Taylor Therapeutic, CMT

I’m thrilled to have found Taylor! His work is incredibly effective — the best I’ve experienced!
As a fellow massage therapist, I can speak highly of his professionalism, knowledge and technique. I look forward to each appointment with Taylor as he helps put my body and mind back in line to better serve my own clients, better take care of my family, and help me with my own self-​care needs.
Currently, I’m pregnant and am so happy that Taylor is still able to manipulate my muscles and joints to alleviate discomfort associated with pregnancy and not just provide a «spa relaxation» massage that I would personally benefit less from at this uncomfortable time.
Book in advance — he’s popular!

My husband and I have been getting massages from Taylor for several years and I look forward to each one. Taylor is a caring massage therapist who really listens and responds well to what the body needs. He is able to deliver very deep pressure less painfully than other massage therapists I’ve seen. He’s also very proud of his business and works hard to be professional and courteous.

I cannot give enough praise to Taylor for his skills with massage. To make things even better, he has moved to a new office closer to my home!
I work a sedentary job, am not in super great shape, and have issues with my neck and shoulders from an old workplace injury.
His work may hurt sometimes, but he will always pull back if you ask, and checks in often if you are not piping up enough to guide his work. I have been seeing him for a while now and count myself very very lucky. I always feel revitalized the following morning and this continues on into the week. Mobility and pain level are always improved after a session with him.
He is a genuinely nice guy and is a fun conversationalist. This makes a big difference when you come to a therapist in pain and you know that the treatment will involve a little pain to encourage the body to behave again. Thank you Taylor!

Taylor is on another level when it comes to massage therapy. I spent almost ten years trying out different deep-​tissue massage therapists, searching for someone like him, someone who could consistently make real, concrete changes in my body. He’s the only person to have successfully improved my neck (chronic injury that keeps coming back). My knee pain that I’ve had for two years resolved after a single session of intense focus on the legs. I had long given up on the knee being pain-​free. Yet, just hours after the massage, I could get into positions that had been too painful for years. Also, he has helped my partner become pain-​free from her seemingly intractable sciatica. I can’t recommend him highly enough.

Taylor’s massage is by far the most effective bodywork I have ever received.
If you are seeking a spa-​style relaxing rubdown or a spiritual mental experience, do not book with Taylor. His style won’t be right for you, and you will take up space in his busy schedule for people who truly need his unique work.
If you are seeking lasting results in your body, are willing to be an active participant in your massage, and can handle a little intensity, stop searching and call Taylor. He’ll make you feel worse, but then you’ll feel much better.

I have been seeing Taylor for years now. I have to say he is the best deep tissue massage therapist I have been to. If you need a deep tissue massage, Taylor is your man. I always feel great afterwards. during hurts like all hell, but that is because I need it. He will focus his attention to what you need. Always before he gets started asks what the body needs.
I am pretty physically active, between cycling, martial arts, and weight training over the years, I need a good massage. He is usually booked months out in advance. I am booked through 2015.
Taylor is quite the conversationalist. I enjoy chatting with him during the session.

I have seen a lot of massage therapists and Taylor is the best I have found in this area for a true therapeutic massage. I’m 45 and I work out hard kick-​boxing 3 – 4 times a week and my body just wouldn’t be able to keep that up if I didn’t see Taylor every other week to put my body right again from how I’ve tweaked it in the previous two weeks. Every appointment starts with Taylor asking me where on my body needs the attention that week and he is always sure to put an extra focus on those areas so that I always leave feeling that my body is whole again and my needs were met. He has a really good understanding of the anatomy and structure of the body. He also naturally gives a very deep massage which is perfect for me — I usually have to tell a CMT multiple times in a session to please go deeper and I’ve never had to say that to Taylor. My massages with Taylor are not exactly «pleasurable» for the whole time — but I always get relief and my body gets what it needs and that is exactly what I’m looking for. I originally switched to Taylor from my previous therapist because I had had an on-​going issue in my shoulders that just wasn’t getting resolved after months of telling my CMT about it and after two sessions with Taylor my shoulders felt great — issue resolved and it was because Taylor wasn’t afraid to dig deep into my armpits to get at the source of the problem!
And yes, you do need to book in advance so I just book out several months at a time for every other week and I never have to worry about it.

I’ve been seeing Taylor for years; it would be hard for me to find anyone more respectful of my body and mind. He’s receptive to feedback, and I leave feeling looser and more limber every time.
He’s also an excellent conversationalist on a wide range of subjects and has become a good friend over the years.
The only disadvantage is how far in advance he’s scheduled, but if you’re willing to wait, it’s absolutely worth it.

