Sunshine Wellness — Local services in Seattle

I’ve been to Sunshine Wellness twice and had great experiences both times. My sister and I have been getting Chinese massage 1-2 times a month for about a decade. Chinese massage is so much more therapeutic for relieving muscle aches and tension than most American-style massage. It’s also more affordable.

Some notes/reminders for folks new to Chinese massage:

Many of the massage menu items are provided in a shared space, and you leave your clothes (except coats, shoes, socks, hats) on. It’s a good idea to wear shorts or pants that can be rolled up when you go. I also wear a tank top and take my shirt off so they can reach my back more easily, but it’s not required.

The menu offers relatively fixed services. For example, the 1-hr Combo A massage includes 20 minutes on head/neck/shoulders/arms, 25 minutes on feet/calves, then ~15 minute on back/back of legs/wrap-up. This is a standard offering you can find at most Chinese massage places across the U.S. (though it may go by a different name based on the business). If you want a massage highly-focused on one area of your body, ask the person at the front desk to clarify how long is spent on that area before you buy. And if they can’t offer exactly what you’re looking for, you’re welcome to go to a traditional American massage place and pay 1.5-2x as much.

Most of the folks who work here are from China and are experienced in Chinese massage therapy. Their first language is usually Mandarin. English is a hard language to learn. You can help yourself by keeping your sentences simple and not getting worked up if you’re not understood. Be patient and try phrasing it a different way.

It’s physically challenging to apply the amount of pressure common in Chinese massage. This isn’t the type of job people can do forever—eventually it wears out the hands and wrists. So please tip well. Don’t think of it as 40% on a $45 massage; think of it as the same dollar amount you’d tip a white person to apply half the pressure for twice the price at a traditional American massage place. A good rule of thumb is to tip $10-15 per half hour of service (for non-mathy folks: $20-30 for 1 hr, $30-45 for 90 mins).

If you’re in the main room, please don’t talk unless you’re requesting something specific from your massage therapist (i.e., harder/softer pressure). The therapists don’t expect you to chat with them. Chatting is also obnoxious to other patrons.

Likewise, please silence your phone and take any phone calls outside. If you want to be chatty, buy one of the more expensive, private room massages from the menu and you can chat to your heart’s desire.

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A final note on tipping:

Tipping is culturally expected at Chinese massage. It is offensive not to tip—it’d be like going to a fancy restaurant, getting excellent service and a delicious meal, then refusing to tip your server. It implies you think the service/massage quality were trash.

If you’re the kind of person who gets agitated about tipping culture and believes massage should not be a tipped industry, here are some alternatives for you:

1. Find a massage therapist who only bills health insurance (they probably won’t accept tips) and get your massage that way.

2. Buy a massage chair or other machine that, unlike a human, does not know or care about cultural norms.

3. Ask a friend/partner to massage you for free.

4. Don’t get Chinese massage. Just as eating at fancy restaurants is not an entitlement assured in the Constitution, no one is entitled to Chinese massage.

Getting on your high horse at a small business about tipping norms isn’t going to change tipping culture. It only makes you look like a jerk, and deprives someone of a significant portion of their daily income in a city with a high...

I experienced combo for an hour in this massage, First of all, the biggest disadvantage is that communication is very difficult. The masseurs and managers of this store lack English communication skills. They have no way to understand my questions and requests, especially when I express that I need to reduce the pain on my neck and shoulders. When I was struggling, she didn't understand. I repeated it several times before she relieved the pressure, which caused some pain in my neck and shoulders. When I expressed my request, she seemed to ask the staff next to me and Manager, but she didn't seem to understand my request. Secondly, I think the massage technician lacks professional training and techniques, because it is difficult for me to feel professional traditional massage points and massage techniques when massaging my body. Her massage technique is too simple, she seems to only know how to press hard on my body parts, through her elbows and forearms, I think this is unprofessional, this is not the massage I want. The good thing is that the price is really cheap, but to be honest, I don't think the service here can be called a satisfying massage even though the price is so cheap, so I was disappointed even though I still tipped her 20% , but that's just out of my respect for her not satisfaction with the service. I can't recommend anyone else to...

I had a great experience here! I did the combo massage: 30 minutes on my back and 30 minutes on my legs and feet for $45. I tipped $15, so I paid $60 total in cash. Everything went smoothly—no one pressured me about tipping or payment, and no issues with them asking for cash instead of card (cause I paid with cash) or anything like that.

The massage itself was excellent. I could tell I had a lot of knots, so parts of it were a little painful, but in that really satisfying, effective way. I left feeling so much better.

Just to set expectations, this place isn’t fancy. It’s a traditional Chinese massage spot, so don’t expect spa vibes or a super private setup. Most of the beds are out in the open, almost like a big shared lobby area. They do have private rooms available if that’s important to you, but the standard setup is open, which is typical for places like this.

I had read other reviews mentioning issues with tipping, payment, or a language barrier, so I came prepared just in case. But honestly, I didn’t experience any of that.

I’ll definitely be back....