Nanami Yamabe is a Japanese acupuncturist and Shiatsu specialist with nearly a decade’s experience in the art of holistic healing. Yamabe’s treatments at COMO Parrot Cay achieve long-term results for conditions such as targeted muscle and nerve pain, digestive issues, insomnia, migraines and headaches, fatigue and women’s health.
Growing up in Japan, Nanami Yamabe’s family “loved natural remedies”, she says. Her father had an acupuncture session every week, while her mother was an enthusiastic proponent of “good food, good air, and good exercise.” After an early childhood marked by health concerns including pneumonia and digestive issues, acupuncture brought Yamabe relief and set her on a course to long-term wellbeing. That formed the basis of an interest in the body’s natural ability to heal — and the power of acupuncture to support it. After enrolling in acupuncture school, she honed her craft at traditional and sports acupuncture clinics in Japan, developing a body-focused approach to treating a wide range of health concerns.
Today, Yamabe applies her experience to Japanese acupuncture, “a full-body, holistic way of treatment”, she explains, that can treat a wide range of complex conditions from restoring internal imbalances and balancing hormones, to regulating digestion and calming the nervous system. “I like that it’s very gentle and precise”, says Yamabe: “I’m actually afraid of needles and pain, so I love acupuncture for its complete lack of pain and its effectiveness as a treatment”. That gentleness makes Yamabe’s practice suitable for everyone, from children to the elderly.
One of Yamabe’s most important techniques is Palpation Diagnosis — a hands-on method where Yamabe checks a guest’s pulse, abdomen and skin condition “to find out what the body is trying to tell me”, she says. She explains how different points in the skin will vary depending on “stagnation” — where energy that flows within the body might be stuck or unusually active. By focusing on what she calls “the small whispers and hidden feelings in the body,” Yamabe can choose the most appropriate acupuncture points and techniques to guide the body back into balance. Even the way a guest moves, speaks or breathes will inform the treatment that Yamabe delivers. “The Nan Jing, a classical Chinese medical text, emphasises the importance of understanding the body through careful observation, listening, questioning and palpation,” Yamabe says. “That teaching reminds me not to rely on theory alone, but to truly feel and understand what the body is communicating. For me, treatment is not about fixing something from the outside, but about helping guests reconnect with their body’s inner voice.”
Yamabe’s approach is multi-disciplinary: she often begins her Japanese acupuncture sessions with Shiatsu massage — whole-body acupressure — to help release tension, before applying the needles. Depending on the guest’s symptoms, such as cold hands and feet or joint pain, she may also incorporate moxibustion into the treatment.
“Most people don’t know the root cause of their discomfort”, says Yamabe, who finds that combining techniques often uncovers and treats underlying issues such as sleep disruption.
In Yamabe’s practice, unspoken signs are just as important as those voiced: working with the subtle changes in the body and non-verbal cues like facial expressions helps her deliver a treatment that “respects [guests’] quiet strength”. And for many, the results are profound. “Ultimately, acupuncture is not just about treating the body but about understanding the whole person — in mind, body, and spirit,” Yamabe says.
Nanami Yamabe is a resident practitioner at COMO Shambhala Parrot Cay in the Turks and Caicos. To book a session with her or learn more about the therapies available, contact our concierge team.
