I was gifted a massage from anywhere in the Quad Cities as a gift and I chose The Spa at Rhythm…read moreCity Casino because I had heard good things about the massages. I arrived about 20 minutes early and was greeted, checked in, and given a brief tour of the spa facilities. The spa staff was very friendly. The spa has many different amenities - a sauna, an ice room, steam showers, a hot tub, restrooms, a changing room, and lockers for personal belongings.
After changing and locking my personal belongings up, I was a bit disappointed to see how busy the spa was. The sauna was out of commission, and the ice room and hot tub were completely filled with chatting women, which made it impossible for me to enjoy the amenities of the spa. I am not social, and was wanting an experience of peace and relaxation. I ended up going into the receiving room early and just waiting for my massage. They offered water and hot tea which was very nice.
My massage was scheduled for 2 PM and at about 2:05, my masseuse retrieved me. We discussed my answers on the brief questionnaire I had filled out upon arrival and she left me in the room to get settled before she came in to start the massage. My actual massage started at somewhere closer to 2:15 or 2:20. My masseuse was very nice and professional, although she seemed inexperienced and tentative in her movements. My massage lacked fluidity and flow, and at times it felt more like a chiropractic appointment than a massage. She focused a lot on pressure points in my hips rather than addressing the tension in my neck and shoulders like we had discussed, and I had noted on the questionnaire.
It was very hard for me to relax during the massage due to my masseuse talking to me, loud noises and talking coming from the spa hallway, and loud background noises like my masseuse's chair wheels on the tile floor. At one point in time, I was tangled up in the blankets after rolling over which detracted from the relaxation aspect. Over the course of my 90 minute massage I think there were 3 separate hot towels put on me, which wasn't hurtful - just not massaging like I paid for and was expecting.
When my masseuse was finished, she handed me a small bottle of water and led me back into the receiving room and told me that I was free to enjoy the amenities for the rest of the afternoon, but I was definitely ready to leave. It was 3:30 sharp, and if I had to estimate how many minutes I was massaged out of my 90 minute massage, I would guess closer to 50-60 minutes. I immediately changed and walked out to the front desk to check out. The staff member at the front desk informed me that there was a mistake and no one checked me in upon arrival in the computer system. Therefore, my card on file was charged the entirety of the massage as a "no show," when I had planned on paying in cash. While they refunded me the charge to my card, the refund won't show up for a few days and it was completely avoidable.
I left The Spa a little disappointed with my experience, and feeling the exact same way that I had arrived. I didn't feel like it helped me relax, and I didn't feel like it was worth the money for the atmosphere, amenities, and massage I received. I think there are better places to find a massage in the QC area, and I probably would not return here.
