mochi massage + bodywork

I know there are a lot of great reviews here, but honestly I was not that impressed.
The environment is very nice and my therapist was Amos and he is also nice, and granted I only went once, but I just felt like the massage itself was too light and uncomfortable, and for the price of $ 240 for 2 hours I expect to be wowed.

Loved it and would go back again!

A co worker recommended Mochi to me a few months back after I had a stressful week and was complaining about a knot in my right shoulder blade. I was able to schedule the appt. Immediately and get in for a quick 20min. Massage. It was wonderful nd felt so relaxed. The owner was very accommodating and friendly. I went back again a few months later and Maggie was great to work with and provide me with another execellent 20 min. Massage. I can’t wait to go back when I have more time for an hour massage.

Maggie is a magician. Her approach to bodywork is unparalleled — she is knowledgeable, kind, and intuitive. I had an emergency visit with her after waking up with a stiff neck. 60 minutes later, I had 80% of my mobility back. She really is a magician of sorts. Highly recommended!

I’ve been going to Mochi on and off for several months now. I’ve had recent sports injuries and Margaret has worked wonders for me. I look forward to my next visit!

Was in town for a convention — desperately needed a massage from all the traveling. Found this on Unilocal with great reviews and close to my hotel. Easy online booking and confirmation on the day I needed it. Amos was awesome, best meeting I’ve had all week! Highly recommended if you’re looking for great value.

I have selfishly avoided writing this review for a long time because I didn’t want to make it any harder to get an appointment with Winnie! But I just got an amazing massage from her so I’m feeling generous :) Winnie is simply the best. She really pays attention to what is going on with your body and tailors each massage accordingly. I used buy various groupons, etc. or try massage places closer to my apartment, but always ended up disappointed and wishing I had gone to Mochi instead.
I love the space too. Very clean, friendly, and calming (and conveniently located near my office!).
The online booking is also super handy. I once was able to book a massage on my phone for the next day while I was waiting to de-​board a long and painful flight. It made me feel better just knowing I had an appointment the next day.

Chris is awesome. I’ve had neck issues and she’s taken a super-​balanced full-​body approach that’s really helped. Her physiological knowledge is far superior to many massage therapists I’ve been to. The longer sessions aren’t cheap, but sometimes you get what you pay for and it’s well worth it.

Waste of my time and money. Last year I was treated by Carlos twice, who was brilliant, so I went in with expectations of quality. What I got today was the opposite. Amos started by asking about the specific areas that needed work. He then went through the motions and spent a total of 2 minutes on the specific areas mentioned. I paid $ 100 for 60 minutes «custom» massage that wasn’t customised at all. Waste of time and money. Be careful with the ‘therapist’ you book an appointment with. Or don’t bother with this business at all.

I am breastfeeding and work at a desk all day. My shoulders and upper back are super tight and ache ALL the time. When I rotate my shoulders it makes a million cracking sounds. She really listened and was super accommodating to my needs. It was seriously the best massage I have ever gotten. My back feels much better. I’ll definitely be back.

What a peaceful, little gem in the middle of crazy downtown!
Winnie was incredibly nice, knowledgeable and a skilled massage therapist. I have bad knots and trigger points and she helped work many of them out and had great suggestions for things I can do on my own to lessen the knots and pain.
No fuss, very clean, great location, and love that they offer 20min. sessions ideal for busy work weeks!
Highly recommend and look forward to going back

I was in desperate need of a massage! My whole body was just one huge knot. I heard about Mochi Massage through the ZipCar member benefits and booked my appointment. Winnie was my therapist and she did a great job listening to me and to my body. I’ve gotten massages where it’s symmetrical on both sides, which is fine and usually gets the job done. But I get more tension on my left side, and Winnie felt that. She focused more on the left side of my back and got all the knots out.
I also like the music! No white noise or Enya. it was nice acoustic sets.
I recommend this place if all you’re seeking is a great massage. Mochi Massage is located in the Hobart Building off Market, and they have a suite where you have to wait outside in the hallway if there’s a session in progress. So if you’re looking for more of a spa atmosphere, you’ll have to go somewhere else.
I’ll most likely come back for one of their quick treatments.

Carlos worked me! Dang he gave me feelings i’ve never had before. I was on the verge of laughing and crying at the same time. Amazing stuff. (This was also my first pro massage ever).

This place is something special. I had a session with winney 3 months ago and the way Ive felt since has been great. I also was educated by her on a lot of things to do with my body that turned out to be priceless information. I recommend this spot to anyone like myself… Someone in need of a break from major stress!

Thank you, Mochi Massage. You are 2-​for-​2 with me. Convenient, clean, professional, and knowledgeable. Recommended.

