FAQ

• Community Acupuncture: sliding scale $50–$90, plus an additional $15 for your first visit.
• Private Acupuncture: $160 for an initial appointment, $140 for a returning patient.
• Herbs, Cupping and Gua Sha: sliding scale $50–$90. Patients must have an initial acupuncture appointment before scheduling these.
• Massage Therapy: $150 for a 60 minute massage. All massage treatments are in a private room.

See our full pricing page for details.

There are some general guidelines to help you choose, but ultimately you choose what you pay within the sliding scale. We do not ask for verification of income or documentation of your financial background. You know your financial situation best, and we trust that you will choose a rate you can afford while showing your appreciation of our service.

See the sliding scale on our Community Acupuncture and Prices pages.

You can book online through our online scheduling site. We require that all clients add credit card information when they book an appointment. Your card is stored securely by our scheduling app. We do not charge for your treatment in advance; your card on file is charged only for no shows or late cancellations.

Online availability for private treatments is limited and changes week to week. If you do not see availability that works for you, please email info@opencarecommunity.com or call or text (917) 426-1138 to request a time.

Yes. Patients can use their HSA or FSA accounts to pay for their appointments at Open Care Community. HSA and FSA accounts can be used for community or private acupuncture and for select herbal products. A general receipt is usually sufficient for most HSA/FSA purchases. Patients are responsible for getting a receipt at the time of their visit.

If your insurance requests further documentation, please reach out to us within six months of your appointment for an itemized receipt.

Yes. Visit our Gift Cards page and click the “Purchase a Gift Card” button. Enter the amount you’d like to have on the card (there’s a $10 minimum), log in or create an account, and follow the prompts to send the gift card to the email of your choice.

In most instances, no. Open Care Community provides medical care, and patient privacy rules do not allow individuals to book appointments for other people in most circumstances.

Exceptions include patients who are booking an appointment for a minor child, or spouses who have consented to allow their partner to book/reschedule appointments on their behalf.

For patients who wish to book a group session, for example as a group celebration, please email us and include all group members in the email. All group members must consent, via email, to treatment.

If booking appointments for someone other than yourself, please make a separate account for them. We cannot accommodate new patients in returning patient slots, and the acupuncturists need the correct name in order to review patient charts prior to treatments.

Please use your email address and password. Do not click on social media accounts such as Facebook to log in, as it will prompt you to create a new account and you will end up with 2 accounts. Please log in with the same method you used when you first created your account.

If you forgot your password, click “Forgot your username or password?”. If you are having technical difficulties signing in, please email us at info@opencarecommunity.com.

We have a 24 hour cancellation policy. You can cancel or reschedule your appointment online without incurring a fee as long as it is more than 24 hours prior to your appointment time. Please use your online scheduling account to do so. You will not be able to reschedule or cancel online less than 24 hours before your appointment.

Late cancellations (less than 24 hours) and no shows are charged a late cancellation fee to your credit card on file. We cannot make exceptions to the 24 hour cutoff time. If your card is declined, we must cancel any future appointments you have, and you will receive an invoice you can pay online.

Please call or email us when you need to cancel late. If you are sick or have an emergency, see our Make-Up policy below.

Read the full Cancellation and Late Policy.

• Community appointments: $65 for initial appointments and $50 for follow-up appointments.
• Private appointments: you will be charged the full amount of the treatment.

Please arrive with enough time before your appointment to check in and pay, use the bathroom, change clothes, etc. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, there is no guarantee that you will receive your treatment, and it may be considered a missed appointment and incur a fee.

Patients who arrive after their appointment time may have to wait for a break in their practitioner’s schedule. Our practitioners will do their best to squeeze you in, but clients who arrive on time will be prioritized. If you’re running late, please email us so we can best prepare for your arrival. Calling ahead does not guarantee that we can accommodate your arrival time. Please be mindful of NYC train delays and traffic, especially on weekends.

Make-Up appointments are for patients who cancel late due to an illness or medical emergency and have notified us by phone or email. You will still be charged the late cancellation fee on the date you cancel, but you can use the charged amount as credit toward your Make-Up appointment.

• You can use the Make-Up option only once during a 12 month period.
• Community acupuncture: make up your appointment within two months of the late canceled appointment. Make-Up appointments are not available on every shift and often do not appear on the schedule until one or two days before, or sometimes the same day.
• Private appointments: make up your appointment within 2 weeks. You can book a regular Private Initial or Follow-Up appointment and your credit will be noted on your account.
• If you late-cancel an initial appointment, your Make-Up does not have to be an initial visit. You may apply your credit toward a follow-up appointment.
• Make-Up appointments can be booked only under “Make-Up Appointment” on our booking site. Please book them through your online account rather than by email or phone.
• If you do not show up for, or late-cancel, your Make-Up appointment, you will be charged a late cancel fee and will not be eligible for another Make-Up.

