The Lotus Center

This place can help with your holistic healing needs.
The practitioners are caring and nice, and they accept insurance.
I came here with help for hormonal needs and was met with compassion honesty and professionalism.

Dr. Jennifer Ashby is amazing.
She is a gentle, warm, wonderful woman and is exceptional at acupuncture. In one visit she was able to cure a shooting hip pain I have had for years that no physical therapist could heal. The pain comes back after running, but it is not nearly as strong. I will continue to see her to prevent it from coming back.
Can’t recommend her enough.
I also really enjoy the friendly receptionist :)

Miria is AMAZING!!! I have sent many friends her way, and all of them having glowing reviews. She is kind, patient, and a great listener. She really helped me get my body on track.

miria toveg has been giving me valuable health assistance for nearly 20 years, i’m so thankful for the help! she treated problems that western medicine failed to treat, helped me understand how to adjust my diet to aid in the healing process. i feel like i am working with a true healer when i work with miria — again, i’m so thankful for her help and offer my highest recommendation.

Holy crap this place is GROSS.
You have a electronic magnetic lock on your door which requires the receptionist to remotely unlock. Your clients think this is weird, ask them… I did; it’s also reminiscent of a happy-​ending massage parlor. Furthermore, since there was only one receptionist, who happened to be on the phone, clients were forced to wait outside the door until the receptionist had a moment to unlock it. What percentage of buildings on Valencia Street between 16^th and 24^th would you think have electronic locks at their front door that require remote unlocking?
Perhaps my lack of white hair and/​or collar piqued the receptionist to treat me like a homeless person. She was abhorrent and seemed intentionally short when answering any of my questions (including why there was so much Thailand stuff on the walls, to which I did not receive a reason). You should have heard the way she gently cooed and helped clients (who arrived AFTER me), and then immediately after, change her tone when speaking directly with me.
Overall quality and professionalism was at an all time low; with me in particular. Depending on your age, or appearance, perhaps you may have better luck here than I did.
I was never offered water, or anything other than an unfriendly attitude. I left without making any comments or a scene.

Dr. Jennifer Ashby is my Hero. After only 2 visits I can say I feel the best I have in almost 5 months of severe back and neck pain as well as TBI (traumatic brain injury) problems I have suffered from being hit by a car while walking to work last year. Thank you beyond words for helping me!
I am beyond grateful to be able to go to someone who truly knows what their doing, is compassionate and has helped me beyond measure in such a short period of time. I highly recommend her and just gave her card to a good friend today.

Dr. Jennifer Ashby is outstanding. She has an impressive wealth of knowledge and the perfect combination of warmth and professionalism.

Jennifer Ashby is a brilliant practitioner. Love her demeanor and holistic approach to solving medical issues. She’s very well-​versed in her field, and does an excellent job of bridging both eastern and western practices. She has even inspired me to sign up for an introductory class in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ron, her assistant, is extremely kind and adds an element of relaxation to the waiting room (which has a very nice selection of tea I might add).
I highly recommend this center for acupuncture!

Miria has changed my life. I have suffered from insomnia for the past six years. Miria has helped me sleep through the night. She is professional, compassionate, and easy to talk to. She is an amazing acupuncturist and a genuine healer. I would recommend her to anyone.

Sally is gifted! I have to agree with Sandy. She listens to everything that is ailing and works quickly to unblock blocked energy. Yes, thank you Sally.

Jennifer Ashby really helped my migraines.
Love the staff, the prices and the treatments. They know what they are doing. Really good bedside manner that helps as much as the treatment.

When I walked into Lotus I was a newbie to acupuncture with an enthusiastic referral to see Tamara Brown. She is amazing. She listens to everything that is ailing me, and then does her best to «fix» my energy. She is sweet, caring, and warm, and is very knowledgeable. I’ve had only great experiences here at Lotus with Tamara.
Herbs are reasonably priced, I don’t have much to compare them to, but they seem reasonable.
The rooms are warm and cozy, with soft relaxing music which puts me to sleep every time (gotta love nap time).
The waiting room offers a nice selection of warm teas to sip on as you catch up on all the current affairs via People Magazine.
Oh, and they take insurance and have a sliding scale payment for those of us who don’t have insurance to cover acupuncture.
Definitely a 5 star experience.

