I was straddled from behind...from a girl...for just $15! With a Foot Massage establishment at every corner in San Gabriel Valley, it feels like choosing among a Starbucks in Seattle. However, unlike a Starbucks, I refuse to walk into just any Foot Massage place b/c the last time I did I ended up bruised, swollen, and in pain for days. So, as my friends and I were looking for a Foot Massage place near our hotel, we stumbled across Foot Spa, looked it up on Yelp and decided to give it a try. My friends and I came here on Saturday, June 25th a little after 3 PM and were promptly taken in. A Foot Massage includes a head, face, neck, shoulder, and back massage is $15/hour here (CASH ONLY). About 70% of the time is spent on your body. For all you Foot Massage Virgins, the process is pretty much the same as w/ all the Asian Foot Massage places w/ some variation: 1. You're seated at a recliner which folds down and you're asked to lay on your tummy. 2. My masseuse started by massaging my head and neck. She used her thumbs heavily and used a lot of pressure which can be uncomfortable at time but relaxing afterwards as it relives a lot of tension. 3. She then straddled me from behind and proceeded to my back where she used the force from her elbows and body weight to glide across my upper, lower back, and butt. 4. After spending 35-40 minutes, I was asked to lay on my back and my feet was placed in a plastic lined wooden basin. I received a face massage which concentrated on the temples of my forehead. 5. I then received an arm and hand massage before the foot massage began. 6. After drying my feet, a thick lotion was placed and my feet and calves were massaged. She used long, slow strokes on my foot and mainly concentrated on the arch of my foot and my heels. The thumbs of her hands were used to massage my calves. She used strong pressure which may be uncomfortable for some during the process, but actually helps relieve a lot of pent up tension and stress. 7. The massage ended w/ a swaying, throwing, and bending of my legs (think lazy yoga). The Result? I left feeling like a big monkey was lifted off my shoulders and the ball and chain was unshackled from my ankles. Ahhh.... TIPS: *Wear comfortable loose fitting clothes. *Don't wear a skirt/dress b/c your legs will be all over the place. *Be prepared to leave w/ smeared make-up and disheveled hair, so make sure you don't have any plans afterwards. *The employees know very limited English. Most speak Mandarin and very little Cantonese. So, bring a Mandarin-speaking friend or just use simple hand gestures if you don't want a certain body part touched or if the pressure is too hard. *Please TIP well. These employees are hard workers and for $15/hour, I doubt they get much from it. Typically, people tip $5, but I tend to tip $10 if the massage is good. AMBIANCE/DÉCOR: No frills, cheesy Asian type décor. There are about 15-18 recliners that are side-by-side to one another. There's an LCD TV playing a Chinese Opera-type movie. At times, the masseuses do speak to one another, so if you're expecting a quiet, serene ambiance, FS is not the place to be. If you're strapped on cash, crave stress relief and enjoy a strong massage while being straddled (minus a Happy Ending), pay FS a visit! read more

I LOVE this place. Don't let the sweatshop-esque atmosphere fool you. If you're achy and got a $20 bill burning in your pocket, this is where you wanna be! What to expect: - It's a room full of big comfy chairs that recline far enough for you to lay down. You start the massage by laying down on your stomach (don't worry, the recliner has a hole for your face so that you don't accidentally suffocate yourself). The person assigned to you will then begin to massage your entire back (be warned: some workers like to pay extra attention to your posterior). After about 20/30 minutes, they will ask you to lay on your back. They put your feet in a hot (sometimes scalding) bath while they work on your face/head/neck. After a few minutes they move on to pulling/twisting your arms before finally ending the hour by giving you a foot/leg massage. TIPS: - Wear comfortable and loose clothing - Bring cash: $15 for the massage and a $5+ tip sounds about right. - Women: Shave your legs! - Speak up: If something hurts, tell them! If something feels amazing, also tell them! - Keep your own water bottle in the car so that you can re-hydrate once you're done. - WASH YOUR FEET before coming here! read more

My blond partner in crime looks at me with an intense blank stare, "OK *you* do all the talking." What?! At a yet-to-be-determined form of Asian foot massage parlor establishment? I think NOT. She was kidding of course. We had to do a tour de force since this plaza had more than one $15 dollar a pop (hour) foot / full body (with clothes on, thank goodness) massage. The ladies, though they were 1/3 of our size, had incredibly strong hands. I don't think I was able to see straight for the rest of the day...too bad I was the driver. Yup, great massage. Although I have to warn that there will be a definite communication breakdown for those of you who are not used to English not being the primary language of choice. Even lil ol' multi-lingual me had issues when my poor masseuse was trying to get me to lean down. Blondie had to yell at me to "ASSUME POSITION" which at least served as a good form of entertainment for the the rest of the staff there. Great deal, service and flat screen TVs all over the place (they even put the discovery channel on for us - hmmm, probably because we were were our Lacoste polos that day). read more

