ABOUT ASIATIC · UPPER STREET SINCE 2009
The Asiatic Story:
Bodywork Tailored
Around You
Asiatic is an independent massage boutique and wellness practice with two Upper Street studios in Angel and Highbury. Since 2009, we have brought together Thai tradition, skilled hands-on bodywork and founder-led standards.
Every session is shaped around the person in front of us.
01 · OUR VISION
The Asiatic Standard
02 · OUR HERITAGE
From tailoring to bodywork
03 · OUR STUDIOS
Angel and Highbury
04 · OUR JOURNEY
Founder-led since 2009
FOUNDER-LED CARE
Meet the people behind the Asiatic Standard.
Asiatic remains independent and led by its founders. Ben and Apple combine their experience in bodywork, Thai hospitality and client care to shape how both studios feel and operate.
Ben Pianese
Bodywork, movement and precision
Ben has lived in Islington since 1997 and has practised bodywork since 2001. He helped shape Asiatic’s Atelier philosophy: that bodywork should be delivered with the care, precision and individuality of a skilled craft.
Through Asiatic’s Master-Led Somatic Bodywork™ approach, Ben helps set standards for adapted pressure, skilled touch and close attention to how each person responds.
Apple Jatikate
Thai hospitality and standards
Originally from Bangkok, Apple brings Thai hospitality, respect and Metta—a spirit of kindness and goodwill—to each Asiatic visit.
As co-founder and Managing Director, she oversees standards at both Upper Street studios. She helps ensure that every client is warmly welcomed and that each appointment feels respectful, organised and carefully prepared.
93 & 262 UPPER STREET
Two studios.
One consistent standard.
We opened our first massage practice at 93 Upper Street in 2009. In the years since, clients have come not only from Angel and Islington, but from Central London and beyond.
Some have returned for years, through different stages of work, life and wellbeing. Those long relationships remain an important part of the Asiatic story.
Today, Asiatic welcomes clients at two Islington studios: Angel and Highbury. Across Asiatic, more than 255,500 sessions have been delivered since our practice began.
Apple and Ben remain closely involved in both studios, from the quality of the bodywork to the way each client is welcomed and cared for.
Our team includes VTCT-qualified practitioners. Some practitioners also hold ITEC qualifications, and everyone is fully insured.
THE HERITAGE OF THE HAND
From tailoring to bodywork
1972–2008
Mr Ismael’s tailor shop
Precision work, fitted to each customer.
2009
Massage practice opens
Our original Upper Street studio begins here as Kobkun Thai Therapy.
TODAY
Asiatic Angel
The original Angel studio at 93 Upper Street.
Guided by
Ben Pianese’s bodywork experience since 2001.
FROM KOBKUN TO ASIATIC
Thai roots. A wider vision.
Kobkun Thai Therapy reflected where our journey began: Thai massage, Thai hospitality and skilled hands.
As the practice evolved, we wanted a name that could honour those roots while making room for a wider outlook—Asian bodywork influences, our London identity and the standards shaped by our founders.
The name Asiatic gave that evolution a direction. To us, it means Thai in its roots, Asian in its wider outlook, London in its setting and founder-led in its standards.
It carries our history and our belief that skilled touch, sincere hospitality and thoughtful design still matter.
Our Heritage
This studio carries a story beyond its doors.
Visitors to Asiatic Highbury often stop to photograph the historic Schram & Scheddle gold-leaf sign above the studio. Preserved as part of the building’s story, the sign is also referenced in a poem by Michael Rosen.
After your appointment, Canonbury Square—where George Orwell once lived—is a short, peaceful walk away.
We hope you carry that sense of calm with you as you return to Upper Street and continue exploring this remarkable part of Islington.
Our Vision
Precision belongs
in bodywork.
Upper Street has a long tradition of skilled work. At 262 Upper Street, our Highbury studio still displays the gold-leaf sign of Schram & Scheddle, the tailors who once worked there with patience, accuracy and close attention to each customer.
We bring those same values into our bodywork. We listen, observe and work carefully, adjusting as needed. Your therapist notices how your body responds and adapts the rhythm, pressure and focus throughout your treatment. Whether you choose Thai massage, deep tissue or focused upper-body work, your session is personal rather than routine.
Let us know your preferred pressure, which areas you would like us to focus on and anything you would like us to avoid. The more we know, the more thoughtfully we can shape your session.
Our Journey
Every body brings a
different story.
Where you feel tension, how much pressure you prefer and what you want from your appointment are personal.
That is why every Asiatic treatment starts with listening. Your therapist adapts the pressure, pace and focus as the session progresses, helping the bodywork remain thoughtful, purposeful and responsive to you.
This is the Asiatic Standard:
skilled care, clear communication and treatments that are never one-size-fits-all.
ANGEL OR HIGHBURY
Experience the Asiatic Standard.
Choose the Upper Street studio that suits you best. Both follow the same founder-led standards: thoughtful care and treatments tailored to you.