Sam Cranswick – In Touch Massage
Sam Cranswick heads up an 18-strong team of massage therapists – In Touch Massage – who help relax and rejuvenate poker players throughout the Irish Open festival. Originally from Australia, she trained in remedial therapy before moving to London.
Sam’s first tournaments were at Grosvenor’s GUKPT – the longest-running poker tour in the UK. She loved the work so much that she gave up her day job in TV production and launched In Touch Massage.
Massages are an integral part of any major poker event – helping to enhance focus, alleviate tension, and promote peak performance. Sam and her team have worked with JP Poker for many years and have been providing services at the Irish Open since 2009. They now work at festivals all over Europe and beyond, including the Norwegian Championships, UKIPTs, EPTs and the PCA.
Sam said: “This will be my 16th year at the Irish Open and I love it. It has been incredible to watch the event grow year after year. Absolutely nothing compares to the Irish Open. It’s so much more than a poker tournament – it’s an annual celebration, pilgrimage, and fantastic reunion. Being a poker massage therapist is also a unique job. You have all this action and excitement going on all around you and you’re in the thick of it, it’s exhilarating. Also the late-night cash games at the Irish Open are so much fun – just the best craic imaginable.
One of Sam’s favourite Irish Open memories was the first live event held after the pandemic. She said: “Coming back after Covid was incredible, just pure joy. I’d been in lockdown in Spain and it was very strict there. We were desperate for some fun so all of us coming together at the 2022 Irish Open was euphoric. The Irish Open parties are always legendary but that was very special.”