There is a massage school not far from me at all so I can't believe it took me this long to try it out but I finally made it. Miller-Motte College offers a program in massage and esthetics and they have a clinic at which you can have a student massage, or even a massage by a licensed therapist.
As you can see from the link, a one hour massage with a student is only $30 and they are not allowed to accept tips so it's really just $30. The one hour with the therapist is $40. I opted to go with the therapist this time.
I had an evening appointment and I was running late. It's rare that I am late for an appointment but it had been a long day and I was going directly from work. The location is very close to Crossroads in Cary. I parked in the fairly large parking lot and fortunately (since I was running late) it was easy to find the entrance to the clinic.
There was a man at the front desk who didn't seem like a therapist, maybe just a front desk guy. He seemed a little annoyed that I was late -- but really, if they just take the time out of your massage then what is there to be irritated about on his end. I was surprised how large the clinic was. It had a more "retaily" feel kind of like Massage Envy, but bigger. Massage Envy is kind of cramped. On the hall where all the treatmnet room are, there must have been 20 doors. There were students milling about. Some of them were for esthetics. My therapist was a friendly woman and she wasn't irriated at all about me being late.
The room was very simple and and basic but was spacious and super clean. Here and at Massage Envy they don't have the little decorations and other stuff you will find at most other places. I must say it did seem very clean, and I like that. The music left something to be desired. It was piano music and is was kind of cheesy. At one point Greensleves came on. I prefer the new-agey stuf and nature sounds.
My massage was very good but pretty basic. I asked her what the deal was the the therapists working there and she said it was to cover when they were short on students. (So, who knows, you may schedule an appointment with a student but if they are short you cold get a therapist, maybe.) Or, when some people want deep work that the student is not comfortable with.
I would say I got a good basic massage. She did a lot of work on my trap area and, while that is always tenses and knotted, I don't that massage there is as effective as some other muscles. It seems like when I have a really good massage and they work at these little muscles I didn't know I had, I seem to get the longest lasting results.
I'll go back. I will probably try a student. I left a $10 tip because I felt I got better than a $40 massage. This place is a real find. Again, it is very clean and the prices are cheap. My therapist was good and very friendly.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
XpresSpa at the Raleigh-Durham airport (Terminal 2)
I plan to blog about current massages but I thought this one that I got about a month ago was worth and entry because (1) it was a massage "first" for me and (2) I doubt I will be going back here for a long time. The XpresSpa at RDU's Terminal 2 was the site of my first airport massage. I was leaving Raleigh to go up to NYC to visit an old college friend for the weekend. This was definitely a vacation and I was feeling indulgent enough to pay for a $90 massage.
The spa is pretty small. Like most airport shops, it is pretty much open to the terminal (rather than having an entry door). It seemed like most of their business was mani/pedis and the chairs for those were taking up most of the floor space. The clients that were there, maybe having just gotten a treatment, were talking loudly and had their luggage kind of in the middle of everything. It didn't create a great ambiance. I asked about the massage and they said I could have one at 5 PM which was in about 20 minutes so I left to make a phone call and returned at five.
I was shown into the massage room which was small, had an irregular shape and a little closet for your clothes that reminded me of something you would find on an airplane (I guess that's sort of appropriate but, of course, I was not on a plane yet, so maybe not). You could hear some of the outside noise, both on the runway and in the salon which did not surprise or bother me.
I made a comment to my therapist about them being busy and she said they always were. Everyone there seemed harried. I could tell this was probably not going to be a great experience. It just seemed like a place where everyone was overworked. My massage was not memorable. It seemed like she was just going through the motions. Pretty light pressure and not very therapeutic. And, I didn't feel annoyed just because I felt like it wouldn't have been reasonable to expect more from this person at this moment. It's quite possible that this person gives great massages in a different environment.
Overall, I did not have a great impression of the XpresSpa and would not bother going back. It was kind of depressing. It's hard to relax and feel great when you feel you are contributing to the suffering of others. Plus, the massage was just pretty darn bland.
