Total Body Care

I’ve had many massages in my life and will have to say that my therapist was great! I had a back and shoulder pain that was affecting my sleep and performance @ work and not feel great. No pain and increased mobility ! Couldn’t ask for anything more .
If you want a massage to heal, then this is the place to be. The place was clean, great parking but most of all, they know what they are doing.

I was in Honolulu for only a few days on a business trip. I delayed in scheduling an appointment and was disappointed when I couldn’t get in. I asked to be considered if any cancellations occurred and was lucky to receive a phone call the day before I flew in. Yay!
I have struggled with extreme pain in my upper back for about 18 months. It is overwhelming at times and has drained my energy and impacted my work and personal life greatly. I’ve tried everything from acupuncture to chiropractics, physical therapy, pain killers, etc. Nothing has helped. As a last resort, I thought I would try shiatsu massage.
Misako was caring, attentive… and incredibly talented with her craft. I knew going in that the actual massage would be painful, so I was prepared to hurt. And it did… but Misako was gentle while being tough. She clarified tender spots and checked with me to be sure the pressure was OK. She informed me of my extremely tight muscles and how she had difficulty doing deep tissue massage since the surface muscles were so tight.
Afterwards, I felt great! Yes, it hurt. And nearly a week later, it still hurts! But it is good. The main spot on my back that is excruciating on a daily basis has not hurt since the massage. My friends have noticed that I am able to stand straighter. My chiropractor even commented this morning that my neck adjustment was much easier than normal.
Unfortunately, I don’t live in Hawaii… but I am hopeful to continue with this type of massage at home. And I will definitely plan an appointment during my next visit to Hawaii. I am incredibly grateful for the pain relief that has been given to me… just when I felt like I was at the end of my rope, I was blessed with this experience.

The reason why I keep coming back to this parlor is because it was the only establishment I could find where I truly felt that the staff genuinely cared about you and the pain you were going through. I came upon its location just walking down Kapahulu with a friend one evening, saw a sign, and walked in to make an appointment.
My first session with Scott and Dr. Shinji was very memorable. The moment I came in for my appointment, the receptionist was very gentle and personable and kindly asked if I would like some water, already freshly poured in a little cup. She made me feel very comfortable in the lounge, where there are mistical vapors emanating from a bowl near the doors with a soft, sweet aroma. She also asked if I needed to use the restroom and offered a bathroom key attached to a large, intricate wooden fishhook.
Within a few moments, Dr. Shinji came out to greet me and I was also introduced to Scott. Dr. Shinji is a professional acupuncturist and an expert on myofascial trigger points and Scott is now licensed massage therapist who successfully completed the training at Dr. Shinji’s Total Body Care dojo.
There are several sections in the building they use, each roomed off with opaque white tapestries for privacy. I believe TBC is capable of operating on up to three or four patients at a time. Occasionally, you may hear the moans and groans of another client in pain, but in my experience, the massage that Scott offers is so soothing that I would practically fall asleep every time if he did not engage me in conversation!
The heat that is applied is all natural as he kneads and rolls with firm hands, and if necessary, the mattress in the back is capable of generating a comfortable warmth. The mattress can also rise and lower to different elevations to adjust to Scott’s and your needs and has a detachable headrest.
Meanwhile, Dr. Shinji will come in to check up on you and apply his practice of acupuncture as needed and at your request. Along every movement and touch, he confirms that he is targeting just the right trigger point as to alleviate tension, yet not cause excruciating pain.
Even after the 90-​minute session, Dr. Shinji and his staff continue to assure you that they are caring for you as you reluctantly return home. Every new client receives a note written (in stylized TrueType font) by Dr. Shinji himself that tells you that soreness is normal after a session that keeps you wanting to come back for more!
Seriously though, I believe that the therapy I’m receiving from the sessions is gradually improving my situation, and I have and will continue to see them for acupuncture and massage until my body is restored and I’m completely pain-​free!

I needed a massage because studying gives you the worst pains. Made a call on Friday, got an appointment on Saturday.
Quick review: Scott was amazing. If you need a massage, go. You won’t regret it.
Tip: Wear comfortable, loose clothing. But if you do go in jeans (like I did), they’ll give you pants to change in to.
The staff: Friendly and competent.
The price: $ ⁶⁰⁄₆₀ minutes. Reasonable given the results.
Scott got the kinks and knots out of my back and shoulders pretty quickly. I forgot that the neck isn’t supposed to be tense when one looks down until today. The real issue ended up my hips, and Scott knew right away. As massaging it, he explained why my hips are way worse than my back. I felt he’s extremely knowledgable. I’ll definitely be going back.
Best part: When I got home, I checked my email and got an email from TBC. Opened it, and was pleasantly surprised. Super happy they took the time to send me this thank you email :)

My new favorite place to get shiatsu. I’ve had a couple of massages from Scott and I adore him. He really worked on my problem areas and I definitely felt results. The prices are really reasonable and they even have apprentice massages available. Parking is easy too.

