This is such a hidden gem that I don't even want to share. Since this does support the students I…read moreguess I will. This is actually a massage school. The perks to the public is that the students can practice their techniques on people like me. I'm a no frills chick and am always open to a good massage. Don't come here setting high expectations. Come with an open mind and know this is a teaching environment. These graduates soon become those professional masseuse. People always have to start somewhere! It is tough to get an appointment but when you do you won't regret it as you'll have a good relaxing time getting pampered. Parking is available which is always a plus.

*This review pertains to my time at NHI Emeryville as a core program student from October 2022 -…read moreJune 2023* The good: -Most of the instructors / staff here are excellent. -The instructors and students come from a diverse range of ages and backgrounds, lending to a learning environment that offers varied perspectives. -You will learn the basics of the massage industry and how to be professional in the massage world. The bad: -Ridiculously expensive. The $16k 800 hour program will get you your CAMTC certification, which you need to practice in CA. However, you do NOT need 800 hours to certify, you only need 500! -Upper management does not care about students' experiences or health. So many of the following issues were brought up to the school, but it was clear that there is no real interest in listening to students. -Older staff are culturally insensitive, unwilling to adapt, and uneducated in recent societal developments. Racist comments and sexual jokes have been made multiple times by both instructors and upper management, with no apology. No education on gender, and thus students were constantly being misgendered by staff and other students; no education on trans or gender non-conforming individuals, which is such a disservice to those communities and their ability to receive bodywork in a safe space -Instructors are underpaid at $40-45k, coming out to around $20/hr (below the living wage for CA). They often work overtime and it is unclear if they are paid for that. This is probably why there was also such a huge turnover rate. Meanwhile, the owners of the school reside in multi-million dollar homes and have literally stated that they bought NHI as a business investment, seeing a lot of potential revenue from the high tuition -The curriculum is outdated and sparse in information. They withhold info as a way to sell the Advanced Neuromuscular Therapy (ANMT) program which one can take after completing the core program. When a student asked a question about anything more specific than surface anatomy, we were told that we need to sign up for the ANMT program for the answer. -Severe lack of knowledge from the instructors in the Eastern segment. Many questions were met with "I don't know, I never actually learned about this myself." Luckily, I had a classmate who had studied Traditional Chinese Medicine and they were able to educate all of us. I learned more from my classmate than the instructors. -Clinic and externship are exploitative practices. Students perform massages for free while clients still have to pay the school. This practicum concept--performing work for free until one is licensed by an arbitrary powerful entity--exists in many fields, such as social work, medical practices, teaching, and therapy, and is based on an outdated and unjust model that conflates free labor with education. -Too many hours crammed into 8 months. I was lucky to get a week off for the end of December, but other groups don't receive any breaks throughout the entire program. The 8 hour clinic day is mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausting. -General disorganization. They constantly messed up our attendance hours; once, due to a clerical error, a classmate of mine was almost kicked out for not having enough clinic hours. ---Other classmates experience months of delay in approval of their externship sites, forcing them to make up hours later at their inconvenience. -Online classes were unengaging and made it very difficult to learn kinesiology (the study of movement). Many of my classmates struggled greatly because there was no in-person teaching of the different movements, muscles, and bones. After hearing my feedback, the parting words from the school to me were "We would love to educate you on why we do things the way we do." No signs of actually listening and making change. From what I've heard from others, McKinnon sounds like a great alternative. They don't try to sell you anything and you can sign up for the classes you're interested in, and are not required to complete 800 hours.

Wonderful massage with Bathiah today! Deeply healing and…read morecomforting. Great overall muscle tension release. Paul also did a wonderful massage, with assisted stretches recently. His massage really helped my hip pain. I'd like to return to both these massage therapists soon.

Amazing education techniques in very short period of times. The staff is very very pleasant and…read morecooperative all the times.

The Breema Center is a breath of fresh air from modern life's, fast-paced chaos. Breema bodywork…read moreis the perfect tool to help me connect my body and mind. This teaching transcends the classroom and I brought it into my everyday life. When I am present, I have more harmony in my life.

The holistic Breema Center is not allowing me to voice my opinion based on very specific facts…read moreabout the negligence of Angela Porter. Based upon their holistic approach, one would expect to be heard. Obviously, they disagree. Ms. Porter has violated ethical standards and should be reproached. There is nothing unethical about raising the very specific fact scenarios that I have raised. If I need to, I will go to the media to have my voice heard.

I have been a student and assistant to Gilles on and off for 18 years. My life has changed through…read morethis work and I have become a better person. Working on the viscera is profound and puts you in touch with part of yourself that sometimes we lose touch with. I recommend it to everyone and anyone. It helps one on a spiritual, emotional and physical level. I can honestly say that Gilles is one of the best teachers I have ever experienced and Tiffiny is incredible too. This is a small school that has been run by mostly students for over 25 years. Some organized some not so but the core, classes, products and Gilles teachings are what makes it special. Check it out.

