Massage Envy Spa

Very nice receptionist and therapist but the massage was certainly not up to the standard I am used to– i came in with an achy back and shoulders and I was hoping for a deep massage but instead It felt more like an alignment, which was good but not what I came in for– I asked a few times to massage certain places but it didn’t happen. I wasn’t really massaged at all; more poked/​stretched (not in a good way). I also felt very uncomfortable as it was mentioned about 4 times during my session to make another appointment– the hard sell was very awkward. This was my first and last time coming in which was a shame because I was really looking for a place to go to every week.

badly run place and bad ownership. the therapists are old and bored and complain about the pay. they get 20 an hour and owner gets 40. thats robbery. and the manager gina and meredith are insane and ugly. they yell at the front desk and customers… i cancelled my membership. worst massage ever

I came here for a full body massage exactly one month ago and opted for the one & a half hour massage. My masseuse was Sandy. She listened to my concerns and understood the areas I wanted to work on. However, during the massage I noticed that she only used friction and rubbing movements. Mind you, they felt great, but there was hardly any variation in her movements. Needless to say, I was a little disappointed.
Today I went in for a one hour massage and Tony was my masseuse. I told him that the last masseuse I had didn’t have much variation in her massage movements. I told him I like kneading and pinching, too. Tony got the message. He used his whole forearm and elbow to get my kinks out. The only thing Tony could have done to make my experience that much better, would have been to go a little slower; he seemed a little rushed. I can let him know next time not to go so fast, but other than that he was perfect! His pressure was medium to firm– great for someone with a lot of tension in their muscles. I look forward to re-​booking my appointment with him.

The five stars are for the facials that I see Elizabeth for. I totally love her & she’s so helped in getting my skin looking younger & less acne prone. She is very professional & seems to really care about her clients. I totally love her! Highly recommend, as well.

If there is 0 star then that’s what I would write for their front desk service and accounting. I had a gift card which I use for tips since I have been a member for 5 years and have a monthly session from my membership.
First of all, their really good massage therapists don’t seem to stay long, so I’m having to use up my monthly session on facial sometimes just to use them up. Front desk service used to be really good, but have definitely gone down hill the last year. They can’t track appointments that are canceled, or the constant parade of trainees make the check-​in and check-​out process a bit painful.
The last straw is their management of Massage Envy gift cards. First of all, they cannot print out a receipt of the balance of the gift card — other retailers don’t have this problem. Yesterday I noticed that part of the balance seems to have disappeared so I asked them to verify and check where that amount could have been used up. Two people got involved, and finally the night manager (I assume) told me she can’t find out where that amount has gone, and «sorry». «So basically it’s just my bad luck» I asked, and she said «yeah». Very wrong answer. I told her then there is no way anyone can trust their gift card, she just said that it’s their system that’s the problem. Still wrong answer. How can you sell gift card when you cannot account to the customer the balance and also not responsible when balance decrease mysteriously??? And it is lousy customer service to simply say yeah, bad luck.
For this, and the fact that they cannot keep good employees mean the obvious, it is not a well run business. I would definitely recommend trying other ME locations if you have membership that you don’t want to give up. This definitely isn’t the best, and not the only place you can get a good massage.

I saw Christine for a massage yesterday and it was very relaxing. She did a full bodied massage and even focused some attention on the collar bone area, scalp, and face. From past experiences this is rarely done when I went to other massage envys. This office location also used hot towels for several different things while I’ve never had it done in the east coast locations where I live.
They are very nice here and even offer tea in addition to water. The front desk recogniZed me from yesterday (I am on vacation and decided to come have another massage and facial today). The location is in a pretty cottage like building with its own parking lot. The waiting room isn’t set to a dark mood lighting like all the other locations I’ve been to.
My sister saw Kristie yesterday and said she was amazing. Kristie has a background in sports medicine so she really worked on all the problems my sister was having. This did hurt but my sister left so refreshed with a lot less pain in her right arm n leg (which were giving her a difficult time in doing normal things like walking).

