PALOMA — Local services in Columbus

I booked an appointment for a massage online the other evening and unfortunately woke up to an emergency at work that I was called in to handle. I attempted to contact this establishment that morning to reschedule as soon as I could but did not get in contact until after they opened at 10:11.

I believe I spoke with Keisha who began helping me get rescheduled and then mentioned that I would still be charged a 50% cancellation fee even though I was rescheduling. I replied and said that I would not be rebooking if I was going to pay for a service that I did not receive. Keisha put me on a brief hold to ask the manager for an exception due to the emergent circumstances. I was called back later and told that the 50% would be charged and I asked to speak with the manager that called me back over an hour later.

Stephanie operated in a very specific tone that came across as extremely demeaning. I called to share my experience and to discuss how this policy unfairly treats clients. Stephanie continued to reiterate the same few points, including:

I agreed to the terms online when booking ~If the terms and conditions satisfied me I wouldn’t have asked to speak to the manager They developed this policy in response of being taken advantage of in the early months of their opening ~This doesn’t apply to me, while I can be empathetic that people cancelled their appointments I truly had an emergency and was looking forward to rescheduling for the very next day. To take care of their therapists lost income ~This is commendable, but a business should be obligated to take care of their employees - transferring the blame to the customer is not a way to provide an excellent experience.

While all of these points Stephanie continually reiterated during our conversation were true, she failed to understand my true concern and was unwilling to grasp that the rigidity of this policy alienates potentially loyal clients and offers a terrible customer experience. After several minutes Stephanie only regurgitated the same information, followed by empty apologies that failed to understand why I called to speak with them.

The reality is that this industry faced severe impact during the pandemic, but my 1 star review goes out to the owners, that chose to develop a policy that operates under the guise of “taking care of their therapists,” when it simply passes the responsibility to the customer. A place of employment should take care of it’s employees, that is the key to a successful business. In the event that procedures are being, “taken advantage of,” it is the businesses responsibility to ensure their employees do not lose out on income.

This place does not have any interest in customer satisfaction and if they did, instead of charging customers to compensate their therapists for lost time and wages they should work harder to understand customer needs and to procure loyal, long term, and generous clientele.

The unwillingness to compromise, the terrible and condescending conversation with Stephanie has solidified my decision to never experience Paloma. It’s disappointing that a small, local business has decided to put profits over people.

Good luck to anyone that books in the future and I hope your experience is amazing, but be willing to pay a price if a sudden emergency comes up the day of your...

Yesterday I went in for a Reiki appointment with Flor and am so thankful and happy with the care while I was there. I have been to several different spas and have had massage at chiropractic offices from Santa Monica to Ohio and this is the first place where you feel like your in a different country or oasis for your service. That is the pinnacle of what you expect from a spa experience. A vacation and break from the demands of living life without even leaving your city. The environment and customer care from Ashlynn had me relaxed before I even went back. When Flor brought me to her room it was so cozy, extravagant, and calming but it did not compare to how Flor treated me and listened to me. I've has some struggles through life from things that happened in childhood that caused me to be in a cycle of self sabatage. Even though I had an amazing excersize and self care routine I was ignoring my spiritual practice and was at a plateau. I needed that "one more component" to fullfill my transcendence into a happy, healthy, and wholesome me that was healed of negative cycles stunting my growth as a human. Paloma is my answer. With just one session with flor who identified the disconnect from my body, mind and spirit I was able to bring it all together and understand what has been holding me back. I felt refreshed, invigorated, and ready to start the next chapter and phase of my life. Its amazing how us as humans focus so much on the physical and mental health, while t the same time ignoring the very spirit that gives us life. I have an aura photography session coming up at the end of the month and one more reiki session. I have not seen ANY spa provide the spiritual space that Paloma does. This is the sure way us humans can step into the fullness of a healthy and...

Paloma has a beautiful space with such a calming energy, and the girls at the front desk were so sweet and helpful. I truly wanted this to be a positive experience.

I booked the Higher Realm (CBD Swedish) massage, but unfortunately it was the weakest and most unfocused massage I’ve ever had. The pressure was almost nonexistent and the movements felt random and directionless. Instead of sinking into relaxation, I kept finding myself wondering if the therapist was distracted, and trying to convince myself to settle in — but there was nothing grounding to relax into.

I do want to acknowledge that I arrived 15 minutes late, and that part is on me. I tried to reschedule and was told there’s a 50% fee, which I completely understood. I decided to keep the appointment after being reassured my time would still be “maximized.” In hindsight, I would have rather paid the 50% than spend the full price plus gratuity on a service that felt so incomplete.

There was no breath ritual as described on the website, no cooling CBD treatment, and I was also surprised there wasn’t a post-massage area to relax in afterward, especially at this price point.

The environment is lovely and the staff was kind, but if you’re looking for intentional, skillful bodywork, this experience unfortunately did not deliver on what...