Al has been a lifesaver for my body and my mental health. I've been going to him for the past 6 months and I can't imagine going to anyone else. He has a masters in Physical Therapy and will give me stretches to help in between visits. There are times when I can't walk when I get to him and he makes me so I can stand up straight and walk evenly when I leave. I've paid lots of money for many other solutions and I only wish I found him sooner. His price is very reasonable and frankly he's worth far more than what he charges. read more

I've been going to Alco's for years and he's great. Knows exactly where to work on and has great knowledge. I'm so glad I found him.

I highly recommend Al - my 1st session was great! I have multiple injuries I've been recovering from - tennis elbow (right arm), stiffness from a recent hamstring sprain and radial nerve pain in my left arm - all of my issues were nearly completely eliminated with one session. Al is incredibly knowledgable, I appreciated that he walked me through his approach before and during my treatment, and provided me with exercises to do at home every day. I'm looking forward to my next session! read more

I have been suffering from functional scoliosis--that is, curvature(s) of the spine induced by repetitive motion--from being a classical violin prodigy, probably since I was a teenager. Alexander Technique and other largely-anecdotal methods for addressing my recurring structural issues have often been heralded seemingly-dogmatically and repetitively--by scientifically-less-trained classical musicians in my community--as the end-all/be-all for my issues stemming from the violin. Alco Chan is a credentialed Physical Therapist who took an authentic interest in massage therapy and its structural integration modality, and he has vastly- and properly-refined it according to scientific consensus on. To put this clearly: I once believed that God had made my life purely for the purpose of living in pain. Alco Chan Healing Hands proves that's not the case! read more

Really Really great! I went to Alco after reading other Yelp reviews and I will be back for sure. I am recovering from knee surgery and still doing physical therapy and really needed someone who understood the healing process. Per my PT therapist's request, she recommended I incorporate body work to help me get back in the game so I found Alco on Yelp. Alco is very personable, and has strong therapeutic hands. This might not be for everyone, but I truly appreciate DEEP tissue work that is just that... DEEP. Obviously you don't have to have deep tissue work if thats not your thing, he will adjust the pressure to your needs. He has a physical therapy AND Thai massage background which is the most amazing blend. Its hard to describe, you will just have to feel it to understand. Being someone who also had a major knee surgery, Alco gave me the best session for my injury, stretching advice, and home exercise suggestions to help me get back to snowboarding, hiking, jogging etc. He also gave me some recommendations to take back to my physical therapists to add to my routine, which she said were RIGHT ON! Before seeing Alco, I was a little depressed on how achy and sore I felt all the time, but he reassured me that it was just my body going through the motions of healing and that I would be back in action in NO time. If you are looking for EXCEPTIONAL people skills and body work, Alco is your guy. Can't wait to go back. read more

I sought out Also Chan after a horrific accident that involved a van rear-ending me at 45 mph while I was at a dead stop in the Macarthur tunnel. My car was totaled, crushed accordion style between two vehicles. I was stunned that I had not been seriously injured or killed in this accident. Unfortunately, I was not unharmed and found myself unable to function without pain. Fortunately, I found Also Chan. He responded quickly after I reached out, unlike the larger PT groups that don't respond to their online intake forms. I told Alco about my pain and how it was getting worse. Despite being busy, Also found a way to get me in as soon as possible. I couldn't believe how much better I felt after the first appointment. The man is not only a healer but he is helpful. He doesn't just hand you a paper with remedial sketches of stretches that you could download off any site on the internet. The specific bodywork he gave me consisted of a combination of stretches that I have never done before and they work! I am so grateful to have found a professional with his experience and education. I have heard of people going to physical therapy for years after an accident. That's not how I wanted to spend my time and, thanks to Also, I am back to feeling like myself. read more

I found Alco at the New Living Expo last year. He totally wowed me with just 20 minutes of bodywork. Having been a bodyworker myself for over 20 years I am not easily wowed nor impressed. Alco reeeeally knows his stuff - this guy has an incredible passion for learning and healing. Being a physical therapist gives him a working command of anatomy that really shows up when he's figuring out how to solve the various mysteries that my body hands to him and I ain't easy. He is always incredibly enthusiastic and totally energetic with each session. So many other bodyworkers I have gone to get kinda lazy after awhile - not Alco. He is totally there and giving me his all EVERY time. read more

A friend from Ironworks gym recommended him as a guru for sports people. Since I had a chronic problem with calf cramping (I guess from flat feet) I was approaching a desperate point in my life. Sure, I managed to accomplish a marathon and a triathlon in my 20's, along with other sports thereafter: sort of hit or miss, depending if I was injured or not. But now in my 40's it was becoming an ongoing problem and I could no longer run. Pretty devastating. Running makes me feel alive! So 15 years of chronic dysfunction and I brought this problem to Alco. And I was "fixed" after seeing him once and following his advice. Now a year later I find myself running with the dogs out at Fort Funston and I am free of all problems. Free and alive! But of course, being athletic means you have to work through problems. Now it's my shoulder. After 6 months of trying to take it easy I saw him today and hopefully am on my way to being healed. I have health insurance but didn't bother with it because for me, Alco Chan is my (sports medicine) "doctor". read more

What do I love about Al? He doesn't want to see you again. Fixes you and then helps give you the tools you need to take care of yourself. He's not a "come back next week and pay me again" kind of guy. So when I have a problem, I call Al. I've been going to see him since 2004. In high school for knee/running issues. In college for a wrecked alignment. As a ballroom instructor for serious hip/back issue that required me to see him for 7 weeks straight. He worked out the problem and this time I actually listened to him when he taught me how to take care of myself. I haven't been back to see him since. To this day I am grateful to him and his gf Moana, who's also a pro dancer and is fantastically knowledgeable, for keeping me injury and pain free. read more