We take safety seriously and don’t want anyone putting themselves at risk to get to the clinic. Our decisions about whether to close due to inclement weather will usually be based on whether the trains are running and whether there are stay-at-home orders issued. If we are canceling due to weather, we will call or email patients directly.

If the clinic is open, patients who miss appointments or cancel late will be charged a cancellation fee. Since forecasts are generally issued a few days in advance, we ask patients who cannot travel in bad weather to cancel within the 24 hour cancellation period.

Community acupuncture is a return to the way acupuncture is commonly practiced in East Asia: in a group setting with appointments staggered throughout the hour. This arrangement allows friends and family to be treated together, offering a less intimidating environment for first-time visitors.

Practitioners conduct initial intake with patients in a private room before moving to an open treatment area, where patients are free to choose where they wish to receive treatment. There is no need to disrobe, because our practitioners mostly use the powerful distal points along the arms, legs, head, or back.

Patients receive treatment alongside one another in a calm, restful setting, with returning patients usually able to move directly to the treatment area after check-in with the front desk. Each practitioner treats 3-4 patients per hour, allowing the clinic to offer services at lower prices without sacrificing quality care.

Each community acupuncture appointment includes a check-in with your practitioner and either a front or back treatment. Additional treatments are available at the practitioner’s discretion. Patients who want an additional front/back treatment, or an add-on such as cupping, gua sha, tui na, herbs, or extensive trigger point therapy, must book an additional appointment.

Private acupuncture takes place in a dedicated private room and gives you and your practitioner extended time and space to work more deeply with complex or long-standing concerns. Benefits include a private space, more time with the practitioner, the opportunity for a front and back treatment, and additional modalities such as cupping and gua sha at the practitioner’s discretion.

Private sessions often include more than one treatment (for example a front and a back treatment, two side treatments, or an acupuncture treatment and a cupping/gua sha session). Learn more on our Private Acupuncture page.

Cupping, Gua Sha and Tui Na are manual therapies that have been a part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Cupping therapy involves creating a suction force to pull blood into the skin, loosening the fascia. During Gua Sha, your acupuncturist uses a smooth-edged tool to gently scrape areas of your body where there is inflammation or stagnant qi. Cupping and Gua Sha both help improve circulation and promote healing, and can leave marks on the skin for a few days to a week. Tui Na is an ancient form of TCM massage.

Patients interested in these therapies should check in with their practitioner to determine if they are appropriate. Community acupuncture patients must book a second appointment for cupping, gua sha or tui na. Private acupuncture appointments include cupping and gua sha at the practitioner’s discretion. Patients must have an initial acupuncture appointment before scheduling herbs, cupping, or gua sha.

Yes. Herbal consultations offer personalized support using Traditional Chinese Medicine herbal formulas, provided by licensed practitioners trained in Chinese herbal medicine. The practitioner will discuss your health history, current symptoms, and overall constitution, and may recommend a customized herbal formula or an existing formula that aligns with your needs.

Community and private acupuncture patients must book a separate appointment for an herbal consultation. If you are unsure whether it is appropriate for you, check in with your practitioner or contact us. Learn more about herbal consultations.

Your massage therapist tailors each treatment to your presentation, needs, and expectations. Each session begins with a brief consultation of approximately 2-5 minutes. Massages may combine traditions such as tui na (Chinese medical massage) and shiatsu (Japanese massage) with techniques such as trigger point and myofascial work. All massage sessions take place in a private room. Learn more about massage.

We host independent wellness practitioners who offer services including Alexander Technique, Taoist Healing, and Counseling within our clinic space. They operate independently, so if you are interested in booking, please contact each practitioner directly. Learn more about each practitioner.

Acupuncture stimulates internal resources we already have that we may not be using efficiently. Studies show that insertion of acupuncture needles causes an increase in natural anti-inflammatories and natural pain-killers; regulation of the immune system, hormones, and HPA-axis; circulation of blood and lymph; regulation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems; alteration of pain signals, plus less well-understood effects such as bioelectrical activity. The traditional explanation is that blockages occur in the meridians, causing pain and dysfunction. Acupuncture clears the blockages and restores free flow.

