Zen Shiatsu Chicago

Great people, great classes, great bodywork, and an excellent community resource.

I tried Shiatsu massage for the first time and it will not be the last! I purchased a Groupon and made an appointment with Arlette. She was fabulous from start to finish. She explained what would happen, how she was going to work with my body and what I needed to do to get the most out of our session, I do lots of body work and this is a very happy discovery. I left feeling relaxed, balanced and rejuvenated. This is a lovely place when you need to feel refreshed and pampered. I will be back very soon!

Oh how I wish Zen Shiatsu were closer to the city! I had my very first ever shiatsu session today with Andrew, and I think I would be there every week if they were more conveniently located for me.
I had been interested in trying shiatsu for awhile, but didn’t know where to go. Then a friend told me about this place, where he was going to start their shiatsu certification program. When I saw that they took appointments, I was excited, and then when I found their Groupon, it was a no-​brainer.
Just like other reviews have mentioned, this is not a traditional table massage. You lie on a mat on the floor fully clothed, and your therapist adds pressure to your body by manipulating your limbs with his own. At one point, Andrew was pulling on my leg with his toes sunk into my hamstring, and I have to say, it was amazing. The depth of the pressure and his ability to pinpoint my trouble spot were so much more enjoyable and accurate than I had experienced in traditional massage.
The space itself is relatively small, and everyone is asked to leave their shoes at the door. There is metered parking on the street (bring quarters!), and the train drops off just a few feet from the door.

It felt Great!!! I’m recovering from leukemia, in remission for several months and counting. Steve asked me about my treatment with chemo therapy and about how i was feeling now. He customized my treatment and it fit perfectly. The music, the atmosphere, the sensitivity of the practioners, it all fits perfectly.

Great school… a year in and although I may at times still feel a touch overwhelmed, which I have been assured is normal for this point in the program (we learn all the accupressure points) I can honestly say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the classes, the instructors and the format. I love that they offer day time and evening choices for classes and payment plans /​options. All the instructors have been extremely helpful and available (by phone and/​or email) if and when questions arose. If you are looking to obtain your massage license I would say this is definitely the school to consider… but attend the free intro because as other reviewers have pointed out this is not your typical swedish massage!

Went for a 45-​minute massage during student night — at $ 35 (with no gratuity accepted) this is the best deal I’ve found for a great massage. On student night, the massages are given in a ‘communal room’, complete with live music. The place is very clean and comfortable, and the person and the front desk was very helpful. Even if you have never experienced shiatsu massage before, it would be well worth the time to check it out! I’ve already booked my next two appointments!

Like another Unilocaler suggests, this style of massage may be unusual for some. For me, it is wonderful. I’ve been going to Steve for sessions for years now. He is unusually talented. The shiatsu way of understanding the body and it’s discomforts is different from other styles of massage or standard medical practice, and it really works for me. Go for the series of 5 sessions, (valid for a year) for best value and the effect of the practice over time.

I came here with a coupon for a free 30-​minute shiatsu massage. The guy was very professional and relaxing, talked to me about my day and the receptionist gave me a little cup of water. From the beginning, the atmosphere was already great.
The massage itself was very nice. I wasn’t used to a shiatsu massage so I was at first a little jarred by the fact that I’m just laying on the floor, and this guy’s pulling my limbs everywhere. At one point he was pulling both my arms while I was dead weight in his hands. I remember thinking in my head, this must be what it’s like to move a dead body.
Anyway, I took a star off because of a bit of miscommunication. there was an option to upgrade the 30 minutes to a full hour with an added $ 30 (something like that) and he had put me down for the upgrade without me ever agreeing to it. Luckily I caught it and corrected it, otherwise I may have been blissfully enjoying my massage only to realize that I had not gotten what I came for.
Overall, very good service and massage. Personally, I enjoy swedish massage more but this was a great experience since I got it for free.

Great Place!

I love the calming, caring vibe of this multi faceted school, shiatsu clinic and wellness center. The owners are warm, caring, and professional as is their beautiful space. In addition to a wide range of bodywork options including a reduced fee Student clinic for acupressure massage, they offer a intriguing array of classes from Yoga to do-​it-​yourself massage to a complete Asian-​Bodywork certification course. Most of all I’m very impressed with their earnest, mindful, community-​oriented approach which is evident in their practice and their teaching.

Came here last night for a shiatsu massage and wanted to check out their student clinic. If you go online — they have a coupon for first timers for $ 5 off of a student massage so you practically get 45 minutes worth of shiatsu for only $ 25!
They also have this plan where you can prepay $ 125 for 5 massages for only $ 25 each! It’s a really great deal if you’re into Shiatsu.
I first walked in, took off my shoes at the door and hung up my coat. It was in a large carpeted classroom with soft music playing and dimmed lights. There were at least 3 other patient/​student pairs also getting massages at the same time. It is performed fully clothes and they massage through the clothing It’s a lot of moving with your breathing and stretching and massaging along the different meridians in your body.
Their student clinic is only open Tuesday evenings so it is a bit limiting but I thoroughly enjoyed my massage with Rob. It was very relaxing and soothing.