I left Integrative Massage in tears, with my heart racing on Thursday. I truly wouldn't recommend this place, ever. I can't think of another time I was so mistreated by a place that claims to be a "business".
First off, in Sara's own words, she does not do relaxation or traditional massage. She does more body work, or therapy. If you are looking for what most people in the USA consider to be a massage, go elsewhere. This is also not what I would consider to be a professional business. Through all of my appointments, Sara showed up a minimum of 2 minutes late from what was supposed to be the START time of my massage.
The first time I went in, Sara really sold me on herself and her work. She told me my body needed a lot of work and she knew exactly how to help me. I appreciated her quirky, outspoken personality. I decided to buy a package of 3 massages for $155.
By my 3rd visit, I was ready for a traditional massage. When I arrived, I asked Sarah how she was doing. She proceeded to tell me that she wasn't doing very well and that her stepfather had passed away the week before. I gave her my apologies, and I am truly very sorry, but that was not the way myself, or as far as I can imagine anybody, would want to start a massage. I could feel that her energy was off and truly, in my opinion, if she was not in a good mental state, she should have taken the initiative and not come into work that day.
I proceeded to ask Sara for what I wanted and told her I wanted her to work out my sore muscles. She spent the whole hour using two fingers to press random parts of my body for a minute at a time. It wasn't enjoyable, it wasn't helpful, and it wasn't what I asked for.
I left really disappointed and decided to communicate this to her. I sent her a very kind email, telling her I respect her work, and maybe it was miscommunication, but I didn't feel I received the type of massage I asked for. I still had one massage left in my package that I didn't want to waste. She wrote back and although she wasn't unfriendly, she wasn't willing to accept any responsibility for the miscommunication or misunderstanding. She basically placed all the blame on me and said next time make sure you communicate so I can give you what you want.
Ok, so I go in for what I thought would be my last massage at 2pm on Thursday. I said hello and asked Sara how she was when I arrived, and she didn't even respond, and wouldn't look at me. I thought that was strange but brushed it off. She sat me down and asked me what was going on. I told her I was fine and she asked what my expectations were. I explained to her in the best way I could what I wanted, and I asked her if that made sense. She looked at me with a straight face and said a very rude "NO". As we proceeded to discuss it, Sara was becoming more and more aggressive toward me. She asked me if I had ever been happy with any of her work and I could tell she was upset with me because I had tried to communicate about my last massage. Still, I remained very friendly and was trying to make the best of the situation, as I was in there to receive a massage. She started raising her voice at me and being extremely rude. I was almost in tears. I could not believe that I was receiving this sort of treatment from someone who claims to be a professional and is supposed to be in a place of relaxation. I asked her if something was wrong and told her that it was becoming a very hostile environment. It became very clear to me that she never had any intention of giving me a massage that day, and was holding a grudge because I wasn't happy with my previous massage.
I then told her I thought it was best if she just gave me a refund and she agreed. She forced me to leave her office and went so far as nearly pushing me out the door.
Overall, that was a horrible experience for me. I wasted an hour and a half of my day driving up there and back and never received a massage. If Sara is that insecure about her work that she cannot accept that not everyone is going to love what she does, maybe she is in the wrong business. At least I can walk away knowing that I was the bigger person, even though Sara is about 20 years my senior. She had absolutely no right to treat me that way, and I am surprised that she still calls herself a professional. I would not recommend her to anybody, and I can only give you my fair warning to stay as far away as you can. read more