I booked a 90-minute massage early this morning and left with plenty of time to arrive early. I…read moreunexpectedly got stuck behind a train, immediately called the business, and let them know I would be late. What followed was one of the most frustrating massage experiences I've had.
SCHEDULING & PRICING
I booked a 90-minute massage, but was told on the phone that their "90-minute" service is actually closer to 80 minutes after changing/prep time.
Because I was going to be late, I asked to simply change the appointment to an hour and pay for an hour. I was told I could shorten the massage, but I would still have to pay for the entire original appointment because I had "reserved the therapist's time." I accepted that rather than argue first thing in the morning.
THE MASSAGE
Before starting, I specifically said my priorities were my neck, calves, and feet. Those areas were essentially ignored.
I paid extra for deep tissue. The pressure wasn't remotely deep tissue and barely qualified as a firm standard massage.
I also paid extra for cupping. What I received consisted of small suction cups being lightly moved/scraped across my skin and was nothing like the cupping treatment I expected from the upsell.
The therapist disappeared for noticeable periods of time, including roughly five minutes at the beginning. I confirmed with her that I wanted to stop after approximately 50 minutes because I had already accepted that I would still be charged for the original appointment.
In practice, I received roughly 45 minutes of actual massage time while being charged for approximately 80 minutes, plus the additional services.
CHECKOUT
This was probably the most frustrating part.
Despite receiving roughly 45 minutes of massage, checkout was based on the full scheduled service and the screen showed a total around $220, with suggested tips around $50.
When I questioned why I was still being charged the full amount, the response was essentially that I had to pay for all of the therapist's reserved time regardless of how much massage I actually received. I manually entered a $25 tip rather than tipping based on services/time I did not receive.
I had also signed up for a discounted package/subscription in connection with the appointment, which makes the entire experience even more frustrating.
BOTTOM LINE
I walked out having spent somewhere around $175-$200+ including the add-ons/tip, received approximately 45 minutes of an extremely light massage, did not receive meaningful attention to any of the three areas I specifically requested, and was charged based on substantially more treatment time than I actually received.
The front-desk interaction was also unnecessarily rude and dismissive when I tried to resolve what I thought was a very straightforward billing issue.
I understand charging someone for a late cancellation or protecting a therapist's scheduled time. What I do not accept is charging me for the full appointment, shortening the actual service dramatically, charging for add-ons that did not resemble what was advertised, and then presenting tip suggestions calculated from that total.
Because the front desk was unwilling to meaningfully address the discrepancy, I will be disputing the applicable charges directly with my bank and providing them with the appointment details, receipt, timing, and services actually received.
Two stars rather than one because I did technically receive a massage. Beyond that, I cannot recommend this business based on my experience.
