I cannot say enough amazing things about my experience with Victoria. After being in severe pain…read morefrom a recent car accident combined with a long flight, I was in severe pain. They accommodated me last minute and were so understanding. I cannot say enough amazing things about my experience with my massage therapist. From the moment I arrived, I felt genuinely cared for. Her knowledge, professionalism, and ability to target exactly where my body needed help was beyond impressive. I walked in barely able to move comfortably and left feeling significant relief both physically and mentally. If you are looking for someone who is not only exceptionally talented but also truly kind, empathetic, and dedicated to their clients, I wholeheartedly recommend them. I am beyond grateful for the care I received.

Victoria to the rescue once again!! I never had sciatica…read morebefore. She helped tremendously. She can work wonder's with her hands. I felt much better after a few massages from her. If your having any muscle pain or other body problems go see her!

Shelley is absolutely amazing! I've been working with her for 3+ years and I've never once thought…read moreof straying. As an active fitness professional I've had a lot of massage therapists do body work on me through the years, and she simply possesses an energy and a touch that I've never experienced. She has a true artful gift for sensing where a body needs healing and has a precise touch that knows when it's appropriate to be firm, and when to ease off. She does several forms of massage as well as energy work, and beautifully blends multiple practices into each session. If you're in need of some tension relief, stress relief, muscle de-tangling, whatever, I highly recommend Total Balance Bodywork! Aside from having incredible hands and technique she's also the sweetest person you'll ever meet, and each session always begins and ends with a hug :)

Followup to my review after third session. My hip is now 100% pain free, and back to playing soccer…read more3-4 times per week. Can't express how good it is to feel great during and after the game.

Heather is a true high level massage professional and talented body worker. She is an athlete…read moreherself, and can work on pro athletes and amateur athletes, as well as normal every day individuals who just want to feel good and relieve pain. I have gone to her for 2 years consistently and she has helped me prepare for Jiu Jitsu competitions, recover from surgeries, and kept me going to train hard. I would recommend booking an appt with her since she won't remain a hidden secret for much longer. I have worked with many physical therapists in my 18 years adult journey to black belt in Jiu Jitsu and she is the best of the best ! Don't tell yourself "Oh, someday I should book an appt and get a massage" and then not follow through. That's a big mistake and you're doing yourself a disservice. Call her and book it and you will be glad you did.

Heather is so amazing! If you like firm massages, she is your girl. She finds knots in places I…read moredidn't even realize I had them. She really personalizes each session, feeling your body out to see which areas need attention. Her hands are magic, you must try her!

Susan was the best Massage Therapist I have ever been to in my life. After my Car Accident, I went…read moreto a terrible Massage Therapist and had to be rushed to the emergency room and now my spine and the vertebrae are totally out of whack. I suffer and continuous back pain. I wish I would've gone to Susan instead.

And the beat goes on. Susan continues to be my expert in healing my body. An amazing healer!read more

Orange County, especially in Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, has no shortage of great massage…read moretherapists. At least, that's what I've found in the 7 years that I've lived in OC. However, this specific spot on Birch Street in Newport has had no fewer than three great therapists, including the original one I found, Samantha from Serenity Holistic, and Delilah from Knot All Bliss, both of whom previously had to go on maternity leave. But this review is about Sandra Ugarte of Synchrony Wellness, the newest therapist in this location as of June 2025. She offers a handful of noteworthy massage therapy options, from lymphatic to Reiki to post-op to neuromuscular. I chose the neuromuscular massage option, and it was one of the best massages I've ever had. For reference, I am someone who has always had neck, shoulder, and back pain since my high school days (I am now in my mid-30s). This is probably due to my lack of exercise and stretching. The pain in those areas has only flared up over time, and while I've seen doctors, it's usually massage therapists who relax me enough after an 8-hour day of work or a 40-hour week of computer work with likely bad posture. I've also recently had issues like cervical radiculopathy and thoracic outlet syndrome, which aren't helped by tight upper traps, scalene neck muscles, and likely also tight hips and low back. That small rant leads me to why Sandra is great. Generally, my favorite massage therapists I've tried tend to have a mix of the following: they do good medium to hard pressure with great technique, usually with elbows or fingers, offer cupping and gua sha if possible, and include things like aromatherapy or hot towels if they're not an extra charge. Sandra does an excellent combination of everything I've said I like in a therapist. While most massage therapists I've been to usually focus on maybe 10 overall spots on the body with as many issues as I have, I was surprised that Sandra worked on almost my entire body, from my neck to my pecs, upper back, shoulders, arms, lower back, hips, hamstrings, and even calves. As someone who loves cupping, I was pleasantly surprised to have all these spots covered. No surprise to me, a lot of areas were red, as I expect with someone with as much tension as me. If you don't like cupping, you can always request not to have it, but for me, if you can handle the cupping pressure, I think Sandra does a good job of not applying it too tightly. I think it's really good for releasing deep tension that a regular massage can't cover. In general, I can tell that Sandra has a medical massage therapy background because she always makes sure to let me know what part she's going to work on next, ensuring that the pressure is good and that she's covered all the spots I want addressed, all with a calm but sweet, nice personality. She also does gua sha, which is a light scraping technique to reduce fascia tightness. She didn't do this as much as the cupping, but she definitely did enough on spots that were helpful for me, like the IT bands for my tight lower back and hips, and my arms. After a couple of sessions, Sandra started to use vacuum cupping therapy because of my cervical radiculopathy, as she didn't want to hurt my nerves in the neck area while still using cupping, gua sha, and good pressure whenever needed. Overall, Orange County has no shortage of good to great massage therapists, but Sandra Ugarte is now in the running for my favorite in the county. She's very nice, offers a good variety of massage options, applies good pressure, and, most importantly, is very comprehensive, using a great mix of all the techniques I like from a massage therapist, including good pressure, cupping, gua sha, and even offering advice on doing self-gua sha at home. If you live in Orange County and have chronic pain or nerve-and muscle-related issues, I highly recommend seeing Sandra Ugarte at Synchrony Wellness.

