Paris Alexander Skin & Body Wellness Spa

WORST MASSAGE I EVER HAD April 18, 2010 | 29 of 57 people found this review helpful

Overall rating based on: 4 of 5 (80 %) Customers would visit this business again

• Business Overview
• Review this Business

Service Quality

1 of 5

Service Variety

4 of 5

Atmosphere

2 of 5

Staff Expertise

1 of 5

I have had massages all of the world and was looking forward to trying this place out after reading some reviews while in dc for a long weekend. I WOULD NEVER COME BACK HERE AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DON'T EVER GO HERE.

I won't waste to much time discussing the lack of spa ambiance and the fact that the so called 'spa" is just a few small rooms with only curtains separating them located inside another business.

My main concern was the lack of technique of the masseuse. It was shocking. He was very nice but left me more sore then went I went in - actually I have bruises from the massage. I got the hot stone massage - which I have had at least 20 times before but never like this.

First off he did not ask me if I had an injuries or if I had anything he would like me to focus on, the he had me lay face up to begin. He began by massages my neck and put his hands in the wrong place and pressed it, I felt like I was being choked. That should have been a sign for me to leave right then - but I thought maybe he just placed his fingers in the wrong spot.

He then started to work on different parts of my body , first just rubbing down then not really working any muscles and then would go over to get the stones and that is where it got worse. He used the stones to run up and down a body part - lets talk about my leg he would rub the stone down my shin - yeah ouch and over my ankle bone. It was painful and I would pull my leg away and say that did not feel right. They are now bruised. He then rubbed the stones over my ribs which are also bruised.

I would have to say the only thing that saved this massage was the fact that he spent more time getting, switching and playing with the stones then he did rubbing them on me in the wrong places.

I could go on but I will end by saying that I was hesitant to tell the manager about it because the therapist was nice I just feel that he was not trained and had no technique. The checkin woman convinced me to talk to the Owner, Paris, who had been walking by and so I did. She did not seem to care about what I was telling her and just responded with all of my therapist are trained - which is obviously false. She then proceeded to offer me to credit me for part of the service and took of $20.00 . I could not believe it. Her therapist injured me and all she gave me was 10% off.

There are so many good spas out there please don't waste your money going to this one.

I would visit this business again? No

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Operating for the past 16 years in the same Dupont Circle neighborhood, Paris Alexander Day Spa is currently located within one of Washington's oldest, most prestigious day spas. We so value our clients, that we are dismayed when one has a less than satisfactory experience. Although we felt that we appropriately addressed your concerns at the time, we sensed that you were still upset. So we later contacted you to discuss the matter further and left a voice mail. When we didn't hear from you, we assumed that you preferred to let the matter drop. However in general, making assumptions is not a good idea and therefore a more persistent, documented follow-up to complaints is one of several improvements we have made to our customer service policy. Allow us now to detail these measures as it relates to your experience. Your massage therapist is a five-year veteran who has a successful on-call business with several high-end Washington hotels. He has worked at Paris Alexander Day Spa since 2006. We certainly are not discounting your experience with him; we mention his credentials only because in your review you questioned his training and his professionalism. Still, your assertion that the therapist did not consult with you prior to your treatment (He looked at the client intake form you completed) influenced our decision to require our therapists to read a client's form in the presence of that client and to ask whether there is additional information of which the therapist should be aware. Only after this consultation will the client sign the form, allowing the therapist to give it to our front desk coordinator who then files it in the client's folder (A file for each client is kept so that client preferences, history and progress can be tracked). We now strongly encourage our clients to arrive 15 minutes prior to their appointments, so that they have adequate time to prepare for their service and receive their consultation. Our complimentary sauna and steam room facilities also are offered during this pre-service time. Our experience to date indicates that our clients have a higher level of comfort and appreciation from these enhanced practices. Finally, we have launched a quality control program: clients who regularly get massages score our therapists on the latter's protocol and techniques. Spa management includes this standardized scoring in comprehensive evaluations of the therapists. Our goal is to give our clients a superlative spa experience by nurturing the talent and skills of our therapists to meet our high standards. We hope you will give us the opportunity to turn you into a satisfied and repeat customer!

By paris@parisalexander.com| December 13, 2010