James Schwartz Rolfing

I have been in chronic pain that is often a 10 on a scale from 1 – 10 for months. I have many problems that I thought were separate but James explained how most of them are connected. I have lumbar stenosis, bi-​lateral hip bursitis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, bilateral tears in my gluteus minimus and plantar fasciitis. I also have Crohn’s disease, which exacerbates my joint pain. Doctors, physical therapists and even James, have all deemed me a «difficult case». In the past several months I tried everything, including PT but I kept getting worse by the day; to the point that I was sure I would end up in a wheelchair.
My Kaiser doctor suggested steroids, narcotics and Advil, then he sent me to PT, but I was too weak to do any of the exercises. I was weak and in too much pain to stand or walk beyond 15 – 20 minutes when I started working with James just two weeks ago. After my first session, I was able to stand and walk for 40 – 45 minutes and the leg pain that was so excruciating at night when I would lie down, went from a 10 to a 3. My second session was last Friday and I was so thrilled with the results from one session that I was really looking forward to how the second session would help.
Since last Friday, I am hiking an hour a day and today I noticed that when I stood from a crouched position, I no longer needed to push myself up with my arms. I can stand straight up just using my legs. My pain at night is at a 1 and it no longer wakes me throughout the night. My plantar fasciitis that he only worked on once, is nearly gone.
PT is necessary but I was in too much pain to wait weeks to build muscles where I need them. Now I can begin PT and I will continue to see James.
I am happy again and my outlook on life and my health is optimistic.
I highly recommend James for treating chronic pain. There’s no need to take steroids and narcotics if you work with James, a skilled master rolfer.

I have been going to James off and on for the past several years to keep my body healthy and working at a top level so I can do my job as a physical therapist. Being a physical therapist, I am very particular about who I work with, who works on me, and that person has to have a high degree of knowledge and skill in their craft as well as a great communicator and a great person to work with. James satisfies all of those qualities! James is an unbelievable Rolfer who looks at the body in such a different way that really gets down to the sources of the problem. He is very innovative in his treatment approach and can get results where others cannot. If you are looking for a Rolfer, James is your guy!

He removed the pain from my knees and restored my body so I feel like Gumby, what more can I ask for? Getting rolfing from James is the best investment you can make for your body.

I arrived in California with a persistent pain in my knee and a stiff neck that was painful with any movement. I am amazed after one session with James how much relief I have. I had tried stretching and several massage therapists before coming to James and but nothing helped either chronic problem. My neck was so stiff i couldn’t drive safely because I couldn’t turn my head to look in the left lane. My knee was so painful I couldn’t press on it to hop on a bed or sit cross legged. I had never tried rolfing because its reputation was it was a painful therapy. This was not my experience here.
The pressure was deep but not insane, no more than deep tissue massage. I was lucky James had an opening in his schedule and wished I could have seen him again during my 3 day visit but he was fully booked. Anyone that works with him will be impressed with his knowledge and genuine caring nature. He is a true health care professional!

Since I began working with James a year ago, our progress has been remarkable. I was looking for a very knowledgeable rolfer with expertise and compassion — James is that and a lot more.
Here are our accomplishments to date:
85% improvement in my form/​posture — my zig zag body from a previous car accident and asymmetrical face are barely noticeable;
80% improvement in my balance (I no longer use a cane to balance myself);
80% improvement to my range of motion (I can lift my arms over my head for the first time in years!).
My pain and stiffness have also lessened.
I am eternally grateful and recommend James very highly.

If I could give James 10 stars I would. I have been in excruciating pain for 6 weeks after a trail run. We (all the practitioners I saw and there were many with lots of $$$) determined it was nerve pain. It was from my hip all the way down through the top of my foot. I stand all day and no pain relievers worked, so I suffered… constantly.
I decided to do SUP yoga (OnBoardSUP) since it made me happy and I was in pain anyway when my friend saw that I was limping. She referred me, and I am eternally grateful.
In just 2.5 sessions, I am in no pain and I slept for the first time weeks. When I got out of bed this morning I couldn’t believe that I could walk without pain or limping. I thought it would come back after a while… still good!
I can almost cry from joy, but I am too elated.
If you want your life back or just a better one, see James! Now! Don’t walk, run! Or limp, whatever it takes, he is the real deal.
Namaste’ James
xoxo~Andriana
p. s. it can be painful, but so so worth it for the short term of it, to have long term relief.
Just b r e a t h e :)

I have benefited so dramatically since receiving Rolfing treatments from James. I had a lot of trouble with my right hip and leg resulting in pain at night that kept me awake. He is so very good at assessing where you need help and with his treatments (4 to date), I have no pain at all. I feel younger and more energetic. I am more comfortable in my body than I have been in years. I feel like hiking again. My husband has also gotten great relief from several of his chronic issues. James is very kind and sensitive and easy to talk with. He is a god-​send for us. There is some pain with Rolfing but it is over as soon as his treatment ends and then you are noticeably better — and in my case, pain free for the first time in a long time.

