It’s only fitting that San Francisco—home to the oldest Chinatown in North America—has one of the richest Traditional Chinese Medicine scenes in the country. Old-school herbalists and acupuncturists sit alongside decidedly more modern interpretations of Chinese wellness, from cosmetic acupuncture to beautifully designed neighborhood clinics.
Whether you’re after needles, herbs, a very strong massage or an excellent cup of oolong, here are the San Francisco wellness spots worth knowing.
For the full Traditional Chinese Medicine experience:
East West Health Services
Chinatown
Affiliated with San Francisco’s Chinese Hospital, East West specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine, with treatments ranging from acupuncture and herbal medicine to cupping, moxibustion and therapeutic massage. It’s clinical rather than trendy—which is precisely why we like it. Even better: Many insurance plans are accepted, depending on your coverage. Who knew your acupuncture habit could be the financially responsible choice?
An old-school Chinatown herbalist:
Tung Fung Trading Co
Waverly Place, Chinatown
Step inside and the scent alone tells you you’re in the right place. Tung Fung is the classic Chinatown herbal-shop experience: shelves of roots, herbs and traditional preparations without a wellness buzzword in sight.
Come to browse and ask questions—but if you’re actually treating something, work with a qualified TCM practitioner rather than prescribing yourself a bag of mysterious roots. TikTok is not your Chinese medicine doctor.
For acupuncture with all the extras:
Aaron Yu Acupuncture Clinic
Chinatown
Why stop at acupuncture? Dr. Aaron Yu’s treatments can incorporate cupping, acupressure and tui na-style bodywork alongside the needles.
We’re partial to the more-is-more approach. Chinese medicine traditionally layers modalities together, so don’t be surprised if the answer to your tight shoulder involves considerably more than putting a needle in your shoulder.
A modern take on Chinese medicine:
Double Happiness Health
Mission District
Think acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, but with a distinctly San Francisco polish. Double Happiness specializes in areas including women’s health, fertility, pregnancy and pain, alongside treatments like cosmetic acupuncture.
This is where we’d send the friend who wants to try Chinese medicine but isn’t quite ready to navigate an old-school Chinatown herbal shop.
Same roots, prettier packaging.
Acupuncture you can actually afford to do regularly:
San Francisco Community Acupuncture
Mission District
The problem with falling in love with acupuncture? You generally want to do it more than once.
San Francisco Community Acupuncture makes that considerably easier with a community treatment model designed to keep acupuncture accessible. No elaborate spa suite, no $14 alkaline water, no unnecessary ceremony.
Sometimes you just need the needles.
A Chinatown tea shop that started life as an herbal apothecary:
Red Blossom Tea Company
831 Grant Avenue, Chinatown
Before it became one of San Francisco’s best-known destinations for artisanal Chinese and Taiwanese tea, Red Blossom began as a neighborhood herbal apothecary in 1985. Today, the family works directly with farmers and carries more than 100 single-origin teas.
Our move: Ask for an oolong recommendation and take a few single-serving samples home. Sadly, in-store tastings are no longer offered—but with this much good tea, we’ll forgive them.
For a scrub that leaves absolutely nothing behind:
Imperial Day Spa
Japantown
Technically Korean, not TCM—but too good to leave off the list. Imperial is an old-school communal bathhouse known for its full-body scrubs, hot tubs and saunas.
And when we say scrub, we mean scrub. Modesty goes out the window along with approximately three layers of dead skin. You’ll leave wondering whether you’ve ever actually been clean before.
The wellness ritual that costs absolutely nothing:
Walk Chinatown
Start on Grant Avenue, turn onto Waverly Place and make your way toward Stockton Street. Browse the herbal shops, pick up some tea and notice how seamlessly Chinese wellness exists alongside groceries, pharmacies and everyday life.
That might be our favorite thing about TCM in San Francisco: Here, it doesn’t always need to announce itself as “wellness.” It’s simply part of the neighborhood.
