I'm from Thailand. I love getting a massage and like Thai massage the best, although I have tried pretty much every type of massage. I know when somebody is a good masseuse. It was a pleasant surprise to be massaged by Eligio, an American who massaged me the same as an experienced Thai masseur would do. He knows exactly what work my body needs, and he adjusts it according to amount of pressure and sensitivity I have. I only write reviews for people and businesses that I really like. read more

I can no longer recommend Eligio. As someone substantially disabled in a car accident just before Covid and with long covid I had decided to stay with Eligio as a provider even tho things weren't always smooth because for a time i thought it would be hard to find someone new. That's my bad. In the last year however Eligio's work, manner and ability to keep agreements has substantially declined even with consistent communication including phone, texts and in person communication that included several rounds of agreement making. Before this last year the issues were: he always pulled my hair when he worked on my head and neck and made a joke about the "hair pulling part of the session." Which is not just not funny, he knows he's hurting me but never upped his skills to stop. For years. That actually should have been enough to stop working with him. He'd be casually late for quite awhile until i insisted he notify me before the start of our session time. He never learned to calibrate to my needs had to constantly be reminded to not push too hard on my feet and back and not tork/tear my knees when raising my legs. This should have been a deal breaker given how long it went on. We did out calls to my home and he had to be reminded of basically everything including putting the toilet seat down in our bathroom. (I'm disabled and bending over is hard. I literally asked him 12 times to put it down before he remembered once on his own.) people are imperfect and I try to be forgiving and communicative. He did not put the room back in order after use. He moved all kinds of things and frequently did nothing to clean up post session. Annoying but not a deal breaker. Like I said he's just not paying attention. Over the past year several things have happened that made us decide that we cannot work with him any more. Eligio injured my back. Repeatedly He has always required feedback to keep him from using too much pressure or not torking my knees. But in the last year he made things demonstrably worse many, many times. And generally took no responsibility for that impact . Now I realize that's because he's just not able to attune to sensitive needs unless constantly directed. In other words: his sessions are not relaxing because he has a tendency to accidentally and repeatedly injure me. At least a third of the sessions for the last year he hurt me and I had significantly more pain when standing after a session. If I fall asleep in a session, he reliably injures my back. Every time. When I woke up in pain and asked him to fix it, he charged for that time having never mentioned it to me or asked for consent or created clarification. Which is code for he: he hurt me and overcharged me and then was pissed when I asked him about it. His response? He's short on cash and he worked over the session time. I talked to him and put my feedback in writing to him. We made new agreements that included getting consent for additional fees in the moment and stopping sessions if I fall asleep. His major concern of stopping a session if I fall asleep was "will I get paid?" Given that we paid on time every time, that was wild And utterly self serving. The final deal breaker was weaponizing my diagnosis against me instead of taking ownership of his decisions. He is someone who has a hard time taking responsibility for his impact. I cannot recommend him. Especially if you have pain. read more

Eligio's massage work on me transcends any other I've experienced in my 81 years. 'Strong and gentle' don't do his techniques justice. His healing gifts come from deep within his huge strong heart. The work he did to heal my persistent neck problem was liberating. I'm so grateful to him for all he has done in the healing my body has received from Eligio. Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude for him and his gifts. read more

Eligio is an incredible body worker. He is very intuitive and has a deep knowledge of the body. Over the past 9 months he has helped me tremendously with all kinds of issues including a chronic elbow injury. I went from having intense flare ups that really impacted my quality of life to regaining function and strength, I'm beyond grateful! Eligio is very caring and compassionate and always checks in throughout the massage which I really appreciate. I highly recommend him! read more

The best Thai massage in the Bay area is given by Eligio. He is very intuitive and knowledgeable about the body, and he cares for his clients, always making sure of their pressure and comfort levels. I came in with tightness in my hips and shoulders, but when I walked out, everything had opened up, and I no longer felt any tightness. Highly recommended it !! read more

If you are looking for a massage or healing help I would recommend Eligio! Not only will your body get physical healing but you will be treating yourself to a soothing experience. After having my first child I developed a strange stabbing pain in my upper right arm that left me debilitated and unable to carry my 3 week old son. I spoke to doctors about it and saw a sobador who used cupping, nothing helped. I knew Eligio through family and asked him if he would be able to help me. His body healing work and "lazy yoga" method, as he calls it, feels wonderful, truly helps you function better, and be aware of how much work our bodies do for us. After the first session I was able to freely move my arm, which before would have me bawling my eyes out in pain. read more

I have been a thankful client of Eligio for years. I never had Thai massage before him, and found his techniques to be profound. He is a healer, and intuitively gathers info about your body while working on you. He is great at eliminating pain and helping the body recover from injury. I am a lifelong athlete, and he helps keep my body ready for workouts and fun. Eligio is a good listener and a wonderfully kind soul, and is a great human to put my trust into as he twists me into a pretzel. read more