After two pretty weak massages these past couple of months back here on the mainland (Korean hanbang and traditional Thai), I was on a mission: my vacation would not be complete without a massage that would begin to break down the accumulated problems of a desk job and over a dozen years of high impact martial arts. It’s probably not an exaggeration to say I’ve had problems finding someone who will go deep when I ask them to go deep instead of mumbling something in a language I don’t speak (and I speak more than two) and ignoring the feedback.
After a fair bit of research and a lot of calls to Liz (thanks, Liz!), I finally got a same-​day appointment with Scott. I showed up in sports gear about fifteen minutes early as instructed. The center is fairly small, with cloth separating the various stations, so you can hear everything that’s happening around you. There were a couple of people talking in Japanese almost the entire time I was having my massage, but that was okay.
Scott introduced himself, turned on his timer, and began grilling me on what I wanted and needed. When I said I liked hard massages, he said, «Let’s start with medium and you can tell me to go harder,» explaining that quite often people only think they want hard, but end up really only needing a medium.
I was glad for that advice when he was working on my neck (sigh), but he went deeper when prompted around problem area #1 and even deeper when he hit problem area #2. I was impressed by how Scott treated the second problem area as a system instead of just a series of points, and he later took the time to explain to me what other parts link together to cause the problem. (He also expressed surprise the amount of pressure I requested… guess I got that right!)
It’s standard practice for them to call new clients the next day for a follow-​up to see if you had any problems, so I appreciated the call I got from them. (No, I didn’t feel like a truck ran over me…)
Tips:
— Cash-​only tips — you can charge the base fee, but need to have cash on hand for the tip.
— CALL AHEAD. Days in advance, if you can. I had problems trying to schedule two massages at the same time, and finally ditched my traveling companion and just went alone.
— If you don’t mind going with a student, you can get a massage from an apprentice for $ 20, but only 9a-​2p or 3p.
— If you get an appointment after standard banking business hours, there’s a bank next door where you can park instead of parking below the building.
Only regret? That I can’t take Scott back home with me. I’ll have to find a different therapist to work on my problem areas.

Went in for some work on my shoulder and back. I didn’t make an appointment, just walked in. Scott did a great job and also loosened my neck back and hips with the extra time he had. It’s $ 60/​60mins. Staff is friendly and therapist are knowledgable I am definitely gonna go back to them again.

I’m feel so relaxed! Shinji and Scott provide great shiatsu massages. Liz is also a wonderful receptionist. Their customer service is exceptional.

This place is awesome! Everyone was super nice. I had Shinji as my therapist, and his techniques and knowledge were amazing. He did a great job and gave me some stretches to do at home. Excellent customer service, I would definitely come back and recommend this place!

A place to get a great massage and acupuncture! Go in aching and come out feeling great!

Came here with a friend for my first experience with Shiatsu.
Charles was my masseuse and he made the experience very relaxing and stress-​free. I was nervous about the intensity of the massage and did not want to be sore afterwards. The front desk staff recommended copious amounts of water before and after the massage, which I took the tip and it seemed to work well in preventing discomfort.
Shiatsu proved to be quite gentle, not as rough as past experiences I’ve had with Sweedish massages. Overall, Total Body Care was quite professional and I would recommend to others!

Very professional people. Everyone is super friendly and all smiles from beginning to end but more importantly you get results! The sweet japanese girl working the front desk is super friendly. The owner, Shinji is very friendly and you leave with a sense that they really appreciate you as their customer. From my very first treatment with Charles (acupuncturist and shiatsu therapist) my tight shoulders and back got relief. The other massage therapies Kapura (not sure I got her name right) is wonderful as well but since she only works part time I only saw her once. But her pressure is right on the $. Charles is super dedicated to his patients and his work. I saw them 4 days in a row (yes, thats how jacked up my muscles were) with two of those days I combined acupuncture (right into my tight muscles) and shiatsu. It’s $ 10 more for acupuncture but completely worth it! Highly recommend the acupuncture combo! The needles helped to loosen up my rock hard muscles and allowed the therapist to further break down the knots with shiatsu. I was vacationing in Hawaii last week and usually get really bad back pain from long flight home but I flew back a few days ago and tolerated my 5 hr flight without a kink in my neck/​shoulders. I am one who gets super tight muscles on my traps, neck, back, and shoulders (pretty much my whole body :/​) but now have been pain free since! They use kinetic acupuncture in which they mobilize your effected extremity while the needles are in place and it seems to work really well. I think their prices are pretty reasonable (esp compared to SF bay area prices here in Cali) at $ 1/​min. $ 60/​hr $ 90/​90min. Tip is not included but when you walk out in much less pain than web you walked in, trust me, you won’t mind tipping esp since they are super duper cool!!! I’m so glad to have found my pain relief center when I’m on Oahu! Arigatou Total Body Care (special thanks to Charles)

I always see Charles when I go. Strong hands working the kinks/​knots in my body= soothing pain.
Big fan of shiatsu/​trigger point/​sports massage. Price is standard @ $ ⁶⁰⁄₆₀ min.
Located in the Hee hing plaza on Kapahulu ave.
Heard parking is free in the garage, but my car is low, so street parking for me (which is usually ample.)
Wide business hours for in studio work: 9:00 — 20:00 (Thu off)
Love the extra time he spends stretching! Wish my insurance covered it. Humph :-/​
** Charles no longer works here. Scott took his place, but so far is a good therapist who assesses well and always asks how you are.

Excellent service nice people left feeling great. Would recommend to everyone.

seriousness, total seriousness. they will work it untill it is gone. great location, free parking, appointment reminders, the whole deal. very professional, great music, good atmosphere, strong hands, ’nuff said. you won’t be dissapointed.

I’ve been getting shiatsu massage regularly (1−4x/month) for years now and I recently tried Total Body Care when I couldn’t get an appointment with my regular therapist. I have had three massages so far and they were amazing! Especially working on areas that I have issues, like my hip and shoulder. I had a huge knot in my shoulder and after a 30 minute massage, it was completely gone… COMPLETELY! I’ve done longer 90 minute massages for my hip and each time it feels much better. I definitely plan on continuing.