Ok, this is officially my foot spa place. After trying 3-4 different places in the SGV, I am most satisfied with this one. Thank you, Yelpers for introducing me here! The place is pretty tiny, but it's always filled with people. Everyone is super friendly and they actually LISTEN and UNDERSTAND you when you want a stronger or lighter massage. They don't talk crap about you while they're massaging you and the water in your foot bucket isn't scorching "burn-the-skin-right-off-your-bones" hot. A word of caution for those of you who are sensitive to where you're being touched: They do a full body massage....as in they massage your buttocks area, too. Frankly, I don't mind, but thought I'd throw that out there. At $15 ($20 including tip) and free parking, this place is a bargain. read more

$15 for an hour massage?? You can't beat that. But i swear my masseuse was out to kill me. I'm a lean filipino dude, 160 - 5'7. But I swear this dude felt like he was massaging Shaq. Pressure to the MAX. Hurt like hell, but the next day, i felt good. Great price. Massage is a gamble however. read more

As far as foot spa's go, this one was just okay. The seats were comfy but smelled a bit funny. The guy that was massaging me had very rough hands, it was a bit painful. Everything else is sanitary and clean. I still prefer Alibaba foot spa a few blocks down. read more

Foot Spa - Day Spas Near Me - San Gabriel, California

update: pretty random and trippy place. not always the best experience, but still best $15 massage you can get. Reduced to 4 stars for inconsistency. This is better than Burke Williams...if you can appreciate the kid in the back room watching Betty Boop cartoons on her laptop, intermingling with the sounds of the giant plasma tv with Chinese programming (it's truly bizarre) and the people who are working on you occasionally conversing in Chinese and/or answering their cell phones. I just closed my eyes and pretended I was having a weird dream while getting the rockin'-est massage. Seriously, I'm very finicky about my surroundings, but none of the distractions or decor bothered me a bit. It helps that I more than appreciate any sort of David Lynch aesthetic. If you want a serene, pristine, upscale spa-like massage, go invest the $200+ elsewhere. If you want a thorough, strong, accupressure-style massage (shoulders, head, arms, feet, legs...) that will keep and leave you smiling and walking out like jelly afterwards, all for a mere $15, then you have scored. I went with a friend. First to one of the restaurants for dumplings (starts with an M, three words...in the very corner on the bottom floor...will research and write review because it was great). Here is the recipe for a perfect afternoon: 1. steamed dumplings (the crab and pork are lighter and tastier), tsing tao beer (sp?), sauteed snow pea leaves. 2. 1 hour massage at foot spa. 3. Eclair from Beard Papa. UPDATE: though all dumplinged out, I've been back to foot spa several times. one woman beat the hell out of my feet, she wears a bracelet that makes a lot of noise (like a cat with a bell on it's collar, watch out for her unless you are into that foot punishment stuff) i still have not braved any of the other places around...but at these prices am determined to spend an entire day going from one place to the next on my discovery quest. read more

