Labak Sports Massage

I went to Noël a couple hours after completing the Chicago Marathon this year and thank goodness I did! I was able to do a recovery run 2 days after the marathon. In contrast, after my first marathon, I could barely walk downstairs for at least a week. But let me go back to the moment I got here. Noël welcomed my sister and I and offered water, snacks and magazines. He was such an amazing host and really made the whole experience enjoyable. This was my first sports massage and definitely not my last.

The best massage in Chicago. This is not your gentle rub my back massage, but serious work and repair for ailing muscles or injurires. I’ve been going to Noël for a few years, and he provides such reflief from lots of tennis and triathlon training. He’s truly gifted with an inate ability to find and fix the problems. He’s also a really nice and kind person, and works harder than any massuse I’ve seen. He treats many professional sports players, which also gives you an idea of his talent.

I’ve been going to Noël for the past two years and he is by far the best massage therapist I have ever had. He has an innate ability to identify your problem spots and gives a strong pressure to work those spots. He also adds a lot of details to his sessions such an inhalation therapy and stretching that make it an amazing sports massage.

If you have pain, you should see Noël. Frankly, just being around him feels therapeutic; he’s an incredible person, very kind and interesting. He was helpful in directing me to tools and exercises that would serve useful between sessions. His body work in phenomenal, the best I’ve ever had, and I’ve tried many. I have some issues right now due to a health condition, so finding Noël was like striking gold. No one else has provided me with the relief he did! He’s so knowledgable, intuitive, accommodating, and effective. He even sorted out a problem area I was not even aware was part of my larger issue. The massage was a bit painful at times, and I was certainly sore the next day, but the results were AMAZING and well worth it! I felt so much better walking out than when I walked in, and the results were long standing. As someone who loves to express herself through movement, there is no greater gift than the ability to move freely :) I cannot wait to book my next appointment. And you, dear reader, should not wait either.

Noël is the absolute man. He will apply very hard pressure to attack your knots and fix your imbalances — you feel like you got a workout by the time you leave. He is also a great guy and extremely friendly. If you’re sick of the casual BS rubdowns you get at most places that don’t actually address the root of your back pain/​muslce problems, you need a visit with Noël.

Noël is a genuinely great guy and a true sports massage therapist. If you are a physically active person and are looking for someone to work out the evil, Noël is your man. I have been going to him for a while. As a baker, I’m on my feet 10 hours a night lifting, pushing, and moving heavy objects. It takes a toll on my body. Noël is always able to put me back together again. So if you need someone to help you stay at your peak condition, I highly suggest you try Noël. By the way, he is A LOT stronger than he looks!

I’m a bit of a massage connoisseur and very particular. Noël gives the best sports massage out there and is a genuinely great guy as well. I highly recommend him, especially if you are active.

Noël is a massage guru! I love him! I really feel like he takes my aching muscles extremely personally– like, ‘how dare your back hurt you like that! Don’t worry I’ll take care of that!’ He’s a super hero:) He really is as good as it gets consistently!

Well, the massage I recieved last night was the best I’ve had EVER. Noël is AMAZING. He’s professional, has a lovely relaxed personality and delievered a heck of a fabulous sports massage customized to what I needed. I left with a HUGE smile on my face and a body feeling like a noodle… and I feel amazing still today (minus a little soreness… but that’s what I needed).
I consider myself a pretty crtical critic as I’ve perviously worked as a massage therapist and experienced some pretty amazing massages in my time from fellow therapists and instructors BUT this took the cake. His combined techniques features sports, deep tissue and streatching which makes the experience unique and never boring. His intuition was spot on… he focused on all the areas I need to have worked on without me having to say a word.
I’ve recently started a running regimine in an effort to run a half-​marathon this fall, and I will be back to see Noël as freaquently as my bank account will allow. I can’t wati to get out and run again now that all my kinks have been worked out.
Noël is 110% the real deal as far as therapists go… if you need work done go see him IMMEDIATELY! Do not go anywhere else!