I'm very satisfied with my service today with Sandra! I got a lympathic/sub muscular massage along…read morewith cupping where needed and everything was beyond perfect. It was my first time getting a lymphatic massage and I was in heaven. She is very knowledgeable and intuitive and knows where you are struggling. I highly recommend her and will be coming to see her hopefully more regularly.

I have been seeing Samantha for over 4 years and she is great. However she is quite popular now and…read morecurrently only works Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday so you usually have to schedule at least 2 to 3 weeks ahead of time to get with her consistently. Thankfully as of March 2023 she has gotten a second massage therapist to join the studio in Kim Hostetter! She covers Monday/Wednesday/Friday. You can book with her to get a massage in Samantha's studio here: https://www.intuitivehealingwithkim.com/appointments Kim is great as well. She lets you choose your pressure ahead of time and makes sure to check in during the middle and can go harder or lighter if needed. I myself prefer firm pressure and her pressure is just perfect for me. I can handle hard pressure pretty well, especially with my super tight muscles on my back, shoulders, neck, hamstrings, and calves. Kim can work in targeted areas or full body as needed and do well both ways. She also provides the option of using a massage gun to help loosen up tighter muscles so she can go deep tissue. It works great for me I can handle high pressure. Kim provides good communication even outside the massage. You can text message her for scheduling or rescheduling in addition to the website above. She can also give good advice related to some stretches or good massage routines or focuses. I've only had a few massages with Kim so far but I like forward to continue working with her. She (along with Samantha) provide nice in-studio package deals so you can save money on multiple pre-paid sessions. I can't speak for Kim's lighter pressure but at least as someone who likes firmer pressure I think she does a great job. I highly recommend giving her a shot.

This place is a gem. I got the best massage ever, just the right pressure, and Samantha was very…read morekind and very intuitively focused on my pain point problems . I live with chronic back pain daily, and need just the right amount of pressure. My wonderful daughter found this massage location. I am so happy, that she did!!!

My husband and I went to see Samantha about a month ago, we both had different aches and pains and…read morewe needed some help. She was able to help my hubby with his shoulder pain and with my shoulder and neck. It was peaceful, relaxing and healing. Thank you Samantha! I loved the water and treat bag at the end of our visit. See you in 2 weeks!

I was able to finally get in as the therapist was booked up as they finally allowed massage to…read moreopen. Well it was well worth the wait. I'm pretty active at work and have desired my shoulder over the years. I went in with only being able to raise my arm up about halfway. I left and could lift it straight up with no pain. I've already made another appointment as it's been years since i haven't had paid in my arms. Great experience and felt safe with all the precautions that the therapist took for my feelings of safety. I definitely forgot about all my worries after about 10 minutes on the table! I will be back!

Rachel is awesome! I feel like it's hard to find an accupuncturist whom you feel both comfortable…read morewith,the procedures they are using and knowledgeable at the same time. Rachel has all these qualities. She is sensitive to the process,thoroughly explains and checks in if you're comfortable. She is also knowledgeable about the process and each time I have gone to her I have felt better. I am excited to continue to let my body heal through her services.

Rachel is fantastic! She has treated me with acupuncture, cupping, and massage, depending on my…read moreneeds at the time. I have been seeing her for several years (including at another location previously) , sometimes for wellness, but other times when I have had injuries pop up (shoulder, neck, back, leg/foot). She is very focused on my individual needs and goes above and beyond to give me tips and exercises to couple with my treatment. She always wants to get to the root of the problem and get me long term improvement versus just feeling good right after. But man do I feel good after! I hate driving but I drive 40 minutes to go see her. I also want to note that I have felt safe being treated by Rachel during the pandemic as she went above and beyond making sure the space had good ventilation and keeping things sanitized. I wish I had taken a picture last time I was there - I love the space - it's very relaxing and parking is easy. Also, her online reservation system is convenient.