I've been working with Eligio for close to 6 months. He is very intuitive with his massage. He really cares that he makes a difference with his work and is results oriented. Many massages I've had are general all-over treatments without attention to areas of pain or injury. Eligio takes notice of everything and gives special attention and treatment to those areas that other therapists may not notice. read more

Eligio is a fantastic healer. He's great about checking in and is responsive to feedback. I try to see him monthly since my body is so much happier when i do! read more

I start feeling carpal tunnel syndrome since I work collecting data all day. I start feeling pain and numbness on my hand and I wasn't able to stretch my arm. Eligio help me with massages and after three massages the pain disappeared and I felt great. He's a great healer using his whole body as an instrument. read more

I was devastated when my long time massage therapist moved out of the Bay Area. Lately, I am dealing with neck pain from too much computer work. Thankfully I have a gift for connecting with body healers and found Eligio at my fitness studio, Truve. He has a Masunaga Shiatsu Massage certification. I am not sure how, despite years of massage therapy, I missed shiatsu; but it is amazing for releasing muscles tightened by repetitive movements. After my first session with Eligio I was so amazingly loose, I stayed up late doing dance party USA like it was 1999. The combination of massage and chiropractor work by Dr Franco at Truve has been a quality of life saver for me. Eligio is a caring and talented healer. I give his services my highest recommendation. read more

I've had my fair share of massages before, but without exaggeration this man gave me the single greatest massage experience of my life. I'm an athlete, and I like to push my body hard. I told Eligio that I would appreciate a hard massage, because many of the previous massages that I've had in the past always left me wanting more. Not this guy. Not for a second. He did a fantastic job digging into my hamstrings, my calf muscles, my lower back muscles, and my upper back muscles. He does a great job of pushing hard, and constantly checking in to ask if I wanted more pressure or less pressure. He is a superb communicator, and I appreciate that he checks in with me very frequently to make sure that I'm getting a massage experience that I'm looking for. If you are an athlete or interested in someone who can dig deep, this is your guy. If I could give him 10 stars I would. read more

For context I'm a furniture mover and a martial artist. I broke my wrist about ten weeks ago. I'm just out of the caste and the wrist's a little tender. Also, I just started back at the dojo and my whole body has been SORE. Eligio is one of my oldest friends and I needed some help. Yelp might hide this review because we're friends, but this is what's true... Eligio is strong and he pays attention. Conveniently, He works out of Truve Gym and the room he works from is warm and clean. Even though I've known the brother for like 30 years, it's weird for me to have another man touch me. But he was comfortable and straight forward and professional and so, I was comfortable too. As we started the massage, he explained his method to me and asked what felt good and if it was too hard or soft etc.. As he got a better sense of where my body was at and how much pressure I could take, the massage got better. Hard enough to open up my muscles (to let in light like he said) but always in control. After my body was all loosened up and I was feeling kind of goofy and high, Eligio did accupressure on my injured wrist. I could feel a warm healing current flowing through. Thank you Eligio Ruiz! Right now I feel totally relaxed and replenished and ready for whatever. read more

I haven't had a Thai massage before, but I knew it involved yoga stretches done with the assistance of the practitioner, so I was very interested. I loved the massage. In effect you get the benefits of the release of yoga poses without the strain or exertion. I could really concentrate of letting go of the tension in my body. Eligio has an open and warm-hearted energy about him, so I felt safe and comfortable relaxing completely. I really appreciated that he checked in with me regularly about the level or pressure, and I knew that if I had a request or issue at any time that he would have received it well. After the hour massage, I was transformed. I left Eligio with a peaceful, clear feeling that I hadn't felt for a long time. read more

Eligio is so skilled! He senses where the energy needs to flow. The massage has helped me to keep walking despite severe osteoarthritis. I am so grateful to Eligio. read more

I'm an Esthetician with not-so-good posture and many injuries. You can imagine the effects of those two combined with a non-traditional, unbalanced work schedule! I saw Eligio for my first Thai/Shiatsu combo massage and was really impressed with how knowledgeable he is about musculature and what affects each area of concern. I went back a few days ago after a marathon spa event and am happy to report I feel MUCH better, my posture is improving, my sleep quality has increased and I even burned a few hundred calories after that massage. I felt like the tough spots that caused me to be in a protective mode were becoming more relaxed and I think in a few more sessions I'll notice a bigger difference between how I felt in my 1st session and my 5th. I highly recommend Eligio for a massage that is more targeted and balancing, especially if you are bored with traditional massage from chain spas that are not customized or don't give you results. And the space he uses in Oakland is really great, they have fitness classes that go hand in hand with your massage to really get muscles worked! read more