Shelley is absolutely amazing! I've been working with her for 3+ years and I've never once thought…read moreof straying. As an active fitness professional I've had a lot of massage therapists do body work on me through the years, and she simply possesses an energy and a touch that I've never experienced. She has a true artful gift for sensing where a body needs healing and has a precise touch that knows when it's appropriate to be firm, and when to ease off. She does several forms of massage as well as energy work, and beautifully blends multiple practices into each session. If you're in need of some tension relief, stress relief, muscle de-tangling, whatever, I highly recommend Total Balance Bodywork! Aside from having incredible hands and technique she's also the sweetest person you'll ever meet, and each session always begins and ends with a hug :)

Followup to my review after third session. My hip is now 100% pain free, and back to playing soccer…read more3-4 times per week. Can't express how good it is to feel great during and after the game.

Have been going to Ally now for a few months for deep tissue work in my neck and lower back with…read morewonderful results. She really targets the areas that need help and works to find the best pressure. Highly recommend!!!

I have been a client of Ally's for a year and half now. I never miss a month. I've sent my daughter…read moreand best friend to Ally also. She is incredibly talented and professional. I've been getting massages my whole adult life and found Ally after a long search. She has skills and techniques like I've never experienced before. Her space is beautiful and inspiring, she is intuitive to my physical and emotional needs, and is affordable too! Ally is a gift to me and my self care routine. Sometimes I want a therapeutic massage and sometimes I need a relaxing one...Ally has the ability and expertise to meet your needs. Her training and continuing education gives her the edge she needs to be one of the best massage therapists I've ever experienced.

I have been seeing Samantha for over 4 years and she is great. However she is quite popular now and…read morecurrently only works Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday so you usually have to schedule at least 2 to 3 weeks ahead of time to get with her consistently. Thankfully as of March 2023 she has gotten a second massage therapist to join the studio in Kim Hostetter! She covers Monday/Wednesday/Friday. You can book with her to get a massage in Samantha's studio here: https://www.intuitivehealingwithkim.com/appointments Kim is great as well. She lets you choose your pressure ahead of time and makes sure to check in during the middle and can go harder or lighter if needed. I myself prefer firm pressure and her pressure is just perfect for me. I can handle hard pressure pretty well, especially with my super tight muscles on my back, shoulders, neck, hamstrings, and calves. Kim can work in targeted areas or full body as needed and do well both ways. She also provides the option of using a massage gun to help loosen up tighter muscles so she can go deep tissue. It works great for me I can handle high pressure. Kim provides good communication even outside the massage. You can text message her for scheduling or rescheduling in addition to the website above. She can also give good advice related to some stretches or good massage routines or focuses. I've only had a few massages with Kim so far but I like forward to continue working with her. She (along with Samantha) provide nice in-studio package deals so you can save money on multiple pre-paid sessions. I can't speak for Kim's lighter pressure but at least as someone who likes firmer pressure I think she does a great job. I highly recommend giving her a shot.

This place is a gem. I got the best massage ever, just the right pressure, and Samantha was very…read morekind and very intuitively focused on my pain point problems . I live with chronic back pain daily, and need just the right amount of pressure. My wonderful daughter found this massage location. I am so happy, that she did!!!

Been through Chiropractic & Physical Therapy for injuries that happened in my 30s, but Christine…read moreactually provided a thorough assessment that explained my solutions, then worked her magic and I felt stronger walking out and now have the confidence to continue playing basketball again, even at 40!

First found Christine because I needed some massage therapy and it was very different then anything…read moreI've experienced before (hard to describe, but it's like a burning sensation vs. a kneading feeling). It was effective though so I decided to see her for some body mechanic and posture workouts. Those have been great as well. I'm glad to have met Christine and work with her on my health journey. Definitely get a massage with her and if you can, get some posture training too!

The most healing massages I ever had. I'm a stylist and it…read moretakes a toll on my body. I like to come to Katt regularly to make sure that my muscle tightness and knots are worked out. She has a lot of of training and knowledge in physical therapy. Without you having to tell her, she knows all the places that your body is hurting. Even places that you didn't know. You need to give her a try, you'll never want to go get a massage anywhere else!

I second what others have said! Katt is amazing!. I've been to MANY massage therapists, and Katt…read moreis by far the best. She's helped me multiple times with near injuries and a ton of tightness. She takes the time to understand where the source of the issue/tightness is coming from and truly understands how to work to relieve it. Of the massage therapists I've been to, Katt is a rare find. You can tell she genuinely cares about her clients and loves what she does She is continually learning new techniques and remembers from visit to visit where problem areas are/have been. Can't recommend Katt enough!!