I dunno why, but last week took a lot out of me and my back, neck, and feet were aching like I've never known. On a whim, I finally got over the ear fingering man from my last massage a year+ ago and decided I'd just try a new place and ask for a lady if necessary. So I hauled my ass all of 5 minutes from home to "Foot Spa". It was almost 8:30 so there were fewer people there, like I'd hoped. I walked in and about 7 ladies in normal clothes were staring at me. One in particular asked me something in Chinese, but I couldn't hear against all the street traffic outside. I stepped in and after she repeated herself, I finally said "yes, foot, please". As in, foot massage. As in, the $15/hour one. She got up and told me to sit where she had been sitting. Warm seat. Eww. At least I knew who'd been sitting there last. [Does that bother anyone else?] The front room has about 12 black leather Lazyboys, (4 each row, 3 rows of em) facing a flatscreen on the wall. They've all got red pillows and white doily things on them, small side tables in between to set your stuff on. This place isn't fancy or anything. It looks like a normal Chinesey place - mismatched but comfy furnishings and luck scrolls. This place was a bit messy, obviously busy that day. She brought a tub of scalding hot water and told me to go ahead and soak my feet. BUUUURRRRN! I couldn't do it. after she poured 2 sty cups of cold drinking water into it for a quick fix, it was slightly better and I just tried to la maz my way into it. It was alright. I switched to sitting over on the ottoman and she started kneading my shoulders. Maybe I was overworked. Or just too tired. Or too achey. Or anxious. I don't know, but she was sure strong for a tiny lady! It literally hurt me when she kneaded my back but I thought maybe it was just me. It was my own fault for not saying anything, but after 10 minutes of pain, I finally mentioned that it was a little heavy and she lightened it up. The back and neck massage lasted for no more than 10 minutes. She moved onto my arms. Ow. Does everything hurt here? What pointy fingers! I knew this was a place that did the reflexology deal so I didn't want to complain. I took it. Finally she started giving me indian burns on my forearms. Okay, that's not relaxing at all! I grimaced and she finished at the same time. What a coincidence. I sat in the lazy boy again and she started working on my head. It was like having my hair washed, except she only focused on the sides of my head rather than my entire scalp, as in other parlours. Like having your hair washed, without the water and shampoo. Eh. The foot massage took the most amount of time. I guess that's how it's supposed to go, since that's what I asked for. I told her ahead of time that I'd recently broken the right foot so go easy on that one. She understood and started on that one first so that she wouldn't forget. The focused more on toes and less on the middle (soles) than I would have liked. Then she went on to press around my tibia bones(main leg bone below your knee) repeatedly, which started to hurt. The pointy fingers didn't dhelp. I noticed during the massage that not everyone was getting the same, regulated massage. Different masseuses had different techniques. Some spent more time on other parts of the body (which I would have liked, since my back has been giving me problems lately). I guess that can be a good thing, but this time, I felt like I was missing out on the relaxation part of my massage. I felt really tense the whole time and left with more pain in my lower back than I'd come in with. Well, despite the "ok" massage I got, I was pleased with my masseuse's personality. Even though i brought the mp3 player, I could tell she wanted to chat. On the up side, she complimented my feet, which was nice because I'd felt so blah about my feet since I broke one and my feet no longer match in color since the incident happened (I hope that's because I'm still healing not because I'm just various colored feet forever). All in all, she was a nice chick and she tried, but maybe next time I need someone with thicker hands and blunter fingers. read more

I was either delusional last time or they have actually changed the recliners at this place. There are holes for your face now! I've been a bit lazy lately and I've been sticking for my $40/hr Thai massages closer to where I live. But a blissful experience at Foot Spa reminded me of the greatness of SGV foot massages. They are really generous in their body-foot time allocation and spent at least 60% of the time on my body. The foot portion was quite comfortable as well. I didn't scream and I didn't want to cry during the massage so it's a winner in book. read more

WORST MASSAGE EVER!!! This is only my second experience at asian massage place. I saw the good reviews on Yelp so i decided to check it out. So my roomie and I walk in to this place and its tiny and the have asian news on the tv, kind of distracting 'cuz its showing images of japan, I mean im going in there to relax. anyways its gets worse! so we are waiting there, and this couple walks in and they get help 1st, maybe they had an appointment... then i see this man walk in from the outside, he points at me, he goes to the back room, then comes back out and turns out hes my masseuses. Everyone is that place was wearing scrubs except for the two men who help us. I didnt think much of it at 1st but once the massage started it was painful and he kept touching my butt!!! since im new to this scene, i thought ok maybe its normal, but seriously he spent a couple minutes on just one cheek! I could NOT take that,. it was so uncomfortable, I asked him to STOP and not touch that area. also not to do it so hard. It felt wrong, and i feel violated When it was over I asked my roomie if she got her butt touched and she said, for like a sec. seriously the man was on my butt for MINUTES! HORRIBLE! felt like a scam Next time i go to a massage place, i will make sure its a lady who takes care of me. woke up worse than i felt yesterday! read more

I love this place! $15 massage ($20 if you throw down a tip... which you really should... considering it's a $15 MASSAGE!!!) It says foot spa, but they really work you over head to toe. I'm a fan of a "harder" massage, so they do it right for me. Heck, I even dig the packed to the gills, every bit of space utilized, loud talking in Cantonese, bad Chinese television ambiance of the place. I love it all! read more

