Why 2 stars? Because unfortunately there wasn't much good that came from this experience…read more
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I've been dealing with chronic back/hip pain for years and at the recommendation of a doctor, I gave rolfing a chance.
Even after receiving a rolfing massage, I'd struggle how to define it. I can tell you that the therapist applied a lot of pressure, while remaining still, to certain areas for long periods of time, unlike a more traditional massage where they tend to constantly move the muscles around. Because I've been experience this nagging pain for so long, I was willing to try anything.
Rolfing is not covered by insurance and costs $130 per session. To complete the entire cycle of treatment, they recommend you go through ten sessions, so this is not an inexpensive undertaking. However, if I knew it would cure my issues, I'd gladly pay anyone $1300 who was willing to take my money.
The process starts by getting down to your underwear and standing in front of the therapist. They stare at you and evaluate your posture and structure. It's kind of weird, but again, worth every second if it's something that's ultimately going to take my pain away.
Once on the table, she asks me if she can start off by feeling my energy. I'm not sure what that means, so I awkwardly oblige. She then places her hand a couple feet above my body and just "feels" the energy I'm giving off. She would stand in one place for about 30 seconds and then move elsewhere. The whole process lasted about 3 minutes.
So here's the thing - I'm still in, "I don't care what you do, if I feel better" mode. But here's the other thing - you cannot physically feel someone's energy because this isn't a Marvel movie where super powers exist. I know there are people in this world who believe in that kind of stuff, but it's not an opinion as to whether it's true. You factually cannot feel a person's energy by putting your hand near them, but not touch them. So even though I'm still hopeful that this massage will help me, the credibility of the therapist is now tainted.
As for the massage, there were moments where I felt like it was productive and others where it felt like something not worth my time or money. I was prepared to give it a few days and see how I felt before committing on whether I'd come back for a second visit.
Unfortunately, the rest of the day, my back was very flared up. But when I woke up the next day, things were back to normal, so I was still open to returning. Three days later, I had one of the worst flare ups I've ever had, which lasted 2.5 days. It wouldn't be fair to blame that on the Rolfing, but when I called for my first appointment I was told, "You should start feeling better even after your first massage and then feeling progressively better after each one following that." I definitely did not feel better afterward and it just wasn't worth another $130 for me to return to give it another shot.
Lastly, they only accept cash or check. I don't know a lot of people that carry $130 around, and checks are the payment form of 20 years ago. There should definitely be a way to pay with a card in the year 2019.
I really do not enjoy writing negative reviews - I have less than 100 1-2 star reviews out of nearly 2300, but it's also really difficult for me to find many positives from my experience here.