This week’s blog is going to be up close and personal. I’ll be sharing why an otherwise wonderful trip to Italy included one of the worst massages of my life! And hopefully you’ll agree that this is NOT the way we do things at Healing Hands.
From October 18 to November 5, my husband and I enjoyed a fantastic time traveling throughout southern Italy; mostly in Puglia, Basilicata, Molise, and Abruzzo. Our 10-year wedding anniversary was on October 25 and since we went to Italy on our honeymoon back in 2014, we decided to return. We chose to do a road trip up the Adriatic coast since we’d already visited the places most foreign tourists choose to go (Cinque Terre, the Amalfi coast, Tuscany, and Venice).
Traveling in the “off” season means less tourists and more freedom; we could count on hotels being available the same night and at good rates. And since we’re from Miami, visiting beaches was not on our to-do list as much as exploring the medieval villages and towns along our route.
However, after several days of nonstop exploration, we found ourselves in desperate need of some TLC. At the time, we had just arrived to a seaside town surrounded by a national park. We thought it would be a good idea to get a massage to help alleviate our aches and pains.
We googled “massage near me” and a few places came up; of course we chose the one with the highest reviews (a fairly respectable 4.2 out of almost 300). Unfortunately, as the title of this blog clearly states, it was awful for both of us. 😖 Here’s why… (screenshot of my request which she read in Italian is below):
- AREAS OF FOCUS: Since my Italian is rudimentary at best, I used a language app to state the areas where I wanted her to concentrate. Unfortunately, the massage therapist was clearly doing a memorized routine that not only disregarded my instructions but she also forgot about my lumbar herniation; I kept having to put my hand there so she would not work that area. And my request not to get oil in my hair was ignored completely; if it had been a fantastic scalp massage, I would not have minded as much but, like the rest of the session, it was mediocre at best. My husband had also communicated via a language app and said that likewise, there was no extra attention given to his problem areas.
- COMFORT: Something I’ve learned is that for whatever reason, 99% of massage tables in Europe just have a basic hole for your face; there is no face cradle. And they almost never use sheets; it’s a mix of towels and that long roll of somewhat sticky tissue paper they use during doctor visits. So I don’t necessarily hold this against them but it was definitely not comfortable.
- PRESSURE: I enjoy more pressure than my husband, so I reluctantly paid 10 extra euros for a “deep tissue” massage (at Healing Hands, every massage includes deep tissue, stretching, aromatherapy, and hot stones!). But it was money wasted because her pressure was a tepid medium at best. She never checked in about the pressure so I said, “Più forte, per favore” (“stronger, please”) at least 4-5 times and each time, she would apply slightly more pressure for all of 10 seconds before lapsing back into medium pressure. And keep in mind, I’m not a masochist who enjoys enough pressure to crush a bodybuilder; I just like a bit more pressure in my shoulders and legs. Nope. Not happening. And my poor husband said his massage was so light that he felt almost like he was being tickled for the entire hour.
- “STRETCHING”: I had to use sarcastic quotes because it was so…NOT. I had specifically mentioned I like to be stretched but gently pulling an arm or a leg 3-4 times is NOT STRETCHING!!! It was clear she knew absolutely nothing about this. I wish she simply would have told me she would not be including it so I was not expecting it.
- AMBIANCE: The rooms were very plain and did not even have a mirror for me to try and fix my “massage face” after my session. In addition, it was an open ceiling layout and there was relaxing music but no white noise machine so I heard every phone call…every client who came in…even street noise when the door was open. Not that I could have relaxed and enjoyed this awful session anyway! 😖
The only good thing about the experience is that the customer service was very nice; they were patient with us as we stumbled with the language and were polite and warm at all times. But the massages…! Even though they cost much less than a massage in the US, we both felt it was money wasted.
What I took from this experience (and subsequently shared with my team) is to be sure we always do the following:
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Pay attention to areas of focus
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Make sure the client is comfortable before starting the massage
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Ask within the first 5 minutes if the client would like more, less, or the same pressure
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Educate ourselves as professionals in the latest and most effective stretching techniques
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Make sure the environment is as quiet and relaxing as possible
While this bad experience didn’t put a damper on an overall awesome trip, it did make me realize that we have something pretty special at Healing Hands. Book today and see why we are Miami’s top-rated place for massage!
