Midtown Reflexology Near Herald Square: 168 Qi-Gong Tui-Na

Midtown workers who type reflexology near me between meetings tend to want three things: a short walk, a fair price and a room that is open after the office empties. 168 Qi-Gong Tui-Na Massage Spa covers all three from a second-floor suite at 26 W 37th St, in the Garment District a few blocks from Herald Square. The spa centers its menu on Chinese tui-na back work and foot reflexology, and it posts every price on its own website.

Tui-na is the hands-on bodywork of Chinese medicine, a mix of pressing, kneading and rolling along the back, shoulders and limbs, and the spa's name ties it to qi-gong, the breathing and energy practice it grew up alongside. Here that tradition shows up in a practical form: firm back rubs, long foot sessions and combinations of the two, done in recliners and on tables rather than in a fancy hotel spa setting.

The suite sits on the second floor, unit 2A, of a narrow loft building on West 37th Street between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. Street level on this block is a mix of fabric wholesalers, trim shops and delivery trucks, so the spa works as a quiet pocket above the noise. Look for the building door and take the elevator or stairs up, since there is no ground-floor storefront to walk into.

The spa says on its official site that it has been under new ownership since early 2024, and that the owners redesigned the space with all-new furniture to make it calmer. That is the only history the business publishes, so there is no founding year or founder name to report. What the new team has clearly kept is the format: a short list of Chinese-style services, straightforward prices and long daily opening times.

Customer comments quoted on the site give a sense of what to expect. One reviewer names a therapist called Tina as particularly strong at deep tissue work, another praises the warm towels and the attention to knots in the neck and back, and several mention the price as the reason they return. Treat those as the spa's own picks, but they line up with what this format usually delivers: firm hands and very little small talk.

Foot reflexology costs $35 for 30 minutes and $53 for 60 minutes. The Back + Foot Rub, which splits the time between tui-na on the back and work on the feet, is $60 for 60 minutes, $80 for 75 minutes, $90 for 90 minutes and $120 for two hours. Massage with essential oil and hot stone runs $80 for 60 minutes, $110 for 90 minutes and $140 for 120 minutes.

A 60-minute couples massage is $150. Every one of those figures is a cash price, and the spa states that paying by card adds an extra fee, so the cheapest way to visit is with bills in your wallet. The 30-minute foot session is the lunch-break option, short enough to fit between a noon call and a 1 pm meeting, while the 90-minute back and foot rub is the one regulars save for Friday evenings.

A reflexology hour typically begins with your feet in warm water while the therapist works your shoulders and neck from behind the chair. After the soak, they dry each foot, apply cream and move through the sole in sections, pressing harder along the arch and around the heel, then switch to the calves and finish with a few minutes on the hands and arms. Expect firm pressure unless you ask for lighter.

If you are new to reflexology, say so at the start, because some points on the sole can feel sharp at first. Speak up if anything hurts in a bad way, and mention any recent injuries, swelling or circulation problems before the session begins. Wear trousers that roll up to the knee easily, and leave heavy bags at the front so the room stays uncluttered for the next guest.

Appointments can be made through the Book Appointment link on the spa's website, which lists each service with its duration. Walking in is the other option, and weekday lunchtimes and the hour after 5 pm are the busiest windows, when Midtown offices empty out. A booking is the safer choice if you want a particular therapist or a couples room, since there is only one second-floor suite to share.

Tipping is expected at Chinatown-style massage rooms across the city and is not included in the listed prices. Bring cash for the tip as well as the service, given the card fee. Keep your phone on silent once you are in the chair, and if you fall asleep halfway through, you will not be the first person to do so in a Midtown foot spa on a weekday afternoon.

The nearest subway hub is 34 St–Herald Square, served by the B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W lines, about a five-minute walk south and east. The 1, 2 and 3 trains stop at 34 St–Penn Station a few blocks west, and Grand Central and the 7 train are a fifteen-minute walk across town. PATH riders from New Jersey can use the 33rd Street station under Sixth Avenue.

That location makes the spa an easy add-on to a shopping day at Macy's Herald Square or a long walk through Midtown. It also suits anyone waiting for a train at Penn Station who has a gap of an hour or two. Leave yourself ten minutes to find the building door on West 37th Street, because the block is busy with deliveries and the entrance is easy to walk past.

Before or after your session, walk north on Sixth Avenue to Bryant Park, where the lawn, the reading room and the seasonal ice rink sit behind the New York Public Library's main branch on Fifth Avenue. In the other direction, Koreatown fills West 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway with barbecue restaurants, bakeries and late-night karaoke, a good place for dinner after a massage.

For a quick look at the neighborhood's working past, wander West 38th and West 39th Streets, where button, ribbon and fabric shops still supply Broadway costume makers and fashion students. The Empire State Building is a ten-minute walk southeast on Fifth Avenue, and Macy's flagship fills the block on Herald Square. All of these work as a loop that starts and ends at the spa's door.

Address: 26 W 37th St #2A, New York, NY 10018, on the second floor in the Garment District of Midtown Manhattan. Hours: Monday to Sunday, 9:30 am to midnight. Foot reflexology costs $35 for 30 minutes and $53 for 60 minutes, the back and foot rub starts at $60 for an hour, and essential oil with hot stone starts at $80.

All listed prices are cash prices, and card payment carries an extra fee. Book through the spa's website or walk in, tip in cash on top of the price, and allow a few minutes to find the upstairs suite. The spa has been under new ownership since early 2024, and its prices and hours here come from its official page at 168qigongtuina.onbuildhealth.com.