SKETCHY BUSINESS PRACTICES!
I went here for a massage and facial and they conned me into getting a membership and stole money from my mother. I gave them MY card to pay for everything which I have PROOF of on the membership agreement I signed and they somehow ended up stealing my mother’s credit card information and using HER card (maybe her card was somewhere in their system)??? How does that even happen if the card user is supposed to be PRESENT when they charge it??? Not only that, but they accused ME of stealing my mother’s card and using it that day… ummmm my mom lives in a completely different STATE!

Do NOT to become a member of Massage Envy Palo Alto unless you are able to book massages 2 – 3 weeks in advance. Every time I have called for an appointment on the same day or a few days ahead for the weekend, they are booked. While this is understandable as a business, it makes it hard to use them on a regular basis. So in my case, I ended up accumulating 6 massage credits (since they charge on a monthly basis).
To make things worse, their cancellation plan is not good because basically they give you 30 days to use up ALL of your accumulated massages. Since you can’t book massages until a few weeks out, you will lose some of the massage credits if you cancel.
You can transfer credits to family members but they have to pay an additional fee (and oh by the way they will have the same issue of not being able to get appointments reasonably ahead of time).

As a former ME employee at a southern and different Northern California branch, I am so pleased with the massages and exceptional service. I know the ins and outs required to make a clients experience better, and ME Palo Alto does just that.
Kristie and Christine (such a sweetheart!) have been great at really working out my neck and shoulder issues and have had no problem keeping it real! I know I need the work and sometimes I’ll feel amazing after, and other times I’ll feel more sore, but overall they get my body where it needs to be.
Did I mention that it’s SO clean and smells fantastic inside? Yes, I love it!

I’ve been a massage envy member for 3 years now. Let me just start off by saying, you don’t come to massage envy expecting a lush, top of the line, all the amenities spa. You come because it’s a cheap massage and as such you can have them more frequently. Especially great when your back isn’t in the best of shape.
Admittedly some of the massage therapist here aren’t the best. But some of them really are! I was regularly going to one for 2 years before she moved on. It may take a while to find one that you really like, but once you do I really think it’s worth it.
General Atmosphere– Really lovely. Quite, clean, relaxing.
Reception– Always have been accommodating, friendly, and professional.
Massage– I’ve seen 4 different massage therapist here. One was just not my cup of tea and I did not like her at all, two were MARVELOUS but each moved on to other places for whatever reason, and the one I go to now is just the best. She almost always puts me to sleep. (But I am pregnant right now… so that’s not hard.)
Pricing– You cannot beat the pricing!
Scheduling– Never been a problem. Always have been accommodating. Though I almost always book regular appointments at the desk, the times that I have called in they’ve always found me a time that fits my schedule within the week.
All in all, I really love Massage Envy Palo Alto. For the service it provides, it does it top notch. If you’re looking for a spa like Watercourse Way… then go to Watercourse Way. Don’t put unrealistic expectations on what you are paying for.

