Where to get a chiropractor, sports acupuncture, physio style bodywork and injury massage in Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen in 2026, with published session prices, hours and how to book.
Santa Teresa has no physiotherapy clinic with a front desk and a price list, so surf injuries get treated by a short list of independent practitioners. The ones I can document in 2026 are New Wave Chiropractic for spine and posture, Medicina Holistica in Playa Carmen for sports acupuncture and dry needling at 65,000 colones a session, and Jungle Wellness for injury recovery bodywork and sports massage.
The short version
I send people by the kind of problem they have. A stiff lower back or a sore shoulder after a week of paddling goes to the chiropractor first. A muscle that will not release, a strained hamstring or tendon pain goes to the sports acupuncture session at Medicina Holistica. A tight, overworked body that needs hands and a rehab plan goes to Jungle Wellness. Anything that might be broken, dislocated, or cut deeply goes to a doctor first, and the healthcare and pharmacies guide lists the clinics that can X-ray, stitch and transfer.
No osteopath advertises in town, and no standalone physiotherapy clinic publishes a price list. Most practitioners here run on WhatsApp and a diary that fills up in high season, so message early and ask for the price in the same message.
New Wave Chiropractic
New Wave Chiropractic is a one doctor practice run by a chiropractor that patients call Kevin, working across Santa Teresa, Playa Carmen and Mal Pais. The site lists chiropractic and Neurological Emotional Technique, and its specialties include athletes (the page says "aka surfer problems"), ankle, knee and hip problems, posture screens and X-ray, headaches, chronic pain, pregnancy, new mothers and family care. Reviews on the site describe shoulder and lower back pain from surfing improving over a few months, with exercises to do between visits.
Published hours are Monday 8:30am to 3:30pm, Tuesday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 4pm to 8pm, Wednesday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 3:30pm to 7:30pm, Friday the same as Wednesday, Sunday 11am to 5pm, and closed Thursday and Saturday. Book through the site's appointment page or WhatsApp +1 703 887 4298. No price list is published, and the site does not state the languages spoken, though every review I found is in English. Ask about the first visit fee, the X-ray fee, and whether you need a course of visits.
Who it suits: anyone staying long enough for a plan, like a month or a surf season. The caveat: chiropractic adjustment is a manual therapy with a limited evidence base for many conditions, so a single visit will not fix a structural problem, and I would not start with it for a suspected fracture.
Medicina Holistica
Medicina Holistica is a small healing arts practice in the Centro Comercial Playa Carmen, led by Dr. Suzanne Reid, a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The service most relevant to a surfer is Sports Medicine Acupuncture, which uses intramuscular stimulation, also called dry needling, with cupping, electro stimulation, infrared light and topical products for pain, contractions, tears, sprains, bruises and scar tissue. The listing says it can also help with overtraining.
The prices on the practice website, in colones:
| Treatment | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Sports medicine acupuncture (IMS) | 60 min | 65,000 |
| Holistic TCM acupuncture | 60 min | 65,000 |
| Holistic TCM acupuncture | 90 min | 100,000 |
| Massage therapy and cupping | 60 min | 65,000 |
| Consultation, in person or video | 30 min | 40,000 |
| Facial rejuvenation acupuncture | 45 min | 50,000 |
| Vitamin B12 injection | 1,000 mcg | 10,000 |
At the exchange rate one nomad tracker shows, 2.19 dollars per 1,000 colones, a 60 minute session is roughly $140 and a 90 minute one is about $220. The booking platform listing also shows prenatal acupuncture at 65,000 and a needle free laser treatment at 35,000. It has 18 reviews at a 5.0 average.
Book online through the Fresha link on the website, on WhatsApp at +506 8647 4951, or by email at Info@medicinaholistica.org. The website states 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, while the booking page shows 10am to 4:30pm, so book inside the narrower window. The site does not say which languages are offered. Who it suits: a stubborn tendon or muscle injury where you want something more targeted than a massage. The caveat: at this price, ask what a course of sessions looks like before the first needle.
Jungle Wellness
Jungle Wellness was founded in 2016 by Salvador González, known as Salva, who studied sports sciences at the European University of Madrid and has worked in clinics, hospitals and gyms abroad. The Santa Teresa Wellness directory lists his work as physiotherapy and functional recovery: functional bodywork for injury recovery and prevention, deep tissue and sports massage with fascia release and trigger point work, and postural realignment.
