This was an incredibly frustrating and useless experience.
I got a Groupon for a 60min massage, and while I usually only go to a RMT (with the exception of Smile Thai, which is where you frankly should go instead...) I am very tight on budget, while very tight physically from the gamut of physical activities that I do/lifestyle I lead. Hence, caving and going anywhere that had a deal I could afford.
I had no crazy expectations of this massage because it was not an RMT, however I figured even an hour of really light tapping would at least benefit my lymphatic system, so what's the worst I could lose?
An hour of my life, it turns out.
While I have no issue with anyone whom I interacted with personally-- both the receptionist and my masseuse seemed like pleasant, good natured people--there were a number of things that I found unacceptable and unprofessional.
1) There was no questionnaire asking of my physical/medical history. I have actually never in my life had a massage from a place that did not request SOME KIND of history. Which is hilarious because on their waiver, it states that you "acknowledge that you have answered honestly to all medical history questions" (I am of course paraphrasing, but that is what the sentence meant). I brought this up to the receptionists attention, who admitted she had never actually read the waiver (now please know she was super sweet. BUT...wtf? Seriously?This is your job...) She said she would bring it up with the owner, but that the masseuse would be asking me questions when I went in. Not only did my masseuse not ask me any questions, she didn't actually introduce herself...
So I am now entering a massage with someone who has no idea of any of my medical history, and has not thought to ask if I even have any pre-existing injuries... I was so put-off that I was already hesitant and tense before we even began, and after we began, it only got worse...
2) The masseuse, whom I found out was named Tatanya through one of the endless stories she told, talked through the entire session. And I don't mean talked about the massage, or my muscles, or what she was doing. She just talked. Non-stop. At first I thought that my obvious non-engagement of conversation (I replied only when I had to, with one word, and asked no questions/offered no further information, and mostly just pursed-lipped 'hmm'-ed) would deter her, but nope. I initially felt bad about writing this part, because she was not a 'bad' person, however that is not what this is about. This is a criticism of her as a professional, which she was not. She remained completely oblivious of my growing annoyance at constantly having my massage interrupted, and she also continuously stopped to show me 'exercises' I should do for my back. Now, this is important: She is completely unqualified to be giving out any kind of routine to be done at home. She is also not qualified to modify/and or adjust my spine, which I had to stop her from doing because yo, lady, I don't trust you, and that's not your job. It is actually in the waiver that they are not qualified to be giving medical assessments, and nothing said in the duration of your session should be construed as such. It ALSO states that they cannot realign your spine, etc, etc... So not only had the receptionist never read the waiver she hands out, neither do any of the therapists? On top of that, the massage was haphazard and unfocused-- BECAUSE SHE TALKED SO MUCH. Despite my saying I would like her to focus on my lower back, that was the area she focused on the least (at BEST 10 minutes. But much more like 5...) and spent a bunch of time on my head/shoulders, where she could be seated... She interrupted the massage constantly to talk more animatedly, and in general her energy (while not unkind) was so frenetic it was impossible to relax, let alone trust that she knew what she was doing.
Now for me what makes my experience unacceptable is that I read all of the yelp reviews previously made here before booking my appointment. There has already been a review in regards to the unprofessional manner of (as it happens, Tatanya) the masseuse talking non-stop throughout the session. The reason I chose to book my appointment anyway, was that the company had replied to all of their negative reviews, both apologizing for the negative occurrence, and assuring that they would address the various issues. To me, the fact that this happened AGAIN is appalling. There is absolutely no excuse for not addressed a problem as basic (and frankly, common sense) as 'Do Not Talk About Yourself, Your Children, And Your Various Weekend Activities While Giving A Massage To A Patient'.
This is just not worth your money (no matter what kind of deal Groupon seduces you with!) read more