction courses for people new to massage, who require a taster or for those who want to learn as a hobby include our popular 'Massage Magic' series training you in the basic techniques of swedish massage and our very popular Traditional Thai Yoga Massage.

We believe our work speaks for itself and thus we encourage an 'open door' policy for you to visit us in London at our training venue. It is a great opportunity to check all the aspects of how we run our courses. You will experience our high teaching standards, the environment and facilities, our course manuals, get to speak to students directly and have all your questions answered. To book your visit to our Holistic Massage, Aromatherapy or Sports Massage course, please get in touch for details. We will be happy to assist you and look forward to meeting you soon.

Our course directors

The Essentials for Health team is personally selected by Gill Tree for their unique teaching style, teaching qualifications and expertise, enthusiasm and energy. They include a Medical Herbalist, Osteopath, Physiotherapist, Sports Scientists, Aromatherapists, Reflexologist and Health Consultant. They are all committed to constantly improving and developing their knowledge and skills to ensure that their teaching can guide students through learning in a fun and interactive way.

Gill Tree - Managing Director Essentials for Health

Gill is motivated by a desire to change the world and realised after surviving being lost in the African jungle on her own for five days, that her career in social work was not enough. Having qualified with the ITEC Diploma in Massage, Anatomy and Physiology in 1989, she soon went into teaching and completed the City and Guilds FAETC teaching certificate in 1992. She trained in Thai Massage in 1992 at the Wat Pho Temple, Bangkok. Her fascination for understanding the mind /body connection and spirituality lead her to train in Healing in 1995, Neuro Linguistic Programming in 1996 and Mind Body Medicine with Deepak Chopra in 1997. Later trainings include those with Tony Robbins and Hawaiian Huna with Serge King in 2003. A lively and entertaining public speaker, Gill regularly presents at National events and exhibitions, teaches stress management to the corporate world and specializes in teaching business success to our students.