CO-FOUNDER · MANAGING DIRECTOR
Apple Jatikate
The Thai heart behind the Asiatic Standard
From Bangkok to Upper Street, Apple brings Thai hospitality, calm leadership and attention to every detail of the client experience.
THAI ROOTS
BANGKOK
Hospitality shaped long before Asiatic
LONDON WELLNESS
SINCE 2006
Massage, spa and wellness experience
UPPER STREET
SINCE 2009
Long-standing Islington involvement
MANAGING DIRECTOR
TWO STUDIOS
Standards across Angel + Highbury
THE EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE WELCOME
Bangkok roots. London experience. Upper Street since 2009.
Apple’s route to Asiatic was not conventional. Her early career in Bangkok was in finance and human resources, where organisation, responsibility and people management mattered. After moving into wellness, she worked hands-on with clients in London, including as a Senior Therapist at Aveda in Covent Garden, and continued her Thai massage training in Chiang Mai.
Those experiences gave her two very different perspectives on care: the practitioner understands what happens inside the treatment room; the manager understands everything required to make that experience dependable day after day. For Apple, one without the other is incomplete.
“Warmth without structure can become inconsistent. Structure without warmth can become impersonal. Asiatic needs both.”
VALUES
The values that shape how we care
Hospitality is not an extra
Apple grew up with the Thai idea that care is often communicated quietly: in the way somebody is greeted, in respect for another person’s comfort, in noticing what might be needed before being asked.
The concept of Metta — loving-kindness — reflects part of that philosophy. At Asiatic it is not intended as a decorative word or spiritual slogan. It is something practical: patience, consideration, respectful communication and the feeling that, while somebody is with you, they have your attention.
That is why Apple does not see hospitality as something added around a massage to make it feel luxurious.
It is part of the treatment standard itself.
The standard people don’t always see
Calm on the outside requires discipline behind the scenes.
A beautiful treatment room is easy to photograph. Keeping two busy London studios feeling calm, professional and personal every day is considerably harder.
Much of Apple’s work happens in the details clients may never consciously notice: who joins the team, how therapists communicate, how rooms are prepared, how privacy is respected, how feedback is handled and whether the experience remains consistent when the studio is at its busiest.
As Managing Director, Apple oversees the people and service standards across Angel and Highbury. Her aim is not to make both studios identical. They have different architecture, atmosphere and personalities.
What should remain the same is the standard of care. The client should feel the calm. They should not have to see all the work required to create it.
Authentically Thai, without becoming a cliché
For Apple, authentic Thai hospitality is not created by filling a room with familiar spa imagery. It comes through behaviour. Through practitioners who respect the tradition behind Thai massage.
Through warmth that feels natural rather than rehearsed. Through a genuine welcome, thoughtful service and skilled hands.
That is why Asiatic has been able to evolve into a contemporary London brand without abandoning where it came from.
The goal was never simply to make Asiatic look Thai. It was to preserve something more difficult to reproduce: the way Thai care feels. Warm, respectful, generous and human.
APPLE + BEN
Different instincts.
One Asiatic Standard.
Ben and Apple often approach the same business from different directions.
Ben’s decades of hands-on practice lead him naturally towards the body: how a treatment should adapt, how practitioners develop judgement and how techniques respond to the individual.
Apple notices the experience surrounding that work: how somebody is welcomed, how a therapist communicates, whether standards are consistent and whether the business still feels personal as it grows.
One shapes much of what happens during the treatment. The other protects what happens around it. Together, those perspectives have shaped the founder-led Asiatic Standard.
ROOTED IN UPPER STREET
A business becomes local slowly.
Apple has been closely connected with the Upper Street practice since 2009. Over that time, she has watched clients change jobs, move home, start families, disappear for years and occasionally walk through the door again as though very little time had passed.
That kind of relationship cannot be created through branding alone.
It grows through thousands of ordinary moments: a first appointment, a return visit, a recommendation to a friend, a familiar face appearing again at reception.
As Asiatic expanded from Angel to Highbury, Apple’s challenge became preserving that intimacy across two studios. Growth changed the scale.
APPLE’S PHILOSOPHY
Nearly two decades in London wellness have simplified the lesson rather than complicated it.
Techniques matter. Qualifications matter. Design and systems matter. But none works particularly well without genuine care. Not scripted hospitality. Not luxury language. Not a performance. Simply the feeling that the person looking after you is genuinely paying attention.
People may arrive for the massage. What they remember
is how the whole experience made them feel.
That is the part of Thai hospitality Apple most wants Asiatic
never to lose.
Questions about Apple
What is Apple Jatikate’s role at Asiatic?
Apple is Co-Founder and Managing Director. She oversees people, service standards and the overall client experience across Asiatic Angel and Highbury, combining her background in management with years of hands-on experience in massage and wellness.
Did Apple work as a massage therapist?
Yes. Before taking on her leadership role at Asiatic, Apple gained hands-on experience as a massage therapist.Her interest in massage began after experiencing the benefits of traditional Thai bodywork herself. Having previously worked in finance and human resources in Bangkok, she decided to study Thai massage and pursue a more personal, care-focused career.Her practical experience continues to influence the way she manages Asiatic, particularly her emphasis on skilled therapists, attentive service and client comfort.
Where did Apple train in Thai massage?
Apple's journey into massage began with her experience of traditional Thai bodywork, which inspired her to undertake professional training in Thai massage.Her training and Thai background helped shape her understanding of pressure, stretching, skilled touch and thoughtful hospitality. These influences remain central to the experience she has developed at Asiatic.Editorial note: The supplied old-site FAQs do not identify a specific training school or location. That detail should be confirmed before publication.
What does Metta mean at Asiatic?
Metta is often translated as loving-kindness. For Apple, it means treating every person with patience, respect and genuine care.At Asiatic, Metta is reflected in how clients are welcomed, listened to and cared for throughout their visit. From a warm greeting to a thoughtfully adapted massage, the focus is on making each person feel comfortable, valued and respected.It is an important part of Asiatic's Thai hospitality philosophy and its commitment to personalised care.
How does Apple maintain standards across two studios?
Apple maintains the Asiatic Standard through clear communication, consistent training, careful organisation and daily attention to detail.Drawing on her background in finance, human resources and massage, she oversees therapist conduct, cleanliness, room presentation, client care and the overall atmosphere at both Angel and Highbury.Her aim is to ensure every client receives the same thoughtful, professional and welcoming experience, regardless of which studio they visit.
How are Apple and Ben’s roles different?
Apple and Ben bring complementary experience and expertise to Asiatic.As Co-Founder and Managing Director, Apple focuses on the people, operations, Thai hospitality and client experience that shape both studios. Her priority is maintaining consistent service standards and creating a welcoming environment.Ben focuses on the technical and educational side of massage and bodywork. His extensive hands-on experience has shaped Asiatic's Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ philosophy, emphasising personalised treatments, movement awareness and skilled touch.
EXPERIENCE THE ASIATIC STANDARD
Thai warmth. Skilled hands. Care in every detail.
Choose Angel or Highbury and experience the approach Apple has helped shape on Upper Street since 2009.