I bought a Groupon for a chair massage and reflexology session, called ahead, made an appointment,…read moreconfirmed the time, and drove an hour round-trip through what felt like the opening scene of a disaster movie. When I got there, the masseuse seemed surprised her business was even on Groupon. She asked how much I paid, then told me I needed an appointment. Me: "I know. That's why I'm here. For the appointment." Then came the next surprise. The Groupon was for a chair massage and reflexology, but she said she didn't even have a chair. For the chair massage she was advertising on Groupon?? Instead, both masseuses were just sitting there, totally available, and instead of honoring the Groupon they advertised, they wanted us to pay $160 out of pocket ($80 each). Apparently the Groupon was just there for decoration. Did I just get punked? Lady do you know much gas is?! So to recap: Bought Groupon Called and scheduled appointment Drove through thunderstorms and possible tornado weather Showed up on time Groupon honored Chair existed Massage received If you're not going to accept Groupon customers, don't advertise on Groupon. It'll save everyone time, gas money, and the joy of driving through severe weather just to be told the service you paid for is apparently imaginary.

It was my first time here!…read more I had gotten a Groupon voucher Making an appointment using the Groupon was a little difficult if you wanted to make an appointment for the weekend So I had to make an appointment during the week Which was a tad difficult with work schedule, but I was able to get in The location is clean and staff is friendly It is on the second floor, and there is no elevator The one thing I did find weird is during the session. There was no spa music playing. So during the scalp massage and shoulder massage, there was no music and during the facial there was music

I just got home from an excellent massage and just had to give some public praise. I woke up today…read morefeeling sore from a bad night of sleep. I sent a message on the website and heard back almost immediately. They had a spot open at opening time! Wahoo. I think it was the owner at the reception, and a woman provided my massage. I told them i did not want too much pressure but wanted more of a combination of light and deep pressure. After previously having had a deep tissue massage that hurt (at a different place), i wanted to make sure they knew before we started that i did not want that kind of massage. She really listened, and i had a wonderful massage that was just perfect for my needs. She asked a few times during the massage if the pressure was ok, and i appreciated being asked! She focused on the areas that I had said were bothering me - namely my neck and shoulders. But she also gave me a full body massage and some light stretching, which all felt great. I have had many many massages in my life, as it is something that I feel really helps keep my stress levels low and helps my tension in my shoulders since i have an office job at a computer all day. This was one of the best massages I have ever had, and I will be back! I don't know how much longer this will last, but they have a grand opening special going on, which was a nice perk with the reduced pricing. I will definitely be back and want to say thank you to the business for such a lovely massage! I will definitely be back!

I had a few really great massages with Lilia (sp?). She is awesome and really got into my trigger…read morepoints and I left pain-free. The front desk staff is really friendly. However, this is only three stars because the last time I went, I booked with my girl and I get there and they tell me she's busy. So they will clearly just book you and not honor your therapist request. I was given another therapist, but I didn't really care for him. I'm also convinced that they don't change the sheets between clients based on what I saw the last time I was there. It's too bad because front desk staff is really nice and the therapist I had been seeing is absolutely excellent. However, my last experience left a lot to be desired.

I have been a regular customer for the past 2 years. I need really deep tissue massages and will go…read moreto the ends of the earth to find the right massage therapist. Once I find him/her, they have secured my business for years to come. I had to go through various therapists at STM to finally find the one I LOVED! Others were too soft, technique was bad, did not know what they were doing, etc. However, when I came across Lisa I was hooked. Lisa had wonderful pressure. She always used her elbows to dig in deep into my muscles and it felt heavenly. Every week, she knew exactly what I needed and addressed the areas that needed the most attention. I was a devout Lisa follower for the next two years. However, a couple months ago I got the most depressing news... Lisa left and went back to China! I was so shocked and saddened. Each time I call to make an appointment I ask for Lisa in hopes that she decided to return. Unfortunately I have not found another Lisa-like therapist at STM. I did find two therapists at another establishment but a couple weeks later it ended when they were bought out by another owner. So the search continues!

Truly enjoy the massages here. The woman are better than the men for the massages. They have strong…read morehands, yet soft skin, take their time in each spot to enjoy the massage. I usually get the 2 hour massage and it's worth it. The room is small, yet enough for you to u dress and relax in. It's quiet and relaxing. Definitely recommend it and make sure to give your phone number for the rewards. You get coupons via text, so it's nice.

