I got my first massage at Elements last night. I had a Spafinder card that I needed to use. As soon as I walked in, the woman at the front desk greeted me and told me to take a seat. She sat next to me and proceeded to describe the membership packages and deals they had going on. Mind you, this was my first massage at this location. I requested aromatherapy for my "relaxation" massage and Michelle (my massage therapist) left to perform a "ritual" before I was allowed in the room. Once in the massage room, she asked if the massage was full body and I said "yes" noting that I would like attention on my hips, upper back/shoulder blade area, and feet. When Michelle entered to begin the massage, she started at my glutes, which was a bit strange to me. However, what I found most strange was the amount of talking. Throughout the massage, she made several comments about her own life and provided details that I did not need to know. She made comments on tattoos and twisted my arm in different ways to observe the tattoos. There were moments of quiet, but more moments of talking. At one point, she sneezed, did not leave to wash her hands/arms, and proceeded to make a joke about getting rid of a rash before I arrived. She explained that she has allergies, and that sometimes she gets hives and it freaks people out. I work in public health and found the lack of attention to sanitation disturbing. I enjoyed parts of the massage, but they were overshadowed by awkward comments and jokes. I also felt that at times my fat was just being squeezed instead of actual massage. I had marked that my right knee should not be touched due to an injury, but she ignored that request. I also had more pain in my lower back after leaving. When I went to pay, the woman who greeted me when I arrived asked about my experience. I did not provide much feedback because I wanted to leave. When I said that I did not want to schedule another appointment and did not want to sign up for the membership, she seemed disappointed. She read my total and I handed her my gift card, to which she stated, "I wish I had known you had this," and talked about how long it would take to enter. She told me she would run my debit card after she took off the gift card, but that I did not need to wait. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. I will continue to get massage services from small businesses who listen to my requests, are professional, and don't make attempts to sell me products. read more