Circle Community Acupuncture

I cannot recommend Circle CA enough — I tell all of my friends about it and have been going there for years. Melissa, David and all the practioners are wonderful — I have a chronic/​autoimmune illness and it is incredible how much acupuncture helps with pain and symptoms and when I have been good about going for preventative work, how it helps, too.
Recently, I started going for Shiatsu massages with Pamela Gilmour — incredible! She is a very talented body/​energy worker. Being newer to Shiatsu I wasn’t sure how I would feel about it, but I love how it feels! Pamela is very intentional with the spots she addresses and it doesn’t feel pokey but just incredibly relaxing. The pain I have been having is abdominal, and having Pamela address the pain directly with her hands and her inducing incredible relaxation all over has been immensely helpful as I struggle with this very bad flare.
I highly recommend massage with Pamela and acupuncture at Circle CA. PLEASE realize, this is a community setting — which is also why the costs are more affordable. I find the community environment generally a positive experience and in getting acupuncture actually prefer it to being in a room alone. Thank you to all the wonderful providers at Circle CA that benefit my health when i

Stopped going, the constant drama between «professionals» here is well… Unprofessional, and being packed in like sardines did not help, other clients just bump into you while you have needles in, not very cool. Left several times with needles still in my skin, found them on the way out of the door… some things are not meant to be

Circle Community Acupuncture is one of my favorite places in San Francisco. I have been going for weekly treatments for two years, and David Lesseps is such a kind, gentle and healing practitioner. He’s good with kids, too! There are not a lot of places that I go in SF where I feel truly loved, and CCA is one of them.
They track my wellness from week to week, and we’ve worked out many of the kinks and bugs that I had over the last two years!

Very friendly staff and very precise healing hands. I am treating a head injury and having great results. Paolo is my therapist.

With 5 stars from 111 reviewers, David doesn’t really need my review… but he deserves it!
I love going to Circle Community Acupuncture. They have a sliding scale for treatment because it is a community acupuncture center… this is great because it makes acupuncture affordable, especially for those like myself whose insurance does not cover acupuncture.
David is awesome at what he does. He takes the time to listen to my aliments & I always feel better after a treatment.

I had gone to about 20 acupuncturists before I found Melissa and David.
They are the most talented, and caring!
Out of all the community acupuncture clinics, this is the one where I feel like they care about me and the community.
I cannot thank them enough for healing me AND truly caring about my eviction where my landlord said for more than a year that she was going to move in her relative.
Melissa even gave me leads to help with my situation! I love her dark sense of humor.
I’m so grateful Jennifer told me about their $ 10 first appointment.
Their e-​news is so creative. It’s one the few that I read!
And their clinic is eco-​friendly :)

Where do I begin? CCA is like an episode of «Cheers», but actually good… everyone is super friendly. I always leave feeling ten times better than I did when I walked in. Someone should give CCA a liquor license… it could seriously rival my fave, Lone Star Saloon
Totally got off track…
The atmosphere is incredibly calm and you never have to wait for a chair for a session. Also, booking an appointment online is so easy, even a tech-​non-​savvy kinda guy like me can do it.
Melissa is my go-​to, she’s like a wizard with magic needles. I cannot say enough great things about her! She’s become my wellness guru.
However, I’ve had sessions with most of the team, and they’re all fantastic!
If you’ve ever had acupuncture and haven’t been in awhile, or are super curious, you’ve got to check out CCA.
Cheers, CCA!

I brought my mom here this morning for her very first acupuncture treatment and it was a wonderful experience. She has chronic back pain and has been looking for alternative ways to help manage her pain. David was very kind and supportive and set realistic expectations about her treatment. It was a very peaceful and healing environment and I am extremely impressed to see a community acupuncture clinic that serves the city on an afforadble sliding scale. It is rarity these days to see a treatment center that serves all of the population. I highly recommend this clinic.

Best place to get acupuncture treatment at reasonable price. The staff are friendly and personable. :)

Circle Community Acupuncture is a great, affordable way to get regular acupuncture treatments. Sometimes even with all the blankets my feet or arms get cold but for acupuncture in a communal environment, I don’t expect the moon. I’ve had treatments from almost every practitioner and they’ve all been caring.

David is the guy to go to for acupuncture treatment in the city. He is the founder of Circle Community Acupuncture. I have gone to David for many treatments from a common cold, sinus infection to neck pain over the last few years. Most common colds and flu symptoms go away with one treatment. I have gone in for 3 treatments for my neck pain that was caused by my buckwheat cylinder neck pillow (which I have now gotten rid of) and I’m now 95% back to normal. I didn’t need chiropractic care or physical therapy. With acupuncture, your body naturally hyper-​accelerates the healing process. You can feel your body healing as you relax and let your body work with the still needles. I suggest keeping the needles in your body for an hour if you can. 30 minutes is too short. Some people stay for a couple hours and fall asleep in the easy chair.
David is very sensitive to your ability to sustain temporary needle pricking pain, so if you feel any pain, it is always very minimal and lasts only a few seconds. Most of the time, there is no pain.
One thing about these guys that impress me is their generosity of spirit. They offer special free acupuncture treatment days for the homeless or single parents that work full time or those that just can’t afford care. Once you are on their email list, you will see their charitable works. I highly recommend this organization and David!