Orange County, especially in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, has no shortage of great massage…read moretherapists. At least, that's what I've found in the 7 years that I've lived in OC. However, this specific spot on Birch Street in Newport has had no fewer than three great therapists, including the original one I found, Samantha from Serenity Holistic, and Delilah from Knot All Bliss, both of whom previously had to go on maternity leave. But this review is about Sandra Ugarte of Synchrony Wellness, the newest therapist in this location as of June 2025. She offers a handful of noteworthy massage therapy options, from lymphatic to Reiki to post-op to neuromuscular. I chose the neuromuscular massage option, and it was one of the best massages I've ever had. For reference, I am someone who has always had neck, shoulder, and back pain since my high school days (I am now in my mid-30s). This is probably due to my lack of exercise and stretching. The pain in those areas has only flared up over time, and while I've seen doctors, it's usually massage therapists who relax me enough after an 8-hour day of work or a 40-hour week of computer work with likely bad posture. I've also recently had issues like cervical radiculopathy and thoracic outlet syndrome, which aren't helped by tight upper traps, scalene neck muscles, and likely also tight hips and low back. That small rant leads me to why Sandra is great. Generally, my favorite massage therapists I've tried tend to have a mix of the following: they do good medium to hard pressure with great technique, usually with elbows or fingers, offer cupping and gua sha if possible, and include things like aromatherapy or hot towels if they're not an extra charge. Sandra does an excellent combination of everything I've said I like in a therapist. While most massage therapists I've been to usually focus on maybe 10 overall spots on the body with as many issues as I have, I was surprised that Sandra worked on almost my entire body, from my neck to my pecs, upper back, shoulders, arms, lower back, hips, hamstrings, and even calves. As someone who loves cupping, I was pleasantly surprised to have all these spots covered. No surprise to me, a lot of areas were red, as I expect with someone with as much tension as me. If you don't like cupping, you can always request not to have it, but for me, if you can handle the cupping pressure, I think Sandra does a good job of not applying it too tightly. I think it's really good for releasing deep tension that a regular massage can't cover. In general, I can tell that Sandra has a medical massage therapy background because she always makes sure to let me know what part she's going to work on next, ensuring that the pressure is good and that she's covered all the spots I want addressed, all with a calm but sweet, nice personality. She also does gua sha, which is a light scraping technique to reduce fascia tightness. She didn't do this as much as the cupping, but she definitely did enough on spots that were helpful for me, like the IT bands for my tight lower back and hips, and my arms. After a couple of sessions, Sandra started to use vacuum cupping therapy because of my cervical radiculopathy, as she didn't want to hurt my nerves in the neck area while still using cupping, gua sha, and good pressure whenever needed. Overall, Orange County has no shortage of good to great massage therapists, but Sandra Ugarte is now in the running for my favorite in the county. She's very nice, offers a good variety of massage options, applies good pressure, and, most importantly, is very comprehensive, using a great mix of all the techniques I like from a massage therapist, including good pressure, cupping, gua sha, and even offering advice on doing self-gua sha at home. If you live in Orange County and have chronic pain or nerve-and muscle-related issues, I highly recommend seeing Sandra Ugarte at Synchrony Wellness.

I'm very satisfied with my service today with Sandra! I got a lympathic/sub muscular massage along…read morewith cupping where needed and everything was beyond perfect. It was my first time getting a lymphatic massage and I was in heaven. She is very knowledgeable and intuitive and knows where you are struggling. I highly recommend her and will be coming to see her hopefully more regularly.

I saved review number one thousand to share a really special experience I had this year…read more My 'treat yourself' item has always been massages. So in honor of my 30th birthday I hosted seven of my best friends to all my favorite things.. and massages were number one on the agenda. I booked Vanessa for a late-afternoon home visit. She provided 15-minute table massages for all seven girls and brought all the supplies needed, including her incredibly calm and welcoming energy. In terms of quality, I've had a good number of massages throughout the years, and Vee left a lasting impression. She instantly pinpointed the spots where I hold the most stress and removed the knots in my shoulder blades. You can tell that she has an extensive background in pain management and sports massages. The girls were absolutely wow-d and wouldn't stop talking about Vee and her technique throughout the entire weekend. Highly recommend booking her for your next massage, sound bath, or reiki healing session. I seriously cannot say enough positive things.

I highly recommend Vee's holistic health! As a firefighter…read moreand athletic type person, I have built up many nagging injuries. Over the last few years Vanessa has helped me so much to realign and recover my body from head to toe. I am in much less pain and more limber every time I leave her sessions. Most recently she has helped my dad Increase blood flow, relax, and reduce swelling after being bed bound for over 3 months. She truly has a gift in helping all types of people. Thank you Vanessa!

I have seen ALL the therapists here! Though they are all different in styles, they all have helped…read moreme work through some serious hip and shoulder issues in their own beautiful magical way. A little background on me, I come from a desk job for the -past 3 yrs and since covid I wasn't doing anything else accept work in my office and hang out at home. So my body got so tight and used to sitting that my hips hurt to move. Every therapist I've gone to at other places are "gentle" with my lower back and hips but nothing really ever seem to get fixed, even though I was like going to them regularly. But the team here worked around and through the issues. Reminding me to breathe through it and count me down with breath work. (mind blown emoji!!!) Honestly if you're looking for a quick cheap massage, this is probably not your cup of tea. But if you're looking for someone to help work through your issues and hold you accountable with your stretches that they recommend for you to do at home and checkin to see how you're doing, this is you place!

I spent a lot of time trying to find the best massage therapist, and I finally did. Whitney…read moreRobinson is an absolutely wonderful person with golden hands. She has a very subtle sense of what your body needs and can fix you up without a single miss. I've never been disappointed and highly recommend her