Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa — Attraction in Philadelphia

11/29 Update - The manager didn't contact me until a week after I sent my email. She kept saying she was sorry for the miscommunication. I said to her, there was no miscommunication because there was NO communication. She offered me a discount on a future service. Really?!?! Did she actually think I would want to go back there after my experience and spend more money? It didn't even occur to her to offer to refund the money I spent over the amount I was told I would be paying. I told her that I don't plan on ever going back and that my review and complaint to the BBB stands. I wish there was a negative star option b/c I don't want to give them any stars but you have to.

I have not been in your spa before so I stopped in yesterday to ask about the types of facials offered. I was told that I would need to make an appointment, meet with the aesthetician and she would determine the right options for me so I made an appointment for later that same day.

When I arrived, it was, again, discussed that I have not been there before. I met with the aesthetician and let her know what I was looking for, what my problem areas were. She suggested something called Nano something, I can't remember the name and explained what it was. I said that sounds great but how much is it? She said $150.00. I thought, ok, a little high but I will do it. She was suggesting products that I should buy and I let her know that I would probably only buy one product at that time.

After the facial, I got dressed and went to the front desk. They asked if I was interested in becoming a member and explained how that works. Now, keep in mind, after my facial when I'm ready to pay, they discuss prices. So I thought those prices were for things going forward. I decided not to become a member.

They told me the cost of the facial along with the one product I decided to buy - the total was AT LEAST $300.00, THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS!?!? I couldn't believe it! I was completely shocked and taken off guard. I was like, what?!? I said, Kirsten said it was $150.00. Kirsten and the girls at the desk were like oh, sorry we didn't tell you that. What?! Sorry?! The girls at the desk proceeded to say, well, yeah, that's what we were just explaining that you got the intro price of $79.95 and anything on top of that is extra. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I WAS HEARING OF THIS FOR THE CURRENT FACIAL I WAS GETTING DONE. At this point, the facial was done so I had to pay but my decision was taken away from me, I feel like I was taken advantage of and I didn't buy the product.

This is how this should have gone: When I first went in to inquire about facials, and I told them I had never been there before, the girls at the desk should have thoroughly explained how the pricing works because you don't put prices on your website - yes, you put basic costs but you don't list exactly how how much something will be so it needs to be communicated in person. Then it should have been communicated again when I showed up for the appointment to make sure I was clear on what I would be responsible for paying so I could FREELY decide if it was something I wanted to get done/pay for.

Before I heard how much it would be, I made an appointment for December for 2:00 and verbally checked with the girl at the desk as I was putting the appointment on my phone calendar that it would be 2:00 and she said yes. I got an email with the appointment details and it says it's for 3:00. These girls either did not get proper training or are not paying attention.

Again, I feel totally taken advantage of and will not return and will be canceling that appointment. I will post this entire email online as my review and tell others about my experience.

I looked into this business and found out that you are not accredited with the BBB and there is a complaint on the BBB site that you dispute and asked to have taken down but the BBB left the...

Is zero stars not an option!

I have had so many therapist and so many massages in my life time including ones at this location with numerous different therapist over the last year.

Today I arrived at this location for a 2 hr massage that was going to be followed by a 1 hr facial. 35mins into my massage I had finally gained enough confidence that my massage was not going to get better & asked my therapist Jose to stop and that I would like to end my session. For 3 long mins (in a vulnerable position naked faced down on the table under a blanket) he stood over me asking that I tell him what went wrong, asking what could he had done better etc. I replied that is wasn't personal, I am sure he is a great person but I rather talk about it when I a up and dressed .

I went to the counter where the therapist Jose and manager Taren refused to take my complaints seriously missing all the questions the manager should had asked but rather being on the offensive side demanding payment of the service while the therapist Jose stood there, staring at me aggressively with his arms crossed without even a blink of an eye.

I asked the manager to not have to pay for this and she continued to want me to pay for this service and not even know why I ended it assuring me this person has been there for yrs and knew what he was doing. As manager was more worried about getting paid than the actual reasons for the stopped service. Mind you this was all going on back and forth at the front counter in front of other customers. Very unprofessionally.

I decided to end this session because he continuous was rubbing on my pelvis, scapulas and other bony areas. I could tell this was not a professional service.

Then refused to reschedule my facial or cancel it due to me having to wait an hour after made feel so uncomfortable at their business.

She charged my bank account for half the service then when asked for corporates phone number she wrote down her name and phone number to the store.

Very unprofessional, will not be returning. Please do not go here because they are not loyal to their clients, don't care about the well being of their clients or feedback and just want to make...

I had a deeply disappointing experience at this Hand & Stone location. I scheduled a prenatal massage and facial over the phone, making it very clear that I was pregnant. It took multiple calls to various locations to find a prenatal massage therapist, and I finally settled on this location, even though it was 45 minutes from my home.

When I arrived, I was informed that the facial I had scheduled was never added to the appointment and the time slot had been given away. This was frustrating, but I proceeded with the prenatal massage since I had worked so hard to find an available appointment.

Unfortunately, the issues continued. About five minutes into the massage, the therapist noticed my continuous glucose monitor and stopped, citing it as a contraindication for massage during pregnancy. This was extremely upsetting, especially considering the time and effort I had spent scheduling and traveling to this appointment.

When I brought this to the manager's attention, she stated that I should have filled out paperwork beforehand, but no paperwork was ever provided to me or mentioned during the scheduling process. I emphasized that my medical history and any potential concerns should have been addressed when I called to book the appointment, but this was entirely overlooked.

The manager made no effort to rectify the situation and repeatedly deflected responsibility by saying I should have completed paperwork that was never given to me. The lack of accountability and competence from the staff was truly disappointing.

I will not return to this location and cannot recommend it to others. It’s unacceptable for a business to mishandle appointments and fail to communicate critical information, especially when working with clients in sensitive situations...