Thanks to James I have been able to train and race successfully into my 50s. I have been a patient of James for more than 15 years. In that time I have had many injuries and setbacks and James has been instrumental in getting me back on the trails and track.
As a high school cross country and track coach I have referred several of my runners to James and he has been helpful in making sure my athletes are ready to race in the big meets of the season.
I have also referred many of my running friends over the years so I would highly recommend James to anyone looking for an experienced Rolfer.

I have seen James 3x now after finding him on Unilocal.I have gotten Rolfed before but James is different. I am not a body worker but I think the other reviewers are right, he is a master of his craft.
I would strongly recommend him to people who have mysterious aches and pains, like I did or to those whose other alternative therapies don’t seem to be working for them. How can you tell? You notice it almost immediately and the effect doesnt go away with time. He is also very patient in explaining to me why he is working on a body part to show how it is related to where I perceive my aches to be.

As a fellow Rolfer who is quite picky about who I let work on me, James was my go-​to Rolfer when I lived in San Francisco. I had chronic sacro-​iliac pain and through his years of expertise of the body, ability to hold emotional stories that wanted to express themselves & his INCREDIBLE nerve work, I am so happy to say that my SI is still singing about a year after receiving a series of sessions from James!
I miss him dearly & often wish I could snap my fingers and be transported from my new home on the east coast to his office: 1. to receive his amazing work but 2. (some would argue more importantly) just to be in his presence. He is one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, & is able to hold so much space for healing that just being around him makes me feel better! Don’t wait, get a session with James… your life will not be the same.

As a fellow Rolfing Practitioner, I know James as both a colleague and a client. Having had about 15 sessions with James, I have made progress in the way I walk and stand from years of soccer and other athletic endeavors. His method is refined over 20 years of experience, and I always leave feeling better balanced and upright.
I place James amongst the top Rolfing practitioners I enjoy getting work from. Now if we could just get him to teach!

I herd about James through a BNI member who said he was a great Rolfer. I was a bit skeptical on Rolfing but I decided to give it a shot since stretching would only do so much. I was looking for a new way to start gaining more mobility and cause less discomfort when trying to do normal every day tasks.
When I first went to James I had a contracted muscle in my left quadriceps and an immense amount of discomfort in my ankles, hips, knees and shoulders. In my left leg i couldn’t lift my knee to my hip and when I tried to do so a bump would appear right next to my hip. After one session with James I Immediately could lift my left knee to my chest and by mourning the bump had went away. I also was able to bend my knee and my ankle and had less tenderness in the joint. The pain in my shoulder went away and I could lift 10 more lbs on bench press. This was after one session so I could not wait to fix and realign the rest of my body!
After three sessions my whole body was left with little discomfort. I felt like a new man. I still wanted to come back for another session but James told me to come back only if I needed to. A week passed and all my discomforts slowly but surely went away. I learned so much by asking questions through the experience that i figured out how to not let my body become so uncomfortable to just live and work. I would tell anyone I know feeling any kind of discomfort to go see James Scwartz and begin living life again;pain free!

Three years ago, after working as an esthetician for then, 15 years, I was forced to go on disability. My sciatica had become completely debilitating. My hip was stuck way out of alignment. my pelvis had frozen and my lumbar curve was flattened out. Not only was I in excruciating pain, but I was deformed as well. I thought I would not be able to work in my profession again, and that was what I was left with. I went to a chiropractor for many months weekly, which helped a little.
I had been given James number by a friend a while before. Everybody talks about rolfing like its some crazy rebirthing that hurts like hell. Buy I was DESPERATE! So I called. That was the best thing I ever did. I’m not going to lie, there’s a little discomfort. But the relief that follows is so profound that it’s really not a problem. He has such a compassionate way about him, he makes you feel completely safe. I have definitely had massages that did less and hurt more.
I started to feel better right away; but we had the breakthrough after about 5 or 6 sessions. My body is now back to normal. I still see him every couple of months, my best day then is my worst day now. I owe James my life because he gave me mine back.
Seriously awesome!

Working with James has made such a huge difference in the way I feel in my body. His hands are intuitive and know just where to go to relieve my aches and pains or misalignments in my structure.
I’ve been going to Rolfers for over 25 years, but there has never been anyone like James. His two decades as a Rolfer, combined with a unique way of working with the body’s nerve pathways, make each session almost magical in its efficacy. I get off the table pain-​free, aligned and breathing fully.
I can’t recommend him highly enough. Working with him has changed my life. If I could give him 10 stars, he would deserve every one of them.