Essential Life Therapy

I’ve been using Essential Life for years. Dina is a thoughtful owner who takes last minute requests when she can. She and her staff also listen to what you need. They are skilled and experienced. The facility has no frills. But you do get a clean table and sheets. I recommend this place for a solid no nonsense massage.

I’ve had massages from both Angela and Kelsy, and they were both great. I have some seriously tense shoulders I’ve been dealing with for a few years and been to physical therapy for, and I like a really deep and intense massage because anything else doesn’t feel like it digs into those problem areas. Angela especially was great at finding and addressing them, and has very strong hands. Dena was pretty funny and friendly, and both times I needed in they managed to squeeze me in on the same day (granted, I have a flexible schedule, but still). I’d definitely recommend this place.
Oh! And if you’re having trouble finding it, it’s behind Tillicum marina. Just go around the back and look for the stairs up on the wall to the right (if you were facing the front of the building), toward Aurora, but in the back. I’ll snap a photo next time I’m there if someone hasn’t already.

I bought an Amazon Local deal for a massage here and had an amazing experience. My therapist was Angela – and she is truly gifted. I woke up one morning and my neck was all kinked up, and it was restricting my ability to turn my head from side to side. It had been hurting for days and Angela fixed it in one 60 minute massage. She’s wonderful. I booked another one for this Saturday, I was so pleased!

I just had the most incredible massage from Angela at Essential Life Therapy. I happen to also be a massage therapist, and sometimes I’ll try out new places/​new massage therapists to check out other styles and techniques (plus being a bodyworker can pay a toll on one’s own body, so I try to get worked on at least once a month). Needless to say, I’ve experienced a lot of different massages over the years, and Angela is by far one of my favorite therapists I’ve encountered (maybe because she has a style similar to my own). She applies deep pressure with intention, but not so deep to the point of pain which causes the body to tense up. She listens to what the body needs to find the right amount of pressure to get the knots worked out.
It was also deeply relaxing. I think there was a moment where I was so blissed out that I forgot I was getting a massage. Often times when I get massaged, there are parts of the session that I love and some that I’m like «eh» or even hate, but I loved every moment of Angela’s massage.

The place is a lil difficult to find but the service was amazing!! We went for a 60 min couples massage … they asked us if there were specific areas that needed more work than the rest and they sure did that .
We felt completely relaxed and energized after the massage. Definitely going there again !!!

I bought a gift certificate from here from the old owners, and the new owner wouldn’t honor it. But the worst part was how rude she was. For a business owner you think she would take this opportunity to make a new client. Nope! Rude, rude, rude! I can’t imagine wanting a massage from such a negative person!

Great massage, poor business operations. I received a gift certificate for a massage and used it just before the expiration date. Essential Life Therapy avoided telling me until after my relaxing massage (which was great) that since their prices went up since the gift card was purchased, I was responsible for the difference. This should have been disclosed at the time I booked the appointment. I thought that was a poor way of handling business by not telling me before hand that my gift card would not pay for the service I was entitled to. I think a company should honor what the service is on the gift card, despite their choice to raise prices. This is one reason why gift cards have expiration dates, isn’t it?! While the massage was great, I didn’t appreciate the lack of communication and transperancy so won’t be going back.

I returned to Essential Life Therapy for another massage about a few weeks later. This time, I opted for the hour long massage with Kim as the masseuse again.
Definitely do the hour long massage. If you are not sure, I will tell you that you need that hour to completely relax and to feel that the massage was actually effective.
I was so relaxed; actually I was so sleepy! I also felt like my upper body was freer (free from some of those knots I had been carrying around).
This time, the glass of water was full, I left the orange slice alone, and there were no spiders to scare me! A-​OK

I called to see if I could use my groupon and the woman I talked to was extremely rude. Like others I was given the run around and told that there were not any openings and told me she would only honor the amount that I paid for it. She did so in a very offensive tone and manner. She was very rude and I don’t think I would want to get a massage from someone that mean anyway.

I had the same problem as Cassandra. Bought a Groupon for them, tried calling in late March /​early April to schedule an appointment, never could get anyone on the phone just an answering machine, finally emailed and got the following in reply:
«Unfortunately we do not have any more appointments available before the expiration date of the Groupon. We will however still honor your Groupon by placing you on our wait list. We will contact you when we have an available appointment. Thank You!»
Um, that’s helpful! So I asked how long the waiting list would be. Days? Weeks? Months?
«Hopefully not longer than a month!»
Well, it’s been a month and no word, and I have lost any interest in trying to contact them so I’ve asked Groupon for a refund.
I understand that small businesses can get overwhelmed by all the people who might buy Groupons, etc., for their services, but they should be prepared for what might happen and at the very least offer better communication and customer service if they find themselves swamped with business. They sounded like a great place, but not answering phones, forcing people to email them, replying with vague answers and an «oh well» attitude about the situation doesn’t make me want to support their business, all of which equals a 1 star rating.
Edited to add: Their answering machine message requested that people who had purchased Groupons email Essential Life to schedule an appointment, which led me to believe they were sending those with Groupons to the end of the appointment queue (so to speak). That may have been because the expiration date was coming due (expires May 5^th, 2011, iirc) and they wanted to handle them separately, but it certainly felt to me like they were giving preference to non-​Groupon customers.

This place is a little far from my home, but I used a Groupon and am I ever glad I spent the $ and time. The business had been slammed from everyone cashing in on their groupons before they expired, but the owner was able to schedule me at a date/​time convenient for me. The exterior of the small bldg and location don’t hint at the wonderfully welcoming ambience that greets you at the front door. It also avoided the absurd pretense that comes with a lot of new age places. The massage itself, with a massage therapist named Sandy, was really wonderful — she’s top of the line.

