Sang Yuan Body Works

Considering all the amazing reviews this place got I thought I should warn future potential customers.
This was, by far, the MOST PAINFUL massage I have ever received and one of the worst experiences of my life.
The masseuse focused on my shoulders and upper back. I expressed several times the fact that I was in pain or uncomfortable but no changes were made.
My boyfriend, who likes deeper tissue massages, also came and had an even worst experience. His back has been in pain for the last 3 hours!
I must say that the staff was extremely nice but I will definitely NEVER return!

Great massage AND well-​priced, easy to book, clean, and quiet.

My tl;dr report is: I am on the fence, and I will definitely go back and give them another try.
First timer at this massage place. I really liked that there were walls between the massage tables and curtains only facing the exterior hallway; at other Chinese massage places, I have had an entirely open room. I also liked that there was a front desk manager, who took my call and scheduled me (then called an hour out to push back, which I appreciate much more over having me come and sit there waiting) and whom I paid.
The majority of the massage was good: strong and focused on trouble areas, which my masseuse identified. It probably wasn’t too hard to see that my shoulders were twisted in knots, but she also caught my hip injury and messed up tendons. She did a really nice job untangling the knots in my shoulder/​neck, which were at orange threat level.
The trouble was the last ten minutes where she knelt/​walked on me. I’ve done this kind of massage for quite a while, so I am pretty used to going with the flow, trusting the process and letting them do their thing, however painful. Sometimes this is a problem. She definitely went a little overboard and I had a black and blue mark in the center of my back and on one shoulder both in the shape of a footprint. In addition, the skin was irritated where my tank top was not covering it, so I wonder if there wasn’t something on her socks that she had stepped in and then kicked into my back.
Pricing is fine, on par for the area. $ 55 for an hour and they have a loyalty card, where you get something after ten.
I’ve decided it was mostly good, with the bad likely avoidable. I will go back and request that the masseur not walk/​kneel on me, but replace that part with a focus on some other area.

The best Chinese massage place in the city, with amazing massagiests who know every single pressure point of your body and get all the knots out. Can’t be more accurate. Very nice staff and caring service. Need more places like this in UES.

Just had a 1 hour massage and I feel great. Nice place, you can hear people in other rooms if they are moaning or grunting from their massage. It doesn’t bother me, I’m here for one reason to have a nice massage. I will definitely be back!

Went here for a massage after I ran the NYC marathon 2 days ago and it exceeded my expectations. Wendy was excellent, she gave me a strong hard massage but it wasn’t too painful. I asked her to focus on my legs and lower body and she managed to do that while giving me a full body massage and stretching out my whole body. I would highly recommend for the price — $ 70 for 75mins.
It’s not like a day spa, small rooms with simple massage table but the massage quality was superb

How did Asian women get the reputation for being meek and weak? That’s clearly straight up racism based on lack of exposure. Indeed, none of these people have ever visited NYC and had a solid Chinese massage. These professionals even get at the tense spots located between your individual ribs.
My feet were really sore from hours spent at the Met; thus, I opted for the local San Yuan Body works. It was less than a mile from my friend’s place. Wendy was wonderful; she worked out all of my knots. Plus, she’s very open to adjusting the pressure as needed.
I remove one star from this review because there were several mosquitoes inside the building which resulted in me being relaxed and itchy (in the end). Of course, the relaxation was wonderful. The business could address this problem by closing the door during business hours.

Great for relieving tension.

This is the epitome of no-​frills, but they’re cheap so what can you expect? However the massage itself is fantastic. I get a lot of neck/​shoulder/​upper back pain as a combination of my work, mild scoliosis, and being a tad front heavy — to the point that I usually need a massage every 6 weeks or so or I am in excruciating pain downing ibuprofen like there’s no tomorrow. This place delivers every single time. I usually call same day, they take me right away. I’ve almost never had the same person twice and it’s still consistently good and I walk out a new person every time!
If you don’t like deep pressure — this is not the place for you. This is where knots come to die!

I’m visiting from Phoenix Arizona and I was at the museum decided I had enough of art and was ready for a massage. Sang Yuan Body works gave me the most incredible experience. I’m not one for those soft Swedish massages. I like the slightly painful kind. I just finished up and I feel incredible! I will be back on my next vacation.

