One Sunday night, I was browsing through Livingsocial just to see if there was any good deals. I stumbled upon the 60-minute deep tissue massage for $49 that was ending in 25 minutes. Now, I had been wanting a deep-tissue massage for the longest time. (Back story, I run and do yoga a LOT. So my muscles are really tight and have knots on my IT bands as well as my upper back.) So in that short time frame, I quickly checked Yelp and saw the good reviews. I quickly snatched up the deal and got to booking. I emailed Melina, the owner, and she promptly emailed me back the next morning. She was very courteous and I booked an appointment two weeks out for my own birthday present. She reminded me of the things I needed to bring with me, the time I needed to show up to fill out some preliminary paperwork, and how I should contact her so that they can let me into the building. She also emailed me the week of the appointment to remind me again. If I was a forgetful person, I'd really appreciate this email. Nonetheless, I was grateful for it. On the day of the appointment, I found the building and called the number Melina provided so that Kurt, the masseuse, could let me into the building. When I arrived, he was very professional and explained that they had moved into a new space. I filled out the paperwork when I got inside, which took about 10-15 minutes. Then Kurt assessed my trouble areas and got straight to the massage. He allowed me to change with no interruption and asked which areas I would like him to focus on the most. We started on my back and then moved to me lying on my back. There was soft music playing when he was massaging me and, honestly, it made me a little sleepy. So when he asked me to tell him when a specific area hurts or is bothersome, I sometimes didn't respond but he knew it would hurt because he could feel the knots. When it was time for me to turn over, he was polite and gave me directions on how to roll over. He really only worked on my legs when I was lying on my back. But he really helped my tight right hip, though it is not entirely knot-free. (Not that I was expecting it to be completely cured in one session.) He then ended the massage with a scalp and head massage, which felt amazing. He said that he liked to end making his clients feel like we spent a day at the spa. When that ended, he allowed me to dress and come out to pay the tax I owed. He then offered a hip stretch to relieve my tight right hip. As for the massage parlor itself, it is very nice, airy, and has a natural feel to it. (It must be the wood floors.) The massage room that I was in was small, but it felt intimate and safe. It was also brightly lit. Truthfully, I was a little nervous about coming because I have never had a deep-tissue massage before and have heard some painful things about it. Although I can tolerate high levels of pain, my body did feel really loose the next day. When I was running, I had to control my limbs because I felt like they were floating away from me. Lol. In any case, I am considering coming back for more deep-tissue massages from Kurt. He was so nice and understanding. In fact, I have already contacted Melina for a massage package. So what should you glean from this review? If you are an athlete or have tight muscles, you should definitely consider coming to Vivify Massage Therapy for a session. The people are professional, kind, and understanding. The regular prices aren't too bad, but the deal I got was even better. The place is also very convenient to get to. And you leave feeling light, relaxed, and ready to go to bed. read more

Bought an Amazon Local deal with them for a 60 min deep tissue massage and it was very easy to schedule an appt. Melina, the owner was very nice to deal with through email. My masseuse was Lauren, who was excellent! It was the last appt of the night and I never felt rushed by her at all. She put me at ease, and asked where I wanted to be targeted, and was fantastic with the pressure. It was just tough enough to work out any kinks, but never anything I couldn't handle and she'd communicate with me about it. I had walked in very flustered having had a bad day and was so surprised what an amazing mood I was, as I was leaving. Would definitely go back! read more

I bought a deal on a massage through Amazon Local for this place. They have space in a physical therapy office near Grand Central. I had a massage with Lauren. She was extremely competent and knowledgeable. I'm picky about my massages and she did a thorough job and addressed all my issues. I would definitely have a massage with her again. read more

I hate to let the cat out of the bag on this one but Melina is probably the best massage therapist I've come across. I'm recovering from a weekend marathon and she tailored the massage to address all the various knots and pressure points that had developed. Melina had me fill out some simple forms identifying areas of prior injury and she spent several minutes reviewing and discussing (lingering hamstring injury, IT band, etc) and adjusted her time allocation accordingly. She's also well educated (NYU grad where she played basketball, LMT) and explained the various physiological reasons for cramping, tightness, soreness, etc. I was impressed. This is a real athletes massage, as further evidenced by the fact that her studio is located within a sports physical therapy center. I was really pleased by the whole experience and highly recommend this place. read more

I'm sure if I had been able to get a massage, I would have loved it. But Melina double-booked me twice. The first time, she called to tell me she double-booked me, and we rescheduled. But the second time, she did not call. I went there at my scheduled appointment time and she blamed me for misunderstanding. I see in other reviews that this has happened to others. So if you schedule a massage here, ask for an IMMEDIATE confirmation of your booking. Seems like they have a horrible method of communication and logistics. read more

After a lot of consideration, I decided to give this place 2 stars and here's why: I bought a groupon for a 60-minute massage at 630pm. being that this is ny and you dont get out till 6, i didnt get to the place until 620 and was immediately told i was running late. i know, great way to start the massage, amirite? The email did say to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out their forms but i didnt expect the paperwork to be so long (it was). fine-my fault. the massage itself was pretty good, the masseuse asked me my problem areas but focused only on one of them. the lotion was cold too, i usually prefer warm. when i went to pay, the masseuse charged me $2.58 for the tax and i gave her $5. her response: "what is his for? are you not leaving gratuity?" WTH? who asks that?? for the record, i did leave 15% of the actual cost, not the groupon cost. i was considering leaving 20% but definitely not after that comment! To top it off, the lady apologized and said she wasn't good at math and took forever to give me back my change for the tax. Btw if you come across that issue in the future, its $2.42 all in all, ok massage but i wont be going back. read more