Last October I attended the Fundamentals of TaoTouch Chi Nei Tsang training retreat in Nevada city…read more I was looking forward to expanding my knowledge working with the energy of the internal organs and five elements. My experience with Gilles Marin was unsettling to say the least. It was definitely a far cry from anything transformative. Still processing what transpired and doing what I can to transmute the heaviness. The nightmare of what I had signed up for unraveled on the first day during hands on. Gilles's warm demeanor dissipated and he began raising his voice, berating students, and making condescending comments for not having the proper technique. This made it incredibly difficult to tune in. I felt a discordance to my core and was ready to cut ties however already had so much invested so decided to try and stick it out. The next day a migraine set in halfway into class and I ended up leaving early. On the third day I was feeling good and well rested. Sat out of the morning Chi Kung since it was too cold out and wanted to preserve my energy. During sunning was chastised for not facing the sun which I'm sensitive to. Then during practical was the odd one out without a partner. One of the leaders brought this to Gilles's attention which he completely shut down and claimed that I no longer could participate because I didn't know the technique albeit was fine with me watching from afar. He repeated himself and then scolded me like I was a child and demanded I sit down. I left immediately without responding to protect my sanity and peace. Gilles has since offered no explanation, apology, or refund and has tainted my desire to further my understanding of a beautiful healing practice due to his impatient callous way of teaching. How unethical to feel entitled to a students hard earned income that wasn't even given a fair chance to absorb and apply the material. How can one learn just by watching. Anyways time is precious so I'm closing this chapter unanswered. Nevertheless am grateful for the nuggets of truth collected along the way regardless of the dissonance that revealed itself.

So glad that the McKinnon clinic is back up and running! Affordable, professional, and truly…read morecaring, talented therapists! $50 for an hour massage?! How can you beat that?!

Loved my massage with Joyce great deep tissue work on the back and neck. Easy to find, convenient…read moreto park.

I came to myofascial release with Tim having suffered from over 15 years of stiffness and pain that…read morehad left countless chiropractors, doctors, acupuncturists, and physical therapists stumped. It was getting worse every year. I had limited mobility in my neck, pain when waiting up in the morning, and pain doing simple tasks like cleaning the house and tying my shoes. After the first session I already felt so much better. I've done 7 sessions and I feel 20 years younger. I cleaned the house this morning and didn't get the usual back pain. I can move without constant creaks and cracks, and just feel more aligned in general with my body. I highly recommend working with Tim. He really loves what he does. He's intent on finding the source of the pain and releasing and is extremely knowledgable and practiced in his art. It was game changing for me.

Tim is the best! I have tried many different modalities for…read moremy spinal cord injury and nothing helped with the pain. After my first session with Tim, I noticed that the mussles in my back were more relaxed. The second session addressed the pain in my hip. I was on pain medication and Lidocaine patches for the excruciating pain. I had lived with the pain for 2 years prior to finding Tim. After the third session, the pain was completely gone and has not reoccured (it has been 2+years). Tim worked on my neck and chest and I noticed that I was able to breathe more deeply and my vocal cords felt less constricted and my speech was clearer. As a quadriplegic suffering with chronic pain, Tim is a Godsend. I could go on with the accolades but suggest that you give Tim a try. It may take a few sessions but it is difficult to find a practioner with the expertise that Tim has

Great staff, receptionist, students, teachers,cost effective in price with community focus…read moretreatment.

Been going for a few years for treatment of various conditions. Staff is thorough. After…read moreconsultation, checking pulses, tongue color, third year students meet with an advisor (experienced acupuncturist) and together recommend treatment. Herbs are often suggested and both raw herbs to be cooked or powder options are available. Appointments usually last approximately 2 hrs. Only down side is that students graduate and one must find a new practitioner. I've been seeing Benson and am grateful for his wisdom and treatments.

I have been a client of Nina Stavinga for years and she is one of my favorites. The pressure she…read moreuses is just right and based on our brief conversation before she begins. When I leave I feel refreshed and ready to get back to tackling whatever was twisting me into a pretzel. That reminds me, I need to make another appointment to see her very soon.

Nina was very responsive and booking a massage was easy. She made a house call for my wife and she…read morearrived a little early to set up. The massage was not bad, however, she did one thing repeatedly that my wife has never experienced during a massage: texting! Maybe we're old school but this threw us way off and found it to be completely unprofessional and unacceptable.

Karin is the best! I have been a client for several years and have recommended several others to…read moreher, and all have been amazed by her skill, gentle demeanor, warm and inviting space as well as her caring nature. I have been to many massage therapists in the last 20 years and no one else compares. Karin is a true healer. I don't know what I would do without her and I can't recommend her highly enough! She's absolutely awesome!

I highly recommend going to Art of Touch. Karin was amazing! Attentive, a great listener and…read morecommunicator, working out tough tension spots in a way I didn't even, know was possible.

My husband and I attended a private Spinning Babies parent class with Ilka, and we found the…read moresession so valuable! After the session was over, we stepped out for a short evening walk, and I was stunned at the difference I felt-- all of a sudden I was able to walk completely comfortably. I hadn't even realized that I had been starting to waddle a bit. The following night, we had our final session of a different childbirth class, and we kept referring back to the anatomy lesson Ilka had shared with us. The information she provided made a number of the concepts covered by the other instructor so clear, and I think they wouldn't have sunk in as well without having that background. I would heartily recommend this parent session to any soon-to-be parent-- Ilka's depth of knowledge, clarity of explanation, and kindness made it one of the most valuable pieces of education we have had.

What do you say about a person whose love and presence transcends words? Ilka is just that. She…read moreassisted the birth of my son and added so many layers of support that my son found it safe to shoot out of my body in under 1.5 hours! Unwavering in her calm, collected being, there's a steadiness to Ilka unrivaled by anyone I've ever met, frankly. In my experience of childbirth (I've had 2 babies, both at home. Ilka attended the second birth 9 months ago), safety isn't derived from statistics, formulas or algorithms. What you want and need is a birth worker who will go with you there, 100%, no holding back. And honestly I can't remember anyone doing anything when I birthed my son but I know Ilka was there. She kept it locked down tight just by being in the room. And not all birth workers create a container like that. It's a skill you don't know you need until you have it ...or don't have it as was the case with the birth of my first child. Thank you, Ilka. You're forever woven into the fabric of my family in this amazing human tapestry. We love you.