From the phone call making an appointment to the actual massage was overall a great experience! Everyone was friendly, a relaxed environment, and a nice waiting area. They take both cards and cash. They really give a great full body massage and should be charging more for it!
It seems sketchy, but not at all and the employees are so welcoming! Since the rooms are separated by curtains, you can hear the phone ring and people talking in the hall. It wasn’t too much of a bother. Also, it would’ve been nice if they could put me in the same room as my boyfriend as a couples massage, but they don’t do that. Best massage ever though — wouldn’t go anywhere else.

A significant portion of the American population — probably at least half the South — doesn’t believe in evolution. These Americans claim there is no evidence — none — that humans have evolved from apes.
As a citizen somewhat passionate about science, I would like to submit as evidence, exhibit A: my back. If my back was an amusement park, it would be called «Knots» Berry Farm. Veritable mountain ranges of knots rise along the insides of my shoulder blades. I call these the Ow-​palachians because guess what, they fucking hurt.
Now, if we had evolved our bipedal locomotion from creatures that crawled around on all fours, a tightened back like mine makes perfect sense. Evolution, as a process, doesn’t get everything right on its way from point A to point B. But if, as some of these Southerners (I’m looking at you Bobby Jindal) say, God created us in his image, I would retort, «well God either did a half-​assed job or he sure has a bad back».
So onto the review.
These five stars are for Lee (Is it spelled Li? whatever) specifically. I’ve had other people here who haven’t been good.
Her hands (and arms and elbows) are blessed with a sublime telepathy. They hear what my back is saying (or crying, rather). They go straight to the Ow-​palachians and she just kneads them, prods them, smooths them out so good. It is refreshing. And I appreciate it even more because let’s face it, some masseuses suck, they just willy nilly formulaically touch this and that and then do the chop-​chop. Not Lee. Lee has the Gift, ladies and gentlemen. She rocks. My back and I are grateful.

I was recommended by a friend who told me it was a great massage, but not to be «sketched out» when I went in. Pretty accurate description.
There was no wait and my massage started within 5 minutes of arriving. It was amazing!!! Ignore the safety pinned sheet that functions as a curtain and it is unbelievable!
Very affordable and experienced massage! Will definitely be back. Most likely next week.

Hooray for Unilocal!I wanted a foot massage and did a simple search, which brought me to the reviews of this place. I probably wouldn’t have walked in otherwise, but so glad I did. Great massage and great prices. Definitely check this place out if you are cool with the low key ambiance.

Absolutely worth the price, for $ 55 I got a 60 minute massage. The masseuse and other staff were extremely welcoming. The massage was beyond my expectations, she removed all the knots in my back she even rubbed my head (which felt AUHHMAZING)

I will most definitely be coming back.

Loved the massage. Tina was fantastic. Very good deep tissue massage — as good if not better than other massages at fancy spas.
Loses 1 star because it’s a no frills place — curtains separating the rooms; you can hear things inside and outside.
But at the price of $ 55/​hour — I’d recommend this place to anyone wanting a deep tissue massage. It was clean, the people were nice and professional, and the massage was fantastic!

My favorite massage on the UES. I’m always calling for a last minute massage and typically I can be seen with a few hours if not within the hour. This isn’t touchy-​feely massage it’s one of those that works the kinks out and leaves you feeling totally relaxed. Quite when you enter as it’s a shhhhh zone (silence your cell). Shoot for an hour massage for the full benefit and afterwards walk to 86^th Organic Ave for a shot of ginger or your favorite green drink. I schedule all my arriving visitors an hour with Sang Yuan, makes those long airplane rides a faint memory and it’s the only time they can rest before hitting the busy streets of NYC.

Definitely not spa like by any means but absolutely worth it for the price. Full hour for $ 55, you really cant do better than that. Everyone is incredibly welcoming and each masseuse has subtle differences in style but are great across the board.
Super easy to get in as well, you don’t need an appointment but if i plan on getting there within an hour of their closing time its a good idea, sometimes they will stay open a little later than the advertised time.
Can’t say enough about how welcoming and excellent the massage is here.

I will make it a short but concise review for this place.
I’ve been to pretty much all the massage places around yorksville, UES.
You can pretty much expect to get a fair massage from any places around. If you demand, they will get your knots out at no problem.

The massage was quite mild compare to what I usually experience at other Chinese massage parlors in NYC. Everyone was friendly and the electric blanket was a nice touch. The masseuse asked me how strong I liked my massage, and I told her, «strong,» yet it was anything but. Most reviews here commented how painful their massage was, so I was disappointed when I didn’t receive the nice strong massage that I expected.