I discovered TL Foot Spa completely by accident while driving down William Cannon in the middle of…read moremoving hell between apartments. My entire body hurt, I needed relief STAT, and their sign caught my attention. I looked them up online, loved the prices and the fact that I could book an appointment online, and decided to give them a shot.
For my first visit, I booked the 20-minute chair massage + 40-minute foot massage combo. Both were good and my appointment started right on time. I did find it a little bizarre to have a towel placed over my eyes for the entire foot massage, but I suppose I can survive being off my phone for 40 minutes. Overall, a really good first experience, especially for the price.
I went back a few days later for a 30-minute chair massage and OH MY WORD. So. Good. My shoulders and back were absolutely wrecked from moving and this was exactly what I needed.
The second visit did have some hiccups, though. I had booked online several hours in advance, but when I arrived, both of their chair massage chairs (there are only two) had been given to walk-ins. I ended up waiting almost 15 minutes past my scheduled appointment. They offered to switch me to a body massage for the same price, but that wasn't what I had booked or wanted, and they seemed a little annoyed when I declined.
Once my chair massage finally started, there were also several interruptions while the employees were speaking pretty angrily to each other. At one point I actually poked my head up because I wasn't sure what was happening or whether I should just leave. Whatever was going on eventually settled down enough for my massage to continue, and apparently my massage therapist decided to channel ALL of that energy directly into my shoulders and back because GOOD LORD. In the absolute best way. He worked out so many of the knots from moving that I could have happily stayed in that chair for several more hours.
One thing worth knowing before you go: as several other reviewers have mentioned, the language barrier can be pretty significant. Communication beyond things like "strong," "light" and "thank you" can be difficult. It's certainly workable, but it made some of the confusion during my second visit harder to navigate.
The online payment process is also a little unusual. When you book online, you pay the full cost of the service upfront as your "deposit." After the massage, you enter your tip separately as a new sale while they bypass the normal tip screen. It was confusing the first time, especially combined with the communication barrier, but now that I understand how their system works, it'll be much easier next time.
And there WILL be a next time. Overall, TL Foot Spa offers really good massages at very reasonable prices, and I definitely plan to go back. Now that I understand some of their processes and quirks, I know more of what to expect. The appointment delay, communication challenges and somewhat chaotic second visit are what keep me from giving five stars, but the actual massages have been excellent and my moving-destroyed shoulders are very grateful I happened to drive past that sign.