This review is solely for the 60-​minute facial done by Elizabeth, one of the esthetician’s who work here at Massage Envy Spa in Palo Alto. Not only is Elizabeth super sweet and caring, but she did an amazing job on my facial! I could totally feel the difference in my skin as I left my session. Also, I’ve had facials in my past time from other clinics, but I can tell that Elizabeth works super hard when it comes to getting me in and out of my session on time and not wasting any second throughout my 60-​minute session.
First, Elizabeth took me into a private massage room and recommended that the «Sensitive Skin» facial would be the best fit for my skin — it’s very gentle and easygoing on the skin, yet is still an effective treatment to clean the surface of my skin. Also, she is very educated on what products would be best for my skin post-​facial. She told me to continue using the Murad «Blackhead Pore Remover» twice a week to continuously remove the blackheads from my face while I am at home or else the dirt will continue to build-​up on the surface of my skin. To my surprise, she addressed that my skin was super congested (And I didn’t even know, ew!) from all of the dirt build-​up throughout the years that I have not done a facial and we discovered the reason behind it. I dance three times per week, sometimes with makeup, and I learned from Elizabeth that dancing with heavy products like makeup can cause bacterial build-​up within the skin as sweating throughout dance practices can open up my pores to dirt and bacteria. Without Elizabeth’s help, I would totally still be in such an oblivious state of mind and continue to build up dirt without knowing or doing anything about it. She also stated that I could purchase wipes to help wipe away the sweat whenever I have downtime at my dance practices, which I would never have thought of on my own. Now, with Elizabeth’s help, I can continue to go back to her every two weeks for a 60-​minute facial and eliminate this bacterial congestion once and for all!
As for the facial treatment itself, everything went super smoothly and I felt so relaxed by the end of my session. She would thoroughly explain each facial cream that she applied on my face, as well as gave me a very nice back, neck, and arm massage. Also, because my face was so congested from the lack of facials I’ve received in the past, she made sure to take extra time to work on the extractions to rid the blackheads from my face. I absolutely love Elizabeth’s enthusiasm and passion for skin care and she made me feel like such a valuable client. Elizabeth is an absolute delight and I know for a fact that a bunch of clients always go back to her whenever they drop by this Palo Alto clinic.

Terribly disappointing experience this time around. I arrived 15 minutes before my massage time, only to find out 10 minutes after my massage should have started that my therapist was a no show. For my trouble the manager offered me a free half hour on top of my next massage. What a joke! I spend all week looking forward to my massage, I drive all the way from San Jose and no massage therapist, no phone call… nada. This is a nice location and the facials are good here, but I’m seriously considering canceling my membership over this. Very unprofessional and poor, poor customer service on how this was handled by the manager.

Facial with Elizabeth M is amazing, wonderful! She knows exactly what my skin needs. I get many compliments on my complexion. It is clear, and glowingly fresh — she is my secret. As a member, the rate is affordable and the rest and relaxation of her massage is so worth the time. I do use Murad skincare to keep up. Though they can appear pricey they last so long that they are good value and work for my skin. Thank you, Massage Envy — please take good care of Elizabeth– she is a treasure.

So — I had 2 prenatal massages here.
My first one was with Jenny and was AMAZING.
The second one was with Christine because Jenny was out or had no availability on the weekend.
The one with Christine was… different. She definitely applied a lot of pressure on my back. I almost wanted to ask her to ease up but figured that it would feel better overall. I mentioned that I had leg pain, but the work on my legs was very minimal. There was some weird hip rocking that happened. So if I went back, she wouldn’t be my first choice, but I guess I would see her again. She was sweet.
I think one main lesson from my Christine massage was the importance of speaking up. I should have said I wanted more leg time, since I paid $ 100 for the massage.

Had the price been higher, the stars might be a bit lower. But 90 minutes for $ 75 is pretty damn good. That said– the actual massage (I received a prenatal massage from Sandy) was not great. It wasn’t terrible, but there were a few things that would prohibit me from returning.
1. I’m not here to chat. While she was VERY pleasant, I just want to relax and enjoy the massage not shoot the breeze. If the question is not specifically related to the massage itself, it bothers me. Maybe there is a nice way I could have said that directly but I didn’t want to make the situation awkward.
2. My main source of discomfort– like many pregnant women– in the lowest part of my back at the sacro-​iliac joint and the piriformis muscle beneath it. I was really looking forward to having that area worked on. She DID work on the area, but would only do it over the blanket which I found VERY odd and not very effective. She offered to return to the area after completing my legs (that part was nice!) but I didn’t see a point. Ive had quite a few massages and have never had a therapist massage through a blanket to access the gluts. Maybe thats the policy, which is fine, but its not for me.
3. Maybe this is nit-​picking, but I looked at the clock when I was taken into the room: 2:33 to get undressed, she was back in the room at maybe 2:38? The session ended at 3:54. I paid for 90 minutes and I arrived on time. Like I said, maybe thats being over the top, but again, I’ve never had that happen before anywhere else. If I pay for 90 minutes, I don’t think its cool to provide 80.
Perhaps I could have been more vocal, but I don’t like dictating how I think a therapist should do their job. I generally trust them to guide the massage and I can chime in if the pressure is too light/​heavy etc. The girls at the front desk were great– very professional and pleasant and not put out when I declined their «wellness package» they tried to sell.
Like I said, it was FAR from terrible and I still think I got a good deal for $ 75. Well-​my husband did because he bought me the gift card ;) For an inexpensive in and out massage I’m sure this place would hit the mark for most clients not looking for a «stellar» experience. For me personally, I’ll opt to pay a little more for some of the extra service provided at other spas.

