Meet Carlos Serrano: The Therapist Helping Londoners Recover, Move Better and Feel Their Best

London is a city that demands a great deal from the people who live and work in it. Long hours behind a desk, physically demanding jobs, intense training schedules and the pressures of everyday life often leave little time to look after the body until discomfort becomes impossible to ignore.

For Carlos Serrano, founder of Sports & Care Therapy in Bermondsey, helping people recover is more than a profession—it’s something he understands from personal experience.

Before becoming a therapist, Carlos spent almost five years working as a butler in London while maintaining an active lifestyle outside work. Regular gym sessions, running, tennis, roller skating and indoor climbing were all part of his routine. Like many active people, he believed that occasional aches and pains were simply something to push through.

That changed when a persistent shooting pain began travelling down one of his legs.

“At first it wasn’t severe enough to stop me,” Carlos recalls. “I carried on training and working, assuming it would eventually settle. Instead, it gradually became worse until one day I was unable to move because of severe sciatic pain.”

The cause turned out to be something many people overlook: overworked and neglected gluteal muscles that had gradually affected the way his body was functioning.

The months that followed involved rehabilitation, hands-on treatment and learning how the body responds to injury, movement and recovery.

Rather than simply helping him recover physically, the experience changed the direction of his life.

“During my rehabilitation I realised how much of a difference a skilled therapist could make—not only physically but emotionally as well. When you’re in pain and someone genuinely helps you get your life back, that’s something you don’t forget.”

Inspired by the professionals who supported his recovery, Carlos decided to pursue a new career. He enrolled in Sports Massage Therapy and, after qualifying, continued building his knowledge through further professional training rather than stopping at one qualification.

Today his expertise includes Sports Massage, Deep Tissue Massage, Myofascial Release, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, Oncology Massage, Fire Cupping Therapy, Hot Stone Massage, assisted stretching and a range of recovery techniques that allow him to tailor every treatment to the individual.

Beyond his private practice, Carlos also dedicates time each month to giving back to the community. On the last Wednesday of every month, he offers a full day of complimentary Oncology Massage treatments for people living with or recovering from cancer. It is an initiative that reflects one of the core values behind Sports & Care Therapy: making specialist therapeutic care accessible to those who may benefit from it most and supporting people through some of the most challenging moments of their lives.

“I’ve always believed that learning should never stop. Every new qualification gives me another tool to help people achieve the outcome they’re looking for.”

That philosophy has shaped Sports & Care Therapy into a practice centred on personalised care rather than routine treatments.

Every appointment is designed around the individual. Whether someone is recovering from a sports injury, struggling with neck and shoulder tension after years of office work, preparing for a marathon, managing the physical demands of a manual profession or simply looking to relax after a demanding week, no two treatments are exactly the same.

Rather than following a fixed routine, Carlos combines the therapies most appropriate for each client’s needs, goals and medical history.

Clients travel from Bermondsey, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, The City and surrounding areas because they value having a therapist who takes time to understand not only where they feel discomfort, but why it has developed in the first place.

Appointments take place in a private, purpose-designed treatment space in Bermondsey that offers a calm and welcoming alternative to busy commercial environments.

Clients are encouraged to arrive before their appointment to discuss their concerns without feeling rushed. After treatment, they are invited to take a little time to relax with a refreshment before returning to the pace of everyday life.

“It may seem like a small detail,” Carlos says, “but recovery doesn’t end the moment the treatment finishes. Giving people the opportunity to slow down for a while often becomes part of the treatment itself.”

Beyond individual appointments, Sports & Care Therapy also works with businesses across London by providing professional chair massage services in the workplace.

As employers place increasing importance on staff wellbeing, workplace chair massage has become an effective way to reduce muscular tension, relieve stress and support employee wellbeing without interrupting the working day. Treatments are delivered on-site, require minimal space and can be incorporated into wellbeing programmes, appreciation days and corporate events.

For Carlos, whether he is treating one client or supporting an entire team, the goal remains the same: to help people feel and function at their best.

“There isn’t one moment that makes me proud. It’s hearing that someone can play with their children without pain again, return to sport with confidence, sleep through the night or simply enjoy everyday life more comfortably. Those moments remind me why I chose this profession.”

Looking back, Carlos says he cannot imagine doing anything else.

What began as a personal journey through injury and rehabilitation has become a career dedicated to helping others recover, move more freely and invest in their long-term wellbeing.

In a city that rarely slows down, Sports & Care Therapy offers something increasingly valuable: professional, personalised care delivered with expertise, compassion and genuine attention to every individual.

Address:: Chaucer Dr, London SE1 5TA