88 Chinese Qi Gong Tui-Na
329 Bowery St
Basement Level
(between 2nd St & 3rd St)
New York, NY 10012 (212) 260-7829
- Nearest Transit:
Uptown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
Downtown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6, B, D, F, V)
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- By Appointment Only: No
17 Reviews for 88 Chinese Qi Gong Tui-Na
Good stuff. It was clean, and the girls were friendly. It was pretty empty, as maybe on Sundays they do not get too many people. Yes, the women chat and talk in Chinese during the massage, which can be annoying, but its still a great deal.
My first time here, I used to go to 222 Lafayette. I will be back.
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I'm from Los Angeles, where to get from one place to another you drive. When I first moved to New York, I would wake up in the mornings with leg cramps and hip pain and sore thighs and a throbbing pain in my lower back. I quickly realized that my body simply wasn't used to the extensive day-to-day physical activity that comes along with life in New York. If, in LA, I was going to a restaurant that was the distance from my apartment to the nearest subway (about 6 blocks) I would for sure drive there and valet park. So you can imagine my body's surprise to this new "active" way of life. Needless to say, two weeks into living here, I needed a massage.
This place may be small and dark, and the women may talk throughout your massage, but their hands are sent from the gods. My woman did a quick rub-down on my back and legs in the first five minutes or so, and quickly pinpointed the areas that needed work. Then she went to town, digging and pressing and rubbing and smoothing and elbowing and pinching until she felt that the tension had adequately dissipated. I was so relaxed that I eventually fell dead asleep. When I woke, I was actually sore, and was sore for two days after. The receptionist advised that I drink water and I did and two days out, I felt like a brand new man. Seriously, I felt younger and more flexible. These women are miracle workers and the fact that it's only $42 dollars for an hour is pretty mind-blowing.
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I went to this place last week looking for a good, inexpensive massage and that was what I got. $42 for an hour + $20 tip.
Don't be scared off by the graffiti on the side of their sign that faces north... It's a totally legitimate place. The women are friendly, and my masseuse was excellent. She asked me what type of pressure I wanted, which was of course hard, and she went to town on me. She checked in a few times to make sure I was ok, and at the end she even put my socks on!
f you are skirmish about privacy, this place may not be for you, as you do have to undress without a dressing room. But the lights are dim, they hold up a towel, and there are partitions between the massage tables.
Well worth it - one of those things in NYC that you gotta take advantage of. I'll definitely be back there for many more!
THIS IS THE WORST!!! THEY DEMAND A $10 TIP!! THEY GOT NASTY BECAUSE I WAS LEAVING A $9 tip. She left 6 times during my 60-min massage and talked to another woman in Chinese loudly half the time. Trust me, I'm no prude but when I'm being stared at while you're undressing and another client walks by and does a double take because they leave the partition open.. it's just inappropriate. The massage was sooo fast, it was like she couldn't rub me fast enough as if this was going to make the time go by quicker. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE AT ALL. IT WAS THE BIGGEST WASTE OF $52. I could have gotten a better massage by leaning up against a doorknob! Don't waste your money.
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I've been going to several incarnations of this place for about 4 years, first on Spring, then across the street, and now on Bowery.
It's the best kept secret in NYC. Don't tell anyone! OK, just one of your best friends.
Ask for Dana or Lulu. Superb massage in the tuina school--lots of pressure points.
The massage can be intense and deep tissue (including a back walk), or nicey-nicey for those who are just looking to relax.
Absolutely no happy endings here. It's completely legit, clean, friendly, and amazingly inexpensive.
Tip at least $20 or Mama-san will get on you. The therapists deserve it.
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the place is great...the staff is awesome, the massage is top notch. I can not believe how the place is never packed. everytime i show up i think okay today i am not getting in...why am i letting the cat out of the bag...for one i practice yoga, so i think i should share in the name of the universe and number 2, i think the place is so undiscovered it might go out of business. Lulu is incredible, one hour cost s me tip 60 or 65 bucks,, i have paid 200 at bliss and in Hawaii and not felt as fullfilled as after i get off the table with Lulu or Nancy........Go check this place out on bowery,,,,no way you do not get your moneys worth..
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I've been to quite a few shi shi spas, but THIS was the best massage I've ever had. I did the 60 minutes for $42 (plus I tipped 23) and it was my best-spent money of all time.
From the reviews I expected a somewhat sketchy ghetto or even dirty place. But I was very surprised with the cleanliness as well as the ambiance. Nice dim lights, very low music in the back, and 5 or 6 very clean tables all separated by little cubicle walls. These ladies have GLADIATOR hands! I love it. I'm an athlete and I need a serious sport/deep tissue massage minus the superfluous spa treatment.
60 minute consisted of everything: scalp, neck, shoulders, upper and lower back, arms, hands, gluts, hams, quads, calves, and feet. She was very nice and always asked if it was too much pressure to make sure. Also, I asked if she could focus on a particular part of my leg and she did a great job.
For the ladies, I felt pretty comfortable and "safe." I can officially say that I've found my new massage place.
Perfect after a hard-days work. Just go in, strip, relax, and let them do all the work. And of course always tip well.
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Incredibly unprofessional.
I've had many massages, and this one just wasn't that great. The kneading and such were too fast and hurried and not relaxing. Knots which made an obvious popping sound were ignored and not taken care of. But by far, what bothered me most about this place was the unrelaxing atmosphere. Throughout the massage, the women gabbed to each other loudly (like you might experience at a nail salon). At one point, one of the women even picked up her cell phone and had a whole conversation. It's impossible to relax with so much going on around you. Ridiculous. Also, the room was quite cold, and the music was too quiet to enjoy.
