Massage Envy (doctor, muscles, cheap, most expensive) - Doctors, illness, diseases, nutrition, sleep, stress, diet, hospitals, medicine, cancer, heart disease - City-Data Forum

Dolfan · 08-31-2007, 02:25 PM

Anyone familiar with this company? They are opening numerous locations all over Northern New Jersey. I just signed up for a one year membership. They have a large staff of certified massage professionals. For $59 per month, you get one massage each month. Subsequent massages are $39. It's not fancy but I got a decent massage and saved a lot of money over going to a spa. What has your experience been like with them?

jeannie216 · 08-31-2007, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dolfan

Anyone familiar with this company? They are opening numerous locations all over Northern New Jersey. I just signed up for a one year membership. They have a large staff of certified massage professionals. For $59 per month, you get one massage each month. Subsequent massages are $39. It's not fancy but I got a decent massage and saved a lot of money over going to a spa. What has your experience been like with them?

hummm.....sounds a little shady to me.

No, just kidding. I've actually never heard of them. Jeannie

Xpat · 08-31-2007, 05:29 PM

They are known for not having many certified professional therapists on their staff. I've also heard of people getting injured from porrly performed massages given by Massage Envy. Be careful.

crski · 09-04-2007, 11:38 PM

My wife bought me a gift certificate. It had a 1 year expiration. I kind of forgot about until 1 week after it expired. I called them, and they would not honor it. The guy that answered the phone would not let me speak to the manager. He told me I had plenty of time to use it and would not work with me at all. I had a seroius family isssue I was dealing with during the 1 year. He didn't care about that at all. I am all about good customer relations. Massage Envy has very, very poor customer relations.

The French Maid · 09-06-2007, 07:21 AM

I have been a member for one year. I am also what they call a massage junky. I have had numerous massages over my life so I am pretty picky.

It would be good deal if they had quality technicians but every time I find someone that is good, they leave shortly there after. Hmmmm... and this has happened three times now.

The last massage I had was the WORST massage of my life. He was new and I should have known something was bad when he said he was having a hard time starting out on his own. Yeah no kidding dude... maybe if you actually massaged my muscles it would have been ok. The guy talked through half the massage and barely put a dent in my stress. When he got deep in thought, he would stop massaging me until he was done with his sentence. Yeah.. I am prob going to cancel my membership when the year is up which is next month.

They hard sell you on memberships and its next to impossible to get out of one. I think you need a doctor's note or you have to prove you are moving someplace that doesn't have a location near by.

There is a an athletic spa nearby and I would rather pay a little more for a quality massage and NOT be locked into a membership.

One person on this thread said that some people have been injured. That doesn't surprise me. One particular massage I had, the guy was massaging my spine! I'm not even a massage therapist and I knew he was doing something wrong.

I'm over massage envy.

songinthewind7 · 09-09-2007, 10:45 AM

I haven't heard of this company and I'm a massage therapist. I don't live in the Jersey area anyway.
Any complaints on a massage establishment or massage therapist need to be addressed by the massage board in your state. You can file a complaint online or by phone.
Ugh, a mt does not need to be talking through a massage and the mt touching your spine needs to be reported.

TheHarvester · 09-09-2007, 09:31 PM

I went to Massage Envy this past week (Sept. 7th, to be exact) and had a very good experience. It's a bit corporate --- you can tell it's a chain because everything is so slick, but it's done well. I would compare it to Starbucks, in the sense that you're going to have a reliably decent experience but it won't be the same as going to a one-of-a-kind coffeehouse or massage therapist that's independent of the corporate theme.

All in all, I have to give it a thumbs-up because it was a good massage and it was CHEAP. And in that sense it's not at all like Starbucks, which is the most expensive place to get coffee. I've paid $20 more for a massage equivalent to what I received at Massage Envy. Not bad!

georgebird · 09-10-2007, 11:58 AM

OK, this is the deal with Massage Envy. The family who started ME is from the fitness industry. Their name is Leonesio. Google it. They are not in the fitness, massage or spring water industry. They are in the industry of drafting your checking account or credit card for a monthly fee, which is tied to a contract that is very hard to get out of. While their employees struggle to get by and are pressured to sell, sell, sell, they are living it up in Scottsdale. So the next time you are lured by the temptation of a "cheap" massage, remember that there is no such thing, and check the balance on your accounts.

TheHarvester · 09-10-2007, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by georgebird

While their employees struggle to get by and are pressured to sell, sell, sell, they are living it up in...[anywhere]

You just described modern American capitalism. What's the difference between what you said vs. any other corporation? Pardon my editing of "Scottsdale" to say "anywhere" --- the point isn't where they're living it up, the point is that they're living it up.

We live in a plutocracy. Don't know the word?
Plutocracy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

By the way, thanks for warning me before I bought into one of their plans. I did get a fairly competent and well-priced massage, but the sales pressure was heavy from everyone on the staff. I guess they're paid partly on commission. They need to support the bosses back in Scottsdale.

I'm all for free enterprise, I've started and sold a couple of businesses and I'm proud of having lived humbly while paying my employees very well. I don't believe in government-mandated salaries or payroll taxes or anything like that, but I do wish we could find a way to curb the greed of the most greedy and successful of capitalists. When people like Bill Gates have more wealth than a small central African nation, that tells me that our entire species is sick!

cassey · 11-25-2007, 05:43 PM

unfortunately, i am familiar with massage envy. i took a 6 month membership at Closter NJ, paid for 7 massages, and only got 4, because they DID NOT honor unused massages (3) I had paid for as soon as the membership expired, although when I joined, they stated the massages or 'gift' certificates never expire (oh yeah, as long as you keep paying monthly). Here's the lie: "the massages don't expire; you just can't USE them unless your membership is in force" Ha!

Most of the therapists were inexperienced, fresh out of school (not always a bad thing), but when I did get a good therapist at ME, by the next month they were gone. the turnover rate is very high, what does THAT tell you? I've read many online complaints by former employee/therapists.

IMHO, ME is not a good value; for $63 +tip, its no bargain over the going rate at most health clubs or private massage therapists. I'd rather get a referral from the AMTA website, pay a few bucks more, and not feel like I'm being fleeced.