7/3/22 Yah Yah happened to be on duty today because some one…read moretook off...or something close to it. I came in to buy more of the Cucumber lotion, but unfortunately for me, it looks like this product has been discontinued here. The cost of doing business has gone up and Yah Yah says it is because of the deep tissue massage most people want. Apparently the clientele doesn't like the soft massage. Now there is soft massage with some power behind it like Swedish, and then there is a body rub. What's the difference? In short, being a licensed with training on properly doing a massage. Or an untrained joker on the street. Anyhow I didn't want to cheat or tease myself with 30 minute massage for 40 bucks. I do hope the Cucumber Lotion makes a return because this stuff is good. Yah Yah, I will see you again soon.

Called this place in a pinch to get a chair massage and they were able to accommodate me the same…read moreday. When I came in, staff seemed to be friendly, but I did had to ask for a fave covering for the massage chair. Bruce started my massage. He had 2-3 people standing around me, talking loudly as he was giving the massage. It was started to feel great and he checked on the pressure, but then partway through, he switched me over first to a lady who had no idea what she was doing and then to another woman who was average. She did not tie up my hair, but kept rubbing over it until I stopped her from pulling some out. When I paid, the woman said I looked unhappy. I shared with her that switching the service provider halfway through the service is unprofessional. She did apologize and let me know that I could book with Bruce for my next appointment. I may try that and will update my review if I have a better experience.

Wonderful place to just relax and let the masseuse take over. I was so relaxed I actually almost…read morefell asleep during the massage. The price was well worth the experience of total relaxation. No extras required but was offered. I declined with no further mention. I will be returning I think weekly just for the stress release and bless of a well performed massage. Highly highly recommend.

I was not satisfied with the service Terrible; I wouldn't…read morerecommend coming here--it's not worth the money!

11/4/23 BACKGROUND:…read more I've done Thai massage, deep-tissue massage, Lomi massage throughout the years. My husband and I are in town visiting friends. We decided last minute to do a massage. I didn't go for the ambiance, I wanted a good massage. Walls do not go all the way to the ceiling so you can techinically hear conversations in the adjoining rooms. Not a problem as we knew everyone. There is no door on the room, just a sliding curtain. I requested a female.. Most places will ask you to remove your clothes but leave your bottom underwear on. They instructed to remove everything , but I left my underwear on because that's what I'm comfortable with. I like medium pressure because that's what I feel benefits me. Not necessarily immediately, but I feel it later. It was a 1 hr massage. I started off under the sheet as with most places. Most will massage over the sheet. This one was actually akin to skin. This is the first time I literally had a head to toe deep massage. Areas that's not the usual areas were: buttocks area, face, along neck up to scalp. I could feel knots that I didn't know existed . If you're not comfortable just say no. I was ok as I got a female. My husband requested a make, but if he had a female , he would not have liked it. A good therapist can find all the tough spots without asking. You do need to communicate if pressure is too hard or soft or if it hurts , say ow. All 4 of us LOVED our massages. It was one of the best that I've had in awhile!

This location is well kept and the staff is professional and courteous. I have been going for a…read morewhile and all the massages have been great thus far. My favorite masseuses there are Joanna and Joy. I normally get the two hours version and they provide great therapy for the entire session. They find kinks and knots I wasn't aware of. They combine different strokes/pressures to give your body the ultimate release of any pain you, maybe experiencing. Bottom-line it's a great experience. Willie

I came in for a walk-in appointment. I spoke to one of the employees; she was polite and asked me…read moreto wait in a room for 20 minutes until they wrapped up the previous client. This is fair since I was a walk-in. Though the same lady asked me to pre-pay for the massage. I did not want to do this as I had never been here before and I have never been asked to pre-pay for a massage. She agreed to let me pay afterwards. I asked if I could go to the restroom beforehand. The polite woman showed me to the restroom. I had been in the restroom for maybe five minutes, and someone banged on the door, and I responded "occupied." One minute later, this person banged on the door again and yelled "HURRY UP!" I wrapped up and washed my hands, and the same lady who was banging on the door yelled "you were taking too long." I asked if she was an employee there, and when she said yes, I told her that I had changed my mind and I did not want to get a massage anymore. She then asked why, and I told her that I did not like how she was yelling at me. The woman then became very aggressive and told me that I should still get a massage and that I was taking too long in the restroom. As I was walking down the stairs, she followed me yelling at me that I was rude, and I wasted their time and just needed to use the restroom. I walked out and the woman was still yelling from inside. Thank god I did not prepay for anything.

