Disclaimer - I gave this establishment 5 stars because of the service they provided for the price within the scope of a reasonable massage recipient. There are a few things I noticed that fall outside the scope of a traditional massage business, but for $40/hour, I can see why some corners would be cut. If you're looking for a spa like environment, you may be disappointed. That said, it's clean, friendly and I got a 5 Star massage.
I travel a lot and typically make my massage appointments weeks in advance. However, I had been out of the country for some time and had not booked a massage and was in desperate need of one.
I searched Yelp for "Walk In's Welcome" massage locations and discovered Healthy Land Massage. After reading the reviews, I decided to call and go check it out. When I called, a woman answered "Hello", which caught me off guard. I clarified that I had called the right number, which I had, and asked if there was any availability that day. She said "Yes" and asked when I wanted to come in. Before I could answer, she volunteered a time slot that was less than an hour away. This was perfect. I gave her my name and said I'd be there in about 20 minutes.
I was able to easily find the location and was greeted by name when I entered the front door. They keep shades over the front doors, so it is cool and dim as soon as soon as you enter which is a nice way to transition from the parking lot to a massage.
I was asked to pay up front, which I found odd, but went ahead and did so. They take credit cards but charge a $1 fee to use one. This seemed a little out of the ordinary but I was open to the new experience. However, I noticed there is a tip line on the credit card receipt but obviously, I had no idea what kind of service I'd be given so I left it blank. When I came out afterward, I was asked if I was happy with the service and in saying so, was shown my credit card receipt again in case I wanted to add a tip, which I did. Now that I know this, I will take cash the next time.
I was directed to a room that was dimly lit and had some soft, ambient music playing. There was humidifier and the room was scented with a pleasant aroma. The woman who had taken my phone call and welcomed me when I arrived, knocked and came in. She seemed a bit surprised that I was still clothed but I had not been given any other direction and there was no blanket on the table for me to undress and get underneath. She smiled and asked me where my trouble areas were and what I'd like to have worked on and after telling her, informed me that my therapist would be Lina and instructed me to undress to my level of comfort and to start face down. Because there was no blanket to get under, I remained in my briefs.
When Lina came in, she was kind and full of smiles. She covered me with a sheet and got to work. She performed many traditional Thai modality movements before lifting the sheet. At that point, she asked me if I wanted to use Coconut Oil for an additional $10. Even though there was a significant language barrier, we were able to communicate and I said no. There was no pressure to upsell me this service nor any other during the course of the massage which I appreciated. Having gotten plenty of massages in Thailand, aggressive upselling is a part of the business model and I am glad that Lina offered but didn't push.
Lina is a good massage therapist and asked several times if the pressure was good. There were several trouble spots that she found and as I responded with my body language to her work, she began to narrow in on the areas that needed her attention which to me, indicated her level of skill and attention to detail.
She worked my entire body while I was face down in about 30 minutes but then abruptly left the room for a few minutes, unannounced. I waited curiously and when she returned a few minutes later, she had hot stones and towels with her. While her departure was unexpected, when I thought about it, it made sense to centralize the hot stones and towels and not have a heating station in each room; that way, they can offer lower prices which is fine with me. She rubbed me with the hot stones for a few minutes and then wiped off all the excess lotion with a hot towel before covering and drying me with the sheet. She repeated this entire process on the front of my body in the remaining 25 minutes of the massage. She then thanked me and left the room.
Overall, this establishment is worthy of 5 stars and I will definitely return to it, especially because they take walk in's and are so reasonably priced.
I will note the few things I noticed that, if comparing it to a spa like massage establishment I would have rated it 3 or 4 stars.
1. Paper towel as a face shield on the table
2. Sign in the room stating the Police may come and inspect
3. Paying up front then tipping after read more
