SHILLA Esthetic — Local services in Seoul

My husband and I booked and paid in advance for two full-body massages at Shilla. We were really looking forward to them after lots of travel and walking, especially noting all of the positive reviews.

Both of us received the worst massages we’ve ever had. I felt like my body was being beat up for 1.5 hrs… not because the pressure was too much, but because the technique was just to rub aggressively or slap my various body parts. I don’t think any knots or tension areas were alleviated and even left with tighter muscles than I came in with. We also paid for an additional 30 min of foot/leg massage and neither my husband nor I received much of a foot massage at all. The massage therapists also massaged us while we were covered by a scratchy towel for a good amount of time which was both extremely uncomfortable and confusing.

In addition, the ambience was less than relaxing. The massage table was like a hard, uncomfortable board that hurt my knees and back, and bright fluorescent lights were kept on through the entire massage. Someone else was doing laundry in the same room during our massage, so the sounds of the dryer operating and finishing its cycle were prominent throughout. The massage therapists were all chatting with each other loudly at various points. The walls were thin so you could easily hear conversations and activity outside of the room (so loud that I wondered during if the door was open).

Seems like our experience was similar to the other critical reviews that have been posted. Not sure if they’re incentivizing other positive reviews, but we were certainly misled and wish we had saved our money and spent our time/money elsewhere while...

Please do not be fooled by the other reviews, this is the worst facial I have ever had in my life. From the get-go I felt like I was being manhandled like a piece of meat and instead of having a relaxing facial, my face and body were abused.

I even asked for the facial to be softer or gentler (which was not understood given the language barrier) and finally expressed that the facial was hurting me by saying "pain" in Korean. None of these pleas were taken into consideration as my face was slapped and prodded with no regard for my comfort. I was wincing and expressing my discomfort throughout the entire experience but there was no change in behaviour.

I should add that the two therapists (we had a double room) were speaking to each other in Korean throughout the session and my head was also thrown from side to side and lifted harshly when there was a need to change positions - entirely different from the usual gentle shifts at facial spots. Towards the end of the session when my eyes were opened, I also realised that the door to the main corridor was opened and when I pointed it out to the therapist, this was not remedied.

To add to what was already a horrible experience, the products were simply slapped on to my face (in excessive quantities) and the therapist did not even bother wiping or cleaning her hands before touching my hair - it has been 2 hours since my appointment and my hair is still saturated and soaked in facial product.

This place lures you in with the glowing reviews and friendly front desk staff (before the session) - do not make the same...

It is my teen son’s first time in Seoul and we decided to go for a mom-son facial. We booked last minute and Shilla was able to accommodate us. We opted for lifting facial with pore and foot massage add-ons, as well as transportation (which I found unique). From pick-up, the fluent front desk and the wonderful masseuse, we had an absolutely wonderful time. The massage was really great and our faces were glowing after. The place was clean, professional and warm. The prices were transparent and there are no up-sales. The facialists knew what they were doing and took great care.

I have TMJ so the lifting massage (경락) was so great to relieve my jaw & face pain. My face also looked less puffy after. I think some of the reviewers who complained about the rough facial might not be familiar with this type. In any case, my son got a soft one as they adjusted.

*Not 100% relevant but I think it shows what good people are running this business. I had taken my necklace off for the facial and put it in my bag. Before bed, I went to put it on and it was not where I thought I put it. In panic, I called the store. As it was 12:30am, no one answered but I got a text! When I called, the owner was extremely worried and offered to go in early to check for me. She was almost as worried as I was. I ended up finding it in a completely different place in my bag. I texted the owner, who was not mad at all at my absentmindedness, but was just happy for me. Her responsiveness and willingness to help was...