I was extremely disappointed with this place. I've been using this location a long time, even back when it was Massage Envy.
Here's the deal.
A couple weeks ago, my mom gets a phone call from a man with a Russian accent, who she recognizes as the manager/owner, offering a special $45 deal if we come in that day (Monday) or Tuesday. Neither of us have had a massage in a long time, and we decided it would be a fun and nice way to treat ourselves to some relaxation. The reason my mom hadn't used them in so long was that last time she was there, the russian man was sort of rude to her. Not terrible, but it wasn't a nice way to treat a paying customer. Anyways, as she's on the phone, I asked my mom to ask if the masseuse could do deep tissue. I tend to get extremely knotted in my upper back, and I need hard pressure to feel physical relief afterwards. I hear her ask, and the man says yes, both of the people available at 4pm do deep tissue. Great.
We show up at 3:50 and check in. I filled out the form, my mom got whisked off by her massage therapist, and I sat and waited. On the back of the form, it says "Check here if you do NOT want the therapist to touch an area." I checked off that I was uncomfortable being touched on my thighs or buttocks.
Finally, about 15 minutes after arriving, my lady showed up. Following her down the hallway, I kept thinking to myself -- there's no way this lady is going to be able to do deep tissue. She's tiny and frail.
After we get in the room and close the door, she says to me:
Her: Hmm, it says here you put down you wanted a deep tissue massage.
Me: Yes, that's correct.
Her: I don't do deep tissue.
Me: uhh..
Her: But deep tissue can mean so many things. What exactly do you want?
Me: Well, a ton of pressure to start. I like it when my muscles are relaxed afterwards but I feel a little sore.
Her: Oh yeah, I definitely can't do that.
Me: The man my mom spoke with specified that I would be with someone who DOES do deep tissue.
Her: There's nobody else free right now. All the other therapists have clients. I'm the only person available. Do you want to sit in the lobby and wait for your mom to finish? Or do you want to give me a shot?
Well, this is awkward. I REALLY had my hopes up for this massage. I immediately felt crestfallen and disappointed. Neither of my options were very attractive. Sit, bored, in a freezing waiting room for an hour, while my mom enjoys her massage, or get a really crappy massage. After a couple minutes of debating, I finally relented and told her we could try it out. I guess a bad massage is better than no massage.
After I undressed and she returned, I told her I'd thought of a solution. I'd been suffering from severe tension headaches the past week, especially in the forehead area. Trying to be positive, I told her not to worry about the deep tissue, and instead just help me get rid of this tension in my scalp.
BOTTOM LINE: The massage was just as bad as I had feared. She did a lot of gliding over my skin which did absolutely nothing to relieve my muscle tension. It was basically a Swedish massage. No pressure at all. She touched my thighs after I marked on the paper that I did NOT want to be touched there. She massaged one arm and forgot the other. She never even touched my head, not once. She complimented my hair but then when I told her I cut it myself, she abruptly and forcefully slammed her hands down on the table (on either side of my face) and exclaimed "I HATE when people do that!" She then went on to tell me about how she used to be a hairstylist and she used to have to fix people's self-given "bird's nest" haircuts all the time. It was awkward and judgmental, especially after she had just complimented the cut.
If anything, I felt more stressed out by the experience than relieved. When it was over, the receptionist asked how it went. I politely told her that I wasn't happy -- I'd been promised deep tissue and was matched with someone who didn't do it. She told me, "Oh, sorry about that, I'll make a mark on your file." My mom came out 5 minutes later, paid quickly, and we left.
Once inside the car, I told my mom I hoped her massage went better than mine. She said, "oh no, really? I was hoping the same thing for you!"
I think the guy on the phone may have been dishonest with us on purpose about the ability of his therapists to do deep-tissue, just to get us in the door. We won't be back. read more