First, a bit about me - so you know the context of the review. I've been getting massages for about - let's see - 18 years. I consider them part of basic life health. I'm not olympic athlete, but I do cycle a lot, and I'm in a stressful (office) job, so massage keeps me sane.
After a while, any given therapist sadly grows a bit complacent. I've really only ever been able to stick with one for no more than a couple of years before they stop trying to do great. So I have to go hunting - the phase I'm in now. I've seen at least 25 different therapists around the world in my life.
I had a massage at Bodies in Balance with Lori in this context. My thoughts:
- Lori has been doing this a long time. She's complacent.
- She operates her business ok. She's got her computer there for appointment management, but she's not using online appointment management; you still have to call her. (Minor nit, but c'mon - it's 2011.) Mind you: She has a "24 hour cancellation policy." She tells you that on the phone, and her answering machine says so, too. Clearly she worries about this. Fortunately for me, she didn't enforce it strictly; my first appointment was scheduled the night of a huge snowstorm, and I called her first thing that morning to say I thought we ought to defer it. She didn't return my call until days after, but didn't make a fuss about canceling the morning of my evening massage (though a sane person wouldn't...)
- My first hint of silliness: She's got a little sign up with made-up combinations of oil scents for various wellness options - e.g. relaxation, etc. It's all scented oils, folks - given oil scents are not going to do different things to you.
- Second hint that she's set in her ways (and not yours): I said I preferred cremes or lotions over oils, to minimize the transfer to clothes afterwards. She didn't have any; "I use oils." Period. No apologies. Ok, fine, I can live with it; but this is the first time I've ever found a therapist without a creme/lotion alternative.
- Her technique is average. Nothing bad, nothing exceptional.
- Her sense of touch (of troubled muscles) is only average. I have a gnarly area that's usually something therapists will comment on, and she did. But there were other areas she didn't feel that I knew needed attention.
- She's definitely not one for athletes. I told her I cycle, and that should set off bells for her that my hamstrings, glutes, quads, adductur magnus and gracilis are going to need attention, with possible ITB tightness, too. Of all the time she spent, she spent the _least_ on my thighs. Totally didn't address my areas where I needed emphasis.
- Other than the initial "Do you have anything that needs attention" before we started, she didn't ask me any questions. Nothing like "Is this pressure ok," "Any issues with ___", etc. I never say anything the first time because I want to see how much they care about how they're doing. Asking questions is key to massage customer satisfaction, and none were asked here.
- Because she didn't ask, I didn't say that I wanted deeper work. I don't know if she's just not very strong, or just wasn't working deeper because I wasn't saying anything. (You can't do this for the 20 years she's done it without getting _some_ strength; but I suspect she's complacent, and it could well be she's not as strong as others.)
- On the plus side, her table was nice. Very fluffy and comfortable. She made effective use of her heating pad (yes, it was winter). Nice neck bolster, too (unique.)
- Frankly, she had the personality of a state trooper stopping you on the road. That shouldn't matter _all_ that much, but geez, does she really need no new regular clients?
Honestly, I think she likely has a stable of habitual regulars who don't know any better and won't seek out "really good work."
Sorry to be a bit unfavorable, but it's how I feel. read more
