Massage Envy ???-comments

[Arti Gupta]

Massage Envy just brought two locations to our area.
I'd never heard of them before.
Being the curious type that I am...I went in today to inquire about their service & level of experience in their therapist.

There was a man at the counter than joined in and gave kudos to the place...then purchase a GC (+tip) for me to try for myself. :shock: 8) When I go out in the community for a massage I don't disclose I'm a MT.

Any therapist here that work at ME or had experience with them? ~M

 

[Chad_1_1]

YoIdaho, this forum has discussed ME quite thoroughly IMO.
A brief search brings up these threads you may want to peruse:

Massage Envy charting path into "medical massage"
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10280

Massage Envy:
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4576

Massage Envy:
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11768

Massage Envy:
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2808

Massage Envy in Trouble:
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12184

Crappy Interview at Massage Envy:
http://www.massageplanet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12394

Hope that answers a few of your questions.

 

[Taylor S]

Thanks Maestra, I did a search but didn't come up with much.

I'll go use my GC & see if it holds fast to my opinion on bodywork at spas. :

 

[Nine]

Well, don't know what your opinion is of bodywork at spas...

And I don't think I'd exactly call ME a spa. *shrug* Perhaps, some people would classify it as such. I don't think they offer all the amenities a spa offers, but I'd be interested in hearing what you think of ME after you've had your treatment.

I have a friend, a new teacher who lives in TX, who gets her massage from ME and she seems satisfied with the service at her local ME. *shrug* So it may even boil down to the individual franchise owner... :roll:

 

[mr_j526]

I'll go use my GC & see if it holds fast to my opinion on bodywork at spas.

I don't think it's a good idea to base your opinion on bodywork at spas by one experience at a ME. I've massages both good and bad at spas, ME (well, I've only been there once and it was bad but I know a therapist who raves about the massages she gets at a different ME) ICs, employees and from sole practitioners. It's not the setting that determines if you get a good or bad massage, it's the individual therapist.

Angie

 

[Told You So]

I'll go use my GC & see if it holds fast to my opinion on bodywork at spas.

I don't think it's a good idea to base your opinion on bodywork at spas by one experience at a ME. I've massages both good and bad at spas, ME (well, I've only been there once and it was bad but I know a therapist who raves about the massages she gets at a different ME) ICs, employees and from sole practitioners. It's not the setting that determines if you get a good or bad massage, it's the individual therapist.
Angie

I'll probably get flamed but its jmhO
I'm not basing my opinion on spa work from ME...they just came to our area.
What I have experience and echoed by my clients & others...a lot of MT that work at spas are "rookies" and or just don't seems to have much more that fluff & buff techniques. It works for those that like the pampering feeling...my kids can apply crème just as well.

We have a host of spas in our area...one massage place that's along the lines of ME but privately owned has proven to be the same way. I wanted some work done called inquired and was very specific what I need. I was assured the gal 19+ years experience was the best.
A big F-.
Yes, I'm picky and I know what my body needs and deserves. There’s too many MT that just don't have a true sense of touch. Intuition-confidence can do wonders for working on the human body.

I will share my experience when after I go. Oh BTW I do go in very open, ready,willing and able to receive my bodywork.
I know attitude is EVERTHING! :beerchug:

 

[Chirag]

My experience has been only through my clients and from what others tell me.
I think we all have had that client who is a loyal regular and then goes missing? Well, I found out where they went missing to...yup you guessed it..ME. For some reason they think they are getting a bargain when they are actually wind up paying around the same. They wind up coming back when they realize that.:roll: But almost all of them have said it's their friends and relatives who keep getting them GC to ME, thinking they are saving money by buying them there. Not thinking that I give GC and run discounts for VIPs too.

I have heard the massages have not been that bad, and it's because there are good therapists who can't find work slaving it out there. There are too many schools promising $$$$ and churning people out to a saturated job market.

 

[Pompal 09.]

This is off topic, but I just have to tell you, Spock, that I love your avatar and signature! They're so great.

I've been amused by them for some time now, just wanted to give you the complement

BTW, I work at a spa and privately also and...my shoulder work is excellent, lol.

 

[Dinah]

HA! Thank you. Glad to give you a laugh. It still makes me laugh too,but I'm weird that way. :

 

[Cage]

What I have experience and echoed by my clients & others...a lot of MT that work at spas are "rookies" and or just don't seems to have much more that fluff & buff techniques. It works for those that like the pampering feeling...my kids can apply crème just as well.

We have a host of spas in our area...one massage place that's along the lines of ME but privately owned has proven to be the same way. I wanted some work done called inquired and was very specific what I need. I was assured the gal 19+ years experience was the best.
A big F-.

Gross generalizations never get you anywhere.

I think a lot has to do with geography and the relative sophistication of the client base. Bad MTs - whether they work at spas, clinics or in private practice - don't stay in the biz long.