It's been a while since I've been here but my sister liked it last time. This time I took a friend for her first "foot" massage. To be honest, this place is 3.5 in my book. I've been going to another place across the street but it is now gone all of a sudden so I came back here. They are not bad at massaging but I think it really varies on who you have. When I walked in I saw this girl in the red scrub stepping on someone's back and massaging. It was super busy and crowded. They were pretty friendly and the woman who did my massage kept complimenting my skin and hair. It works! Flattery will you get you everywhere lol. Regardless the massage was decent and she often asked if the pressure was okay. $15 for an hour is unbeatable. Of course in this neighborhood the competition is stiff. There are 3 massage places in this plaza alone. They changed their routine a little and massage style. Immediately they start off with having you lie face down and gets right into the back massage. Afterwards they have you turn around and continue with some face and arm massage. Then they move on and finish with the foot massage. My biggest qualm of the day was the annoying patron who was inconsiderately playing a video or watching something in Spanish loudly. At least be considerate of others! Also, the staff does like to chat so it isn't really a "tranquil" place but you gotta love the price ;) read more

Was looking for a foot massage a place in a hurry and stumbled across this on yelp. Ok, not really thrilled with the service. The expecations: Only $15 which is a draw. When I go to a place that advertises foot massage, that is kind of what I expect for most of the hour. The reality: For $15 what I get is about 80% mediocre back accupressure massage and only about 20% time on my feet, when I wanted it the other way around. Quality of the full body massage (which I didn't really want) is so-so and the masseuse wasn't really focused on the job and was chatting with one of the other employees while working on me. Also it's one common room with massage chairs lined up next to each other, which is ok by me since I've been to quality places that are setup like this, but others may not like the lack of privacy. read more

For $15 an hour for both feet and body, that's pretty nice. Sometimes, I don't have time or money to do a full hour-lying on the table massage, and so this is my go to place if I'm in this area, hehe! I had a male masseuse since the female one was already working on a customer. It felt funny at first when he had my lied on my stomach, and massaged my butt first, but then again, that's the first part that all the masseuses worked on. You're lying in a recliner with a hole in the middle for your face. This masseuse had strong hands, and I felt like I was being twisted and turn like a pretzel (but in a good way). He even cracked my back, and I felt lighter afterwards, and so yay! After he was done with the back massage, he had my turned over, pillow under head, and placed my feet in a hot tub of water. He then proceeded to massage my head/neck/shoulders, to which I felt so relaxed. I loved my scalp rub...ahhh...my brain felt good getting massage, lol, and he even covered my eyes with a towel. Afterwards, he dried off my feet, and massaged them and legs. I felt refreshed, a little sore, but it helped, especially in awakening my mucles, and was served tea afterwards. Next time, definitely coming here with loose clothing. I came here with jeans on, and so it kept sliding down when he was massaging, and the guy was nice to enough to pull them up every time, lol...and even nicer, the entire staff looked for my pink bluetooth when I thought I had lost it - only to find out, it was stucked in my deep left pocket of my jacket, lol... All in all, I pretty good place to get a good foot / body massage. THey even give you a pad for stamping the amount of times you've come. I think buy 10 and get the 11th one free? Nice friendly staff. Even though they speak limited English, but they get the job done. They do have the TV on with Chinese news, but they keep in low in volume. The parking kind of sucks, but there's street parking that's ample. read more

My mom comes here all the time, so when I was in town for the holidays she treated me to a massage here. At $15/hr, you're getting what you pay for: + The chairs are actually very comfortable, and they put a blanket over you so you don't get cold, which seemed very considerate to me. + While you lie on you back and they work on your head and neck, they put your feet in hot water that actually stays hot! - The masseuses aren't really paying attention to you. My masseuse was talking to my mom's masseuse the entire time - The massage seems sort of sporadic, and it didn't always feel like both sides were getting the same treatment - The massage was a little rough. I know my muscles need work but I don't think it should have hurt that much. I felt really terrible the next day and had a lot of back pain. I'm pretty sure a massage is supposed to fix that, not cause it. Still, I did feel pretty relaxed while I was there and they give out punch cards (10 massages, get one free), so if you're in the area a lot and can't afford a more professional massage at the spa, I guess it's a good place to drop in. read more

okay. i'm only rating it this high because i have never been to one of the thousands of foot spas in the sgv. so after eating next door at the dragon mark (see review), my friend and i go to the foot spa and peek inside to see 15 chairs filled with people getting massages. it wasn't suprising except that it was MIDNIGHT?!?!? anyways, a little chinese lady comes out and asks us if we want a massage. we hesitate because everyone in there is 50years and older, but it was 15 bucks an hour, how bad could it be? this got to be one of the best deals i have gotten in LA. they start by putting your feet a tea soak bath. while your soaking those aching feet of yours (not to mention smelly), they work on your neck, shoulder, back for 20 minutes. then they move to your arms and head (felt soooooo good, thank god i got my head shaved). then they dry your feet and lotion it up. this is where the fun begins. for 30 minutes they massage your feet working everything nook and cranny. tried to to think "unticklish" thoughts so i wouldn't LOL and have 19 chinese "elders" giving me that "shut the f*** up" glare. after massaging your feet they work on your thighs and calves. too bad for my friend, cuz he got this really strong chinese man to massage him. my friend was squirming though when it was time to get the thigh massage. it was like a game of chicken: "how long would it be before the masseuse would graze his penis." hahaha, i loved it. read more