It’s rare that I allow myself to completely relax without feeling guilty. Without feeling like I should be accomplishing some task on the never ending list of tasks that is my life. When I come to the Lotus Center to have acupuncture with Tamara, I am compelled to just chill out and let the energy flow through my body (or whatever happens that makes me so blissed out). I tend to lose track of time, and I allow myself a respite from stress and worry. Tamara’s personality is really conducive to tranquility and peacefulness, it seems to radiate from her. She is also really interested in what’s going on with you, and asks lot of questions about your general well-​being at the start of each appointment.
So far I am only 2 weeks into the acupuncture, but it seems to be working in terms of pain management which was my initial reason for coming to see Tamara. I will update this review as necessary should things change.
Bottom line, I’m very happy to have found The Lotus Center and Tamara. I am also glad that my visits are only $ 10 a pop due to that awesomeness that is acupuncture insurance. I was also told that the practitioners at the Lotus Center work on a sliding scale, so it may be worth while to inquire about that if your insurance does not cover such services.

I am new to acupuncture but thought I’d try it out for a persistent back knot and some digestive issues.
I’ve enjoyed my sessions and it feels good to be taking care of myself. But the biggest and welcomed surprise is how great my acupuncturist, Tamara Brown is. We start off each session with at least 15 minutes of talking of how things are, any new issues, how the herbs are working.
It’s such a vast difference from the MDs that I visit for colds, physicals, etc. who speed through the appointment and who seem really bothered when I ask questions.
The other big pluses are that my insurance covers the sessions and it’s within walking distance to my apt. So yeah, I’m really glad that I discovered acupuncture.

It was nice, very educational and not as scary as it has been in the past for me. Tamara brown is the nice lady next door with the skills of a chinese zen master and eastern medicine doctor. Great experience. Not sure how long it takes to save me though.

The Lotus Center is awesome. When Western medicine didn’t know what to do with me, Myria Toveg at TLC helped me immeasurably. She is always warm, kind, and professional. She asks detailed questions about my health that I have never been asked in a traditional doctor’s office, and she cares about the answers. She can tell if I’m low energy by taking my pulse!
TLC takes insurance or has a sliding scale if you don’t have insurance that covers acupuncture.
Plus, the hot packs before the treatment are divine. I almost always fall asleep!

I started seeing Jenny Crissman just over a month ago, at the recommendation of a friend. No really acute ailments, just taking advantage of sweet acupuncture health benefits on my insurance!
Never had regular Chinese medicine before, except some needling and herbs from a few friends and an unpleasant experience in South America.
Things I appreciate about Jenny:
1) She laughs a lot
2) She is very laid back
3) She listens well. I feel like I can come in and honestly say how things have been going and what my body feels like
4) She is a nutritionist — I love food (like many people in Unilocal.) Incorporating food into my healing regimen makes a lot of sense for me.
The Lotus Center is reasonably decently trafficked, so it’s never silent, but they have pleasant treatment rooms with good heaters for warmth and an array of soothing music. Taking 30 minutes on a Friday to bliss out with a few needles in is a great way to wrap the week. I usually walk out giddy into the sunshine,

Jennifer Holley… what can I say about her? She is my soul-​sister — we were born about 1 hour apart approximately thirty something years ago, we went to the same TCM school, and we’re future business partners.
One of the sweetest, smartest, and hippest TCM folks in our City! Go get a treatment from her — you’ll love it!

Carol Francois only works here two days a week but she’s so worth the specific timing needed to see her. She’s warm, loving, attentive and extremely good at diagnosing and treating whatever it is that’s ailing you.
She’s great with the cups and has really worked out some serious cricks in my neck and back. She even took a photo for me the first time because I was so amazed at the marks the cups left (they leave giant hicky marks but they don’t really hurt unless they pull from an area of high toxicity — but she’ll walk you thru all of it — don’t be afraid, it’s awesome).
Her father was the first african american man on city council years ago and has a street named after him in the china basin area. Just a fun tid bit.

Acupuncture with Jennifer Ashby is one of the consistent highlights of my week. I highly recommend her services. She is so knowledgeable and personable, and the treatments leave me feeling like I’ve just had a massage, done yoga and got therapy all in a 1 hour session.
The treatment rooms are warm and cozy, and the dim lighting and soothing music make the sessions feel more like a spa treatment.
Huge bonus: they take insurance.