Feel the burn - The customer experience of a sports massage

Middle Aged Men In Lycra (M.A.M.I.L) are a growing phenomenon in the UK following our recent dominance in cycling. But this exercise boom in those over 30 isn't limited to just cycling with a number of other sports also seeing a huge rise in membership numbers and participation in organised events.  Taken seriously this often results in months of training, investing more than 10 hours a week juggled alongside busy family and working life. Indeed many using their daily commute as the bulk of their training be it running or cycling. Squeezing more and more into our busy lives does not come without its difficulties as life can be stressful enough without having to consider the best approach to an intensive training session before 6am so you can still make the office for 9. The result is sports physiotherapy is also seeing an increase as these more mature athletes batter their bodies and need all the help they can get to get back from an injury or sometimes simply back from a heavy training session that has broken them. The customer experience for this is an awkward one with most of us not regular visitors to a masseuse, indeed most of us hiding from the prospect of going to the doctor unless something is actually falling off.  The experience is worth it though as more often than not a single visit can bring immediate relief and often more advise and tips on avoiding injury than you would glean from a years sports magazine reading. We aren't ready for it to be epic but seeing documentaries where the likes of Andy Murray have a sports physio as part of their permanent team is beginning to make it all feel more normal and helping us to feel epic once more.