Massage Envy – Sterling

I will let you decide, but I will not recommend this place ever. We received a gift card for a couples message for christmas, along with a appointment for January 9. 2016. But when I called to change appointment I was told that this account had already cashed out. That the masseuse had already been paid and that according to person on phone is could not reschedule. I then spoke to a manager and was told no problem to call back and reschedule to just ask for her. so I called back 2 weeks later and asked for the manager who I was told she was no longer there. And I was now talking to the new manager who also informed me I had no balance in my gift card. but to book apppintment and she would figure out what happened to my account, by this time I was more stressed then before I called, decided to not go in to this messed up place. so just my words of warning to NOT PURCHASE GIFT CARDS, cause apparently it’s a free pass to collect and cash out your cards in this place and no one seems to be able to keep track of these purchases.

The customer service at this location is unfriendly – maybe it was just the staff working the day I stopped by. The reception I received was like I interrupted their day with my request for an appointment. I was not able to find an open time that worked for me so didn’t end up making an appointment, but I won’t be back.

Loved going here so far. Had a few blips early on in my membership where my phone number was taken down wrong and wasn’t getting the reminder phone calls or even the e-​mail reminders. After that everything has been going smoothly and will always enjoy an hour to relax.

When I have been able to come in, the massages have been fine. However, getting through their system is impossible. They never answer phones and I always seem to miss their call back– which means nothing gets booked or resolved. There are plenty of other massage envy locations in the area that I can go to, but when I’m trying to deal with my account specifically it’s near impossible.

I wish I had opened my account with another branch– this one really just isn’t worth dealing with.

Love Love LOVE the staff here!!! So many great things to say from the time you walk in and see the smiles to the quiet room of just relaxing before the massage! They have some one for everyone’s taste in massages!

It’s a horrible place. I have 12 prepaid sessions because I am never able to get any appt no matter how much ahead of time I call them to make appt.
Reception Customer service is horrible. When you try to cancel the appt, there is always trouble. Store manager never calls you back.
It’s just a terrible chain. I waste 700+ dollars so far!!!

Its kinda hard to write a review of this place. I was having some back problems, so I went in on occasion for some massages. The masseuse I got the very first time was obviously an angel sent from the heavens above. Sadly, she was no longer working there the next time I went back. I went there a number of times and was talked into doing a year long membership. Do I regret it? No, however once my membership was done, I cancelled it. The biggest problem with Massage Envy is scheduling. You really have to call and schedule an appointment well in advance, last second appointments almost never happen. The problem is, I dont schedule when my back hurts. Also, I have a preference for women, so that cuts down on the possible times. On top of that, if you have a preferred masseuse, you will never get a last second appointment. Every time I called, they were booked solid, or there was an opening 3 hours later. This annoyed me as I passed by it every day coming home from work and couldnt go in. On a few occasions when I called and it was booked solid, I got lucky calling another location. However, that was very rare, as the other locations were booked solid as well. The quality of the massages varies on the person giving it. I never had a bad one, they ranged from good to great.
For me, it just wasnt worth it. My credits kept building up, since I couldnt schedule an appointment to use them. I ended up forcing myself to schedule a time to use them. I just couldnt use them when I wanted to. Obviously, they have to balance between having available masseuses and not having unused slots, but it definitely was heavily in their favor. Maybe for others, scheduling an appointment works for them, but not for me.

Let me say that the massage I receive is always wonderful. The problem is with trying to schedule an appt or get anyone in this location to acknowledge me as a customer. In the past year I have left messages when no one is available to answer the phone and yet NO ONE takes the time to return the call.
As someone who worked in a call center and the customer service industry for years, it is disturbing that this business does NOT seem to give a darn about customer service. I finally made an appt via telephone making sure I actually reached a human. I also said that I wanted someone there that would be able to cancel my membership.
The day of my massage, I talked to the front desk and they told me I COULD NOT cancel my membership. I said, what does that mean? I have a problem when customer service is NOT fulfilled and you are are telling me I can not cancel my membership. That makes no sense to me. I asked for someone to be here that I could talk to about cancelling my membership. The person that I was talking to finally said I am the manager, but I can not cancel your membership. Talk about me being dumbfounded. She said she would need to speak to someone else and they were not there that day and probably would not be in until the end of the week.
She promised that someone above her would call me and it’s been almost two weeks and not a whisper. I can not tell you at this moment if I am still a member or not.
Believe me I really like my massage therapist and would love to continue with her forever. She has so much knowledge and continues to learn more.

