I won't lie, this was my second time here. The first time I had a different experience but figured, I haven't been to a massage place like this before, and maybe it is a cultural thing? I am not sure; just a thought.
What I mean by different experience, I will explain. I had a massage, and it was given by a male. He did an amazing job at the massage, but there was one point that felt uncomfortable to me. The man lifted me up by my arms backwards and massaged my chest. There was no inappropriate touching, but my breasts were up and out. I was not asked permission or if I was ok with this. Again, I just figured it may just be a cultural thing, and next time I will just ask them not to do it.
Fast forward to today, I go in, and I made sure to stop by the bank first. As the last time, I was not told that they only accept cash and Visa. I was unaware, and she, with attitude, let me pay via Venmo. I apologized and promised to bring cash next time. So, I stopped by the ATM and got enough out for the massage and tip and went on my way.
I get there and pay with cash for the massage. I went back for my service and had a new person. I told her my target areas, and she began. The first thing I noted was the excessive amount of oil used. Again, I thought, "It's Colorado, it's dry, whatever." I didn't say anything. She gave an okay massage but seems to just be giving a massage like my partner, who is not trained. Nothing was targeted.
The second thing I noted that did make me uncomfortable was when she got on the table on top of me to finish the massage. Had I been asked, I am sure I would have said yes, but I wasn't asked permission or if it was ok with me.
The third thing was that I left a $20 bill in the massage room as a tip, which I specifically stopped by the bank for, and walked out to my car with a "Thank you." I go to my car and look in my purse for keys, get situated, and out comes the front desk lady. She opens my car door and says, "TIP!" I calmly let her know that I left cash in the room. She says, "Yes, cash or card." Again, I told her I left a $20 bill in the room for my tip. She said, "You come in." I told her again that I left my tip in the room. She said, "No." I looked down and saw I had a few $1s in my wallet. I counted out $5 and handed it to her. She said, "This is it!" I told her, again, I already tipped, and this is all I have on me. She repeated, "This is it!" I then asked her to close my door. She slammed it shut and walked into the building.
As if that wasn't enough, the fourth thing, and what really pushed me to write a review, because I almost never do reviews. I am driving home, and she sends me a text. "You are not a first-time customer here. Tips are a recognition of the massage therapist's service, and the therapist's income mainly comes from tips. I don't know why you are unwilling to give a tip to the therapist, which makes me feel very helpless."
At this point, I decide to go back and check the reviews. I looked at Google reviews, and they are outstanding, with some great customer reviews. When I looked this time, I noticed Yelp's review of a 2.3. I decided to look deeper into the Google review comments and saw others with some similar experiences. There are good reviews and some great massages, but scattered in there about every 4-5 comments is a 1-star review. I am not the only person who has been hassled for more of a tip. I am not the only person who was uncomfortable.
If you do go and read the reviews, the owners' responses are very rude and accusatory. I also want to state that I am a Culturally Diverse and Lingustic Educator. Basically, I work with students and families from other cultures and speak other languages. I am a very open person and understand cultural differences. I love learning about other cultures and stay open to language barriers. I kept an open mind, but this went a little too far.
I hope others will read the reviews and make an educated decision for you. Have a wonderful Halloween! read more