NYC is polluted with high end spas and has some uber-stressed out folks who run their bodies ragged. Trust me, Ms.Spitzer has knots like few others in the planet right now, and no amount of fluff and buff is going to help her! Their MTs are outstanding -- have yet to have a bad massage in that city, regardless of it is at Carapan, Bliss or the Mandarin.

Same is true of our little burg. Our spa does not have the word "swedish" anywhere on the menu. Our basic massage is a "deep muscle massage", based on the evil Steiner/Elemis protocol. Our clients' LOVE our massages, with several coming in weekly or bi-weekly.

People will pay for quality -- regardless of the venue -- and the venue is rarely indicative of the quality.

 

[punapetteri]

There are too many schools promising $$$$ and churning people out to a saturated job market.

One big letter on the BINGO card...and the fact that people don't do any research before heading into MT.
I'm always puzzled by how many MT have never experience bodywork until they get to school. :? ~M

Gross generalizations never get you anywhere.

I think a lot has to do with geography and the relative sophistication of the client base. Bad MTs - whether they work at spas, clinics or in private practice - don't stay in the biz long.

Not being gross or generalizing : over the past 15 years I have searched out bodywork on various part of the map & had clients come to me from various parts of the map. Receive a lot of the same input.

Now I think it’s generalizing saying people in the concrete jungles have more stress than other parts of the country. :?
A dear client came in yesterday with “martial” issues and he was feeling it in deep into his body.
Stress is stress, emotions undigested are emotions undigested NO matter where ya live. ~M

 

[Killer]

I use to be against Massage Envy (low pay, taking advaneforum.xxxe of therapists, poor quality bodywork from overworked therapists) But now I've mellowed a bit and can kind of see the benefit of having them. Its like having McDonalds, it gets people use to going out and eating. When people would like a higher quality of service they can go to someone in private practice. So I look at it as getting the public exposed to bodywork/massage which isn't a bad thing.

jason

 

[Colby]

I use to be against Massage Envy (low pay, taking advaneforum.xxxe of therapists, poor quality bodywork from overworked therapists) But now I've mellowed a bit and can kind of see the benefit of having them. Its like having McDonalds, it gets people use to going out and eating. When people would like a higher quality of service they can go to someone in private practice. So I look at it as getting the public exposed to bodywork/massage which isn't a bad thing.

jason

I don't see them as a threat or a bad thing. I have very well established clients...that wouldn't waste their money on overworked rookies, or PT MT trying to pay the gas bill.

Now the Mc Donald comparison is yucky.
People need to run away from there, get back into their kitchens and learn how to cook.~M :

 

[uk_staffie]

I have very well established clients...that wouldn't waste their money on overworked rookies, or PT MT trying to pay the gas bill.

I would like to comment that an MT working part time, or even an MT who does not have a lot of experience can be every bit as good as a full-time seasoned MT. Working at Massage Envy or at a spa or a home office or a chiro's office or wherever whether full or part time does not have a bearing on the capability or effectiveness of an MT.

 

[Pompal 09.]

Wow, YoIdaho! Are you trying to offend most of the MT's on this forum? So far, you've dissed spa employees, new massage therapists & part-time massage therapists. If you're trying to alienate people, way to go! For the record, this is a diverse community of massage therapists; it's not only for people who have full-time private practices with decades of experience.

 

[kitty tabitha needs a hug]

Wow, YoIdaho! Are you trying to offend most of the MT's on this forum? So far, you've dissed spa employees, new massage therapists & part-time massage therapists. If you're trying to alienate people, way to go! For the record, this is a diverse community of massage therapists; it's not only for people who have full-time private practices with decades of experience.

Not to mention the overweight, and spa owners. Multiple instances of putting down the "rookies."

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: This is why this forum NEEDS an ignore button.

 

[Joel F]

Thank you Bliss and Breathe, my sentiments exactly. Ummmm, maybe it's just me but we all had to start somewhere with our very first massage fresh out of school. I've had massages from people who owned their own private practice for years and it was one of the worst massges I had. I've had massages from "rookies" who did a fantastic job. You can't judge a therapist by the amount of time they have been in the field. IMHO

I second that ignore button.

 

[dartthrower22]

I don't see them as a threat or a bad thing. I have very well established clients...that wouldn't waste their money on overworked rookies, or PT MT trying to pay the gas bill.

Now the Mc Donald comparison is yucky. People need to run away from there back to their kitchens and learn how to cook.~M

WHAT the heck sort of statement is that? Sometimes it helps to think before posting.

PS. photo's take a while to load and slow things up. Also, its not a nice photo nor is it funny.

 

[Zamarus]

I just completed a "practical" testing session( at the school I teach at) with a very nice massage therapist who is graduating in April.
She is not out of school yet, but it was a darn good massage.......so for the record she is a rookie and less than even a part time therapist.
I would have been glad to pay her for the session, it was that good.

 

[CCMM]

I third the ignore button.

I'm a rookie, and I'm damn good at what I do, if I do say so myself. Granted I have a lot to learn still, but what I do, I'm good at .

Emily