My wife and I have been going to Taylor for his great massage work for over a year now, and I can’t tell you how glad we are to have found him. His work is not fluffy or spa-​y (at least not for us — he might be able to if you beg!) but it is exactly what we need: focused, knowledgable, and very effective.
His schedule is very booked, but it’s worth the wait. Think about it — you’re going to want a massage in six months — book your future self one now and future you will thank past you in six months! (Just don’t take my time slot!!)

Taylor’s massages are the real thing — deep tissue therapy. I have been seeing him every three weeks for the last two years and I never feel better than when I roll off his massage table. I feel like I am walking on air. He softens my muscles and removes the tight spots so I can move freely through space. He resolves problems associated with sitting and standing at a computer all day and being an aging athlete who wants to keep challenging her body forever. Taylor is the best!

Stress, a sedentary office job, and a pinch of aging thrown in for good measure, provide me with a recipe for stiffness and aches. So, I need to get a good massage now and then. Actually, I should get a good massage much more often than I do…
After reading some of the reviews here, I decided to contact Taylor. He is in high demand, but I lucked out with a couple of cancellations and have seen him twice in the past couple of months. And I have been more than pleased – in awe, really – with, first and foremost: his talented HANDS. But he has impressive knowledge and communication skills as well. He knows his stuff, is happy to share what he knows, and he asks what I need and checks in as he goes along. He is sweet, smart, strong, professional, and the icing on the cake – he has a great personality and sense of humor!
After a session with Taylor, I feel like I have been taken apart and rebuilt: from my scalp, to my problematic trapezius, to my fingers and toes. But don’t take my word for it – go see him!

Simply put Taylor is amazing. At 6’7″, Taylor puts a lot of strength into his massages and is also extremely knowledgeable about human anatomy and how the body works. Taylor’s combination of strength and skill has relieved the longstanding tensions I’ve built up from working at a computer all day long. Even though I’m moving to San Francisco soon, I’m going to keep coming back to Taylor.

If you want a nice relaxing massage that will put you to sleep, don’t go to Taylor. If you want to feel results for days after the massage and are OK with a little pain to get those results, Taylor is the guy for you.
I started going to Taylor when I was about 7 months pregnant. My body was jacked. He was very knowledgeable about how to work on a pregnant body and generally made me feel SO much better. Now that I’ve had my baby, I don’t get to see him as much, but he also understands how to work on a postpartum body (i.e. making sure you’re able to get comfortable, engorged breasts and all). In my experience, it’s hard to find people who really get these special needs and anticipate them for you and don’t make you feel like an alien for requesting special accommodations.
Tip: Taylor’s schedule is crazy full, so plan ahead!
Actually, please don’t go to Taylor. It’s already hard enough for me to schedule time with him!

I work at a desk and my back and shoulders are constantly a mess. I’ve tried all sorts of massage, but no one has been able to actually work the tension out. Much like fast food, I thought massages were always oily and unsatisfying.
That’s not a problem with Taylor. I now see him regularly, and always leave his office with a new range of motion because he has gotten normally stubborn muscles to relax. He’s also funny, which helps.
Highly recommended.

Taylor is magical.
I have had many massages before, and no one has ever been able to deliver the strength and pressure that I longed for. It just always ends up with me pleading, «Can you go just a little bit harder? Harder than that even??» You see, if I had it my way, I would be very happy to be squashed by a thousand pound rock to iron out all my kinks, instead of the massages that feel like a rather sleepy ant stumbling across my back. But I trust Unilocal,so I emailed Taylor, who very promptly emailed me back and set up the appointment.
On my way over to my appointment, I worried whether or not he would be good enough. Yes, even though Taylor has a full 5 stars on Unilocal,I still worried. What if all the reviewers on Unilocal were his friends and family? What if he simply bribed a Unilocal employee to get his perfect 5 stars?
And then I finally met Taylor and all of my worries washed away. First of all, he’s 6’7″ and not a scrawny or puny 6’7″ either. Second of all, he is hilarious and equipped with plenty of jokes to make you feel at ease.
Third of all, he gave the most amazing, perfect, intuitive, magical massage I have ever experienced in my entire life. I came in as a bundle of stress and knots from exercise and work, with a headache to top it off. Within the first 5 minutes of the massage, he did this thing with the back of my head and then I no longer had my headache. Then he started to actually massage my shoulders and back, and it felt like I was floating blissfully along with chirping birds in the background. It was this wonderful pleasure mixed with a bit of pain from working out the knots, but the really good kind of pain that makes you feel relaxed and relieved afterwards.
He was so intuitive that when he touched my back and shoulders, he knew I was left-​handed, just from feeling the difference between my symmetry! He also listened to me when I told him certain movements tickled me, and made sure to steer clear after that.
Then all I remember feeling was pure unadulterated happiness and joy for the rest of the time he worked on me, with my endorphin loaded brain saying silly things like, «Yay!» and «I reaaalllyyyy like your elbows» from time to time.
Not 5 minutes after leaving Taylor’s office, a complete stranger stopped me on the street to ask me, «You’re having a wonderful day today, aren’t you?» Yes, complete stranger, yes I am.