The spa is pretty small. Like most airport shops, it is pretty much open to the terminal (rather than having an entry door). It seemed like most of their business was mani/pedis and the chairs for those were taking up most of the floor space. The clients that were there, maybe having just gotten a treatment, were talking loudly and had their luggage kind of in the middle of everything. It didn't create a great ambiance. I asked about the massage and they said I could have one at 5 PM which was in about 20 minutes so I left to make a phone call and returned at five.
I was shown into the massage room which was small, had an irregular shape and a little closet for your clothes that reminded me of something you would find on an airplane (I guess that's sort of appropriate but, of course, I was not on a plane yet, so maybe not). You could hear some of the outside noise, both on the runway and in the salon which did not surprise or bother me.
I made a comment to my therapist about them being busy and she said they always were. Everyone there seemed harried. I could tell this was probably not going to be a great experience. It just seemed like a place where everyone was overworked. My massage was not memorable. It seemed like she was just going through the motions. Pretty light pressure and not very therapeutic. And, I didn't feel annoyed just because I felt like it wouldn't have been reasonable to expect more from this person at this moment. It's quite possible that this person gives great massages in a different environment.
Overall, I did not have a great impression of the XpresSpa and would not bother going back. It was kind of depressing. It's hard to relax and feel great when you feel you are contributing to the suffering of others. Plus, the massage was just pretty darn bland.
Massage Envy, Durham NC -- Southpoint location
Today I woke up with a headache. It persisted through the morning so I called and made a last-minute appointment at the Massage Envy near my work for lunch time. I have only been to Massage Envy one other time, and that was at the Cary, NC location. That time, I was not too impressed. My therapist was young and just out of school. I was pregnant and I think he was afraid of hurting me so I had the lightest massage ever. And, I just don't like any place that wants you to sign up for packages, memberships, etc. And, especially after a massage, it's no fun to be hit with sales pitch. On top of that, there is a sign in each room that suggests a tip of $25 to your therapist if you were very satisfied with the massage. I just don't like that kind of high-pressure environment. Judging from some reviews I found on-line, others don't either. But, both locations are always busy, so I guess some people don't mind.
On to this experience. I was told to get there 15 minutes early to fill out a form, which I did. It didn't take that long to fill out so I am not sure that I needed to be there that early. I was seated in what they call the "quiet room" to wait. It was a pretty narrow room that, once four other clients had gathered there, felt a little tight. There was a flat screen TV that had a beach scene playing. The only reading material was a binder that had a short bio on each therapist and there were copies of the Massage Envy newsletter there. No "outside" magazine like People, etc.
The receptionist introduced me to my therapist, who took me to the room. She was pleasant and asked me what I needed to work on today. I told her upper back and neck and she said she would focus on that. She left the the room and I got undressed and laid down face first. The table was comfortable and warm -- there must have been a warming pad in there. When she returned, she put a hot towel/pack on my upper back. It was just under "too hot" and it did feel good. While my back was warming, she massaged my feet. Then she got to work on my back and I could tell she was really good. Right away I could tell the experience was going to be a lot better than what I had expected from Massage Envy, but that was due solely to the therapist, who clearly had a good deal of experience.
She was able to do a deep back/neck massage to really work out tension pretty aggressively but still did enough longer, slower strokes so that the experience was still relaxing. I have had plenty of deeper massages during which I have had to chat the whole time in order to keep my mind off the pain. (I do also like those massages and find them effective). But this was definitely a massage for which you can just turn your brain off and keep quiet. Most of the this work she performed from above my head. She also did a good bit on the shoulder/upper arm as part of this region's treatment.
My therapist probably spent about 2/3 of the 50 minutes with me in this position and then I turned over and she did a scalp massage -- this was very firm and felt awesome. She then did my ears/face and went into the neck. She did a good bit of lifting my neck up and then using the weight of it falling down (guided, of course) to apply pressure to her hands. After this, it was the lower arms/hands, then feet again. At the end, she applied a warm wet towel to each of my feet. Then at the very end she did a little of what I imagine was some basic energy-balancing moves.
