Theraputic Massage to Restore & Revive

Neuromuscular / Trigger Point, Swedish, Deep Tissue, Myofascial, Sports, Cupping with Alex

I accept FSA and HSA cards!

Welcome to Back to Center Bodywork

by Alex Gwozda, CMT

Back to Center’s Oakland oasis welcomes you as soon as you enter its bright, clean, and comfortable space.

For everyone from the massage newbie to the seasoned pro, I customize each client’s visit by focusing energy and attention on you and how your body is feeling. By listening to your unique needs and concerns, you will gain a better understanding of what is causing the pain.

Post-session, I offer long-term solutions on how to manage or avoid future pain and injuries. As needed, regular clients check in toward orthopedic and stress management goals.

As of January 2025, Back to Center serves as Alex Gwozda’s solo practice. Former members have become fully independent! Looking for Kathleen, Andrea, or Kelley? Click their names or the page Recommended Therapists.

Our Mission

Alex at Back to Center is a highly knowledgeable massage therapist offering over 12 years and 11,000 hours of hands-on experience and continued training. I believe massage therapy should be relieving, therapeutic, and informative.

Embracing this philosophy, I specialize in helping people heal, learn, and maintain healthier bodies through personalized bodywork sessions. I offer a variety of approaches, including Deep Tissue, Swedish, Neuromuscular / Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial Release, Sports / Injury Treatment, and Suction Cupping as needed for each individual.

We will build a meaningful and long-term partnership as part of your personal health team, right here in Oakland, California.

Clients are always welcome to specify the amount of pressure they prefer to ensure the perfect experience.

Recent Testimonials

 5/5

"Alex is incredibly knowledgeable about the body/musculature and was able to draw on his past experiences with other clients to give me tons of useful information for an injury I was dealing with. As for the massages, Alex is in a league of his own. I didn't know a massage could be so effective until I came here, and Alex was a big part in helping me recover from an injury."

"Update (approx. 9 sessions later): Still the best bodywork place I've ever been to. I love that Alex uses multiple modalities depending on what my body needs in that particular session. Alex is stellar at his work and a wonderful human. As someone who holds their stress in their body, I have found these appts to be an important addition to my tools for managing my health. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. [...] Alex is also an awesome listener! He starts each session with a check in which is so helpful to increase my mindfulness of my body. He seems to be in tune with my breath throughout, changing pressure in the more sore areas without me having to say anything, which is so rare. I come away from our sessions relaxed, pain free, and with more awareness of my body. I am so grateful to have Alex and Back to Center. I’m looking forward to my massage at the end of the month. Thank you!!!!"

"I had a 90-minute sports massage with Alex Gwozda, and by the end, I was in tears of relief as I regained range of motion in my neck and shoulder area for the first time in months. Sports massages can be intense, with massage therapists often targeting tender muscles with work that can be painful. Too much intensity can cause tension throughout my entire body, counteracting the tension release being done. However, Alex's technique is exceptional. He employs a methodical ebb and flow, working on areas just enough before giving them a break and then returning to them later. This approach prevented my body from tensing up and maximized the effectiveness of the massage. I highly recommend Alex for his incredible skill and the clear results I experienced after just one session. I look forward to continuing my treatments with him. Thank you!"

"Alex is PHENOMENAL. His level of expertise is out of this world. I've gotten full body massages at a few other places in San Diego and because that was all I had to compare to, they were great for what they were. A massage therapist I went to in San Diego recommended that I try neuromuscular therapy due to my needs and her noting that my body responded well to compression massage (thank goodness for her because she led me to search for NMT therapists specifically in the Bay Area). There are so many positives but the main ones for me are that I was having migraines once a month and after going to Alex regularly they were completely gone. He listens to your needs every session. There are multiple times when my upper back hurts more and he focuses on that area. I personally regard my sessions as treatment rather than a massage because of how they are tailored to my needs. No two massages have felt the same and that's a pro for me. I also really appreciate the knowledge he has about improving posture and tips for us remote desk workers."