First — lots of reviews mention scheduling problems. I tried some time ago to book an appt and eventually gave up. But I tried again today. I called, left a message; went online and made a request (although online I couldn’t request same day which is what I was hoping). I got 2 calls back — one from my message and one from my online request. In the end, they were able to get me an appt tonight (a Tuesday at 7). I was pleased with that.
The facility was clean, and checks the boxes for the requirments of such a place, but it was lacking something I couldn’t put my finger on. I just didn’t get «relaxed» like I normally do.
The technician (therapist? not sure what they are called), was friendly, asked appropriate questions, and did a good job but again, it was lacking… what it was lacking I couldn’t say for sure. Maybe the spa music should have been louder… armotherapy must be an extra charge (it’s standard elsewhere)… maybe it was me. I don’t know.
Positives:
1-​It was a value compared to other places I have been
2-​I got a same day appt (although my friend who is a member says they are always booked when she calls)
3-​Everyone was nice, pleasant, did their jobs well.
Negatives:
I don’t know… but it wasn’t awesome.
*******UPDATE FROM THE FOLLOWING MORNING********
I stand by my review from yesterday, it wasn’t awesome and relaxing. BUT, apparently she did work a kink out of my neck that’s been there for a few weeks. I was still really stressed and didn’t sleep well last night, BUT I was more comfortable as I tossed and turned because my neck was a lot better than it has been, and it was super noticeable when I was trying to sleep last night.

Terrible,
Went here a while ago, paid for an hour received ½ hr massage and rest of time for. not really sure what the rest of the ½ hour went to.
Massage was garbage. again don’t go get massages often, but if wife sets up an appt, won’t turn it down.
Overall I gave two stars for basically the comfort level of the place.

I don’t know how the massage would have been because the terrible booking system prevented me from ever making it there. This is what happened:
I used the online system to request an appointment. (which doesn’t show you available time slots… you request a slot and hope for the best) A couple hours later I retrieved a voice-​mail confirming that the requested time slot was available and asking me to call them back if I still wanted the appointment. Within an hour I called back and got their voice mail… in which I left a CLEAR detailed message confirming that I indeed wanted the timeslot. (Which of course I do, im the one that requested it to begin with) –
Concerned on the day of the appointment that I had not received any confirmation I called back only to find out they didnt know who I was nor was I on the schedule and that the time slot was filled. The receptionist asked if I wanted to reschedule. I told her no because I don’t have time in my life for a business that can’t manage their appointments.

I would normally probably give 3 stars, but I have finally found the massage therapist and aesthetician that I like! I was suckered into a membership and have a ton of sessions racked up. I should never agree to memberships (gym), I waste too much money.
I have had plenty of massage therapists that were too light with pressure or hitting the wrong spots and/​or talking too much, but over the past year I found Baha. He is amazing, I highly recommend him. I can’t remember the aesthetician’s name (sorry), but she was awesome. Friendly and knowledgable. I’ve seen her out in the real world and she always recognizes me. That is a nice feeling. :)

I booked my massage as a same day appointment. I was pleased to hear they had an opening for me at 5:00 pm (I called around 11:00 am). I was booked with Andrea and she was great. I have a stress injury in my neck and she focused on exactly what I asked her to.
I didn’t notice any insufficiencies in the front desk staff as mentioned in previous reviews. Overall, a good experience.

Not cooperative at all. All about the money and not pleasing the customer. Will never come here again.

I love the actual massage portion. The rooms are small but clean and not exactly sound proof. But I’ll tell a masseuse that I want to focus on X, Y and Z and instead they do a full body massage even though I said that’s not what I really wanted. Sometimes they push too hard and sometimes not hard enough and they never ask if I am okay or hows the pressure. Another thing, an hour long massage — no, its more like 50 minutes at BEST. They always offer water after a massage but hustle you out into the lobby as soon as possible.
Last and biggest problem. COST. I had a gift card for 60 dollars but because I was once a member I had to pay another 60 bucks (total of 120). To become a member, the whole cost is 840 dollars for a year. I’m not doing that again, so instead I just paid the 60 bucks to use the card and got the massage. I’ll get my massages elsewhere.
Update: Today the manager from Massage Envy called me to say that I was in fact overcharged for my massage. I should have just paid the gift card price and nothing more since it has been a year since my membership expired. Good job massage envy for making your wrong right… For that I bump you up to 4 stars because I am proud of your business practices!

