Deep Tissue and Movement Therapy

Thanks to Andreea, for the first time in almost six years, I have hope that I’ll be able to live a pain-​free life.
I developed piriformis syndrome as a result of a lot of driving and an overly aggressive yoga pose. Physical therapy and regular massage did not help; a sports medicine specialist using TENS provided some marginal relief; but I was still feeling a lot of pain and discomfort in my day-​to-​day life that was always exacerbated by driving (which I cannot avoid). I happened to go to her Hibiscus Spa business for a general massage and learned that there is a way to work directly on the piriformis. This was the first time I’d heard this was possible, so I decided to give it a try.
Fast forward… I’ve had about a dozen sessions of deep connective tissue work and am truly amazed at the improvement I have experienced. Where I once had both acute and chronic pain from my butt down to my ankle, I actually have pain-​free moments now! I am finally optimistic that I am on the verge of full recovery!
Andreea is a miracle-​worker. She somehow knows exactly what to do and explains things in a way that make sense to me. She is incredibly kind and caring and goes out of her way to accommodate my needs and my schedule. Although I am old enough to be her mother, I learn so much from her, and she has become my physical and spiritual healer. If you are open to her energy and techniques, I think you will experience the same. She is truly a warm, loving person who genuinely cares about her clients’ well-​being. I whole-​heartedly recommend her and am so grateful she is in my life!

It’s not an overstatement when I call Andreea a life saver. I came to Andreea about 6 months ago in extreme pain due to a car accident. I had already gone through months of physical therapy and chiropractic care for my neck and back with only minor improvements. I was desperate for pain relief!
I knew I needed some deep tissue work and not a superficial feel good massage — Andreea fits the bill! At my first session she did some hands on bodywork and also taught me some somatic exercises to do at home to release and ease the pain and tension. I left in less pain and with tools to help myself. What she was able to teach me in the one session far surpassed the fairly useless stretches and exercises my physical therapists had given me.
I’ve continued to see Andreea and have made leaps and bounds in healing my body. The mix of deep tissue and trigger point techniques shes uses are very effective.
She is kind, warm and intuitive and as a larger bodied person, it’s noteworthy that I’ve felt very at ease having Andreea work with me on my body. She’s truly a loving healer and empath.
The space she works from, Hibiscus Spa, is calm, quiet and welcoming and has easy street parking. She also has very accommodating hours.
I’ll say it again, Andreea is a life saver!

To put it simply, «Yes». What I was looking for was less than I found. To put that another way so as to not be misunderstood; Go to Andreea at Ahimsa on Stockton in El Cerrito! Those who know a good bodywork session also know that feeling when she leaves and it’s time to get off the table and get dressed and your body, being so much wiser, wonders «why?» and you standup and the world starts coming slowly back and you are «there». That space where we seeking types should live, those of us who have always out-​done it and tried to reach farther physically and spiritually. I won’t tell you how long I have appreciated massage, but i will tell you my birth year was just after the invention of water :). And the few adept body workers I have met both spiritually, emotionally and on a physical/​mechanical plane just increased by one.

I was referred to Andreea by a friend who, like me, has been suffering with chronic pain. After long-​term treatments involving chiropractors, massage therapist, acupuncture and various other types of Chinese cupping and therapy, I was convinced that I would be suffering from debilitating pain in my neck, shoulders and low back for my entire life. I decided to give Andreea a try relying solely on my friend’s experience with her. During my first appointment she first looked at the way I walked and felt up and down my spine. She seemed very knowledgable of the components of the human body and went to work. The only way I can describe what was being done is «bodywork» that involved movement and pushing of tissue and muscle. I have never experienced this type of treatment and she spent well over an hour with me. I was skeptical that this would not be long term because I’ve tried so many other forms of treatment. I did, however, feel much relief in my low back which had been inflamed and keeping me in constant pain. After my second appointment, I definitely noticed a difference and continued seeing Andreea every three weeks which is a long time between appointments since I’ve been seeking various other forms of treatment and had to return every other week with no long-​term pain relief. It’s now been three months and I now am free of pain in the low back, neck and shoulder. She also worked on my sciatica along with my abdomen as I was under a great deal of stress. She is a miracle worker and I am so happy to be pain free finally. I do schedule an appointment every three weeks for «maintenance». I can’t say enough good things about her. She goes over the allotted time and is more than accommodating with my schedule. She is very dedicated to her clients and does everything she can to heal. She truly cares about her profession and in my overall health and well being.

I have never been so impressed by a health practitioner’s intuition, caring, and proficiency. I spent three months suffering from symptoms that completely disappeared the day after my first meeting with Andreea. I wish I’d found her sooner, and if I ever have those problems again, she’s who I’ll call.
I found the studio to be comfortable, the location to be safe and convenient (the journey from BART is a ten-​minute walk through a residential area), and the prices to be reasonable. Andreea was available almost immediately and was flexible in scheduling follow-​up appointments.
The «splurge» designation is inaccurate. Andreea’s rates are comparable to what you’d pay for a massage, but she provides a more deeply therapeutic service, one that was the only effective option for me. I’m a frugal person on a modest budget, and I had no problem paying what I paid for the relief I continue to feel.
It’s a shame that she has to be penalized with «$$$$» because there’s no equivalent practitioner around. And besides, this isn’t dinner and drinks, it’s your health.

