Karma Relaxation Spa — Attraction in San Diego

**Update January 2024 I went in for the massage and was treated very nicely by the masseuse, as well as the front desk personnel. I ended up doing a solo massage, because Karma management only offered me 1 free redo massage even though the ones that were messed up was a couples massage so I feel like it would’ve been better business to give us a free couples massage so that we both can have a better experience. The massage was good, but I probably won’t go back because me and my wife enjoy couples massages and she wasn’t offered by Karma an opportunity to do right by her. So ide say 3.5/5.

** Update December 2023 Karma Spa management reached out to me (some change in management could have been the reason I was lost in communication) they worked with the owners and I was able to go over my experience and I did get an apology as well as them asking for me to come back to re due my experience just myself. I will take them up on this offer and see how things go. I bumped my review from 1 star to 3 pending the experience I get next. I will update then. Unfortunately, I did not want to leave this review. I’ve been going to Karma for approximately seven years. Last Septembers visit was enough to make me not go again. The service was poor at best we did not receive the full amount of time paid for ( pay for 90 minutes was cheated five minutes of that time, and I usually look the other way on this matter, but it seems to be a reoccurring issue). On top of that issue it seems this particular time the masseuse, both of them during this couples massage wasted about 30 minutes doing nothing beneficial. during that 30 minutes it was not considered a massage yet reapplying oil/lotion to the same area on my leg and my partners with no pressure or technique. is a pure waste of money in time could’ve been spent doing the massage. My partner in the same room repeatedly asked their masseuse to go lighter pressure in certain areas. The masseuse was sighing, and seemed irritated every time the request was made. Massage was very subpar compared to others I’ve received in the past at this location as well as others. Overall, the experience was terrible and at the end the front desk receptionist had already gone home so we could not charge a tip to our card nor did we really want to leave a tip and we got harassed by masseuse for 15 minutes with them telling us to leave a tip. They gave us a QR code to Venmo the tip, and when we sent it to get them off our backs so we could leave they were upset with how little the tip was.. This behavior was not OK and unprofessional. I called the manager the next day who was not in and left a voicemail for him with the receptionist and expected a call back from him instead, the reception is calling back and relay a message that I could get $15 off a future massage, as unhappy as I was with that, I let the receptionist know it would be nice to be able to express my concern for this location with him one on one over the phone and to please call me back to speak. A day later I did get a call back from the manager. He seem genuinely concerned with the situation. He said he would speak to the owner but it’s almost been two months and I have not heard back which makes me pursue my review about my visit I gave plenty of time to get proper feedback And assistance, and they did not deliver. I can only hope that somehow my information was lost even though I am a frequent customer and that would be the reason I did...

Let me start by saying that I avoid giving scathing reviews on anything if I can help it. However, my experience was so notably bad that if I could give Karma Relaxation zero stars, I would in a heartbeat.

Everything from the service when checking in and out to the massage itself was far below the standard I've come to expect from Karma Relaxation in the several years I've been going there. Today was my birthday, and my partner treated me to a 2-hour sport massage. I've had it several times at this establishment with no incident so it was a welcome treat for this overworked gym bunny. However, the "practitioner" I had today, Vick, was worse than bad.

What I received barely qualified as a massage, let alone the specialized treatment that was paid for. Generally, sport massage incorporates deep tissue with some aided stretching while focusing on targeted areas. There was nothing about this massage that hinted that Vick had even a passing knowledge of basic human anatomy, let alone a legitimate certification to practice any modality of massage.

The service I received was harried, erratic and at some points, downright DANGEROUS. Because I was the last appointment of the day I was treated to over an hour and a half of random poking and prodding with no apparent purpose other than simply running the clock until closing. If taking on a longer appointment was going to be a problem, wouldn't it have been better to offer an more convenient time?

The massage alternated between rushed halfhearted one-handed prods as if he was on his phone or doing something else while massaging and harsh, forceful strokes with some landing dangerously close to several joints. At one point, when massaging the quads, Vick repeatedly pressed on my leg with the heels of his hands in a fashion similar to the compressions used in CPR. There was no mindfulness of his hand placement in relation to my knee whatsoever.

It was when one of the spastic strokes landed on my knee, pushing it to the point of hyperextension, when I decided enough was enough and ended the massage then and there. The only thing worse than the laughably bad massage I received on my birthday was the near lack of acknowledgement from the front desk as I was leaving, apart from them picking up their bags and putting on their coats upon me entering the reception area.

It was fifteen minutes from closing and I had already paid, so apparently there was no need to bother with me at all. At that point, I was far too incensed to clearly address what I had experienced, mostly because I knew it would fall on deaf ears. However, this experience was noteworthy enough for me to break my own code of avoiding negative reviews.

The fact that Karma Relaxation employs clearly uncertified personnel to perform specialized modalities on the general public not only creates a customer experience that is counter to what their very name suggests, it is also incredibly dangerous. The few dollars you may think you're saving are not worth the risk. Enter at...

It was my first time at Karma Relaxation. I went for a prenatal massage. When I arrived, the front desk was quick to help. Being 9 months pregnant, first thing I had to do was use the restroom. A masseuse (not mine) used the restroom before me and did not wash her hands. Minor red flag.

I was never asked how far along I am. The person at the front desk told my masseuse "one hour, baby" which made me a little nervous. I have had multiple prenatal massages and know that what they do varies widely based on how far along you are. That was kind of a red flag but I thought they would just take the safest approach (no low back, no feet, avoiding pressure points, etc).

I was wrong. The only thing prenatal about the massage was the pregnancy pillow and not laying on my stomach. The masseuse spent a lot of time going hard on my lower back. I had to tell her multiple times to not go so hard and do less to my lower back. There was no avoiding of pressure points. She also massaged towards the womb- which I've never had in a prenatal massage and worried me.

Once she had done my back and legs on both sides she told me to "flip up" or words to that effect. I told her that I can't lay on my back because it will cut off circulation to me and the baby. After about 24 weeks, pregnant people should not lay on their backs. She did not understand and kept telling me to lay on my back. I told her no because baby and she eventually stopped asking. I asked her to spend more time on my feet, which she did.

She was very nice, but not trained in prenatal massages. If I was not full term and trying to induce labor, I would have left. The methods used (deep tissue, especially on the lower back, disregard for pressure points, and asking someone with a giant belly to lay on their back) would be dangerous for most pregnant women. It could cause miscarriage or preterm labor.

Frankly, it's a liability for Karma Relaxation to advertise prenatal massage and not have people trained to work on pregnant women. They should train on how to work on pregnant women, or stop advertising prenatal massages before someone gets hurt.

I realized there are no reviews on their parental massages so I leave this as a warning to pregnant women to stay away unless you are trying to induce labor- even then there are many trained prenatal massage places in San Diego. Don't risk your and your baby's health for...