Overall, I was very impressed by my therapist. The room and table was basic but comfortable. The music was not too loud and was super generic. At my regular therapist, she plays different music/sounds and she has a great selection from music to natural sounds, etc.
Then, when getting dressed, I had to face the suggested tip sign, and make a decision about that right away. Then, when I went out to front counter, the woman at the front desk tried to sell me one membership after another. I didn't join anything but I did buy a "package" of three massages, the first of which was used today. This makes each massage $59 plus tip. On their own, the massage is $78, which is quite high for the area and the fact that I doubt that most of the therapists are as good as the one I had. Still, you can go to some pretty plush day spas around her for that price.
My therapist's name is Movita and I do highly recommend her if anyone wants to try that location. I will go back to her two more times because it is very convenient to my work an buying the massages in packages of three does not seem like too bad a deal. But I do feel a lot of pressure to tip high since they are probably not paying the therapists much at all. Also, something about getting a series of sales pitches right after the massage just doesn't seem right.
On to this experience. I was told to get there 15 minutes early to fill out a form, which I did. It didn't take that long to fill out so I am not sure that I needed to be there that early. I was seated in what they call the "quiet room" to wait. It was a pretty narrow room that, once four other clients had gathered there, felt a little tight. There was a flat screen TV that had a beach scene playing. The only reading material was a binder that had a short bio on each therapist and there were copies of the Massage Envy newsletter there. No "outside" magazine like People, etc.
The receptionist introduced me to my therapist, who took me to the room. She was pleasant and asked me what I needed to work on today. I told her upper back and neck and she said she would focus on that. She left the the room and I got undressed and laid down face first. The table was comfortable and warm -- there must have been a warming pad in there. When she returned, she put a hot towel/pack on my upper back. It was just under "too hot" and it did feel good. While my back was warming, she massaged my feet. Then she got to work on my back and I could tell she was really good. Right away I could tell the experience was going to be a lot better than what I had expected from Massage Envy, but that was due solely to the therapist, who clearly had a good deal of experience.
She was able to do a deep back/neck massage to really work out tension pretty aggressively but still did enough longer, slower strokes so that the experience was still relaxing. I have had plenty of deeper massages during which I have had to chat the whole time in order to keep my mind off the pain. (I do also like those massages and find them effective). But this was definitely a massage for which you can just turn your brain off and keep quiet. Most of the this work she performed from above my head. She also did a good bit on the shoulder/upper arm as part of this region's treatment.
My therapist probably spent about 2/3 of the 50 minutes with me in this position and then I turned over and she did a scalp massage -- this was very firm and felt awesome. She then did my ears/face and went into the neck. She did a good bit of lifting my neck up and then using the weight of it falling down (guided, of course) to apply pressure to her hands. After this, it was the lower arms/hands, then feet again. At the end, she applied a warm wet towel to each of my feet. Then at the very end she did a little of what I imagine was some basic energy-balancing moves.
Overall, I was very impressed by my therapist. The room and table was basic but comfortable. The music was not too loud and was super generic. At my regular therapist, she plays different music/sounds and she has a great selection from music to natural sounds, etc.
Then, when getting dressed, I had to face the suggested tip sign, and make a decision about that right away. Then, when I went out to front counter, the woman at the front desk tried to sell me one membership after another. I didn't join anything but I did buy a "package" of three massages, the first of which was used today. This makes each massage $59 plus tip. On their own, the massage is $78, which is quite high for the area and the fact that I doubt that most of the therapists are as good as the one I had. Still, you can go to some pretty plush day spas around her for that price.
My therapist's name is Movita and I do highly recommend her if anyone wants to try that location. I will go back to her two more times because it is very convenient to my work an buying the massages in packages of three does not seem like too bad a deal. But I do feel a lot of pressure to tip high since they are probably not paying the therapists much at all. Also, something about getting a series of sales pitches right after the massage just doesn't seem right.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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