My husband and I came in for a couples massage and were initially greeted warmly. After completing…read morethe necessary forms, we were escorted to our treatment room, where we waited for our massage therapists to arrive. Unfortunately, what should have been a relaxing and enjoyable experience quickly turned into something quite unpleasant.
From the very beginning, my massage therapist, Lily, displayed an unnecessarily rough and agitated demeanor. She grabbed my foot and abruptly threw it into her preferred position, huffing and puffing as though I had committed some terrible offense by not positioning myself correctly. Apparently dissatisfied with her first adjustment, she repeated the maneuver with even more force, much like someone physically reprimanding a misbehaving child.
She then proceeded to massage my upper body in a completely erratic and uncomfortable manner, abruptly sweeping across my buttocks and up toward my shoulders with movements that felt neither therapeutic nor relaxing. There was no sense of rhythm, care, or consideration for my comfort. Instead, I felt repeatedly jerked, pushed, and physically mishandled.
Eventually, I spoke up and told her that her behavior was extremely brusque, agitated, and bordering on aggressive. Unfortunately, she appeared unable to understand what I was saying and repeatedly responded with the word "Chinese."
A staff member from the front desk eventually came into the room and offered to replace her with another therapist. However, by that point, I was so uncomfortable and upset that there was absolutely no possibility of salvaging the experience.
What made matters worse was when the same staff member returned to inform me that I needed to lie perfectly straight on the massage table, seemingly insinuating that I was somehow responsible for the therapist's behavior. Apparently, I was expected to engage every muscle in my body to maintain a rigid, perfectly aligned position, as though I were standing at attention during a military inspection rather than lying on a massage table trying to relax!
Perhaps Lily was simply having a bad Monday morning. We all have difficult days, and I can certainly understand that. What I cannot accept is having someone take their frustration out on a paying customer, especially in an environment where professionalism, gentleness, and relaxation should be paramount.
I came in expecting a peaceful couples massage and left feeling physically mishandled, uncomfortable, and thoroughly disappointed.