But the experience took a really bad turn when i paid and left a $4 tip on a $23 massage (representing a 17% tip). Considering that the massage wasn't that good and i didn't feel very relaxed afterwards, $4 was plenty. Well these women gave me HELL about it. She started ranting about how most people leave $8 or more. I'm NOT one of those people who can be manipulated and guilt tripped out of my money, so screw them. I stayed firm:"sorry, that's all i can give." Anyway, as they saw that line of argument failed to work, she starts telling me that i'm abnormally muscular (i'm not..) and that i required more effort. Ridiculous. Then, seeing that fail, another woman tried mentioning that it's the beginning of the chinese new year, and she shows me two twenty dollar bills as if to say 'most people give us a $40 happy new year tip'. It was really unpleasant -- i literally thought they were going to attack me and i'd have to fend off three strong-handed asian women! Perhaps the most disgusting part was that when my friend came out from the back to pay, having just missed the raucous caused by my 17% tip, they basically grabbed the money out of his hand and didn't even give/offer him change for his $30 (on a $23 massage). And he was too surprised and shy to say anything.
I had high hopes based on the many yelp reviews. When I entered the place, and saw the somewhat spacious interior and walls between the beds, and the towels used around the face-hole on the bed (a step up from the usual itchy paper towels), I was pretty excited. But the massage just wasn't great, and the employees were very unpleasant -- I certainly won't be back. And now that I look more closely at the yelp reviews, I see that five of them are almost definitely fake (the reviewers don't have real pictures and only 1 or 2 reviews).
I'd highly recommend trying this place instead:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
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Jack ("I'm #1 masseuse, right?") literally just knuckled and elbowed the mother-freaker out of my back!
My shoulders and neck have been bothering me for awhile. I've done acupuncture, cupping, yoga, blah blah, and I am no stranger to the un-comforts of a seedy Chinatown massage. So I thought I'd try this new place and see how it goes. That guy and his Hulk-hands were no joke!
As others have said, be ready for an open room, changing in front of others, some talking between massage tables, getting a little greasy, and the faint smell of chicken parm from the SUBWAY next door. Oh, and Jack answered his cell during my massage! (on the upside: he did ask several times if the pressure was ok and they remove the oil from your back with hot towels, which feels really nice)
But for $21 for 30 minutes for probably the most vigorous Tui Na I can imagine, I'll dismiss any goofiness that may have ensued.
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POSSIBLY CLOSED?!?
Stopped by during business hours and no one was there. Their phone is also disconnected.
Try "The Best Chinese Back Rub" http://www.yelp.com/bi... just down the street instead.
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Ha! Yeah. Came here alone my first time. It would have freaked me out initially, but it came highly recommended. Kind of hot in a dirty sort of way- naked in a room with a bunch of strangers. All you wear is a big towel and when you first lay down, they snap it up high so you are totally buck for a second. Then it begins. The women are quite strong- some better than others. Some get a bit more PRIVATE than others as well, if you know what I mean. I felt like one woman was way up in there.
I have my "buy 10 get one free" card, baby. And I'm a-gonna use it.
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A friend of mine swore by this place and I went there just last week. From the street, you walk down a set of stairs that leads to a brightly lit entrance. When you open the door you notice how dark and red(?) the inside is and it made me feel like I might get a "happy ending" massage. But... it's not that sort of place. The receptionist is also a masseuse and I was warned that by my friend that there was a chance my masseuse might stop the massage to answer the phone.
My roommate came with me and the two of us were escorted to an area next to reception that is partioned by a simply curtain. The curtain was opaque from the ground up to about 5 feet and then see-thru from that point to the ceiling.There were two massage tables side by side and our masseuses asked us to undress to our panties. I was highly aware of the fact that people coming into the place could see my little head above the opaque part of the curtain. My masseuse held up a towel (like you do when you're out camping) for me to hide behind while I got undressed.
I slid onto the table on my belly and my masseuse asked if I wanted it medium or heavy. I told her medium. She proceeded to work on my back and legs vigorously and between her and the man in the next room over (also partitioned by a curtain) who was moaning in exctasy, I had a hard time relaxing.
The massage is meant to be invigorating. This is NOT swedish massage. Though... I still managed to pass out for a little bit once I rolled over onto my back. I did feel pretty relaxed in the end and I tipped the woman $15 on top of the $40 paid for the hour.
My roommate asked for a "heavy" massage and her masseuse was literally on top of my friend straddling her and working on her back. My friend said it was the best massage she's had in years and that the woman really worked out some knots she didn't even know existed. She said it was so good it brought tears to her eyes.
Don't be surprised if at the end of your massage, your masseuse takes you by the feet and shakes your legs vigorously then lifts your feet 18" from the table and drops them abruptly to the table. I think it's the standard way of them telling you, you're done!
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Love this joint. It's a little seedy, but in a weird way that's sort of the charm. 40$ an hour for the best massage = straight! Certainly not for the prude, but for people with a lot of stress.
If you have a back like mine, made of knots of steel, this is the best place to get it worked on. I've been to a number of froo-froo massage places and I keep coming back to this one. Who knew these small ladies could be so powerful?
Be warned: this is an open layout massage place. There are five tables in one room and two in another. It's best to strip down for your massage, so don't go if you're squeamish about someone maybe seeing some of your skin.
You can't beat the price: $40 for an hour. You are expected to tip at least $10.
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Seems there were licensing (or lack thereof) problems--but they were great massages, all on the up-and-up.
Nicole is working at
Li Qing's Chinese Qi Gong Tui Na
331 E 14Th St
New York, NY 10003
212-228-2098
Her work is as good as ever. I hear some of the others are working at other places, but I don't know where. Good luck to them all.
This place has been closed for practicing without a license.
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