Taylor is the kind of doctor that I want for me and my family. He is caring and nice and his work is fantastic. He listens first and adapts to what is best for you and your body.
I went there because I was suffering from moderate back pain. Right after the massage (obviously not a relaxing massage) my back still hurt, which is what is supposed to happen when your muscles have been stretched considerably. After a few days all the pain is gone and I feel wonderful.
Seriously, a great deal. He has some bundles you can benefit from if you need massages often. I will get one of the bundles for sure.

I will agree with all the other reviews that Taylor is not the guy you want if you’re looking for a relaxing, spa-​like experience. However, thanks to my fellow Unilocalers, I was able to figure out that he would probably be good to help me relieve the chronic pain in my neck and low back.
Taylor combines a number of massage styles to achieve the goals you discuss at the beginning of your session. He describes his philosophy/​style pretty well on his website. I’ve had mostly deep tissue massages previously, but Taylor’s style is more active and geared towards increasing mobility and working out kinks. He will stretch your limbs in various directions while working muscles and trigger points. He definitely checked in with me frequently about the amount of pressure, especially during some of the more intense trigger points. I can’t believe he managed to get my chronically contracted neck and low back muscles to relax!
The other great thing about Taylor is the hours he offers. He works evenings and weekends. I went to the Downtown Berkeley location, and it was very conveniently located across University Ave from the Trader Joe’s.
I’ll definitely be back, probably for the multi-​session discount.

My girlfriend and I found Taylor about a year ago, when we stumbled upon him on Unilocal.She was looking for the next great massage therapist that would erase all the pain she was feeling at the time, and I was intrigued by the availability of in-​home massages.
I saw him work out her muscles in a different way than I had ever seen in traditional massages, and after seeing that he wasn’t a creeper (we had never had an in-​home massage before) and honestly pretty funny and obviously very good at what he does, I started getting a session after my girl’s. We both saw how he helped so much with the pain and tightness of our muscles, and has uncanny knack for getting in those spots that I had always wished massage therapists would really dig into and get that damned muscle to release!
We see him regularly and it has done wonders for the pain in my upper shoulders/​back from a desk job. He puts up with our dog being ridiculous during sessions, has a great and interesting outlook on life, and the only drawback is that now the ‘traditional’ massage you get at a spa just doesn’t sound appealing anymore after having experienced Taylor’s method of bodywork/​massage. Taylor has truely helped two people who sits in front of a computer at least 10 hours a day!
Tip: Buy the packages! It’s a really good deal.

Taylor is the best! I get constant pain in my back and shoulders that often leads to terrible migraines/​tension headaches, and a lot of regular uncomfortableness in my daily routine. I have seen him twice in the last 30 days (one 30min and one 60min treatment) and I am feeling so loose and relaxed. The nagging knots I have had in my upper back the last few months are almost nonexistent now. I feel like it is now easier to crack and stretch because I am feeling loose… this is extremely helpful in releasing any tension I feel coming on.
Taylor can get very deep and intense, but if you can’t hack it just tell him so and he will take it down a few notches to where you are comfortable. If you need someone to dig deep and really focus on your problem areas, he is the guy. He has the skills, talent and vigor to make you feel like you are walking on a cloud when you are done.
Thanks Taylor! I’ll be seeing you once a month!

What else could I say about Taylor that I haven’t already said?
In the past 4 months I have increased the frequency and intensity of my workouts, in addition to training for a half marathon. Additional hours spent hunched over my laptop haven’t helped things much either. Taylor is able to fix all the tension and knots I’ve accumulated in my hips, hamstrings and shoulders. His work now lasts about 6 to 8 weeks which allow me to go back and abuse my muscles all over again! When you leave his table, he is genuinely concerned that your issues have been addressed, not just in that moment, but for the weeks and months to come.
Having been the recipient of some less than stellar services from other providers recently, those experiences have made Taylor stand out more for being professional, punctual, courteous, sincere, a great listener and telling the corniest jokes I’ve ever heard (they are needed to distract you from the pain he is about to inflict on some poor unsuspecting muscle). After 3+ years of his massages, I would still highly recommend his services.