Update to my review, which I posted last year. I finished my 10 sessions of Rolfing about 6 months ago, and when I was done, I had grown ½ an inch, due to the decompression I experienced. I have had a few maintenance sessions, and each time, I feel 100% relief when I leave. I would say that on a daily basis after going through this process, I’m 95% pain free, leaving that 5% for random shoulder flair-​ups after I play raquetball, which are always relieved when I do the exercises Andreea gave me to help me maintain.
I feel the need to comment on the 2 star review by Mik A … not quite sure what this guy is talking about. Andreea’s prices are absolutely reasonable for the amount of time she spends with you. No, the rolfing wasn’t CHEAP as an over-​all dollar amount, but the VALUE of all of Andreea’s services far exceed the price. She has a wonderful energy, she’s extremely intuitive — and professional — and her knowledge of anatomy is unmatched. Her studio is not in a heavily trafficked area in El Cerrito, and it’s virtually never noisy. Half the time I’m there, we’re the only people in the building, which brings me to my next point, that Andreea goes out of her way to accommodate my schedule whenever she can, scheduling both early and late appointments if she needs to. And I think I’ve been to her about 20 time and have never once been freezing cold in there. Never. I wonder if this person has even been to her, honestly, or if he’s just another less-​good practitioner trying to sabotage her business…
I’ve sent a total of 7 people to Andreea, and have had all positive reviews and nearly all have been repeat customers. I am already working on getting a few new coworkers to make appointments as well, because she’s the first person who pops into my head every time someone complains about chronic pain. I can’t say enough wonderful things about her or her services.

Andreea is easily the most intuitive, communicative, and effective body worker I have ever seen. I started seeing her after I threw out my back and was having significant lower back pain for months. She started working with me, using somatic therapy to address my back pains, and eventually expanded out to encompass all of my muscle soreness and physical issues. I’m now virtually pain free and have an arsenal of exercises that provide relief when flare ups do occur.
Where most Chiros, CMTs, etc. have only one tool to address body problems, Andreea is extremely knowledgeable in a variety of techniques and methodologies, allowing her to tailor the therapy to exactly what she believes is occurring in your body. Before seeing her, I assumed that all practitioners had the problem of «when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail». Not Andreea. She is incredible at assessing your body’s motions and pains and providing a complex diagnosis that reflects the complexity of musculoskeletal disorders. She then can use a spectrum of tools to resolve the individual components of the pain’s source.
I also want to address the negative review that Mik A. posted below. I seriously question whether this person ever actually saw Andreea. The only accurate thing in that review is that her room is very small. However, it is ample space for her to do the work she needs, and I’ve never felt uncomfortable there. Every thing else this person wrote is flat out false. Andreea is one of the sweetest, most professional, and most accommodating people I have ever been a client of. Her prices are completely reasonable for the quality of work and the length of the appointments. For sessions that routinely last 1.5 to 2 hours, she could easily charge much more than she does. I have never had her cancel an appointment on me, and she bends over backwards to find a time that’s convenient for my busy schedule. She never watches the clock — her appointments take however long they take and she will always answer as many questions as you want to ask.
I’ve sent a number of friends to her and every one of them has been overjoyed with the quality of care they received. If you want true relief from bodily pains and chronic issues, go see Andreea and you will not be disappointed.

Andreea is an amazing healer. Plus, she is more than willing to work with your budget and accommodate your availability. Per a friends recommendation, I contacted Andreea after a wisdom teeth surgery gone array to help with lock jaw and intense muscle pain. Prior to Andreea, I had 4 surgeries, including the wisdom teeth removal, and as a result, I had severe pain in my muscles and limited range of motion. I was hoping that through muscle work I would be able to increase my opening range and decrease my pain level.
She worked with my price range, which was extremely helpful to me. After receiving all of my medical bills I was definitely in a poor financial place. And after hearing my story, Andreea was more than happy to work with my sliding scale. Additionally, she was great at scheduling appointments at odd times. She even worked with me once for 2 hours at 9:30pm…ending around 11:30pm! Which was amazing.
Her work is great, and she has really helped my pain and range of motion. For lockjaw, she works very closely with your jaw muscles and she even does some internal work where she massages your gums and muscles and breaks up scar tissue. Definitely unique and awesome! Additionally, she worked with my shoulders, back, and sacrum — since these are the primary areas that are connected to your jaw.
Andreea’s bedside manner couldn’t be better. She is sweet, accommodating, and very professional. She is quite knowledgeable and really displays genuine care and concern for her patients.

I have been getting massage of various types in the Bay Area for the last 4 – 5 years for my chronic neck and back pain from a previous injury and surgery with limited relief only. Andrea was referred by my neighbor who claimed she helped him recover nicely from major surgery and was able to resume regular activities quickly. I found significant relief from my neck and back pain so that I no longer take any pain medications. She has an impressive knowledge of anatomy and physiology and is also well trained in many types of body work technique. With her pleasant personality, I strongly recommend her to anyone with chronic pain.

I have been getting body work regularly for over 30 years and I have never met anyone with Andreea;s abilities. Andreea has an impressive knowledge of physiology and is expert at a wide variety of body work techniques. One of the things that makes Andreea unique is her uncanny intuition and ability to hone in on areas that need attention even if you are not aware of it when you come to see her. I have had a number of chronic injuries cured by Andreea that have allowed me to continue to maintain an athletic lifestyle in my 50’s. Having Andreea work on me is a wonderful experience and I highly recommend her.