After a recent encounter at Rio Grande, I yelped this business to see what other people said about it. There were few reviews, and at least 2 of them were unfavorable, explaining the unpleasant experiences they had. Interestingly enough, now that I yelped this business again to finally put in my 2 cents, the unfavorable reviews have been curiously removed.
I went to Rio Grande 2 weeks ago, upon recommendation of a girlfriend who usually gets reflexology done there, and enjoys it. I was looking forward to trying out a body massage, since I'd had a long day at work, and was hoping to release some muscle tightness. I was led into a communal room where other people were being massaged. Being a woman, I felt uncomfortable getting undressed with a male customer in the same room with me, and I had to convince the woman who ushered me in to somehow allow me some privacy, which she eventually did. I was pleased with the cheap rate for an hour massage, but it turned out to be one of the most stressful massages I've ever had! I've had massages from various outfits, from spas to numerous other spots in Chinatown that I've frequented. These other places have always been a pleasant experience, and so was open to trying this new place out.
From the beginning, the woman who brought me into the room and also massaged me, seemed to not be very aware of any kind of massage technique, nor was she aware, or concerned with, how the customer/myself, was doing. She was extremely irregular in her pressure, sometimes applying lots of pressure on areas that shouldn't be as pushed into the table, such as the spine and my knees; and other times, too light on the actual muscles. At other times, she was way too hard on my muscles, using her elbow with too much fervor on my tiny frame. Throughout the hour, I kept telling her it was too hard, and asked her lighten up on the pressure. Unfortunately, my requests were heard on deaf ears, because her only response was laughter, and she would continue where she left off. There were moments when it was so painful, and no matter how many times I'd request her to lighten her technique, she wouldn't let up, and I would have to literally move my body away, and physically show her that I was uncomfortable. There were other times when she would release some tension, and then it became painful again, and I'd ask her to ease up. There were so many times I wanted to just stop the massage and get off the table. But, I really wanted to give her a chance to redeem herself, I was really looking for some muscle relief, and I wanted to hopefully come away with something good after paying any amount of money, as affordable as it was.
But, by the end of the hour, I was even more tense from the pain, and was irritated, as well.
The guy who seemed to run the place seemed very nice, and after my massage, asked me how it was. I said it could've been better, and that the pressure was oftentimes too much. He said I could've let the woman who was massaging me know. I told him I did, numerous times. Instead of addressing it, he just laughed. The woman who massaged me was standing there, and laughed along with him. Whether or not it was a cultural difference, I don't know, but that's not the issue. I've had some really great massages from other places in Chinatown that were actually cheaper than Rio Grande, and so much better! As an acupuncturist, I am familiar with acupressure points, and these other places in Chinatown had folks that utilized them, and always adjusted if the pressure was too hard or soft. It looks like I'll have to go back to these other places to enjoy my massages again. I won't be going back to Rio Grande. Hopefully my comment won't be seemingly deleted as the other ones I saw were. read more