Don’t go here, they won’t keep your appointment. Please see the letter I wrote to their manager about what happened on Dec 31^st.
Dear Shaniece (no last name provided), Manager of Massage Envy, Sterling,
I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and frustration with the treatment and customer service my friend and I received on Tuesday, December 31, 2013. To celebrate my friends birthday, we booked two massage appointments for December 31^st at 1pm. At the time of scheduling the appointment, we confirmed that one appointment was for a prenatal massage and the receptionist let us know this service was available.
However, when we arrived for our appointments, we were told that they tried to reach me because the clinician I was scheduled with was not certified in prenatal massage. The number they had for me was incorrect; they transposed the last four digits so I never got the message. When I asked about booking another service instead, we were told that they gave my time slot to someone else because they hadn’t reached me and wanted to fill the time slot.
I am appalled that a company would assume the customer no longer wanted the appointment without speaking with them first. Instead, you and/​or the employee (s) determined that rather than allow me to select another service, they preferred to give it to another client. Perhaps the person I was originally scheduled with is only licensed to perform massage services, however this was never conveyed. A woman, who I assume is you or another manager, offered to book us for another date, giving us each 90 min massages for the 60 min price. While it was a nice gesture, neither my friend nor I live in the area and coordinating schedules to meet at this location on that date took a significant amount of planning.
If it is standard company policy to cancel appointments or not offer alternative service options, particularly to pregnant women, then I highly recommend this being looked into as it feels like discrimination. We were both looking forward to our relaxing massages at your company, which we both had heard good things about. This was meant to be a way to celebrate my friends birthday and instead, the treatment we received left a sour note on what was to be a happy occasion. Any future spa services I book will not be with your company, at this location or otherwise.

Too bad you can’t give negative stars. Summary: avoid at all costs… or costs is what you’ll get — in your time, money, and patience.
First of all, make them write down all your appointments. I’ve had the times changed, the masseuses changed (without warning), etc. When I’ve brought this problem up to them as a recurring issue, the best I got was a rude, «Well, you’re wrong, but I can see if I can move the appointment for you.» Even when I had THEIR schedule printout in my hand, they still insisted I was wrong about my appointment time!!!
While I like my masseuse, she told me she thought she had pneumonia and coughed throughout the session!
Don’t give them your credit card unless you’re willing to shut the card off trying to get them to stop charging you. Also, make sure when you DO initially request to close the account, you make them give you a copy of the request. They’ll say the manager needs to call you before the account can be closed, but the manager has no intention of calling you because they want to continue to charge membership fees.
There is NOTHING RELAXING about an experience here, and there is NOTHING I «ENVY» more than people who have been smart enough not to sign up. Perhaps the other locations are better, but this is the WORST experience I have EVER had with a spa, and I am embarrassed that I gave this place a second chance (had a similar experience the first time and couldn’t imagine they were still in business unless they’d improved — couldn’t have been more wrong). Not sure how this place is still open except that most people don’t have ten hours a week they can spend trying to cancel their membership.

Well, I’ve gone in for a few visits since signing up 4 months ago. So far, I haven’t had any issues scheduling appointments. I call up, get my times and its been pretty easy. I’ve had 3 different massage therapists and 2 different estheticians and all have been pretty good.
So far, I don’t have any complaints!

UPDATE — We are going to file legal action. We have called American Express and blocked the vendor and gotten the charges credited. I still can’t get the manager to return a phone call after 3 calls in the same week… wow.
Horrible administratively! Do not give them your credit card or the nightmare will not end. and the practitioners are average, at best. UGH we have been dealing with an 18 month cancellation process after we moved. We are starting the THIRD round of this. Twice now we «canceled» and revives itself. We have canceled IN PERSON because thats the only way they will do it, credit cards are refunded, and then a few months later the charges start again… OMG do not join this place.

Let me start off by saying that I have been a member of this Massage Envy for 4.5 years, until today. When this place first opened, I signed up a few months afterwards. Up until the last 6 months, this place was great. The therapists are usually decent and I believe I’ve only had one therapist that I wasn’t totally satisfied with. Brenda and Char are the best therapist there but to get on their schedule you have to book fairly ahead, which is a great sign that they are the go to therapist there.
Now here is my gripe. The front desk and management. These folks have got to have the worst customer service ever. I understand that the front has a high turn over rate, which I usually am ok with over looking it. However, after giving this place the last few months to work out the kinks that they currently have, I have had enough. I called 2 times last month, during business hours, to only get the voicemail box. Ok, they are busy I get it. I leave a message (like it asks you to) and hope that someone calls me back so that I can schedule my appointment. No one bothers to call me back. I then call back the next day and all I get back is attitude about how they get busy and sometimes things like this fall through. Nice customer service. I get better service in a hospital ER room than here. At least they get back to a person in a timely manner.
Yesterday, I called to make a 2 hour appointment for today at 12 noon. Today, I get a call at 10:40am to tell me that the therapist that had my appointment has called in sick and that they need to reschedule the time or to another day. I’m sorry, do they not have a company policy that says something to the fact that employees must call in sick by a certain time like 8am when they open? I am a business owner, and if I didn’t call my clients in a timely manner before their appointment that day, I’d be out of business.
By my calculations, I’ve spent over $ 3,186 in member dues over 4.5 years and have tipped over $ 1,620 to the therapists. These numbers are based on $ 59 per month with $ 30 tip. This does not include the extra times I do go there each month which would double the figures given. That’s a down payment on a house, car, boat or whatever, people. If they can’t figure out how to treat customers well then they don’t deserve my money. I’d rather pay a higher rate for great customer service and massage therapist than spend what I have had and get crappy service.