Believe it or not that was really good! I got the massage with Jessica and she did a great a job, It was clean which is really important for me and both receptionist, the guy and the gal were really friendly, they don’t have the amenities that you can find in a 5 star spa and that’s why you are paying for this low! They did their best and you definitely get what you pay for it! Nice people, Clean area, Good Massage, Good Price! Plus they are open till late! For me driving back from San Jose and stopping by there getting a massage before heading home that was the best thing could happen! Thank you Massage envy Palo Alto!

One of the better Massage Envy locations — not as crowded, clean, easy parking
Tony is absolutely wonderful. He can really dig into problem areas and alleviate a lot of tension. He somehow manages to get in a lot of deep work while keeping the session relaxing. That’s pretty impressive. He gets a lot done in an hour.

Came here to get my mini-​vacation started off right. I wasn’t disappointed but I wasn’t impressed either. I’ve looked into Massage Envy before and the $ 49.95 introductory session was too good to pass up today.
I made an appointment for 2pm but wasn’t shown back to my room until 2:15pm. The tardiness was apologized for but never explained. This is kind of a pet peeve for me. I hate having to wait when I’ve made an appointment for a specific time, but at least I had a nice looking place to wait in.
When I met my masseuse, Sandy, I was apprehensive because of her limp handshake but was surprised once she got started. I had mentioned that I wanted to concentrate on my upper back and shoulders, working in tech has it’s price, and she did exactly that. But she did it with much more force than I thought she would. I was really impressed with her ability to deliver the pressure I wanted.
I wasn’t impressed with her overall time management. The entire second half of the massage, when you lay on your back, felt really rushed. I could feel her watching the clock and trying to hurry. She skipped pectorals, abdomen, fronts of my legs, and glutes which was pretty disappointing. I love having my back rubbed, but I was looking for more of a full body massage than I got.
I got the aromatherapy deal when I went and chose the mint-​rosemary scent. Totally lovely and I got to take home the «leftovers», so now I have a small bottle of kickass smelling lotion to remember Sandy by.
I don’t know yet if I’ll be back, but I’ll ask for more of a full-​body massage rather than just one area of concentration if I do come back

I just had another great massage here today. I have back, shoulder & neck pain. Tony is a great therapist! He is not afraid to really massage the delicate neck area (like so many others), and im instantly feeling great!
If your needing a great 5 star massage go see him! But just dont book up all the monday appointments!
Thank you ME for being professional & affordable & the front desk gals are sweet too!
Ill be back!

Compared to the mountain view location, this one is much nicer. The waiting room is bigger and much more relaxing. I had a great massage focusing on my shoulders but can’t remember my masseuses name. I ended up signing up for the monthly massages and can’t wait to go back in a few weeks! The girls at the front desk seemed a bit inexperienced but very nice, they weren’t too pushy about me buying a membership, which I prefer. The only problem is the parking lot is tiny, but luckily you are allowed to park on the street — there are no signs, so I asked inside. It would be nice if there were signs that parking on the street is allowed.