Jamilah’s Touch of Paradise

I hate to give Jamilah a bad review because when I had a massage with her, it was great. Her massage was so good that I bought a coupon for my girlfriend for her birthday. Well, my friend had to reschedule her appointment due to time conflicts and Jamilah made her wait a month to come back for the appointment. So once Iris went to her salon, she walked into the wrong salon and so when she got there 15 minutes late, Jamilah started screaming at her not being on time.
Now, mind you, my friend, Iris, needed a massage. She was so stressed from life issues that she couldn’t even find the place. And then, once she got there, the therapist starts screaming at her for being late. Of course, Iris, didn’t want an angry and threatening person to touch her body. All she could do was to ask for the money back, of which she ultimately got only half.
When Iris received the money back Jamilah played a power game on Iris by telling her to come back and pick up the money at a designated time. When she went there, Jamilah did not answer the door. Finally, after Iris banged and banged on the door, she opened it and said something lame like she was in the bathroom and didn’t hear her.
A true professional would have been ok with the lateness. She might have said that she could only do a shorter session due to her schedule; she didn’t have to go off on my friend. How rude!
I had been so excited for Iris to go to her! I had thought it would be a great present. What a total disappointment!
Yes, her massages are good; but I don’t think that her bedside manner is worth the trip. So sorry Jamilah, I had a lot of other friends I could have sent you. It makes me sad that I can no longer bring you new business!
Deborah

After leaving my review, she had messaged me on Unilocal with a fake account, harassing me about my review and calling me dirty. Jamilah certainly doesn’t understand how to run a professional business. I know this is her and not a «Robert Y» because I went on «his» profile and the only thing he had posted ever was a 5 star review on Jamilah’s Touch Of Paradise. So sad, I had to post this to make sure everyone is aware of the kind of business owner and person she it.
She wrote
«I am not sure where you are from, stop posting lies about my business. If you were burned by someone here why didn’t you say something. What’s coming out of your heart shows you are a unhappy person, and you want the world to be like you. My place is clean, if you came into it, you made it dirty when you came into it. So before you go into anyone else’s business leave your dirt (your heart) at your house so the business can stay clean.»

HORRIBLE!!!
I called to use my groupon, left 3 messages and still no return call. When I finally got in touch with the owner, she took my groupon number and redeemed it. When I went for the massage appointment… that she did not write down, she told me she could not reach me because I must have changed my number. NO… Then she accused me of not giving her the correct groupon number because she could not pull it up right then. Luckily, I had printed out the information for the address and it showed the groupon being redeemed. Since of course, only SHE could redeem it she agreed to give me my massage. It was the worst massage ever. No massaging at all, just rubbing and lots and lots of oil. I normally would tip and was prepared to but after such horrible service, I left with my money in my purse. Never again! The groupon could be free and no thank you…

I used a Groupon (60 minutes massage) and added a scrub. Excellent massage and scrub. Jamilah incorporates different techniques when she gives her massages and was able to get my knots out. I will be back.

I bought my girlfriend a groupon from here and my gf has yet to use it due to the owners poor availability. My gf and the owner got into it today via phone and the owner redeemed the groupon! I called the owner and told her I was going to call groupon to get a refund. I don’t understand why she would mark the groupon as «USED» if we never used it. She went on saying she cannot service my gf but I can go in for a massage and use it or give it to someone else. At this point, I just want my money back.
My advice: purchase at your own risk! She may provide a good service, however, her customer service and communication is just awful!
Like many of the other reviews below, I too would give no stars if possible.

I’ve only tried massages out of the services that Jamilah offers at her spa, and they are great. I get massages regularly and I am familiar with different types i.e. thai, swedish, deep tissue, and hot stone. Jamilah incorporates different techniques when she gives her massages. The environment is very relaxing, and she always has tranquil music playing in the background. She gets booked up VERY fast (especially on weekends) so just be mindful that you have to schedule appointments ahead of time.

My experience with this business was not at all what I expected and far from relaxing and spa like. Not to mention it has been next to impossible to render services to even rate the massage. In the month of September of 2015 I spent days calling to schedule. Once I got through to someone I was offered an appointment time during the week at 2 pm. After telling the woman on the phone, whom I believe is the shop owner that i’d be at work and unable to commit to that time, she informed me that she had limited availability for Groupon holders. I asked her if I could come on the weekend and she went on to say that she had limited space for Groupon holders. So I agreed to a day during the week in the evening BOOKED A MONTH OUT. Only for her to call me two days before and CANCEL because she had a class she wanted to attended. Now I am forced to be scheduled in the month of November. The woman who called me on the phone stated that I wouldn’t be able to get my full value because I would be late. I suggested rescheduling and she again told me I couldn’t get the full value. After telling her how I felt about that after I so gracefully agreed to reschedule for her convince, she responded with shouting her religious beliefs to me and telling me that good wasn’t in my heart if I wrote a bad review. This led me to check my Groupon for reimbursement for services unable to be rendered, only to find it marked as USED.

Jamilah is so great and gentle. Not only are her prices great, but she offers a variety of services that I look forward to trying. This was my first time getting a Swedish massage and she was so informative and made me feel very comfortable. The ambiance and energy in her business is very calm, relaxing, and soothing. It also smells great in her office and I love that her lighting is dim enough to relax me but not so much that I can’t see anything. I will definitely be returning!

I get facials ever other month but my previous spa closed down so I was on the lookout for a new place. I never even got to use my groupon. I called and received so much attitude as soon as I said I had a groupon I wanted to use. «Well uhhh. What exactly did u want. To make an appointment?» No duh! My friend had the same experience.

