SOOTHE
Book a rubdown via the app, between 8am and midnight, and a licensed massage therapist (you pick the gender and specialty – think: Swedish, deep tissue, sports or prenatal) hightails it to your home with a portable massage table, calming tunes and aromatic oils. So far, the service is only available in London, but coverage is expanding throughout the UK.
‘Summoning a masseuse to my door like a Saturday night chow mein is my idea of heaven. She didn’t judge the mountain of washing I moved aside to make room and, after she set the mood with music and a couple of my lamps, she worked her magic, and then left me to relax in front of the TV. Bliss.’
PUSH DOCTOR
When you can’t get a GP appointment and it’s not serious enough for A&E, this service lets you talk face-to-face with a doctor – seven days a week, 7am-10pm. They’ll ask questions and, via a video call, look at visual clues to diagnose you and provide medical advice.
‘Fill in your personal details and you’ll get an appointment in a matter of minutes – I waited just six for mine. It did feel strange that I could see my doctor was sitting in his bedroom throughout the consultation, but this is a great service if you struggle to get seen during surgery hours.’
VISION TEST
Take the in-app eye tests (which involve holding your phone at arm’s length, completing those exercises you usually do at the optician and answering some multiple choice questions), then receive a score, plus a diagnosis of anything that might be wrong, with a note to visit your optician if you’ve failed any of the sections.
‘This is a useful preliminary test if you feel like you might need glasses, but don’t want to commit to an appointment. It gave me a rough indication of how good my eyes were, but the results don’t feel definitive (and depend on the length of your arm), so you’ll likely want to go to the optician to be sure.’
BABYLON THERAPIST
After registering via the app, you can book a mental health consultation straight away. Choose whether you’d prefer counselling or CBT, select which specialist you’d like to speak to and pick a phone or video appointment – which, depending on availability, should take place within a few days.
‘Great for people with anxiety or depression, the app provides support via a counselor, your local GP or the Samaritans. It let me collate data and monitor my heart rate and sleep patterns to give an overall view of my health and highlight any negative patterns to be aware of.’
NUTRITIONIST
Take a snap of your dish, upload it to the app and a dietitian will send feedback on where you dined well, and where you didn’t: ‘The avocado on your taco adds healthy fats that will keep you full for longer – nice! In the future, choose soft corn tortillas and you can save up to 100 calories per taco.’ Moreover, the ‘Find My Restaurant’ feature will identify eateries nearby that fit your criteria.
‘There’s no hiding with this one – the expert sees everything you eat in a day, including the portion size. It’s a bit time-consuming to load but, because the feedback you receive is personalized and constructive, it’s worth the effort if you’re serious about overcoming any bad eating habits.’
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