Flying Crane Spa

Solid well-​priced foot reflexology spot. I got the combo 30-​min foot 30-​min body massage for $ 39. They charge $ 1 if you want to use your credit card. My masseuse did a great job finding my knots and focusing on those areas to work them out. Would def come again if I’m ever in Santa Cruz again.

Good massage but terrible service at the front desk. You get relaxed from the massage then you get tense again if they don’t think the tip is «GOOD» enough for them. Santa Cruz location has never made us feel like this. Won’t be back!!!

My first time today– it was exactly what I needed. The lady was nice and her massage was good. They don’t speak English but it wasn’t a problem. I am going back for more. The place was clean.

This place is excellent, I have had numerous 60-​minute full body massages over the past two years and I keep coming back. I wouldn’t go anywhere else — most importantly because whichever massage therapist I’ve had, they always do a very good job. And being below the price of other places in town, $ 48 for 60 mins, they have my business forever.
The ONLY drawback is that sometimes you can hear one of the other shops (either the pizza place or bike shop next door) playing their own music. I can easily tune it out and this is by no means Flying Crane’s fault obviously.
So for me personally, this place is my go-​to for deep tissue massage.

Seems like people either love or hate this place. I am not a fan. For me, it’s not good when I can’t communicate what I want or don’t want easily to someone who is touching my body.
I’ve had a chair massage and a table massage, and after the table massage I won’t go back. My upper back hurt for at least two days afterwards (the skin and muscles were extremely sensitive to touch) and ultimately I still had knots because I could not relax while there. I heard dogs barking from another room throughout, and whenever I winced in pain my massage therapist laughed. I tried repeatedly to talk to her but she literally understood nothing, and did not seem attentive to body language. I’ll spend the money or wait a bit longer to see someone good at Well Within next time.

At first massage visit, this business was terrific and very business-​like. Today I was totally refused. Had I not been there before, I would have considered this a very unfriendly refusal to allow someone disabled. Very true comments about lack of communication today– they do not speak English. Complete violation of the A.D.A. today. At least they had 1 employee that spoke English last time I went, but I will never go there to take a communication gamble. Therapeutic massage? Seriously? Look elsewhere. Thumbs down.

Wonderful foot massage by Sophie, which includes some leg, back, head & neck work. Late hours convenient hours. Super competitive prices w/​the option of prepaying to get a few $$ off. Going back tomorrow for another one.

I had a great massage from Tina. She didn’t speak very good English but understood the key areas I needed a little more work on. I had the 60 minute full body massage and she did a great job with deep tissue work on my back. I will be back again since I just did a walk in and did not have to schedule an appointment. The place was very clean and quiet private rooms.

I just left the flying crane after having a horrible experience.
The first person that was doing work on me was distracted and left me for a period of time only to have the guy at the front desk to do the reminder of the messaging. He was forceful, yanked the towel and pillow from my head, and when I squeezed in pain it didn’t seem to faze him. After a rushed job, I tried to explain how uncomfortable the experience was only to have him slam the door as I left the place.
It was my first time going to this place because I just moved to the area. I will be returning to the foot message on soquel ave.

As some other people said, this is a very basic get-​down-​to-​business massage place. They don’t speak much English. They have a VERY fair price. But most important, these people (the two I’ve seen so far) have been just the most awesome massage therapists I’ve seen in Santa Cruz. If you want woo-​woo energy work go somewhere else, this is about getting the knots out of your muscles and giving you a bit of an earned experience (that is, if you want, you’ll be dealt a fair bit of pain getting from point A to point B, where point B is feeling ten years younger and completely relaxed and realizing your life is in fact amazing.
What I also like, is it is a ‘drop in’ type place — just drop in and usually you’ll get a session going immediately, or in ten minutes.
The clip-​card is a good deal. 1 clip = foot massage (a totally decent massage for a ridiculously small amount of money) and 2 clip = one hour full body massage. Now that I’ve had the full body massage I can’t go back to a mere foot massage, although that is also a complete full body treatment. One thing, like somebody said, get naked on the table. There are muscles going from your mid-​back to your mid-​thighs that will thank you. Don’t be shy to have your glutes worked on, but also, if you are shy you might want to go somewhere else where you can communicate your shyness in English — there wasn’t a lot of verbal communication (because of the language barrier) and I like that — nothing to get in the way of just lying there and having an incredible expert go after all the trouble that ails you.

I’ve gone here a few times and have had different massage therapists who have all been great. It’s a wonderful place to get an affordable massage.

I had a one hour foot massage last night by jenny. It was great. The lady at the front desk spoke English, which is not always the case at massage businesses. The atmosphere was quiet and relaxing. I Dont live in the area but would go back next time I’m looking for a good massage

Awesome! Boyfriend and I went in and did the hour long foot massage. Way more than I expected! The man that did my massage was very professional and knew what he was doing. Best way to relax after a long work week. Will definitely be back.

