My girlfriend and I booked a one-hour couples massage after finding a Groupon deal for about $103. When we called to confirm, the owner asked us not to book through Groupon and said she would honor the same price directly, which we agreed to because we know Groupon takes a percentage from small businesses.
When we arrived, everything seemed fine at first. We paid upfront, and she added extra for credit card fees, which wasn’t a big deal. However, once the massage started, we realized the couples massage was being done by one male and one female therapist. Personally, I’m not comfortable with a male therapist massaging my girlfriend, and what bothered me most was that we were never asked if we had a preference. I feel customers should at least be given the option beforehand instead of having it decided for them.
The massage itself was average, nothing terrible, but the experience afterward completely ruined it. As we were leaving, the owner loudly asked if we were going to leave a tip. We had already tried supporting the business by paying directly instead of through Groupon, so the pressure caught us off guard. I only had $5 cash on me, and instead of simply accepting it, she became visibly upset, asked if that was “all,” and pushed the receipt back toward us demanding more tip.
No customer should feel pressured or guilted into tipping, especially after already paying for the service. Between not being given a choice of therapist and being aggressively pressured for a larger tip, we left feeling uncomfortable and won’t be returning.
I normally don’t leave negative reviews, but I think people should know what to expect before booking here.