I SURVIVED a Noël Labak massage! I am no stranger to deep tissue sports massage therapy — 15 marathons, 2 spinal surgeries, umpteen halves and 10k’s — and without question this was the BEST massage i have ever had. Noël’s massage was deep, accurate and very very helpful to the spots i KNEW bothered me. But then there were those trigger points i had no idea needed work. It was as if Noël went on a search and destroy mission on my butt, legs and feet. And let me tell you he came out victorious. Although i was the real winner. Warning: if you are looking for touchy-​feeliy-​relaxing massage, go elsewhere. I am currently visiting Chicago and loving it so much here i would love a reason to move here. I think i just might have found him!!!

I only joined Unilocal to review restaurants, but I cannot go without writing a review about Noël. I’ve been to massage therapists at chiropractors and massage therapists at a luxury spa. They seemed «ok» and I’ve always asked for deeper, harder massage and usually the next day I’d feel tense again.
I googled Sports Massage Chicago and found Noël Labak’s website. It sounded to good to be true, and then I found the incredible reviews on Unilocal.I e-​mailed Noël and he had a cancellation so I was able to get in for a one hour treatment.
I immediately felt the difference as soon as Noël began therapy. My sinuses were also haywire so he offered up a ecalyptus aromatherapy that has had positive effect — this morning, I did not need to take any benedryl as I have been for the past several days, I can BREATHE!
My focus area was upper back and neck, the primary sources of my tension and pain, and he also discovered that my shoulders were out of wack due to the extreme tension in my pecs pulling my shoulders forward that I was completely unaware of — a cause of neck tension/​strain. I am a weightlifter. He found trigger points and problem areas I didn’t know existed. Clearly I had been bamboozled by previous acclaimed «massage therapists» as Noël demonstrated within the first 5 minutes. He is STRONG and previous massage therapists described me as «a difficult client to work on» because of the force and pressure that I require.
I slept great and I woke up with a deep muscle soreness as if I had started a new weight training program. I feel more flexible, relieved, and ALIVE. I have never felt this relieved before, and I have never gotten a massage as good as this my entire life.
Noël Labak is the Elite massage therapist and I am lucky that he is located in Chicago. He is the best of the best — he deserves to have a title «Doctor Labak!» if massage therapists could be doctors. I’m very picky and view massage as a medical/​therapy practice and there’s a lot of «weird» stuff out there online and people claiming they are massage therapists but don’t know what they are doing. I’ve been unhappy with my experiences at most chiropractors for massage therapy, and really didn’t know where to go. Now I have the perfect place, and I will recommend Noël to all of my friends and family.

Noël came recommended from a participant in the CARA marathon training program, where I am a pace group leader. I was having some nagging leg injuries and was tired of going to PT twice a week and seeing little results.
I went to see Noël and had a very enjoyable, at times painful, massage that got me back to running that weekend. I can honestly say one session with Noël got me better for running more than TWO MONTHS of PT. I’ve had massages before and while they were enjoyable and stretched me out, none ever did what Noël’s did: fix injured muscles.
I’ve run 15 marathons and when the miles start to build up in the training programs, muscle injuries happen and it’s important to quickly fix them before you lose too much training. Massage from Noël has been the only thing I’ve experienced that actually fixed and prevented these injuries. Given the high cost of medical care, co-​pays and limits you have to reach, it’s cheaper in the long run to prevent injuries by having Noël give you a massage.
I’ve learned that, for me, a persistently tight muscle is often the first sign of injury. Now, when I feel that, instead of running on it and making it worse, I go see Noël and it’s gone. Noël asks you what’s bothering you, but he also finds trouble spots on his own and fixes them. Often spots that you didn’t realize were the cause of some of your other problems, neck, shoulder, etc.

I live in Columbus, OH and have had a problem with adhesive capsulitis (a bad shoulder) for about 6 months. I found Noël Labak on a trip to Chicago a few months ago and just got back from my third massage from him. He’s by far the best massage therapist I’ve ever experienced! He found a «re-​set» button for my shoulder!

I had been doing a lot of research in order to find a great Sports Massage in Chicago and finally selected Noël at Labak Sports Massage. I am thrilled that I did as the massage and the experience were the best I have had. It was simply fantastic and I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I immediately appreciated how easy it was to make an appointment online and was impressed at how quickly Noël confirmed my appointment. When I arrived for my massage, Noël took some time to sit down with me before we got started to talk about my history, what I was looking for in the massage and to discuss any concerns or questions I had. This really helped put me at ease and was just one of the many little details that Noël considers to really make the experience comfortable and enjoyable.
The massage itself was amazing. You can really tell that Noël is an experienced professional and confident in what he is doing. It was simultaneously relaxing yet painful (in an effective, wonderful way) and I left feeling like I had gotten my money’s worth and eager to return. The space is comfortable and relaxing and the massage was truly amazing. I can’t recommend Noël highly enough and encourage you to look no further.

