I came here hoping to relax, but I left feeling uncomfortable, judged, and unwelcome…read more
When I first walked in, another Black woman happened to enter behind me. The staff automatically assumed that we were together without asking either of us. We did not arrive together and did not know each other. Assuming that two Black customers must be together simply because they entered around the same time felt inappropriate and added to the feeling that I was being stereotyped from the moment I arrived.
I smiled as I walked past the staff to use the bathroom. When I came back out, two of the women were looking at me strangely, smirking, rolling their eyes, and appearing to make fun of me. I had not said anything disrespectful to either of them. I literally used the bathroom and walked back to my chair. Their behavior felt immature, rude, and completely unnecessary. These were grown women behaving like children toward a customer they did not even know.
The front desk experience was also unpleasant. No one asked whether I preferred a male or female therapist. When I questioned it, I was told that because I had walked in without calling or making an appointment, I had to accept whoever was available. I understand that walk in customers may have limited options, but staff should still inform customers and ask about their comfort level before assigning a therapist. The woman at the front desk came across as rude, dismissive, and unnecessarily confrontational.
The male therapist was actually the only person who handled the situation professionally. He told me I could try the foot massage and decide later whether I wanted to continue with anything else. I agreed to a 30 minute foot massage, which cost $50, and I tipped him $20 because my issue was not with him.
However, by that point, the other staff members had already ruined the experience and completely changed my mood. People go to a massage business to relax and escape the stress of the outside world, not to feel watched, mocked, stereotyped, minimized, or judged simply for existing. I should not have to make myself smaller, lower my head, or prove that I deserve basic respect just to receive a massage.
I felt as though certain staff members were trying to humble me or make me uncomfortable, and their personal feelings about me were not my responsibility. I am allowed to carry myself with confidence. I am a paying customer and a human being, and I expect to be treated with dignity and professionalism.
I will not return to a place where staff members make me feel laughed at, racially stereotyped, judged, or intentionally unwelcome.
Attached is a photo of her smirking and laughing at me. This was not a friendly expression, and neither of them was being friendly toward me. It may look harmless in the photo, but it was not. The other woman rolled her eyes, while this woman kept staring at me, talking to her, and smirking. The entire interaction was strange, uncomfortable, and completely unnecessary.
