Gozo Acupuncture and Wellness

Gozo Acupuncture and Wellness is a calm, welcoming clinic in the middle of Victoria, the main town of Gozo. It brings Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture and complementary therapies together under one roof, with five practitioners who each have a different focus. The clinic is part of our directory of acupuncture in Malta and sits on the third floor of The Tower Building on Fortunato Mizzi Street.

For a UK visitor staying in Gozo, or an expat living there, it is a convenient place to book treatment without crossing to the main island. This page describes the services and gives printed prices. It offers no medical advice, and complementary therapies do not replace a doctor's diagnosis or treatment.

The team and their specialisms

Cherie Attard is the clinic's director and a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner trained at the University of Technology Sydney and at Yunnan Normal University in China. Her work centres on women's health and fertility acupuncture, and she has also trained in hypnotherapy, NLP and Time Line Therapy for the coaching side of the clinic. She has relocated permanently to Gozo and is registered with Malta's Council for the Professions Complementary to Medicine.

Johan You focuses on general health and pain, using acupuncture and Tuina to support neck, shoulder and back concerns. Emma Sanchez, a British-born acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist trained in New York, concentrates on musculoskeletal and neurological care and on restoring function. Salvatore Bazzano is a physiotherapist who also offers deep tissue massage, Rolfing and craniosacral therapy, and Aminatta Bojang provides deep tissue and sports massage drawing on a personal training background.

Cherie's earlier career included founding an IVF acupuncture support clinic in western Sydney, where she took part in clinical trials and trained junior practitioners, and later managing a state clinic network for a natural health college in New South Wales. Emma spent four years from 2016 working as a volunteer acupuncturist in rural Nepal, Peru and Guatemala, which exposed her to injuries, pain, neurological problems and trauma. Salvatore has been a physiotherapist since 1993 and a Rolfer since 2000, and he also teaches Tai Chi and Qi Gong.

The acupuncturists are registered with Malta's Council for the Professions Complementary to Medicine and use sterile, single-use needles that are disposed of after each treatment.

Acupuncture for general health, pain and women's health

Acupuncture is a treatment from Traditional Chinese Medicine in which very fine needles are placed at specific points on the body. Many people find it comfortable, and you may feel a brief prick, a dull ache, warmth or tingling around a needle. Minor bruising, slight bleeding, soreness, dizziness or drowsiness can occasionally follow.

The clinic's practitioners work in three areas. Johan covers general health and pain, Emma covers musculoskeletal and neurological care, and Cherie covers women's health and fertility, including menstrual health, PCOS, endometriosis, preconception and support around IVF. Acupuncture can be used alongside conventional fertility care but does not replace medical assessment or treatment, and men as well as women can be treated as part of a couple's fertility journey. A Golden Flower Fertility Path programme lasting eight weeks is listed as coming soon, and enquiries are welcome.

Your first visit includes a detailed consultation and health history. Depending on the reason for your visit, the practitioner may ask about symptoms, medication, sleep, digestion and stress, and may check your pulse and tongue. The number of sessions depends on the individual, so the practitioner agrees a plan after the first assessment.

Massage and bodywork

Tuina is a traditional Chinese therapeutic massage using pressure, kneading, stretching and mobilisation, and it can be used alone or alongside acupuncture. Cupping and Gua Sha are also offered: cups create suction on the skin, while Gua Sha uses a smooth-edged tool on the surface tissues. Temporary circular marks or redness can follow cupping and usually fade over several days.

Craniosacral therapy is a gentle, slow, hands-on approach using light touch. Deep tissue massage works into deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue, adapting the pressure to the person. Sports massage suits anyone who trains or feels physical tension, and you do not have to be a professional athlete. Rolfing Structural Integration looks at how fascia, posture and movement relate across the whole body. Reflexology is also listed among the clinic's approaches.

If you are not sure which treatment to choose, tell the clinic what you would like help with, whether pain, tension, fertility, stress, recovery or relaxation, and it will point you towards the right practitioner.

Coaching, NLP and hypnosis

Alongside physical treatment, Cherie offers a separate coaching service using Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Time Line Therapy and hypnosis. It is presented as personal development, not a replacement for psychological or medical care. Sessions explore recurring patterns such as fear, guilt, limiting beliefs, perfectionism or feeling stuck.

A series of three to five sessions is generally recommended for deeper or recurring patterns, moving from understanding and mapping, to deeper work, to integration. You stay aware and in control throughout hypnosis. Printed prices are €150 for a 90-minute first session, €125 for a 60-minute follow-up, €350 for three sessions and €550 for five.

Fees, booking and what to bring

Acupuncture with Johan or Emma costs €85 for a 90-minute initial consultation and €60 for a 60-minute follow-up. With Cherie, the initial consultation is €97.50 and the follow-up is €65. Tuina and other massage and bodywork sessions are €60 for 60 minutes and €85 for 90 minutes. Appointments are booked online, and you do not generally need a doctor's referral.

Tell your practitioner about medical conditions, medication, allergies, pregnancy, recent surgery or injury before treatment, so that it can be adapted. Wear comfortable clothing, arrive reasonably nourished, and avoid coffee and strongly coloured drinks beforehand if you are having a tongue assessment. Arriving late may shorten your session, and less than 24 hours' notice of a cancellation can attract a 50% fee.

Who the clinic suits

Some clients come with a specific concern such as back or neck pain, a sports injury, a neurological problem or a fertility question. Others simply want time to slow down and recover, and you do not need a medical condition to book acupuncture, reflexology, craniosacral therapy or massage.

Walkers, cyclists and divers who spend their Gozo holiday in the outdoors may find sports massage or deep tissue work useful after a long day. Anyone settling on the island will find a team whose members trained in Australia, China, the United States and other bodywork traditions, which suits a mixed community of Maltese, British and international residents.

You are not obliged to book several treatments. Different therapies can complement each other, but the practitioner helps you decide what is appropriate rather than adding sessions for the sake of it.

Visiting Gozo

Victoria is the hub of Gozo and an easy base for the citadel, markets and country walks. Our Gozo guide covers the island, while things to do in Malta and the best beaches in Malta help with planning the rest of the trip. If a boat day appeals, Aloha Boat Charters Malta runs trips nearby, and our Blue Lagoon guide explains the boats from Gozo to Comino.

Planning longer? Read the Malta relocation guide, check the Malta weather guide, and compare flights to Malta from the UK. For background on the islands as a whole, see our about Malta overview, and remember that Gozo is reached by ferry from the main island, so allow travel time when booking an appointment. To contact the clinic, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to Gozo Acupuncture and Wellness.