I don't even know where to begin. A friend recommended this place, and a cursory Yelp glance showed 4 stars, so I gave it a shot. This is the first time I have ever walked out on a massage.
The place looks decent, plenty of rooms and foot massage chairs, etc. I went to my massage room and, as instructed, laid face-down only to have the disgusting smell of dirty head assault me. For some reason they had put a neck pillow (like the kind you use on an airplane) on top of the massage table's u-shaped face rest. This pillow smelled like what I imagine to be a dorm-room pillow of an 18 year old boy who rarely washes his sheets. Disgusted, I tossed it aside and used the u-shaped rest. A little better.
Then the masseuse comes in and I ask her to pay particular attention to my right neck and shoulder area, as I had slept wrong and had trouble turning my head. She said okay. Then she stands on my left side and uses her elbows on my spine. She meant to do sweeping motions with her forearms, but seemed not to realize that the whole time she was running her elbow along the bumps of my spinal column, causing a lot of pain. I spoke up and again she said okay. She moved down to my hamstrings and glutes with a staccato, almost indiscernible massage. I asked her to go a little harder. She said okay and she may have massaged 1% harder. So far, this massage sucks.
She then stands on my right side and repeats the elbow-spine assault. What the hell? I decide to just try and relax and ignore the fact that I'll likely go home with bruises. But never in the dozens and dozens of massages I've had (ranging from mediocre to amazing) was my spine ever "massaged" like today.
She makes her index and thumb like a prong and pushes on either side of my spine and she hits a knot in my lumbar. Ooh! That clearly needs to be worked. But she doesn't feel it, and moves on. I've had massages in ghetto basement of NYC's chinatown where you literally hear rats running around in the ceilings, but the masseuses were very knowledgeable and clearly understood how to use massage for healing. They find knots and work them, and I feel improved afterward. Today's masseuse clearly lacked such technique.
It was when she moved up to my neck and bruised the spine there that I said I had enough.
It's one thing to get a mediocre massage by a mediocre masseuse, but a masseuse who clearly doesn't know what she's doing AND is causing a steady dose of pain? No reason to stay.
I tell her I'd like to stop today, she inquires what she can do differently, but how can I explain that she just doesn't know what she's doing? I kindly persist that I just don't want to continue today. She asks if she can send someone else in. At first I refuse then she says "try for 5 minutes to see if you like" or something so I said okay.
The new person came in but to be honest, the damage was done. I was in a foul mood and I wasn't having it. And, in the 3 minutes or so she massaged me, it became clear she wasn't any better. She offered to at least bring a hot towel to wipe off the oil, but I couldn't wait to get out of there. I declined.
I get out to the counter where my original masseuse was waiting. It was awkward because I had never walked out on a massage before. I wondered how much explaining was due. I tried to be helpful and explain that she shouldn't cause so much pain along the spine and that she neglected to attend to knots. She was somewhat apologetic but then said she's been doing this for 10 years, as though that would automatically prove her aptitude.
I had a 20 dollar bill on me and I was going to be generous enough to leave that for their effort. I was considerate and asked how much she will charge me, and she said "half hour is fine. $30" even though I laid down on the table at 2:11 and I was checking out at 2:33pm. This even included the masseuse swap that I never wanted.
She had the audacity to charge me generously, let alone at all. Not the way to run a business.
I've had great massages at western places like Sollievo on Mass Ave and Massage Therapy Works in Davis Square. I tend to try and support Chinese/Eastern massage places since, like the rat basement place I mentioned above, they can often give the most fantastic healing massages. However, this place in Medford is DREADFUL.
I promptly came home and took a shower because I was getting whiffs of that dirty pillow (clearly it had made my face smell, GROSS) and I'm writing this almost as a PSA.
Sad because I like to see hardworking immigrant business owners do well.
My neck and shoulder were never even touched so I'm going to get a heat pack. :( read more
