Franklin Massage Center — Attraction in Brentwood

They charge in full for services not rendered, even if you have an emergency preventing you from making your appointment.

I understand cancellation fees, but charging 100% is ridiculous.

I had a flat tire and could not make the appointment. Before I did anything to service the tire, I called to reschedule because I would have not only been late but probably would have missed the appointment entirely. I called hoping that they could find another time for me to come.

Instead, I was shocked by their office manger, Katie's complete lack of empathy and utter rudeness. She cut me off before I even had a chance to explain why I needed to reschedule.

I was never told about their 100% charge cancellation policy when I scheduled my appointment on the phone. I was asked for my credit card information simply "to hold the reservation", but nothing was said about charging full price for a cancellation or rescheduling. When I told the office manager that I was not made aware of this policy when scheduling my appointment, she actually chuckled and said "It's right there in the waiver that you signed."

The waiver is misleading in multiple ways.

For all appearances, it is a medical waiver. The part about the cancellation policy is hidden within a checklist of medical questions about medications, skin allergies, and surgeries. The cancellation policy as stated on the waiver is, "We reserve the right to charge full price for the missed appointment upon your next scheduled visit for failure to do so." I will most definitely not be scheduling any future appointments here.

I make reservations all the time and most companies are up front with this type of fee. In fact, I called three of their direct competitors and asked them what their cancellation policies within 24 hours are:

Hand and Stone: 50% of service

Elements Massage: 1 hour appointment = $35 fee, 90 minute appointment = $55 fee, no charge if they are able to fill that appointment time with another client

A Moment's Peace: No cancellation fee even within 24 hours, because, as the very polite person said on the phone, "We understand that things may happen so we'll do our best to accommodate you."

I emailed this information to Robin, the owner, and this is what she had to say:

"Chris, I am very sorry you feel this way. Im also sorry you had a rough morning. Katie has been with me a very long time and I never get complaints on her. I actually have clients tell me weekly, how great a job she does. I’m sorry you feel you had a different experience. I understand your frustration and I hope your day gets better😊 I’m sorry you felt the need to threaten me and my business in the same email asking for understanding. Your bank will block the transaction and I hope your weekend gets better!!"

So, they are 100% ok with charging you for services not rendered which is fraudulent (I had to have my bank block the transaction), and will ignore any complaints they receive about their rude customer service.

In an area like Franklin, there are many other options to choose from with much better customer service and business practices, which makes all...

I highly recommend Franklin Massage Center. I started getting massages at the Franklin Massage Center in the spring of 2018. After an injury to my Achilles tendon, I was unable to walk without pain. Through deep tissue massage, the therapists worked the muscles in my legs. Within a couple of weeks, I was able to walk without pain in my feet, heels, and legs.

When I started getting massages, I was so tense in my lower back that I would not let the therapist touch my back. I had regular chiropractor visits and I was concerned it would change my back adjustments. After I became more at ease and began to trust the therapists, I was all for having deep tissue massage on my back.

Something miraculous happened. My back pain diminished to anywhere from no pain at all to a 2 or 3 on the pain scale. For me, massage goes hand and hand with chiropractic care. Not only did the massage alleviate many aches and pains, I became self-aware. When my muscles are tight, it causes strain on my back, legs, and feet. My body now knows when it needs to stretch.

As far as the facility and overall atmosphere, it is very clean and very calming. Katie, the customer service assistant, is always very friendly and personable. She is on top of scheduling, weekly reminders, and possible traffic concerns.

I have seen several therapists at FMC, and they all quite excellent in the techniques they use. Regularly I see Erin and she is always extremely conscious of my needs and begins each session with “What are we working on today?”. Using various methods to work the muscles, she often uses Ashiatsu, cupping, and deep tissue massage. Using a scale of 1-10 to measure the intensity of the massage, she is very focused on keeping the level of intensity to no more than a 7. Not only is Erin an excellent massage therapist, she has a healing spirit that is calming. Her massages are free-flowing, taking the pain and tension from my body and dissipating it. Her use of cupping has eliminated several head colds and much back pain.

I am so grateful that I found Franklin Massage Center and Erin. The amount of discomfort that I had when I walked in over a year ago is all but gone. I have learned more about my body and what I need to do to keep it from being in pain. I will not lie. Some of the massages have been intense, but it has made my life so much better because I can move now without...

I contacted Franklin Massage Center in order to book an appointment. I asked to use one of their employees who had been highly recommended by a trusted friend and I was greatly looking forward to meeting her.

When the receptionist stated that no appointments were made unless the inquirer submitted their credit card information I was shocked because I had never heard of this request before.

My credit card is quite personal to me and I was surprised that someone would ask me up front to hand over personal information to a business about which I knew nothing. Franklin Massage Center knew absolutely nothing about me and it became obvious they immediately would not trust me to do the right thing in paying my bill.

My credit rating is and has always been excellent. I have no debt--no mortgage and no outstanding loans. Any credit card I have is routinely paid off in full at the end of each month.

Here's my question: If Franklin Massage Center who knows nothing about me is automatically suspicious that I will not pay my bill, why should I not be automatically suspicious of a business about which I know nothing? They expect me to do the right thing when I have no knowledge they will do the right thing. Apparently this is their policy, to assume up front that every customer who wants to use their business is underhanded and will take advantage of them. My policy is to trust people until they prove they are not trustworthy.

Needless to say I was completely disappointed with the Franklin Massage Center. Their policy seems to be "take it or leave it." Apparently they make no exceptions for last minute emergencies that sometimes occur. I subsequently read in one of their reviews that they charge full price for anyone who misses an appointment, whatever the reason.

I prefer doing business with friendly employees who welcome newcomers and I was very uncomfortable with what I thought was their extreme attitude. They could easily withhold judgment until/unless a client begins to skip appointments for no good reason. In my opinion that would be a much more reasonable and fair approach.

Needless to say, I did not feel welcomed at Franklin Massage Center and I knew there was no way I could enjoy a massage knowing the management was suspicious of me just by walking...