Ultra Chiropractic

The new doctor this office, Dr. Joel Southwell is not only caring and compassionate about his patients but also a phenomenal chiropractic adjustor as well. The staff at ultra chiropractic really seems to have the patient’s best interest in mind at all times. Dr. Southwell has treated me over the past two years both in Portland and now here in Seattle. If you live in the University of Washington area, do yourself a favor and see Dr. Joel Southwell at ultra chiropractic!

I have never been very comfortable with chiropractic. But low back pain and a feeling of being out of balance led me to Urban Chiropractic (met one of the docs as a neighborhood fair where they had a booth). I love this place! It is state-​of-​the-​art modern, all the latest machines and stuff to do the diagnosis, great exercise equipment and a system of handling many patients in a given period of time while still giving full individual attention to each. I have gone for 24 sessions (just finished yesterday) and am feeling much better, the lower back pain is gone, and I feel more balanced. I cannot recommend the two docs at Ultra highly enough. This is not your father’s «bone cracker.» (And they take Medicare.)

Dr. Shaun relieves my pain caused by prior car accidents and the 3 falls from the ice this past winter. I used to have to go many times a week but little by little I have needed to go less. I have learned from my own experience that the doctor is right, come in regularly, before it starts to hurt again. I also continue care knowing that since I have the autoimmune disease, multiple sclerosis, I must prevent nerve pressure caused by misalignment that gets in the way of messages passing through my already damaged nerves. Dr. Shaun really listens and remembers my concerns from appointment to appointment, so I know he is really tracking my health. At each visit I get more information about my overall health through him sharing positively about diet, exercise, chiropractic care and how my body works. I often come in stressed out and leave with a smile coupled with a feeling that he genuinely cares about my wellness.
I must add, the staff is great!

Never having gone to a chiropractor, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. But as a new patient, my experience with Dr. Shaun Reynolds at Ultra has been very positive. With an initial exam, I could definitely see certainly problems with my posture and balance, which were confirmed with x-​ray and stress tests. Dr. Reynolds really took the time to explain chiropractic principles and to explain the results of the test. An adjustment can seem a bit scary but Dr. Reynolds is gentle, and after 10 – 12 adjustments, I definitely feel better, and my lower back pain has gone away completely. The focus is on the quality of life and wellness, so I am very happy to see the continuing improvements. Service is quick and friendly, and the office also validates parking. Overall, Ultra Chiropractic has been a pleasant experience from the start and has positively impacted my quality of life.

I found their ad for a massage in the Student Survival Kit and decided to get myself in for an appointment.
There was an opening later that day and I grabbed it. Shortly after I arrived we found out that the massage practitioner was having trouble getting there, so the receptionist (Rachel– who was very nice and helpful) apologized and offered to reschedule me for another appointment (at half the cost of what I was prepared to pay). So we got that done and she also put me down on a list so that I’d get a call in case an earlier appointment opened up.
Yesterday I got my appointment reminder and today I came in for my massage (with the practitioner Sean). We had a brief conversation about posture and habits and then he started working on me. (He also gave some medical/​physical explanations, but I usually tend to remember/​understand these things better by experiencing and just… sensing… them.)
It’s interesting to experience how different people practice massage. The focus was on my back and upper chest and he worked in a way that was slow, deep, and repetitive. It was quite nice. I feel much more relaxed but not the whoozy «high» feeling I’ve experienced after some bodywork sessions. I’m a big fan of the whoozy, but this is also very nice.
Some side notes:
+ They do take insurance.
+ Tips are not required, but can be taken by the receptionist and passed on to the practitioner. (Or given directly, I guess, but I sometimes feel weird about that.)
+ Massages are by appointment only and I’m not sure about the Chiropractic work.
Two new experiences for me–
This was my first time being worked on by a male massage practitioner.
This was my first time getting a massage at a place that wasn’t a spa or a private massage practitioner’s office.
It all worked out quite well. Perhaps I should make this a once-​a-​quarter ritual?

Ultra Chiropractic has both Chiropractors and Licensed Massage Therapists. I have used both. I attended graduate school full time while working full time (Note to self: I’m not doing that again). During that time, I spent way too much time sitting at a computer and not enough time exercising. Over time this created a pinched nerve that became so painful that I went to seek medical attention.
At Ultra Chiropractic, I saw Dr. Shaun who is I believe one of the founders of this practice. I was new to the whole chiropractic thing so it took a bit of getting used to, but although I was skeptical, it really did seem to help. Dr. Shaun did some initial chiropractic assessments on me and then explained my current state of health along with some chiropractic basics. Although I still do not really understand much about chiropractics, what Dr. Shaun did to my back seemed to help quite a bit.
I combined chiropractic treatments with massage treatments and eventually just continued with the massage as I was getting better. For massage, I saw Dani Siegler who is simply amazing. Her 50 minute massage sessions did wonders and she is truly one of the best massage therapists that I have ever met. The massages (and more exercise) allowed me to continue with graduate school, work and a regular schedule of massage. Dani is very friendly and she creates this truly relaxing environment with soothing music and dimmed lights and mostly silence.
Amie the front desk manager is very organized, friendly and efficient. She was great about giving reminder messages and accommodating when I had to re-​schedule appointments.
My insurance actually covered most of the cost of my treatments so check into your health benefits if you find that you need massage or chiropractic. Note: They validate parking in the lot across the street and they are accessible by bus. I recommend this business.