I usually get massages near my job in FiDi but since I haven't been to my office since mid-March, I had to find a place near my home to deal with months of WFH-related neck/shoulder pain. I pass this place all the time when I get goodies from Fayda, never ventured upstairs until now. I booked a 1-hr full body work for the first week that massage parlors could reopen in NYC. Upon arrival, I was asked to use the provided hand sanitizer, and had my temperature taken at the front desk using those touchless infrared cameras. The wait area was empty except for me and the receptionist, who was behind a plastic screen at her desk. While I waited for my masseuse to fetch me, a man without a face mask walked in. He looked like he was there to pick up a package, and the receptionist did not ask him to use the hand sanitizer, check his temperature or to wear a mask. I don't know how long he was there for, because my masseuse came to get me, but the man and I were probably in the wait area for about 5 minutes total. I was surprised the receptionist didn't ask him to wear a mask even if he was only there for a few minutes - I see deliverymen in my building all the time and even though they're making fast deliveries, they're all still properly protected.
For the actual massage, I was asked to remove everything but my underwear and to lay face down on the table, which had about 3 layers of protective sheets - over the face rest, two for the rest of the table. I kept my mask on even though I was face down. The masseuse had on a mask and a face shield. Once I laid down, I was covered, including my head, with two more layers of protective sheets (not fabric - similar to a sheet to prevent water from seeping through). So altogether, my head was sandwiched between 4 sheets, plus I had my face mask on. Breathing facedown like that was difficult after about 15 minutes, especially since being facedown meant by mask was tight against my face. My personal max tolerance in this position was 30 minutes. In hindsight, I probably could have pulled my mask down so my nose wasn't covered, but the massage room is a small, confined space (just enough room for the table, some cabinets) and the ventilation wasn't great (the A/C was barely on, but I didn't mind because they didn't use fabric sheets or towels to cover my body).
The massage itself was adequate - I hadn't gotten one since January, and I used to get a massage twice a month. So my muscles were extremely tight and not used to being worked on. The masseuse did not ask how much pressure to use, and she was nowhere near as painful as the sport massages that I used to get regularly. After 30 minutes, I flipped onto my back and breathing was much easier, though I still had two layers of protective sheets over my head. The hot stone portion was so fast that it barely registered on me that hot stones were used until it was already over.
When the massage was over, I was not offered water although a water cooler is available in the wait area for use. That was fine with me because I wanted to limit touching anything. The spa and rooms were very clean but I was being cautious. The full hour body work was $35, which I paid in cash so no tax; I gave a $10 cash tip to the masseuse (I had read in other reviews that tips were requested in equivalent of $5 per 30 minutes of work). It was not bad for $45 total, though my shoulders were very sore/very warm the next two days after. I wasn't sure if the pain was from the muscles being worked on for the first time in months or something else from the massage; after the massage I could immediately feel better circulation and less tightness in my neck and shoulders even though I didn't feel those areas were worked on excessively. I'm still waiting for the soreness in my shoulders to go away but I would go back for foot reflexology at the least. read more