1/30/23 While doing some sightseeing, I stumbled onto a new…read moremassage place. Ironically, it's called New Massage. I was greeted by Linda (whose name I learned later on) who had a very big smile on her face. I think we have met before, but don't remember where. Anyhow, I decided to do an hour massage and I was guided into room one of four. The spacing for New Massage is a bit small a first glance. The private rooms are pretty spacious...at least room I was in...which was room 1. The Massage: Linda gave me time to get ready for my massage before knocking on the door. The massage table wasn't heated, but the room was cozy and there is a portable heater in the room which Linda activated for me to make sure I wasn't cold. A large size blanket was put over me to ensure I was kept warm. Normally at a lot of massage places I have visited, a towel is used to cover up the body. Nevertheless, Linda started out with the massage warm up. This means she is going over your body to loosen up the sore/tired or overworked muscles. The pressure Linda used on me was excellent. The extra pressure she used while climbing up on the table and pressing down with her hand made it even better. Linda could have gone one step farther using the techniques of Ashiatsu Massage, but her pressure for me was good enough. Once Linda was done with the preliminaries, the choices of a massage body cream and/or oil could be used. Linda ended up using a mixture of both. Now for the people who prefer to be draped, let the massage therapist know ahead of time. Otherwise the whole sheet might be removed. Linda finished off my back with her hands, forearms and elbows Linda worked on my gluteus maximus using her hands, forearms and elbows. It was a bit intense, but felt great. Linda continued on with the legs and thighs applying the same amount of pressure as she did in the beginning. Linda switched up her tactics and went with a softer massage which put the word "relaxation" into overdrive. The body cream I think is better than the oil it seemed hold more moisture in. It was also less greasy than oil can have. Especially if oil between your virtual smile..., but (no pun intended) I digress. The front of my body was just as enjoyable as the back of my body. The biggest difference is the foot massage at the end of the massage. I could have fallen asleep, but then I wouldn't get to experience the foot massage. When it was all said and done, Linda would have used a hot towel on my lower body as she did my back, but I wanted to keep the moisture on my body. After The Massage: I forgot to mention that during the massage, music was not played and I prefer it this way. Too many place have a lot of the same music or the same few songs get played over and over and over again. Linda asked me several time during the massage if the pressure was good or if the massage is already. I could hear other women and mean groaning in appreciation of getting a great massage. Three other massage thrapist working their magic happy guests and most likely returning customers. I did not see the bathroom on my way into the massage store, but it is located right next to the stairway and by the entrance of New Massage on the second floor. I was given a bottle water after paying the $70 for the hour massage. Linda was hoping for a tip and she definitely received one. She did not complain about the tip as I have read about at other massage places. This place does not offer a free massage after 10 massages, but they do offer business cards. I did not see much about this business on their website, so it is something the Owner of this company might want to update. I will definitely come back for another enjoyable massage.

