(This is for the new Lee St. location)
You know when you ponder too long about that self-care massage and then by the time you convince yourself "just do it girl!" you're scrambling to find a place? That was me and my partner as we woke up on a Saturday with sore bodies and determination. Cue Urban Haven!
We were staying at an Airbnb closer to the 25th location, but they had a last minute spot for a couples massage at the new Lee location. So we washed Friday night off our eyes, threw on some clothes and rushed over and so thankful we did!
I had Olivia and she was amazing! Her pressure, flow, ability to read my body 10/10. I get massages 1-2xs a month, and have had them all over the world, so you can trust when I give a raving review. (I know, I know...I just want to give y'all context).
My girlfriend had Melissa and she was great too! I know she did more energy and craniosacral techniques and left my hip hurting honey feeling refreshed and new as we both left Urban Haven with smiling faces, relaxed bodies, and gratitude.
The space was new and clean-in fact, we were there the first day they opened. The rest of the staff was lovely as well.
"Yeah, but what could we do differently?" Well...The one thing I would note as something to think about are after treatment hugs. I'm a mental health therapist myself and so I'm pretty particular about professional boundaries. I understand when clients initiate a hugs and how it's up to therapeutic discretion as to whether or not it's appropriate. Melissa commented on my partner's good energy and hugged her twice. (Note: while the therapist initiated the hugs, they were caring, not creepy, so that is not at all the point I'm making).
While we are both big huggers, I find this to be a a grey area in the massage world and a slippery slope as we like to say in the therapy world. Saying "you had great energy" would have sufficed. At this point I was uncomfortable and I felt compelled to hug my massage therapist-who deserves all the hugs, but again, I like to keep therapeutic boundaries. My partner views these things very differently, so her interpretation is far from mine. She's also in a fragile state as both her parents suddenly passed away in the past 6 months and we are in town for her father's memorial. Just something to consider as you never know who your clients are, what emotional spaces they are in and what lines may be blurred.
All that said, when these Cali gals come back to visit the fam, we'll be visiting the spa again too! read more