Award-winning massage therapist, author and speaker, helping therapists build long and fulfilling careers without burnout or injury.
About Helen
Helen Richardson was born and raised in Newcastle and has been a practising massage therapist for over thirty years. In 2011, she became the first sports massage therapist in the UK to achieve Level 5 status, passing the International Therapy Examination Council (ITEC) Level 5 Sports Massage Diploma with distinction.
As an avid reader from an early age, Helen has always been interested in study and self-development. After qualifying in beauty therapy in 1993, she worked her way up from being a therapist at Ragdale Hall Health Hydro to spa manager at Slaley Hall Hotel Golf Resort and Spa. Her work at Slaley Hall brought her into contact with sportspeople from various disciplines and led the way to a change of focus, as she became more interested in sport and remedial massage.
In 2000, Helen set up the Therapeutic Massage Clinic, aiming to provide relief for those with deep muscle tension, soft tissue injuries and stress-related conditions. Apart from running the clinic, Helen is a local and national lecturer in complementary therapies, having gained a Certificate in Education in 2003.
She has served as a mentor to students and qualified therapists and helped set up the Mentoring Programme for the Sports Massage Association. In 2023 Helen was a mentor for The Girls’ Network empowering girls from less advantaged backgrounds plan their future development.
Involvement in the local community and supporting charities has always been important to Helen. She has been involved in various local and national charities, including Macmillan Cancer Support, St Oswald’s Hospice, the Children’s Foundation, the Nicole & Jessica Rich Foundation, the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, Arthritis Research UK and Dementia UK. She was part of the medical team at the London 2012 Paralympic Games and at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, and taught nurses and physiotherapists in a hospital in Tesanj, Bosnia Herzegovina for Pheonix Aid.
She has also worked with elite athletes at the English Institute of Sport, now known as the UK Sports Institute, and is a Director of the Sports Massage Association with rsponsibility for the CPD policy and annual audit.
Helen continues to run sport and remedial massage clinics in the north-east of England, as well as offering mentoring and training to therapists. In 2025 she was named Prestige Massage Therapist of the Year and was nominated for the WeArePower Mentor of the Year award.
The Therapeutic Massage Clinic
Helen’s clinic has been providing specialist sport and remedial massage in the north-east of England for over 25 years, offering relief for deep muscle tension, soft tissue injuries and stress-related conditions.
Every treatment is tailored to the individual, combining the most effective techniques to deliver the best outcome.