Kind Staff — Very Friendly — Sliding Scale– You pay what you can starting at $ 15 — Clean and respectful! Love this place!

I’m picky when it comes to community acupuncture clinics. I need them clean & affordable. I need the staff to be warm and professional. I need to feel like I can trust my acupunk and get cozy enough to restore. Circle Community Acupuncture delivered all this and more.
This quiet, cheerful clinic is located in SOMA with ample non-​metered street parking. Hallelujah for free parking! It’s easy to find and the helpful staff of volunteers will give you directions should you need a little assistance.
As soon as I walked in the clinic, the white noise machines seemed to wash the city buzz right off of me. A smiling volunteer named Adrianne walked me through the paperwork and then I was introduced to my acupunk, Megan. Everyone was so welcoming and kind.
Within minutes, I was painlessly pinned and all snuggly in my recliner. It was one of the highlights of my day. Just a bit of rest and restorative to keep me going during my visit to SF.
And with a sliding scale price of $ 15 – 35, treatments are accessible.

15 months after being injured during a treatment from Rachel Del Rio I still have nerve pain in my foot 2 – 3 times a week. Sadly, the team of doctors and other practitioners treating me have come to the conclusion there is a good chance it will never fully recover.
While nerve damage from acupuncture needles is rare, it DOES happen, more often than I would have ever expected. Like I stated in my previous review, the atmosphere at Circle Community Acupuncture, minimal lights + practitioners seeing large patient loads in short time periods, can lead to incorrect needle placement.
The possible upside of a $ 25 bargain treatment is not worth the potential downside of permanent nerve damage.

Incredibly kind, compassionate, and knowledgable staff. They really do make you feel like you’re part of a healing community!
I come here to help manage an autoimmune disease, and it’s been a fantastic complement to traditional medicine.
By the way, ladies — after my first month coming here, I had the first completely painless period of my life. So, acupuncture is definitely worth a try, even just to get that benefit!

Affordable. Healing. Positive Community Vibes.
For those interested in trying acupuncture, but afraid of the astronomical prices charged at some practices, I suggest Community Circle. I believe that I heard about Community Circle through my adoptee support group leader. It sounded like an interesting concept; so, I was very eager to try.
San Francisco is an amazing city in what it offers to people in need of healing.
This community center operates on sliding scale based on income. You can pay as much or as little as you can afford for treatment.
You can schedule online and come as often or as infrequently as you wish.
There are recliners set up to lay down and rest and they provide earplugs, should you wish to use them. They utilize sheets covering the recliners for hygeine purposes. Yet, they don’t change the sheets after ever client. Please be aware of this.
Also, there are risks associated with acupuncture of any type. So, you will be required to read and sign an informed consent.
Yet, every time that I’ve been, I’ve been pleased with the result and I find that it is relaxing and curative for stress and anxiety, as well as other conditions. Your acupuncturist will hold a consultation with you prior to needling to discuss your conditions and treatment plan.

I had previously visited a different community acupucture place in SF (they will remain unnamed) and had a traumatic experience, so when a friend suggested I come here I was nervous. Finding a new acupuncturist can feel like an awkward first date (with needles). I have been a regular client for acupuncture treatments since 2003 at various locations around the SF Bay Area but for some reason my acupuncturists always move away and I am back on the market.
Circle Community Acupuncture (CCA) has a sliding scale, so for as little as $ 15 per visit ($ 15 is the sliding scale minimum) you can get quality acupucture. I have been seeing David Lesseps & Jennifer Holley for over a year now. Unlike various other acupucture clinics in which you pay approx. $ 100 per hour visit and get a zen-​like atmosphere, candles, cards on my birthday & fancy teas, CCA offers you a cheaper price per visit in hopes you will come by more frequently. I don’t often fall asleep at CCA, but I don’t care– I can afford to come 4x a week if needed and I normally feel better/​less stressed when I do. I don’t expect to have long chatty visits with my acupuncturist at CCA either, but they do remember me when I come frequently. I have also found CCA’s online appointments to be so much more flexible and easier to access then many of the more expensive clinics.

Yay– here is to your 100^th review, Circle Community Acupuncture!
The facilities are relaxing, clean, warm, and filled with positive healing energy.
The only reason I am able to financially afford acupuncture is because of their sliding scale and monthly deals. Thank you for making such important health services accessible and affordable for students like me!
Melissa is sweet, patient, and caring. I never feel judged or rushed.
I would recommend this community space to anyone looking to better their physical and/​or emotional health.
A short haiku to end my review:
Needle in my face
Warmth and heaviness abound
Reeling in healing

I went to CCA because my friend hurt his back and I was complaining about not being able to afford acupuncture. BEST referral ever! The first time I went here I went to sleep for an hour and a half and woke up feeling like a new person. It was just what I needed to deal with law school stress.
Everyone with any sort of issue, physical or mental, should come here. Where else can you get such affordable care for your body and soul?
I’ve seen Dave and Rachel and I love both of them… my husband has also seen Rachel.

Relaxing, healthy experience!
David is The Man! He remembers me, my ailments each time I visit the clinic. My regular doctor doesn’t remember anything about me unless she is looking a a computer screen.
The facility is clean, relaxing, quiet, and comfortable.
I felt better almost instantly and changed for the better.