I have been getting massaged for well over 20 years. I used to have a very steady and wonderful MT…read morewhen I lived in the East Bay, but upon making the 916 my residence, I had been searching for the best match for a massage therapist locally.
Upon searching yelp to find businesses and feedback to select the best match, I was certainly excited to try a business that not only specialized in the services needed, but also has a name with, "magical hands" you can't go wrong with that title, right. . .
I feel like I struggle with trying to find the best match for bodywork services. I have grown in my ability to be more assertive and communicate what I am looking for, but, massage is similar to the process of finding a new hair stylist. Not everyone is going to have the right technique, skills, or even personality.
One of my reasons for not writing a review for this business sooner is that, quite honestly, the massage I received was forgettable. I had literally almost forgotten about this moment in time, until just this month, July 2025, I received a generic email from the business name and it was basically like, your birthday is coming up, blah blah, feel free to book an indulgence massage.
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There was a mild personal issue that came up between my wife and I just before our scheduled times which delayed the massage start initially, and I had communicated that we could discuss rebooking, paying any late fees, etc with Alicia.... but she said it was fine to proceed with our services (one after the other).
With that discussed, let me talk about how this magical handed massage went for me personally.
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The first thing I noticed while laying face down in the cradle and starting out with the massage is how much ego came into play with this MT. Why is that important, you ask? Because when a massage therapist feels as though their combined experience and "intuition" leads to them giving the impression that they know what is best for the client, that is when issues arise.
I will admit, one of my own weaknesses that I continually work on is having the confidence to speak up about issues during a massage.
Unfortunately, when a massage doesn't match the clients needs, they should address the feedback constructively and hopefully take that feedback to create better experiences in the future. I really had to think and rewrite my intentional review to reflect on what was missing during the service. A review should be a representation of the actual experience, positively or negatively, and not a personal response.
I had mentioned that I wanted swedish and I enjoy a light movement, known as effleurage, which basically just translates to I like a soft massage, with light strokes, often using just palms and to feel restful.
Alicia kept mentioning how she would "get in there" to basically work on any knots she could feel. I didn't come in for deep tissue, heavy pressure points, or sports massage. Even after communicating that I didn't need that extra pressure, just keep it to a Swedish style, she continued to be heavy handed with her strokes.
My biggest observation in all of this is to mention that Alicia with all of her experience lacks the ability to listen to each person's needs.
But for new clients, trying to find a local massage therapist in town with a great reputation and tons of experience, I look for that honest written feedback online to make my scheduling decision. For these reasons, I wanted to share my own experience with Jardins Magical Hands so that others reading this can make their own informed decisions with personalized results.
Thank you for reading!