Right before I was due to fly to San Francisco, my back went CRAZY. I’d never had a real problem with back pain before and couldn’t pinpoint exactly what I’d done to inflame it, but yet there it was — my lower back was in constant pain and I could barely walk. When I couldn’t even manage to lift my suitcases onto the luggage scale before my flight, I knew I needed to find someone to help me right away.
Enter Mochi Massage. Five star Unilocal Reviews, an online booking system that I could manage to use during my layover even though it was before the start of office hours on the west coast, and best of all, they could get me in for a 90-​minute session that same day. Hallelujah!
I landed in San Francisco and just a few hours later I was sitting in the Mochi studio telling all my problems to Carlos. «Have you had a stressful week? A terrible new boss? How do you sit at work? Do you wear heels?» Well, come to think of it, I HAD just come off a pretty stressful few weeks, and while I sit on an exercise ball at work with the best intentions, I tend to slump forward when things get intense. Carlos got me on the table and assured me that my current back pain wasn’t actually due to the body pump class I’d been blaming, but had actually been building for quite awhile as a result of all the stress and tension I’d been placing on my body. In particular, my iliopsoas was extraordinarily tight.
Anyone who studied anatomy knows the iliopsoas is a super deep muscle and is not easy to get to. Carlos dug in there and really worked me over. I love a really intense, deep massage and this was by far the best massage of my life. Carlos immediately found the source of my tension, kept checking in on me to make sure I was handling the intensity, and guided my breathing every step of the way. I felt like jelly on the table. Between the guided relaxation and the way Carlos encouraged me to actively participate in the massage rather than just lying there letting him do all the work, I felt about 100 pounds lighter after 90 minutes. My sinuses were clear! When I lifted my leg to put on my pants, my knee floated all the way to my chest with no pain! I’d regained an entire range of motion that I hadn’t even realized was missing.
When our 90 minutes was up, Carlos showed me three stretches I needed to do daily to avoid having the back pain return. Not only did he describe the stretches; he actually sat with me on the floor and made me hold each position for two minutes. I had the good fortune to have the last appointment of the day so I wasn’t encroaching on anyone else’s appointment time, but still — I so appreciated Carlos taking the time to make sure he was sending me out the door with everything I needed. I walked out of Mochi knowing exactly why my back pain had started in the first place, and armed with excellent instructions on how to prevent its return.
My only regret is that I don’t live in San Francisco and can’t book regular sessions with Carlos. Still, he absolutely saved me from a trip filled with back pain and I will definitely look him up the next time I’m in town!

I am an idiot who neglects to stretch before exercise. As I increasingly approach 30, this becomes an actual problem. So when I decided to start running 3 miles 6 days a week up from 0 miles 0 days a week, my body was not very happy about that. Halfway into week 3, I became practically immobile. My lower back felt destroyed, and it seemed like the little old lady who takes 10 minutes to get off the bus could do laps around me.
Enter Mochi. I scheduled a last minute appointment and was able to visit during my lunch hour, same day. Margaret was awesome and I felt like I was talking to a friend from the second I walked in, swear words and all. After I described my problem, she started speaking in massage-​ese, which I blindly smiled and nodded to. When it comes to excruciating pain, the best thing you can hear is that you aren’t a special snowflake, and whatever you’re suffering from is quite common and not as scary as it feels.
For the massage part– whew! I could have stayed there forever. It felt super nice, but I was anticipating when she would get to the problem area. I understood fully though– like the appetizers before the main course. When she DID hit the spot that was causing trouble, I Unilocaled out in pain and scared her– but I was totally happy because she pinpointed the exact problem muscle– the notorious piriformis. So obscure, it’s even got the squiggly red line under it as I type.
My point is, while I didn’t do cartwheels out of the studio, Margaret was able to provide me with the exact info I needed without the chiropractor price tag. She even took time to perform stretches that would help alleviate my specific problem. I definitely want to return when it’s not just for a problem. I’ve already started recommending Mochi to my coworkers and friends.
PLUS I love their logo/​general graphic design, so kudos to them too!

Thanks Mochi

Just had another massage @ Mochi, this time it was with Winnie. I got the detox rocks massage. I got there a few minutes early to talk with Winnie. Winnie is a very nice and friendly person. She asked me what places in my body where hurting and I told her it was mostly my neck and lower back.
Winnie took care of all my aches and I left the studio feeling like I was floating in the air and I just felt really relaxed.
I’m looking forward to going here again to get a massage. I picked a really good place!

While this review is overdue, I still have freshly positive memories of receiving massages from Winnie! Winnie’s studio is zen-​like, inviting, and comfy and Winnie herself is so darling with her quirky (in a good way) and super down-​to-​earth personality. The girl has serious skills with her massage techniques, which I consider to make up a perfect blend of relaxing/​therapeutic and strong/​productive styles. I have a long history of receiving massages from different therapists and the things that make Mochi Massage stand out from the rest are;
1) Winnie’s darling. Personable. Funny. Smart. I tend to want to zone out in my own quiet space when I receive massages. Winnie is not only respectful of this but she even makes a point to say I should do just that if I want to upfront. Yet I STILL spent sessions chatting away with her. (She let me lead the convos). One time, I started off the session by «catching up» with her (this during the massage) but 20 minutes or so into it, I just felt so relaxed and wanted to sleep a bit. I appreciated the fact that I could just drift off and she didn’t keep the convo going. I really think she’s super connected to the spirit and energy of her clients and gives us the space to «just be» however we need to, minute by minute.
2) I felt the healing benefits from Winnie’s massages after the first time I visited her. As I mentioned above, Winnie is really skilled at performing a «productive» yet relaxing massage. Winnie’s technique had me feeling weightless on the table, the #1 sign for me that I’m getting a fricken FANTASTIC massage. Even when she focused on my «trouble spots» like my piriformis (sp?) muscle, which hurts like a ******** when stimulated, she still had me floating on that table!
3) Winnie’s location in FiDi/​Union Square is super convenient to folks working in the area. For anyone considering trying Mochi Massage, I encourage you to try to get a midday/​weekday massage (if available) because with the way Winnie has her studio set up, you won’t find it difficult to instantly «chill» upon arrival. Also, her studio is warm, clean, and private. It makes for a great break during the workday.
5 stars for Mochi Massage!