My wife and I celebrated our 15^th anniversary recently and we wanted to get a couples massage. We’d never gone to Essential Life before and decided to take a chance based on the positive reviews I read on Unilocal.And they were right! We had a wonderful time and enjoyed the massages and conversation, as well as the chocolate and orange slices (though I’d prefer dark chocolate, lol).

I’m really picky when it comes to my massages and while I always enjoy the experience of getting massaged (who doesn’t?) I don’t always leave feeling amazing. I felt amazing after my massage with Nacala. OMG, she was great! I was feeling pretty sore in my shoulders/​neck/​back from too many pole classes and she really got in there and worked it out for me. I loved that she was so willing to focus on that area rather than give me a small focus and then do the rest of my body like other places.
I also usually don’t talk to my massage therapist as I’m getting massaged… but something about Nacala just got me talking (I hope she didn’t mind) and I felt like we totally connected and had a great conversation about food, travel, pole dancing, and our families. She’s an amazing person both personally and as a therapist.
A great massage! I highly recommend Nacala, she was wonderful! She even had a cute little plate of oranges and chocolate set up for me when the massage was done. Little touches make such the difference!

I bought the Groupon for a massage here and was very pleased with the experience. Jason was my therapist and he was very personable and a bit chatty, but he has strong hands and gave me a really good massage. I like my massages to be borderline painful because it makes me feel like my muscles are getting a really great workout! My shoulders were sore the next day, but I think he got a lot of toxins out! Street parking is also pretty easy. They have a parking lot but it’s only two spots.

I’ve never seen a male massage therapist before… I’m a dudes dude and well… it just never felt like a comfortable idea. After a really heavy work week though my wife was kind enough to call around and find me a last minute Saturday morning massage. Essential Life Therapy was the only place that could fit me in and that only by calling in Jason… A DUDE! So i decided to go ahead and get over my malemassagaphobia and give the place a try. Boy am I glad I did!
Jason immediately put me at ease. Really cool relatable guy. He did a great job of asking questions and figuring out what I needed before he went to work. During the massage he was a natural at intuiting when to chat and when to let me just relax. The massage itself was fantastic. Very thorough and different than what I’m used to… lots of great stretches and some real deep tissue work that always stopped shy of uncomforable. The experience left me refreshed and breathing deep. He even gave me some great stretches to prevent future job related muscle strain. The environment was clean, comfortable, quiet and relaxing. Parking was super easy. A great overall experience. 5 STARS!!!

what an incredible massage experience!
My b/​f and I went in for a couples massage and were greeted by two warm, personable LMP’s, Jason and Crystal. While having a foot bath they spoke with each of us about our bodies and the way we feel during the day.
Once on the tables they joked with us a little (it’s nice to be put at ease when being somewhat vulnerable under a thin sheet) and then explained a little about what they were doing. Overall I felt they were both communicative during the massage, without interrupting our abilities to really relax.
My b/​f and I both agree that our massages were the most personalized we had ever received. We both thought Jason and Crystal really felt our muscles and were intuitive to our individual bodies needs.
After the massage they brought in chocolates, oranges, and water.
Crystal and Jason really made our couples massage feel like a special, personalised experience. We plan on returning monthly.

Wow!!! I’ve had a number of massages in my life time. This is by far one of the best.
I found this place on
— where they were voted one of the best places in Seattle for a couples message. Um hello!?! A couples massage for 1.5 hours for only $ 200??? are you kidding me? I felt like I was somehow robbing them!!! Well, after reading the rave reviews on this place I decided to make a reservation for a couples massage for Valentine’s Day for my husband and I. We were about 5 minutes late for our message because our damn GPS said we had arrived, but really didn’t because contrary to the GPS– it is not in a boat storage!!!
Needless to say, they were super accommodating, the parking was super easy, and it’s a nice location. They were very in tune to our needs. I love massages, but I do not like them too hard, my husband on the other hand had a back injury sometime ago and wanted them to focus on his lower back. They did everything we asked and more. I was so relaxed I fell asleep!!!
After filling out the paperwork, we ended up being 15 minutes into our appointment, and even though we were late they gave us our full 90 minute massage. I highly recommend this place, because all though people like to pay a butt-​load of money on those frilly spas, they sometimes lack the experience or the knowledge to give you a massage tailored to your body’s needs. This place does just that. They combine the spa experience, yet with the relaxed feeling you get when you leave the chiro’s office. They have a great staff and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend friends and family here. We have already booked our next massage with them!

i had a massage here a while back and it was a good experience. I live close to here so it was nice to be able to walk home when i felt like Gumby.
A nice touch is that they leave you with an orange slice and a piece of chocolate.

*One of the best I have been to
*Erika is amazing, super hospitable and really knows her stuff
*Very accomodating schedule-​wise with 7 or 8 different practitioners they can get you in and work with your calendar

I have had chronic back problems since I was young. Because of this, I have gone through physical therapy, tons of massage, and chiropractic work. Finding Essential Life Therapy has been fantastic. I have received some of the best massage in my life. They always take their time and work into the muscles slowly. I leave feeling relaxed, with my body aligned and so much healthier.
I like that they are a small clinic that focuses specifically on massage and acupuncture. I get the relaxation of a spa, but I know the therapists are focused on improving my physical health, not just relaxing me for the afternoon.