Acupuncture needles share little in common with the hypodermic needles used for injections. Hypodermic needles are thick and hollow and tear flesh when they enter the body. Acupuncture needles are hair-thin and solid; at least 12 of them can fit into one hypodermic needle. If there is any sensation on insertion, it does not usually feel like more than a mosquito bite. People are often surprised that they don’t feel the needles at all, or much less than they expected.

We are regularly praised for our gentle technique. During acupuncture, patients commonly experience heaviness in the limbs and a pleasant feeling of relaxation, and may even fall asleep.

The recommended frequency and number of treatments vary depending on your situation, but generally acupuncture is most effective when done frequently and regularly. If you have questions about how long it will take to see results, please ask your practitioner.

Please fill out your intake paperwork online or arrive 20 minutes ahead of your scheduled appointment time, so you can check in at the front desk, complete intake forms, and pay for treatment. This time also gives you the chance to change clothes, if needed.

Your acupuncturist will review your paperwork and take you to a private room for consultation. Afterward you will be taken to the treatment area, where you can choose to be treated in any open seat or on a table. Once the needles are in, your acupuncturist will let you rest for a clinically appropriate amount of time, usually between 15-50 minutes. If you need to leave by a certain time, just let your acupuncturist know at the beginning of your treatment.

We recommend loose, comfortable clothing that gives the acupuncturist access to your knees, elbows, and, in some cases, your back. These areas are important distal points in acupuncture. You may also wish to consider where you are experiencing pain and wear clothing that allows access to that area.

There is no set time limit for each treatment. It takes around 15 minutes for the practitioner to check in with the patient and put the needles in. Patients only need to sit with the needles in for about 15 minutes for the treatment to be effective. Generally, patients sit with the needles in for about 20-30 minutes, but space permitting, we can let patients rest longer. At times, your acupuncturist may determine that it is clinically necessary to retain the needles for a shorter period. If you need to be up by a certain time, please tell your acupuncturist at the start of the treatment.

44 Court Street, Suite 1000 (10th floor), Brooklyn, NY 11201. The ADA accessible entrance is around the corner on Joralemon Street.

Community Acupuncture Hours

• Mon: 12:00pm – 4:00pm
• Tues: 3:00pm – 7:00pm
• Wed: 12:00pm – 7:30pm
• Thurs: 10:00am – 7:00pm
• Fri: 2:00pm – 6:00pm
• Sat: 10:00am – 2:00pm
• Sun: Hours Vary

Private treatment availability changes week to week. If you are coming in to buy something from our retail store and don’t have an appointment, please call first to be sure that we are in. Call or text (917) 426-1138 or email info@opencarecommunity.com.

Accessibility is very important to us. The ADA accessible entrance to our building is around the corner on Joralemon Street, just west of Court Street. There are two ADA-accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms on our floor. If you have any questions or suggestions about accessibility, please email us or call 917-426-1138. See our Accessibility page.

Yes. Patients and staff are required to properly wear a mask (covering nose and mouth completely) while in the clinic, with a few exceptions.

During community acupuncture, at the practitioner’s discretion, patients may sometimes take their masks off during face down treatments, since it can feel claustrophobic to be face down with a mask on. In these instances, there will be a HEPA air filter directly below the patient for the duration of the treatment. Patients who remove their masks for a face down treatment must put their mask back on to move throughout the clinic. All of Rachel Casiano’s appointments are 100% mask mandatory, even if patients are face down. There are no exceptions during Rachel’s shifts.

At the discretion of their practitioner, patients receiving a private treatment, facial rejuvenation, or massage may remove their masks only in the private treatment room. Masks must be worn at all times in the reception area and hallways.

If you are an immunocompromised patient with questions, please email info@opencarecommunity.com. We care very much about creating a safe space for you to receive treatment. See our Covid Protocols.

Our clinic was designed with Covid safety in mind. Treatment tables are placed more than six feet apart, and our HVAC system, windows and medical grade air filters constantly circulate fresh air. Treatment tables are disinfected between each patient and the clinic is cleaned each day. Our staff is fully vaccinated.

Due to the communal nature of our treatments, we ask patients not to come in when they are contagious or unwell. If you need to cancel an appointment due to illness, please call or email us. You may be eligible for a Make-Up appointment (see above).

We ask patients not to return to the clinic until after they have a negative Covid test and are fever free, without medication, for 24 hours. If you have any questions, please call or email us.

At Open Care Community we use an all-natural, EPA approved disinfectant to clean the tables between each patient.