This place used to be really good, $15 for full body (60 mins). However, today I went with a friend and they have upped their prices and now require "service fee". You can get a basic body massage for $20, $30, or $45 depending on what you want them to focus on. I got the $20, 60 minute massage. At the end I gave the woman $24, 20 + 4 tip. She said no and told me the minimum service fee is $5, but she said it in a super rude way. The massage wasn't even that great and you now require a 25% tip. Rude rude rude. read more

After a stressful day at work, I came here for the good deal. I hadn't been to any foot spa before, so I didn't know what to expect. I had a young Chinese guy massage me. He used a lot a pressure, which I liked. For $15 I got a full body massage from head to toe (with clothes on). I fell asleep during the foot massage. When I woke up, I felt so relaxed. It was the best $15 ever spent. I will go back and bring all my family and friends. read more

First time at one of these Chinese foot spa places and I enjoyed most of it! My boyfriend and I came here for a foot massage but turns out you get a full body too! For $15! Maybe I will look for some of these things in Seattle... I'm so used to my chiropractic massages and spas with expensive packages -_- While you don't exactly get a relaxing environment, the massage and price make up for it. I had a man and my bf had a woman masseuse. We were seated in these comfy reclining chairs with a hole for your face. Very nice since I Dont like my mascara gettin all smudged. My upper back and neck area had so many knots he had to work out and it was painful!! But I sucked it up and it felt much better afterwords. I hope I am not sore tmrw! Also, I heard my spine pop a few times as it readjusted itself. Not bad, not bad... The foot massage was pretty interesting, some pain, some nice pressure and lots of throwing my feet around. The guy kept looking at me and I kept laughing. I don't speak mandarin but my bf does so I didn't say much but he was able to. However the guy was able to ask me in English how I was doing and if the pressure was ok. I would def want to check out the other foot spas in the area and see how it compares to this place. read more

Maybe it's because I don't speak Mandarin, but this was yet again a failed attempt to find a foot spa massage place that I'd actually come back to. =_= *sigh. So very sad. While I was soaking my feet, I was watching the workers (to kind of take in some of their techniques myself so I can try them at home HEHE) and there were these two younger ladies who looked like they really knew what they were doing and how to make the customer feel good. (I WAS HOPING I'D GET THEM >.<) Unfortunately, I got this one doode. He had strong hands, but because I didn't speak Mandarin he didn't really pay any mind to me at all. He just looked around, talked to a nearby co-worker, watched TV, etc. I attempted to tell him that certain things he did HURT, but the message didn't get through I guess. Anyway, I tipped them because it was late and they probably worked really hard all day anyway, but I won't be coming back. (Plus, my boyfriend said his feet-soaking water was luke warm and not nearly as comfortable as he hoped for. Boo D:) read more

Actually 3.5 This place is on the street level and parking lot is plenty. The location is very good and there is my favorite dumpling restaurant next door. It's absolutely attractive price at $15 (+$5 tip) for an hour. If you want to have upscale massage, it's not the place. They do the performing with conversation between other workers and too much. However, the session is keep doing and completed during one hour. I don't understand Chinese so, just close eyes and try to relax. They should keep clean the face down area. The paper towel replacement is not enough. This is tip ; no pain no gain. So, DON'T BE AFFRAID THE PAIN NEXT DAY. The Pain after several hours is very normal. Massage is painful and need a healing period and adjustment time after massage (at least 24hours). Everyone has a different technique and depending on your body condition, but if your body can not tolerate the pain then you should tell them little more softer. But I would like to have full throttle pressure on my back and muscles. - Because they not really adjust or touch your spine or bones, but only the soft tissues and mucles. Skill : 4 Service : 4 Price : $15 (Can not be lower than this) Good Value 5 Ambiance / Interior Decoration: 3.5 - Comfy chair Cleanliness : 2 - Bad odors around Head area (Face down) Environment: 4 - Busy mall Location & Parking: Lot - Easy to access / plenty - underground Credit Card: no Cash Only Visit again: 50/50 - I want to try another $15 place. Overall : 3.5 read more