I just came back from a full body massage for $35. Below are some pointers about the massage, the experience, and the service.
~THE MASSAGE~
The actual massage was amazing, very relaxing; my masseuse was very thorough and definitely gave me some deep tissue work. She did my entire body (I'd suggest not wearing a sports bra, as she had issues with mine when doing my back), from scalp to toe. I have very sensitive feet, a slight brush on my sole could make me jerk it and accidentally kick someone, but she was very proficient and as long as I thought about something else, I didn't feel any knee-jerk reaction from my feet. Honestly, the massage itself is worth 5 stars -- but there were other things that made me go down to 3/5.
~THE EXPERIENCE~
Keep in mind, Two Smiling Feet is a thai massage parlor. So it is a very traditional format and experience; there were roughly a dozen massage beds, all pretty cramped in one fairly open space. There is no privacy whatsoever. I did take off my t-shirt so it'd be easier to massage my upper body, but if you are conservative or sensitive about others seeing your body then this is not the place for you. There is the major language barrier; the people there hardly knew any English, only about 2 guys understood some, but that's to be expected as this is an Asian spa. If you are worried about the language barrier, I suggest looking up on Google Translate the Thai translations of "thank you", "pay/pay now", "tip", and "toilet". I did not do that as it didn't occur to me to do so at the time, but I think I would have had a better experience if I had thought ahead to do that.
The massage started off with a foot bath/soak; basically just putting your feet in a tub of water. The water for me personally was very hot, almost burning, which surprised me. I'm used to hot water and it was still pretty hot, so something to be aware of.
The address is 600 N 36th st for the Freemont location, but I had difficulties finding it, as it is actually not inside the 600 office building, but around the corner next to the Fed Ex store. A guy on the phone did help me with directions, which is appreciated, but a proper address would be very helpful.
Parking: Parking in Freemont is a little... sketchy, to say the least. I parked in a parkade nearby, but the 'meter' was an old-fashioned meter box where you put money through a slit. I video-recorded me paying as I did not trust the parkade to say I didn't and try to tow my vehicle.
Hacking: throughout the experience, some guy -- not a customer, a staff member -- was continuously hacking very loudly. It was very gross and unappealing, especially to hear when you're trying to relax. If the guy has chronic issues, he can take it outside, where it won't disturb the customers.
~SERVICE~
The price for a full-body massage is $35. People say "you get what you pay for", but I think the massage is well worth over $35. It is a very good deal.
When I went to pay however, there was an issue with my masseuse trying to run my card. I had $41 in my checking account and I was paying with my debit card. I had my checking account and banking account info pulled up on my phone, because my transaction was first denied... and I think it's because the masseuse tried to overcharge me, as she kept pointing to the "please tip in cash" option, over and over, frustrating her boss more than me. (I could take offense to it, but I think it was more due to our language barrier than anything else.) But when the transaction failed, her boss took over and charged me $35. The payment went through, so I think she tried to over charge me. Gladly, he didn't, and transaction worked fine. I didn't have any cash on me and I did feel pressured to tip because my masseuse was basically 'begging' or goading me into one, so I tipped about $2ish in coins, which was all I had. I would have been fine tipping 15-20% via my debit card, but I felt so very uncomfortable with how she kept pushing me to tip her, and I didn't feel better when it turned out she tried to over charge me on my debit card.
Overall, I rate the entire experience 3/5 stars. There is much room for improvement, but the massage itself is definitely worth the price.
-Would you recommend this place to a friend?: Yes, with a warning about the layout of the spa, as most people don't expect that or find it 'sketchy', because they don't understand how an Asian spa is traditionally kept and run.
-Would you come here again?: I'm not sure, just because of the service alone and how they tried to over charge me. That made me deeply uncomfortable, which is honestly hard to do. But that's just me, everyone is different and experiences things differently.
-Is the price fair?: Definitely. Just make sure they don't over charge you. Ask for a receipt too. read more