Being a Figure Competitor, I tend to lift fairly heavy weights 6 days/​week in the gym. Due to excessive muscle breakdown, I have developed severe muscular tightness — even after foam rolling, self-​massage, and stretching techniques.
When I developed a pronounced tightness in my back, I decided it was time to find a Sports Massage Expert. Doing my due-​diligence, I sought an experienced professional to attend to my muscles. After reading the other reviews of Noël on Unilocal,I decided to book an appointment.
Never having received a professional massage, I was unsure what to expect. Noël was very courteous, kind, and considerate when explaining the procedure. He let me know that I might feel a bit «beat up» the next day, as Sports Massages are a bit intense. He stressed communication and kept my comfort-​level in mind at all times.
I would agree with other reviewers that the massage was aggressive (good thing), but you could feel the different pressure/​trigger points/​muscles being worked on specifically. The calming atmosphere, inhalation therapy, and comfortable massage table made the experience a very positive first-​time-​massage for me. Noël paid attention to my trouble spots, and it was almost like he can read your mind when it was time to move to the next muscle group… for a newbie, I could only take so much pressure.
I would highly recommend anyone to see him for a great sports massage. His track record speaks highly of him — his experience in the field surpasses most massage therapists. Booking online is a breeze, and he confirms appointments quickly. He is friendly and outgoing, as he seems to truly care about your condition, your life, and your interests.
A++++!

I went to Noël after reading the reviews on Unilocal.Registered for a slot the next day and it was confirmed shortly; Noël also confirmed a follow-​up email about the Unilocal discount very quickly.
He spent time chatting with me, as much as I wanted, as I described what was sore (legs, marathon training) and asked how intense I wanted the massage, from «gentle» to «beat you up a little.» I chose the latter. He delivered.
The massage was aggressive but exacting. It never felt random. He worked out all kinds of knots and tightness in my legs and back. There were definitely points where it was very intense but, hey, that’s what I asked for. Added bonus: I had the choice of lavender or eucalyptus aroma therapy during the massage!
Following the massage, he talked to me more and showed me strengthening exercises for my shins. He had another client by then, but there was never a rush to get me out the door.
I came away from the session feeling refreshed and ran that weekend with decidedly less pain. Overall the experience was great: Noël knows what he’s doing and he does it in a relaxing, professional environment.

I thought I’ve had a massage before.
Then I met Noël Labak, and realized I’ve never *really* had a massage.
I’m currently in my first season of triathlon training and woke up one morning with my quads singing to me. Their song was one of exhaustion and a plea for some TLC. I made an appointment with Noël (online scheduling is extremely easy) and was greeting by the extremely pleasant Mr. Labak in his calming studio on Lincoln Ave. He took the time to sit down with me and genuinely listened to what I wanted. He made it clear that he was here for me– truly appreciated!
The actual massage was a slice of heaven. Sometimes painful, but painful in a «please-don’t-stop-this-is-amazing» kind of a way. He took the time to explain to me some of the intricacies of my body and made me feel very comfortable. I left feeling rejuvenated, rested, and and ready to take on the world. Days later and I’m still feeling the effects of Noël’s work.
Can’t recommend him more– already planning my 2^nd visit after my first triathlon of the season!

I came here after a recommendation from my chiropractor. Let me just start by saying that I was very glad I did! First of all in what can be a difficult area to park in, ample parking is available behind the building and is CHEAP! Noël is very stoning physically and offers a very deep massage. I was initially treated by him for a sports injury and he was able to heal my tendon and muscle issues. When seeking a massage therapist, I generally prefer a more physical massage, Noël worked the muscle tissue thoroughly. I also play hockey and stretch quite a bit and he was able to train me in some stretching techniques I was not even aware of. Do yourself and your weary bones a favor and go see this guy!!! You won’t be disappointed!!!