I don’t like this business.
First, it’s really hard to communicate because almost all time no one’s answering the phone. When she calls back, she’s like «can you come at 2pm today?» No one can fit that schedule unless planned ahead!
Second, i was late for 5ish mins. And she put another client in my place without asking or calling me at all!
Third, her attitude was really poor. She said she’s «volunteering» for me because I paid to groupon, not to her. That doesn’t make you discriminate your client!
I’d give stars if possible.

I purchased 3 groupons to this place as gifts. My mom, sister, and best friend have all tried calling this place to make appointments for their massage and no one ever answers or calls back. I’ve even tried calling their behalf and same situation, no one ever picks up and no one has called back. It is a complete rip off! I’ve already reached out to groupon complaining about this sorry thing you call a business. The worst customer service ever. I would not recommend anyone to purchase the groupon add. It is robbery! I’d give no stars if possible!

She has an issue with the amount of money she receives from groupon. It’s not the customers’ issue or problem that she chooses to use groupon and therefore receives less money for her services. She should keep these complaints to herself and not share them with customers. I won’t be returning.

I am only giving one star because of the hot stones that were included in the massage which were a nice touch. Without them I would have given a minus one. Jamilah did not ask me if I had any concerns or health problems so I volunteered the information. I specifically told her of low back pain and Sciatica with pain in the left Gluteus Maximus and down my left leg asking her to pay special attention to these ares. I was ignored. My upper bad was massaged and massaged to the point of boredom. Never did she go near my low back, my hips or Gluteus. I couldn’t wait to leave. By far the only really lousy massage I have ever had. If a person is afraid of touching the human body (I did have panties on) they shouldn’t be in this business. I am sorry I left a tip, albeit smaller than I normally would.
I am adding a copy of text I found online regarding the need to massage this area, especially if one has back pain.
«Everyone should get glute work as part of their massage. Yes, your buttock muscles. This is a hugely important muscle group. We use these muscles every step we take and to leave them out during a massage makes no sense! You can think of these muscles as the connection between your upper and lower body. For this reason some may say your glutes are the most important part of your massage.»
Even with a Groupon this was not worth it. Just an exercise in frustration and my back hurts!

JAMILAH is the BEST Massage therapist in the Bay Area! She is extremely professional and very informative about massage health. Jamilah’s massages are the best! I pass out every time! She’s also an esthetician as well so if you need a facial or waxing, Jamilah is specialized in that. YES! you have to CALL to make an appointment because this is a business and Jamilah is pretty busy. But she is definently worth it! If you’re lucky enough to get a massage from Jamilah you will not regret it!

AWFUL CLIENT SERVICE and mediocre resources. Businesses like Jamilah’s Spa should not campaign on Amazon Local nor Groupon if they do not have proper staffing and cannot keep up with the response rate.
[SHORT VERSION] — Massages should be your monthly therapeutic routine, so you shouldn’t have added stress to make an appointment or be told to wait a month for an appointment. Even during their Open hours, you may not get anyone to answer the phone. I had to call a couple of times and left a couple of messages just to make an appointment. For stellar client service from beginning to end I highly recommend you go to: the amazing «Family Spa» in Vallejo, or to «Bay Beauty Spa» in El Cerrito, or get a membership to «Massage Envy» in various cities.
[LONG VERSION] — This review spans the course of a month or more. I learned about Jamilah’s Spa through a Groupon I bought for a Deep Tissue Massage. When I first called to make a Saturday appointment, the owner told me I needed to call «in advance». I did not call to make a same day appointment, but apparently «in advance» really means to call a «month in advance», because when I called back to make an appointment the owner then told me she didn’t have any appointments until over a month out. I had called at the end of February 2015 and the next appointment with the owner would be late-​March for a weekday and early-​April for a Saturday… SMH! I would have never thought this was a one-​woman operation based on the amount of promotions on Amazon Local and Groupon. Moving on… the owner told me if I didn’t want to wait a month that she could get me an appointment with a girl that helps her out from time to time (SMH! At this point I just wanted to use the Groupon to get rid of it). I agreed to make the appointment with the other girl (Iman). I was relieved to finally have an appointment. UNFORTUNATELY 30 minutes before my appointment Iman called to tell me she had car trouble and that she would need to reschedule our appointment for another day. I was totally sympathetic, because I’ve also been in that situation and I understand that transportation is a «priority» in the East Bay. We agreed on an appointment for two weeks later. UNFORTUNATELY I was hospitalized at 3AM on the same day of our appointment. My friend sent Iman a text to let her know about my situation and that I would need to reschedule. By the time I got home I saw some texts from Iman, so I responded to reschedule our appointment. And here is what Iman texted back (word for word): «Groupon ask that you call 24 hrs In advance to cancel or reschedule. Now we can guarantee you an appointment but there will be an additional charge.» After reading her response I was immediately done. Not only was I sick and exhausted, but she officially made me sick and tired. I sent her a text to let her know Jamilah’s Spa can keep the Groupon money. #ridiculous

So rude.

My daughter and I enjoyed a relaxing and therapeutic massage. I love the low lights and soothing atmosphere. The oils and candle scents add to the feeling of luxury. We’ll be back!
KSW

I’ve had relaxing massages and great facials with Jamilah. She has a nice personality, too. Very worth seeing her.

Jamilah provides a lovely spa experience in her small salon. She is very adept at massage and getting to those tight muscles with several techniques. As I go there often, she knows right where I need treatment. Her prices are very reasonable and she often offers specials.

jamilah is the best! A small place, nothing fancy but worth going here for a wonderful massage.