Massage Review – The Snow Monkey Spa

My Massage with Nicholas Marrs

September 20, 2020 admin Leave a comment Massage Review

My Massage with Nick Marrs

July 2019

Overall Experience

I was very comfortable being in his space. He is a great person intent on improving himself and continuing to learn new things about massage therapy.

 5/5

Making the Appointment

He has online booking and is also approachable for any questions

 5/5

Parking and Arrival Instructions

Parking is easy. His building has a parking lot attached. Once parked, you enter the building and find his suite.

 5/5

The Pre-Massage Interview

Nick is very easy to talk to, and you know he cares about giving you a great massage experience. However, I did request more time spent on my lower back and I think it may have slipped his mind, or we should have discussed further what I was really expecting as far as what I wanted for my lower back. Maybe he did spend more time on it than he normally does, but it was different from my expectation. I should have been more clear.

 5/5

The Massage

I appreciate the amount of pressure Nick provides as well as his pacing.

But I felt he was a little too aware of my breathing – it seemed every deep breath I took made him pause and wait for me to exhale. That made me feel self-conscious about how I was breathing.

When I turned over to be face-up, we left the sheet over my face. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to leave it like that or not. It’s not something I had ever experienced before, and while I felt silly leaving it over my face, I decided it was intentional on his part as an effective way for me to not worry about any facial expressions and cover my eyes.

His draping is very secure and I particularly enjoyed his leg and neck work on me. I found the music to be a bit on the boring side, but this is when I was really focusing on music in sessions and I’m not sure I would still think that a year later. Overall I really enjoy his work and I hope to see him again.

 5/5

Erin Hennessy and Meredith Grech in front of Body and Soul Wellness

My Massage with Meredith Grech

September 13, 2020 admin Leave a comment Massage Review

My Massage with Meredith Grech

Wednesday, September 9th, 2020

Overall Experience

I highly recommend getting a massage from Meredith

 5/5

Making the Appointment

I’m friends with Meredith (we met in 2019 because we both wanted to give chair massages at a Goblin Festival!) so I texted her about when to come in. She doesn’t have an option for scheduling online.

 4/5

Parking & Arrival Instructions

Parking is so easy at Body and Soul Wellness that they don’t even need to address it (see what I did there?). You just have to put the address in your GPS and boom, you can park easily in front of the clearly marked door and walk right on in.

 5/5

The Pre-Massage Interview

I really loved that she sat down to ask me how I’m doing and talk about what I want out of the session. Sitting down allowed me to settle into the space and unwind from driving over.

 5/5

The Massage

Meredith’s massage style is calm, gentle, and centering. She’s into energy work and Reiki, which comes through in a regular massage session.

 5/5

Follow-up

Meredith texted me a few days later asking how I felt.

 5/5

How the session went

I made the appointment about a week in advance. Two or three days before the appointment, I strained my left hamstrings, likely due to dancing without stretching first. I texted her the day before to let her know I was going to need her to focus on that area.

Tip:

I appreciate when clients book ahead and answer intake questions ahead of time. Why?

I always want to provide the best experience for my client, which can mean doing some homework ahead of time. For example, I haven’t been asked to treat Tennis Elbow in 10 years. If a client needs me to focus on that issue, I want to dig through my resources and find a good treatment protocol rather than relying on very dusty memories.

If you’d like to know what courses I have taken throughout my massage career, click the link below.

Meredith asked what I’ve been doing that might have caused the strain to my hamstring, and I told her about my new crush on The Fitness Marshall. I mean, look at that video. I spent 5 hours one night trying to get the choreography for his Dua Lipa Break My Heart routine. Over the next several days, I did many other Caleb Marshall videos and even bought a Nintendo Switch and started playing Just Dance. That’s where I really messed up. It was an entirely new experience for me and in my excitement I forgot to stretch. I also put less attention on my body as I frantically tried to keep up with the game. Always. Remember. Your. Body!

She asked me to start face up so the heat from her table warmer could penetrate my low back and hamstrings. Unfortunately, the bolster prevented the heat from getting to my hamstrings. I should have said something.

Clients: Do not forget to speak up!

I started my massage training when I was 17. That was a very long time ago. And yet I *still* feel strange about speaking up. So I totally understand your hesitation to ask for any sort of correction from your therapist.

But your therapist is just another person. I promise! I’m not a goddess, and Meredith isn’t a goddess. I know, it’s really hard to believe that if you’ve ever gotten bodywork from us. But if something doesn’t seem quite right, you should *ALWAYS* speak up.

I have a hard time following my own advice

I didn’t speak up about the heat being obstructed by the bolster and not reaching my hamstrings. Meredith did great work while I was supine, then we switched to the prone position, with my face in the face cradle. Again, I was shy about speaking up. I took my mask off and let her put it with my belongings. Not long after that, I started having a hard time with breathing through the face cradle. Instead of just asking for my mask back like a normal person and putting my head to the side, I tried to relax into a sort of shallow breathing. It didn’t work, and frankly, it was dumb. It’s dumb to feel shy about asking your therapist to accommodate you.

The End

I did finally ask for the mask, and of course she happily handed it to me.

After the wonderful massage, I explored the Asian businesses down the road from Body & Soul Wellness. Her location is so fun! There are so many interesting places to check out before or after your massage.

Go check her out and let me know what you think!

natural body lauren scott massage therapists erin hennessy

My Massage with Lauren at Natural Body

July 8, 2019 admin Leave a comment Massage Review

My Massage at Natural Body

July 2019

Overall Experience

Lauren provided a really great massage – especially on the legs – but I was not pleased with the spa itself. I would get a massage from Lauren again if I could, outside of the spa.

 3.2/5

Making the Appointment

It’s important to me who my therapist is, what their strengths are, and style. Their website didn’t have any therapist bios. It also takes you in many circles to get to the booking site. Furthermore, their paper brochure lists more services than their website, and in order to book the “dry brushing” I had to add a note to the appointment.

 2.1/5

Parking & Arrival Instructions

I don’t recall the spa sending me any information regarding parking. When I arrived, I initially parked on the street, where there was a sign that said there was a 2 hour limit. However, when I went to pay for the parking spot, ParkMobile informed me there was a 1 hour limit. I had to find a different parking spot, which ultimately made me 10 minutes late for my appointment.

 1.6/5

The Pre-Massage Interview

Lauren retrieved me from the waiting area and showed me to the treatment room, which didn’t have much space around the table and didn’t create an inviting atmosphere for talking to your therapist.

Lauren was friendly and I appreciate that she confirmed what I had signed up for. I had forgotten that I had only paid for 60 minutes, not 90.

 4/5

The Massage

I was most impressed with Lauren’s leg and neck work. I also appreciated the heating pad she placed on my shoulders while she worked on my legs, and the eye pillow when I was face-up.

However, I have to knock it down a star because of the dry brush. It cost $30 and was supposed to last 15 minutes. It only took about 5 minutes – she just did a couple quick strokes down each side. Then I was expected to take the big brush home. The music was also very boring.

 3.7/5

I would love to receive another massage from Lauren outside of Natural Body, but unfortunately I didn’t get her full name and she’s no longer at Natural Body. Click here for the Natural Body Spa in Decatur.