I was super early so Kurt worked on me an extra 20 minutes. Super nice! He was also really thorough and found tightness in my calves/peroneals, shoulders, and lower back that I didn't even realize I had. Crossing my fingers that I can come back. read more

I purchased a Groupon months ago, and the owner Melina extended it for me even though it was expired. Kurt did my massage and he was great and extremely attentive. I can't believe how great they are, even to us Groupon users. Very relaxing, and much needed. Will go back for another deep tissue. read more

UPDATE: Vivify doesn't deserve any stars. After scheduling an appt a month and a half in advance, I called ahead on the day of to confirm, since I hadn't received any reminder from them. When I called, the receptionist said 'yup, we have you in here for 5:30. See you!' I responded, 'I haven't even told you my name.' 'Oh yes, Elaine at 5:30' 'Thats not my name.' 'Oh okay then we don't have you anywhere.' There was no record of my appt anywhere. I asked to speak to the manager and the receptionist said she didn't know the number to reach her manager. Outrageously unprofessional. Every interaction (4 calls and 2 emails) I had with Vivify caused the tension in my back to worsen. This place is an absolute nightmare to schedule with. I bought a Groupon and wish I could return it. Honestly, the stress of scheduling w Vivify is making my neck tighten and my back pain feel worse. They DO NOT offer any saturday hours and are closed on sundays. Why not just say you're closed on wknds? The person I spoke to said they are in the process of moving. I mentioned that last time I called they just finished moving. She said they did, but are moving again, maybe. What?? No appointments after 3:30 on any day until Nov. Its Aug now. 3 months?? Unless you don't work traditional business hours or don't have a job at all, I recommend going somewhere else. read more

The best massages I received ever. Lauren is amazing with deep tissue and deep heat massages. She puts the right pressure at the right spot without hurting you, applying a strong pressure that feels so good and releases the tension spots immediately. Also there's a male therapist who is super good as well; can't remember his name. Melina is also very nice helping scheduling the appointments. I'm a big fan of Vivify: small place, but clean and nice. And incredible massages! read more

I was so impressed with the service at Vivify. The LMT made me feel comfortable and was extremely professional. I left feeling energized and relaxed. Worth every penny! read more

I showed up for my confirmed massage appointment to the E 39th st location to be greater by a locked door and no way to contact anyone (I called the provided number 3 times before heading back home after wasting part of my evening). The opposite of the experience I was expecting. Very disappointing. read more

I had a disappointing experience with Vivify massage last week. They were running late on their previous appointments, so mine started 10-15 minutes late which made for a pretty short massage since I had to leave on time. But what really sucked is that I actually woke up the next day with new pains in my lower back rather than fixing the tension in my neck and shoulders that I requested. I've had a number of other deep tissue massages else where, and that never happened. It might have just been my experience alone, but I guess be careful with the deep tissue massages! read more

I bought an Amazon Local voucher for a 60 minute deep tissue massage. I had a massage with Kurt and fully enjoyed it. Kurt was professional, courteous and very good with identifying stress points. I felt energized and blissful. read more

I bought a deep-tissue massage deal through Amazon Local, and just came home from a truly wonderful massage with Lauren, who was friendly, professional, put me at ease, and gave the perfect blend of a relaxing and (extremely) therapeutic massage. It was also very easy to set up my appointment - when I'd left a voicemail message to set it up, I got a call back within a very short time period. Would definitely recommend! read more

Kurt was fantastic and would highly recommend him. Only downside is having to wait three weeks for an appointment

Caught a group-buying deal on this one. My LMT was Lauren, who was very professional, friendly, and knows what she's doing. They actually get a very thorough picture of your health and your goals the first time you go, and they really tend to your specific needs. The location is very convenient for me (close to Grand Central) and clean. All in all, a great massage place! read more

Lauren is the perfect massage therapist for me. Top-notch at her craft...nice...humble..relaxed. Hits the spot. No need to go elsewhere.

My massage guy was Kurt. I've been having a lot of hip/leg pain and told Kurt this upon my initial interview. He was a bit apologetic about the lengthy health questionnaire they have you fill out, it was very medical, but I, for one, appreciated that as I went to have kinks worked out not a spa-type massage (and those forms are always voluntary anyways)... My compliments to Kurt, he was attentive, seemed to know a lot of physiology, and was very professional, even gave me a little extra time on the table (although this was probably a perk for being a first time customer, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt :P) I asked him to go hard at my IT/periformous areas and he did. He warned me that I'd be sore the next day, and I was, but it was a good sore. and I'm impressed that he actually listened to me instead of just doing the general type of massage you get at a lot of these types of places. In the massage room (part of a PT clinic) all the therapists have their licenses displayed on the wall for your inspection- it's a no frills place, but as I said before,very professional. If Kurt represents the other massage people there, i'm impressed. I'd go back if I had the $$ (used a groupon...) read more