We went for a couples massage; half feet and half body. The room was dark, quiet and neatly decorated. We undressed completely and were treated to an very different massage experience than the Swedish style that we have enjoyed in the past. Two women came in and treated us to a very robust rub. I felt we were well served and the price was reasonable. I would advise you to ask for light to moderate pressure. The English communication skills of the employees are not superlative. We agreed that we felt better after the massage than we did while enduring the process. Give it a try.

My wife just went here and had a massage by a man named Wei. What she described to me sounded like a creepy near abusive experience. The body massage was very rough and at one point Wei got up on the massage table over top of my wife. Then he raised up her arms and appeared to be sniffing and blowing on them. Creepy!!! If I had been there I would have punched him. If we could give zero stars we would…

Very clean, quiet, dark, restful and very accommodating even though I’d changed my appointment twice in 24 hours and then arrived 30 minutes early. I got a very vigorous massage — first one in more than 6 yrs. The masseuse was a man (technically that would be a masseur I guess) and he had to work very hard on some VERY big knots in my shoulders and back. I was a little uncomfortable at first because this was my first visit and I expected a woman would give the massage (I’m female); I should have asked. I was given a cup of water at the check out (very nice and very important to stay hydrated before and after a massage). The price was very reasonable. The reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars is that I was told to undress except for underwear; within minutes of starting the massage, the masseur had to lower my bra straps and then unhook my bra. That felt weird since it was my first visit to this particular massage «parlor» and didn’t know anything about it (I didn’t even check Unilocal!!!). After the massage I felt energized and yet relaxed. I live in Santa Monica but the next time I visit Santa Cruz I’ll be sure to come back here for another massage

The Chinese are known for strict discipline and tough love. I can say this having grown up (and been traumatized — okay, slight exaggeration) in this environment. Once grown up and your childhood issues resolved, you can venture into a place like The Flying Crane.
This is not your typical sea-​of-​tranquility spa with all types of high-​end, expensive amenities. This is a no-​nonsense, to-​the-​point, get in to get the knots worked out and then get yourself out type of clinic. But don’t get me wrong, the Flying Crane is a very nice place to get an excellent massage. The space is pretty much one large room marked off by curtains. Open foot massage stations line one side and body massage tables (in «rooms») line the other side. The staff are friendly and, although I haven’t communicated much with them, they seem to really want to help you. They wait for you afterwards with a cup of water and no one is rushing you to leave.
The Chinese-​style massage is focused on rubbing and kneading your muscles with strong hands and elbows. Even the female therapists use stronger force than the typical massage therapists we might be used to. After a full four months of an outrageous workload and lack of exercise and sleep, my back and shoulders were knotted up more than usual. No one could touch me without my muscles screaming in pain. I had previously had a great foot massage here, and hubby had a body massage that he appreciated, so we decided to come here again when we had the chance. For me, coming here was a last-​minute, bite-​the-​bullet experience and my therapist probably had no idea the agony I was in. I’ll need a few more appointments and a change in lifestyle before the problems go away, but I am very glad we made it as I felt much better the day after.
For relaxation and real bodywork (i.e., for athletes or those with injuries), I would still recommend going to traditional spas and massage therapists, but a lot of people who, like hubby, just need a regular place to go to to relieve tension and muscle aches from daily stress will appreciate the solid, strong style offered here. I think the key word is appreciate, rather than enjoy — but we did also enjoy it. You can also come here if you’re feeling some kind of guilt or the need to be punished; The Flying Crane’s tough love will leave you feeling better at a parental-​approved price.
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Tips:
1) You might as well go bare. You’re just another body and they don’t understand why you would be shy.
2) Lie down on top of, not underneath, the small linen on the massage table. There are little handkerchiefs to cover your private areas. Again, being shy doesn’t make much sense to them.
3) Just let go. They will find all your trouble spots on their own.
4) Do not go in with make up on and perfect hair. Be prepared for the face and scalp massage — personally, I’m not a fan, but that’s just me.
5) The foot massage is indeed a great value, and a light body massage is included, but the full body massage really focuses on the body if that’s what you need.

This is a nice cheap place to get a good massage.
But don’t expect a great spa like environment.
I had the 1 hr foot massage and it was very relaxing

A very enjoyable massage at very reasonable rates. Sometimes the noise from Dominos next door can break the relaxing atmosphere, but it provides the opportunity to practice your meditation.

It took me a while to get up the nerve to try this, but I’m really glad I did.
One reason i hesitated was that an earlier review mentioned liking the fact that they got a hug from the proprietor when they came in, and I’m not a huggy person. But if that did happen years ago, it is not part of the routine now.
Peaceful, meditative surroundings; excellent massage work; no gratuitous talking … it’s not luxurious, but they get all the essentials right. Both the foot rub (includes face, scalp, shoulders, legs, arms) and full body rub are tremendous values: I have had massages that cost three times as much that were not as skillful and relaxing.
I got the discount card and have been going every few weeks or so. This place is an under-​utilized gem.