Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa — Attraction in Stoneham

I called in advance to inquire if there was any availability for that day and to confirm the internet's Introductory price of $69.00. The Receptionist informed, yes there was an available appointment, but the Introductory price for a 1 Hour Deep Tissue Massage was $79.00 not $69.00. I booked the appointment and made my way there via the MBTA Bus.

I had the requested service from the gentlemen the Receptionist told me was excellent. Although the Massage Therapist was both knowledgeable and extremely nice and professional, based on past experiences, this person was also a very recent graduate.

Suffice to say, the Massage Therapist has great potential and will do very well once he has time to gain experience, however, I did NOT relish the fact that at check out I was charged $89.00! When I questioned why when you (the Receptionist) quoted me a price of $79. even though the internet says $69. The response was there is an additional $10. charge because I requested Deep Tissue.

So $89.00 plus the reduced tip of $10. was a total cost of $99.00 when I expected to pay $79.00 even though the advertised price is $69.00.

Next time, I will save myself the aggravation of taking the bus ride and deceptive pricing and simply pay the $100. and walk down the street to the Massage Therapist near my apartment on Main Street in Melrose.

*To add insult to injury, there was an attempt to boarder-line bully me into signing up for a monthly Membership of $69.99, and it appeared that even though the Receptionist was willing to offer to "wave" the $40.00 sign up fee, she couldn't understand why I didn't seem to cave under pressure and stood my ground when I...

I had a membership, which I canceled in December because of Omicron. They told me I had 90 days from my cancellation date to use my final remaining session credit. They bill you for a final month after your cancellation date because I guess you don't pay for the first month.

After Omicron cooled down in Feb, I was having a hard time finding an appointment online before my 90 days were up (staff shortage due to covid), so I called. The associate I talked to said I actually had 90 days from the final billing date, so into April, and scheduled me an appointment to use my credit (but after the initial 90 days).

Had the appointment, it was fine, but when I got to the front desk they said the credit had expired and was billed full price. I talked through the situation there, and on the phone multiple times, basically saying I felt like I was tricked into booking a massage that I wouldn't have booked if I didn't think I had a credit. They wouldn't refund me because the cancellation I signed stated the terms. They blamed the miscommunication on an associate who was in training and no longer employed there, and they couldn't verify what she said to me on the phone. What a horrible customer experience -- take ownership of your poor training. Never...

This is the second Hand and Stone I have become a member of. The first one was in CA. The place is clean and the front office is beautifully set up. The front desk staff are nice and are prompt. As a new client it would have been nice to know they were in the back of the complex since GPS takes you to the front rather than driving all over the large complex to find the place. My first visit with the masseuse Antonio was not great. He did not have the hot stone warmed up for what I had requested. I Especially did not choose first client of the day so that stones could be warmed up property. His massage style was more of a poking, prodding rather than firm presses, and he would hold my arm out like a parent to a child while he got his act together. I ended up shortening my 80 min to 50 and he told the front office it was a deep tissue massage instead. Which it wasn't. I am giving it a 4 star because the front office staff didn't charge me for the hot stone since I didn't get any. They also added the hot stone to my next service for free to make up for what didn't happen. The lost of a star was for the therapist. I will be giving someone else a try next time. Overall, I would still...