My husband purchased me the Royal Spa massage for Christmas. I only got around to scheduling the massage in February. I scheduled the massage two weeks before the scheduled visit. On the day I arrived, I walked into a large room that was dark (the lights were out) with rows of massage tables and drapes, which immediately sent a surge of anxiety through me. A woman to the left in the back corner, who I did not see when I initially walked in, asked if I was Rhonda. I confirmed. She advised me to have a seat while she grabbed my glass of wine (as the package included this). As I sat I noticed a room to my left with candles lit and rose petals, I felt a little better as I realized this was where we were going. She ushered me into the room and instructed me to undress and slide under the sheets face down. All was good at this point. A few moments later she came into the room to begin the massage. She explained the process, and let me know to let her know if anything was uncomfortable or painful. She then said she apologized, telling me that "they" would be working on the floors today and she didn't know "they would be here". At this point, I had not seen or heard anyone else. I mean the lights were off when I walked into this dark sketchy place. She began the message and for the first 10 minutes things were going well, it was relaxing. Until the hammering and banging began. It was so loud it sounded like it was right next to me. You could not hear the relaxing music over the sound of banging. And with every bang, I tensed up more. Then came the sound of loud screaming saws. This was a 90-minute message, which included time in the sauna at the end. For the entirety of the message, the sound of construction continued on a vicious cycle, with the sounds moving from banging/hammering and then to the screaming saw., with moments of silence that allowed me to begin to relax only for the banging and sawing to begin again. The massage itself was 5 stars, and if it was not for this environmental experience I would have left a 5 star, but the physical aspect of a massage is only HALF OF THE EXPERIENCE! THE ENVIRONMENT IS EVERYTHING!! When the massage was over, I was instructed to put on the robe, bring my clothes, wine, and chocolate, and come to the sauna room. I hesitated when the young lady left and considered just leaving. The idea of covering my naked body with a robe and walking past a room of construction workers made me feel nauseous and uncomfortable. I listened for a moment and it sounded like no one was outside the door. I thought perhaps they had left or at the very least she had them clear the room for my exit. I then thought perhaps the sauna would be away from the construction and allow for a moment of relaxation. So I quickly robbed up, grabbed my thing, and slowly opened the door. I did not see the construction workers, only the lady who provided the massage. She guided me to the front of the large room, behind the drape that closes around the beds. On the table was the sauna machine. I was instructed how to get into it and the woman left.
I was wrong, this was not more secluded, it was literally out in the open, but there was no sign of the workers. Once inside, after a few minutes, I heard a male voice. it sounded like it was just on the other side of the drape. My heart began to pound because now I realized the only thing separating me from the construction worker(s) who were in fact still there, was this drape. I listened intently, to every sound. The man was apparently the only construction worker there. While it sounded like multiple people using tools, it was only this one man. He was speaking to the woman who did the massage. From the way the discussion was going, it sounded to me like this was her business establishment or perhaps she was in upper management. Definitely, someone who was in charge and knew what was going on. She was far more than just an innocent worker who didn't know there would be construction. He was explaining that it was up to her how they did the floors and processes. He was explaining the differences in floors and locations. He was also loudly complaining about his "boss man" He then began to explain to her the process that happen the day before and what the person did incorrectly. While listening to this conversation, it occurred to me that 1. This company or contractor was just at the establishment the day before for ongoing construction on the floor, and 2. She was there during the construction and knew very well they would be there on Saturday. This was absolutely unprofessional, instead of waiting until I was at the facility, and dressed down, on a massage table to tell me of this construction, Someone should have called to inform me and should have given me a choice to either reschedule or deal with the noise pollution. And at the very least, I should have been informed the moment I walked in. This experience did not feel like a Royal Spa Treatment! read more
