Lower back pain
Long standing aches in the lower back, usually treated alongside the exercises a physiotherapist or doctor has given you.
Fine needles, quiet rooms and time to be heard
Acupuncture for back and neck pain, headaches, stress and broken sleep. Every visit begins with a conversation, uses sterile needles from sealed packs and ends with time to rest. Requests are answered within one working day.
75 minfor a first consultation
20 minof rest with the needles in
1 dayto reply to each request
- Back, neck and joint pain
- Stress and tension
- Sleep that keeps slipping
- Sealed, sterile needles
Why people come to see us
Most clients arrive after trying other things first, often while still in the care of their doctor. These are the reasons we hear most often.
Neck and shoulder tension
Stiffness from desk work, long drives or lifting small children, and the tight, heavy feeling that comes with it.
Headaches and migraine
Frequent tension headaches or migraine. Some national guidelines, such as those in the United Kingdom, list acupuncture as one option for preventing them.
Stress and a busy mind
A clenched jaw, shallow breathing or a head that will not switch off. Many clients say an hour of quiet treatment leaves them steadier.
Sleep
Trouble dropping off or waking in the small hours, treated together with the evening habits we talk through with you.
Knee and hip aches
Joints that ache after years of wear, where gentle treatment can sit beside the care and medicine you already have.
Research supports acupuncture for some problems more than others, and results differ from person to person. We tell you honestly whether it seems worth trying, we never ask you to stop treatment from your doctor, and acupuncture is no substitute for a medical diagnosis.
Visits and fees
Fees are charged per visit, with no courses to buy in advance. Most people try four to six visits before deciding whether to carry on.
First consultation and treatment
from$110
- Health history and what you hope will change
- Pulse, tongue and posture observed
- Acupuncture with twenty minutes to rest
- A short written note of what was done
Follow up treatment
from$80
- A short catch up on the past week
- Treatment adjusted to how you have been
- Ear points or gentle heat if they suit you
- A joint review every fourth visit
Community clinic
from$40
- Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings
- Reclining chairs in a shared, hushed room
- Needles in the arms, lower legs and ears only
- For returning clients after a first consultation
Please give 24 hours' notice to move or cancel a visit; later cancellations are charged at half the fee. Fees are paid at the clinic after each visit. Insurance cover for acupuncture varies by country and by policy, and every receipt shows the practitioner's registration number.
What happens at a first visit
You stay in control throughout, and any needle can come out the moment you ask.
We talk first
About thirty minutes on your health, sleep, medicines and what you would like to change. Bring a list of anything you take.
We look and feel
With your permission we check the pulse at both wrists, look at the tongue and feel for tender spots around the problem.
Needles and rest
Usually six to twelve fine needles, each from a sealed pack. You rest under a blanket for around twenty minutes.
Afterwards
A glass of water, a few minutes to sit up slowly, and an honest plan for how often to return, if at all.
Clean needles and careful hands
Every needle we use is sterile, used once and dropped into a sharps container straight after treatment. We open each pack in front of you and clean our hands between steps, so you can watch the whole routine.
Some health details change how we treat. Tell us if you are pregnant, take blood thinners, have a bleeding disorder or a pacemaker, or simply dread needles, and we adapt the plan or suggest another route. Our practitioners hold the registration acupuncturists need here; rules and titles differ between countries, so ask to see it wherever you are treated.
- Sterile, single use needles from sealed packs
- Hands cleaned before and after every treatment
- A sharps container fixed in every room
- Possible bruising or tiredness explained beforehand
Inside the clinic
Two treatment rooms and a shared room for the community clinic, all on one level.
Notes from clients (example reviews)
Arrived terrified of needles and left half asleep. Every step was explained before it happened, and the practitioner paused twice to check all was well.
Weekly visits through a long spell of back pain, alongside physiotherapy. Honest from the first day that results vary, which made the slow progress easier to trust.
The Wednesday community clinic fits a tight budget. A hushed room, a warm blanket and forty minutes with the phone left in the bag.
Before you book
Does acupuncture hurt?
Acupuncture needles are far finer than the ones used for injections. Most people feel a brief prick or a dull ache as a needle settles, then very little. Say the word at any point and we take a needle out.
How many visits will it take?
That depends on the person and the problem. We suggest four to six visits before deciding together whether it is helping, and we say plainly if it does not seem to be.
Are there side effects?
The common ones are small bruises, a little soreness where a needle was, or feeling tired or light headed afterwards. Serious problems are rare with a trained practitioner and sterile single use needles, and we go through the risks before your first treatment.
Does acupuncture replace treatment from a doctor?
No. It sits alongside medical care, never in place of it. Keep taking any medicine as prescribed, and speak to your doctor before changing it.
Can acupuncture be used during pregnancy?
It often is, though some points are avoided and extra care is taken. Tell us if you are pregnant or trying to conceive, and keep your midwife or doctor informed.
What if something feels urgent?
The clinic is not an emergency service. For chest pain, sudden weakness or heavy bleeding, ring your local emergency number straight away rather than the clinic.
Request a visit
Choose the visit and a day and time that usually suit you. Within one working day we confirm a time, offer another, or tell you honestly if acupuncture seems a poor fit for what you describe.
- Nothing is booked until we confirm a time with you
- Fees are paid at the clinic after each visit
- Health details are covered in person, not online
Find the clinic
Phone while the rooms are open, or write to us and a practitioner answers within one working day.
Call or write
Ground floor rooms on a quiet side street behind the covered market, with a level entrance at the side door
Opening hours
| Monday to Thursday | 08:30 to 19:30 |
| Friday | 08:30 to 16:00 |
| Saturday | 09:00 to 13:00 |
| Sunday | Closed |
Unsure about needles?
Come and see the rooms and meet a practitioner for ten minutes before you decide. There is no charge for the visit and no pressure to book.
Ask for a short visit