I cannot begin to say how disappointed I am with the massage I received at Summer Spa. If it were possible, I would give it zero stars. Upon arrival for my massage, the masseuse was unwelcoming and unfriendly. No greeting, no warm welcome, did not introduce herself (never got her name), no smile. It was obvious she was not in a good mood. Given her poor attitude, I went against my better judgment as I should have left at that point. However, I was experiencing some tense and knotted muscle issues and needed some therapeutic relief. I wrongly assumed that since this was a new business, that once the massage started things would improve and I would receive a very good massage as a way for the masseuse to develop a repeat client base and serve as a positive advertisement for their new business. Wrong! Things only progressively deteriorated.
1. The day of my massage it was hot and steamy outside. I found it somewhat warm and stuffy inside the massage studio and I brought this to the masseuse's attention. Although she fiddled with the AC, either she did not know how to properly adjust the temp, or the unit simply was not working correctly. Regardless, it remained warm and uncomfortable throughout my massage. Also, the lighting inside the studio was not dimmed and was overly bright for massage purposes - not very conducive to providing a serene and relaxing ambience for a massage.
2. I requested a deep tissue massage with special attention to my neck, left shoulder and lower back as they felt very tight and knotted. Rather than a controlled, deep tissue massage, I experienced what at best can be described as a rub down. No kneading of muscles, no extra pressure or concentration on the problem muscles I requested. Moreover, she did not use massage specific oils. Rather, she used some type of cream/lotion that I did not care for. The masseuse had absolutely no concept of muscle insertion points. When brought to her attention that she was not concentrating on my problem areas, she only rubbed the muscles for a longer period of time. The masseuse was not receptive to my needs and never inquired as to my comfort level or if the massage was being conducted in a satisfactory manner. At best, her skill set and knowledge of therapeutic massage techniques was extremely marginal and amateurish.
3. As she was the only masseuse on duty, she left the room on 4 separate occasions during my massage session. The massage was interrupted 3 times to answer the phone, one of which was for a personal call. She was also interrupted once to deal with a walk in customer. This was very disruptive and annoying. At no time did she offer an apology for the interruptions. She left the massage studio door open to deal with these issues. Not only was this an infringement of my privacy, I could also clearly hear all of her conversations. Because of these interruptions, my actual massage time was more like
45-50 minutes, not the 60 minutes I paid for. This lost time was never added to my massage session.
4. When I was laying face up, I noticed she was constantly looking at the clock. It was evident she was not focusing on me or concentrating on the massage and was in a hurry to finish. Moreover, in addition to the 10-15 minutes I lost due to the constant interruptions, she concluded the massage approximately 5 minutes before my hour was completed. At that point I said nothing as I was already quite annoyed and frustrated with the entire process and wanted the massage to end and get out of there.
5. Upon paying for the massage, the masseuse never thanked me for coming in or for my business; did not say goodbye, or wish me a nice day. This exhibited to me a total lack of gratitude and proper customer service etiquette. More importantly, she left me with the impression that she did not appreciate my business and could care less if I returned.
Final analysis: Since this is a new business, and given the masseuse's unpleasant attitude and deficient customer service skills, coupled with a very poor quality massage, I cannot foresee how this business can be successful. Moreover, Summer Spa advertises on its website that it is a "new business" but their masseuses have "many years of professional experience." Their "professional experience" was clearly amiss during my massage. As previously stated, the masseuse's skill set and level of therapeutic massage techniques was extremely poor and amateurish.
I have received countless massages through the years and am very knowledgeable of excellent quality massages. This was the absolute worst massage and customer service I ever experienced. This was my first and LAST visit to Summer Spa. I will never return and cannot recommend this spa to anyone. There are many excellent therapeutic massage venues in this area staffed by professional and caring certified massage therapists who are very grateful and truly appreciative for your business. read more