I have been suffering with very bad pain in both my hands. I am a sports medicine doctor who does a lot of injections of Prolotherapy. They were so painful they were beginning to burn with the least activity. Luckily, i remember Alco, and went and saw him. He began with my neck, shoulders, elbow, wrists and then hands and fingers. I am so much better. I can not tell you how relieved and thrilled i am. He is extremely knowledgeable and experienced. I am always so impressed with him. I will continue to send my difficult patients to him. read more

Al is definitely a massage ninja! The massage I experienced by him was by far one of the most best, most thorough examples of body work my body has ever experienced! It was like his hands, forearms, elbows, knees were everywhere all at once, massaging the exact perfect points and easing my body's tension-- ninja style. Al comes highly, HIGHLY recommended! read more

Alco - I just wanted to say thank you so much for making me feel so much better!!! I can't believe the difference. In just 15 mins, you made me feel better than the Chiropractor, I had gone to did. I was living with the pain and taking any kind of medication I could get my hands on just to deal with the pain I was in. And not even that was helping. I didn't even have to take Motrin that night. Going back the next day for a 50 minute massage was even better. It's like a massage, chiropractic adjustment and great stretch all rolled into one. I have been free of all the medications since that first day. THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH. read more

I saw that Al had great reviews before going to him, and I'm here to join the chorus! I was especially pleased to find that he could adapt his techniques as needed. Ninja is right! In a time when many therapists think everything is a nail because they only have a hammer, Al is like a swiss army knife. While it takes a lot of training to be versatile, it takes real talent to blend all that in an effective way. Al is like an artist. read more

Save yourself some money and time. See Alco first! He knows his stuff and will have a phone consult with you over the phone. I went to Al because I had been experiencing severe pain in my hip. The pain came on suddenly and was becoming worse each day. After a month I started to get worried. One friend suggested a chiropractor. Another suggested that I probably had Lymes Disease. Luckily I listened to my friend who suggested that I go see Al. Al took one look at my posture and assessed my problem right away - An old ankle sprain had caused my foot to lose its arch, which strained the tendon of my hip. He stretched me out and gave me exercises to strengthen certain leg muscles and stretch out other muscles. He went with me to pick out arch supports. I saw him twice. That was over one month ago. My pain went completely away within a couple days of my last appointment, and I still have absolutely no pain!!! I totally recommend Alco for people who need more than just a massage - he can help you with pain that stems from trauma, tissue injury, structural and postural problems. He will be honest with you and let you know if he can help you and what to expect from his treatments. read more

Alco is fantastic! I could barely turn my neck when I went in and felt about 80% better after just one session. He works deep, does streching techniques and really understands the body. I highly recommend. read more

I was a walk-in at Alco Chan's booth at the Davis Whole Earth festival. I have lived for years with neck pain limiting my head movement and recently was getting some very persistent lower back pain that had me stretching multiple times a day just to keep it bearable. Alco worked on me hard for 30 minutes with a combination of stretching, flexing, deep massage and pressure. After the session, I felt great. But next day, and the next, it was still great. In fact my lower back issues have not returned after several weeks. I'm finally starting to notice that my neck and shoulders could use another session, but that is after several weeks of stress and bad posture. I've had massages that primarily worked the muscle tissue, but Alco put more emphasis on joints, range of motion and ligaments. That had long term results and freed me up like never before. HIghly recommended. read more

Wow. I have never had better hands on me, and I have been worked on by master rolfer's and massage therapists. I came to Al after I had been in major neck pain for four days and had been worked on by three people with no relief. With a combination of traction and soft tissue, I was feeling 90% better within 10 minutes. Every time I go see Al, I leave feeling like I have a new body. His combination of physical therapy and massage training is unique, and it works perfectly for me. The last time I saw him he noted that my jaw was offset, and within 3 minutes, release tension in my neck I didn't even know I had, and I felt so much relief afterwards! I cannot recommend Al enough. I can't even believe he has time to get me in with how amazing he is and I don't know what I would do without him! read more

I wanted to learn to do chair massage and came across Al's Power Chair Massage. He is an amazing instructor, generous with his knowledge and skills. It was a small group so we had lots of individual attention to make sure we were doing things correctly during our practice sessions. His amazing knowledge of anatomy and passion for his work as a healer really comes through, and he was able to answer my question about a nagging pain in my elbow that no one else could (bonus for me!). I'm definitely looking forward to more training with Al. read more

Okay, here's my story about Alco Chan. I've had back problems for a few years, but recently I started having hip pain as well. I wasn't able to sleep through the night because of the pain from simply lying down. My wife and I spent at least $5,000 trying different kinds of mattresses, but whenever I got up in the morning I was a wreck. Then last April things got worse during a trip to Europe. Probably the luggage. I had been going to a chiropractor for a couple of years, and he had helped a bit in the past, but he was making no headway for my hip. I finally Yelped "physical therapist" and found Alco. In our first session (90 minutes) he quickly noticed that my right hip was lifted: not only lifted, but rotated in ("flared") and back - basically off in all three dimensions. He worked like crazy on my hips and in one session managed to straighten them out. But towards the end of the session, I was still in some pain lying down, and it became clear that my sacrum/lower spine connection was very tight. The sacrum pain continued after our first session, so I went back about a week later, and Alco focused on that area using a special "L5/S1" loosening trick that he has developed. It was amazing! I left the second session pain-free and have stayed that way. I'm continuing to stretch major muscles (e.g., hamstrings, etc.) on my own and day by day I am getting looser and more flexible. Now I sleep like a baby and wake up feeling (dare I say it?) normal again! Alco is a commonsense, no-nonsense healer, who pays close attention, figures out the problem and fixes it. I am thrilled to have found him! read more