I have been looking for a go-to massage place in DC for quite awhile. As a local, the tourist spa…read morepricing in the city can be frustrating, so I have often relied on Groupon as my guide when looking for affordable spa work. I have been suffering with some neck and shoulder pain recently and wanted help asap. I stumbled upon Retreat Massage under the "Book Now" section of Groupon and was able to get an appointment for the following morning. That alone puts Retreat Massage ahead of my past Groupon massage booking experiences, as I have encountered Groupon-bias at other massage locations in the past, as soon as they heard the dreaded "G-word." Often, their availability would mysteriously go from "next day" to "next week" as soon as they realized you were using a voucher, but this was not a problem at all with Retreat. I should point out that the voucher rates and the rates at the door are EXACTLY the same, so next time, I will happily just book directly through the spa to ensure they get the full profit of the sale, since they are doing all of the work. As others have mentioned, this is a no frills establishment...don't expect cucumber sparkling water or personalized robes, but if you are seeking a non-nonsense REAL therapeutic massage, this is your place. As soon as I arrived I was ushered into my room. It was admittedly different to not have to fill out paperwork but they asked if I had and requests for any areas needing special attention, and we were off! I have noticed that some of the negative reviews on here complain that their host applied too much pressure and that it hurt. I would say that if that ever becomes the case, the guest has a responsibility to communicate that to their host, in order to give them a chance to correct the pressure to their liking. That being said, this place does give a REAL, thorough...yes, sometimes painful (but in the best, most productive way,) massages. I can honestly say Kevin gave me the best massage I have had in ten years in DC, but it was not for the faint-of-heart! hahaha This is not your "Hey, Lauren! We should do brunch and massages next weekend...and maybe a mani-pedi after" kind of massage. (You will have your buttocks and upper chest worked. They will manipulate your limbs into stretches that could easily induce giggles, as its being done by a stranger BUT I am sure if you ever wanted to walk it back, these professionals would gladly comply.) Sorry Lauren, this is a "I have come in here with a legitimately sore neck and back and I need you to whip my body back in shape" kind of massage. Within the first few minutes I could tell Kevin clearly knew what he was doing as he had already zeroed in on multiple trouble zones...he worked with my breathing to get the most out of every movement, and yes...at many times it "hurt" but in the most awesome, breathing-conscious, "Im going to walk out of here feeling like an incredible pile of relaxed jello 'hurt.'" Their command of their craft have earned them a new regular customer. If you are looking for some true adjustment work, an intense, but oh-so-worth it massage, at very reasonable prices, I highly suggest checking them out.

Rude, unskilled, unprofessional. Snickering. Talking behind clients' back and within ear shot too…read more Unpleasant not relaxing atmosphere. Do not come to this place. I rarely give bad reviews and am not picky. This is one of my worst experiences. We had a booking for massage for a couple for 7:00 pm on a Tuesday night. We arrived on time. No one was at the reception. The entire dimly lit unwelcome place was empty. All the doors to all the rooms were open. We were confused. After a while, a middle aged lady came out of a door by the entrance (we didn't see that door when we came in). She confirmed she knew about our booking. She asked us to wait for a little bit. Her English was poor but we tried to look at the bright side. There was no welcome. No water or tea. No music. Just a very dimly lit, sad, unwelcome, Soviet "living room". The lady disappeared into the room again without a word or any detail about why we had to wait. No news. We waited for 30 minutes. This was already a bad start to what was supposed to be a Valentine's Day gift (for me). It turned out there were two clients (or friends?) in that room. That room was set up for couple massage (with two tables). The two middle-aged ladies, both from mainland China, finished up and came out. They were chit chatting amongst themselves and talking about us. I felt very uncomfortable already but did not say anything. One lady then came to ask us what kind of room we preferred: singles or a double. Our booking was clearly for a couple massage. We reconfirmed we wanted a couple massage upon arriving. Clearly they do not speak English here. Meanwhile, the two female clients (a couple? friends? friends of the massage place?) took their sweet time packing up and dressing up. Finally they were out. After we indicated again we wanted to be together, the two ladies (apparently they only had 2 people working there) reluctantly went back to the room to clean up and get it ready for us. I am not sure they changed the sheets and towels. Finally it was our turn. After a long long wait. Were it not for the pre-paid groupon I would have left already. The two unpleasant, rough ladies once again talked amongst themselves just before the start of our massage: "Which one of us shall work on the girl and who works on the guy?" "Any difference?" Giggles. I understand Mandarin Chinese, but I did not hear or understand everything they said. From their accent I could tell they are from mainland China and uneducated. The massage was much too hard for me. Too much pressure. Painful. Not relaxing. I communicated in Mandarin and in English to no avail. She improved for a few minutes and then it was back to her old habit. She was probably a farmer? She pulled on my hair (when massaging my scalp). She messed up my hair big time. My hair was up in a horse tail. She pulled down half way my hair tie without even apologizing or showing any tenderness (she could have gently pulled down my hair tie and laid it by the side for example). It was me who had to discover the mess and let down my hair myself and put the hair tie on my wrist (all in the middle of the massage). Toward the end of the massage, she asked me to flip over to lie on my back. I reacted slowly because I didn't hear clearly what she said (broken English; followed by some kind of Mandarin Chinese). She laughed at me (to my face) talking to the other lady in the room, how I looked Chinese but did not speak Mandarin. I am NOT Chinese, but that's beside the point. How could they make rude comments either in clients' face or behind their back? We gave them each a 10% tip out of politeness. They snickered at us. What did they expect for the non-service? Such terrible terrible attitude. Come here at your own peril. Think twice.