I am torn as to what rating to give, because of my mixed reviews on the various parts of this…read moreappointment, so I'll settle on three. Here's why...
First, booking. It was a nightmare. From what other reviews have said, perhaps it's because they sold too many groupons, but they were impossible to get ahold of. They also double booked and had to cancel my first appointment, and then never called me back to reschedule like they said they would. Also, they didn't check with me about having a male massage therapist. In the end, I was very happy with him, but initially I would have preferred a female. That is something they should check when booking. I had a groupon, so I can't talk much about pricing, but I think they typically only charge around $50-60 for an hour-long massage; that's a great price!
Second, location. I went to the Pawtucket location, which apparently was moving the next day. Awkward. The place was not the cleanest (probably due to the move), and without a receptionist. When I stumbled upon the place, my massage therapist was there to welcome me in a random tshirt and jeans, with no one else around. How was I to know this was a legit operation? Perhaps they should consider branded clothing or something.
Third, Russ. He is awesome. After the initial awkwardness and my own self-consciousness of a male massage therapist passed for me, I relaxed and enjoyed his amazing massage skills. I loved not only the strength he was able to put into the deep muscle massage, but I also loved that he did things a bit differently. He started with my face so he could massage my face and head without oil - what a great idea, I so appreciated not leaving with greasy hair! Then he massaged my neck, went down one side of my body and up the other, and then had me roll over to massage my back. What a great plan. He also seemed to be able to read where my trouble spots were and focused in on those, and moved/bent my legs and arms to be able to reach different muscles in my limbs. Also, his foot massage was to die for - normally I giggle uncontrollably and tell them to stop - but not this time. The entire massage was fabulous. Definitely one of the best I've ever received, and I told him that when I left. Thanks, Russ!
Hopefully the new location can fix the logistics issues, so I can happily make another appointment in the future.