Intensive Health Clinic is a massage therapy clinic on Washington Avenue in Brooklyn, Wellington, working under the banner of 'complete body management'. Since October 2022 it has been run single-handedly by Adelie, a qualified massage therapist who first joined the clinic in 2020 and later took it over from her mentor, the practice's previous owner.
Every treatment is tailored to the individual on the day. Adelie offers therapeutic massage drawing on deep tissue, sports, trigger point and myofascial techniques; calming relaxation massage; hot stone massage with basalt stones; and gentle pregnancy massage. Sessions run from 30 to 90 minutes, with the 90-minute treatment the most popular. Her philosophy is simple: the pressure is whatever pressure you want.
She works with a wide range of clients — people managing chronic pain, stress and muscle tension, pregnant clients, athletes from professional level to once-a-week gym-goers, and desk workers in need of proper unwinding. Adelie holds an NZQA Level 6 Diploma in Health Sciences (Therapeutic Massage) from the New Zealand College of Massage and a Level 6 Diploma in Aromatherapy, and is registered with Massage New Zealand and Southern Cross Health Insurance, so treatments can be claimed under the Body Care Module. Bookings are made online, gift vouchers are available, and advance booking is advised.
On Washington Avenue in the heart of Brooklyn, Wellington, Intensive Health Clinic practices what it calls complete body management — but what that really means is something far more personal. This is a one-therapist massage clinic where every session is shaped around the person on the table that day, whether they arrive seeking focused therapeutic work, deep relaxation, or ongoing maintenance for long-term wellbeing.
Adelie, the qualified massage therapist behind Intensive, is registered with Massage New Zealand and Southern Cross Health Insurance, and holds a Diploma in Health Sciences (Therapeutic Massage) from the New Zealand College of Massage along with a Diploma in Aromatherapy. Her approach starts with a simple commitment: making sure clients feel heard. Pressure, she says, is whatever pressure you want for that session — some clients love firm work, others need a lighter touch, and there is no single right answer. The idea that a massage must hurt to be effective is, in her words, a myth.
Her client list reflects that flexibility. She works with people managing chronic pain and stress, pregnant clients, and people recovering from injury — often indirectly alongside their physiotherapists. She treats professional athletes and once-a-week gym-goers alike, and she has a soft spot for stressed-out desk workers who simply want a relaxing massage after a long day at the office.
Adelie's path into massage started early. She was sixteen when she decided it was her dream job — a self-described weird kid more interested in the diagrams of the musculoskeletal system in biology class than the lesson itself. A news report showing a rugby player receiving massage sealed it, and she announced to her classmates that she would one day massage the All Blacks. In her early twenties she graduated from the New Zealand College of Massage, and years later she got her chance: she joined a team of therapists working on the All Blacks before and after a test match against Argentina, massaging three players for an hour each before and after the game. She still describes the whole experience as a happy, nervous blur.
Her massage table has travelled since then. There was a beach treatment in Bark Bay in Abel Tasman for a client's sailing-and-dining business, and annual sessions for Air New Zealand staff through a mobile massage company. She joined Intensive in 2020, when it was a multidisciplinary clinic under its previous owner, who became an invaluable mentor. As the team gradually moved on, Adelie stayed — and on Halloween 2022 she took the business over. Intensive is now just her: a solo practice she has been making her own while preserving its legacy.
Four core treatments anchor the clinic. Therapeutic massage is the workhorse — personalised sessions for muscular tension, recovery, injury rehabilitation and maintenance, drawing on deep tissue, sports massage, trigger point therapy and myofascial release. Relaxation massage uses flowing movements at whatever pressure you prefer to quiet a busy mind and ease stress, fatigue, overwhelm and burnout. Hot stone massage pairs hands-on work with the gentle heat of basalt stones in a slow 90-minute treatment, especially loved by clients living with chronic pain and popular during the colder months. Pregnancy massage offers a gentle, supportive 60-minute session carefully adapted for comfort and safety.
Sessions run from 30 to 90 minutes, with the 90-minute treatment the most popular — long enough for focused therapeutic work and a full-body massage without feeling rushed. Shorter sessions suit concentrated work on one or two problem areas.
Intensive is registered with Southern Cross Health Insurance, so eligible clients can claim treatments under the Body Care Module — just select the option when booking online or mention it at your appointment. Regulars get perks too: a complimentary extra 15 minutes every fifth appointment for clients on a recurring schedule, 20% off your next treatment when you refer a friend, and 10-session packs at 13% off for 90-minute therapeutic and relaxation massage.
Booking is easy through the online system, and Adelie advises booking in advance. Gift vouchers are available, and there is a simple enquiry form if you would rather ask a question first.
Underpinning it all is Adelie's belief in the power of touch — and in the importance of choosing a qualified, registered therapist who respects what you want from your session. Whether you come for pain management, recovery or simply time to slow down, her goals, she promises, will always align with yours.