I want to be clear that this is bodywork, not a licensed physiotherapy clinic, and the sites do not claim a Costa Rican physio licence. The site lists adaptive release, therapeutic massage, acupuncture, Mayan abdominal massage, Lomi Lomi and Reiki, with a studio in the center of town and house calls to homes and hotels in the Santa Teresa area. A testimonial on the site from a client with a fractured collarbone credits the treatment, exercises and homework for a fast recovery.
Prices are not published. Book through the contact page, email info@stjunglewellness.com, or call +506 8350 9343. Who it suits: a visitor with a week or two who wants a treatment and a plan of exercises, delivered at the villa. The caveat: ask for the price and the session length before you confirm, because the sites list neither.
Kimi Chi, Chinese medicine
Kimi Chi is a Chinese medicine practice on Calle Buenos Aires, at Casa Verde. The practitioner's professional profile lists a Doctor of Chinese Medicine background, training in acupuncture, herbal medicine and Qi Gong from an East West college, and about nineteen years of practice. A reviewer describes a careful diagnosis and a treatment plan that worked right away.
It publishes no prices, hours or booking page, so contact the practice through its listing before you plan around it. Who it suits: chronic pain, recovery and general balance work with herbs, where you would rather talk it through. The caveat: no price list, and the languages are not stated.
Massage and craniosacral work next to these
Massage is the cheaper way to keep a surf week going, and the best massages guide compares the options. Surfer's Massage by Silvia Ortiz shows 90 minute sessions from $60 on Tripadvisor, and the directory lists the spas and mobile therapists. The Pathways practice at the crossroads, Pathways, offers craniosacral therapy and facials.
When to see a doctor first
Sprains and sore muscles can wait a day for a booking. These cannot: a joint that looks the wrong shape, numbness, a head knock, a deep reef cut that is red and hot, or pain that stops you putting weight on a leg. Santa Teresa Medical Center advertises doctors on call 24/7 and ambulance transfers, and Lifeguard Medical Center and Clinica ALMA are in the directory. The lifeguard rescue line is +506 2640-0911 in the daytime, and 911 otherwise. There is no hospital on the peninsula, so a serious injury means transfer to Puntarenas or San Jose.
How to choose and book
- Sudden back or shoulder pain, staying more than a week: New Wave Chiropractic.
- Muscle or tendon injury that will not release: Medicina Holistica, sports medicine acupuncture.
- Visiting for a week, want treatment at the villa: Jungle Wellness home visit.
- Chronic aches, herbal approach: Kimi Chi.
Always ask for the price and the session length by WhatsApp. If you are pairing treatment with training, see the Pilates studios and gyms, and if you want to get ahead of the problem, the surf guide covers tide and wave choice so you stop paddling into the same bad shoulder.
Browse every wellness listing in the /directory/heal hub.
FAQ
Is there a physiotherapist in Santa Teresa?
There is no physiotherapy clinic with a published price list. The closest is Jungle Wellness, where Salva offers functional bodywork for injury recovery and sports massage, with house calls. For a licensed physiotherapist, expect to travel to Cobano or San Jose.
How much does a chiropractor cost in Santa Teresa?
New Wave Chiropractic does not publish prices. Message the clinic on WhatsApp at +1 703 887 4298 and ask for the first visit fee, the X-ray fee and the cost of follow ups before you book.
What does dry needling cost in Santa Teresa?
Medicina Holistica charges 65,000 colones for a 60 minute sports medicine acupuncture session, which includes intramuscular stimulation. That is roughly $140 at a rate of 2.19 dollars per 1,000 colones.
Can I see an osteopath in Santa Teresa?
No osteopath advertises a practice in Santa Teresa, Mal Pais or Playa Carmen, so ask at the clinics above if you need one. A chiropractor, a sports acupuncturist or a bodywork therapist is the nearest alternative.
Do practitioners speak English?
Most reviews and websites are in English, and the practices serve international residents. None of the practitioners above state their languages on their sites, so ask when you message.
Do I need an appointment?
Yes. These are one person practices and Medicina Holistica books through Fresha. In the December to April high season, book several days ahead.
