Massage Palace — Local services in Honolulu

I have gone to the Keeaumoku location many times and had many good experiences, but I will never come back to this location again. The receptionist was on the phone talking to friend but acting like she was on an important business call and I was bothering her. She barely even looked at me and just pointed to the prices on the wall before going back to her conversation. I had to ‘interrupt’ her call again to tell her my choice. After the massage, even though I tipped the masseuse in cash, they talked badly about me in Chinese, thinking I wouldn’t understand. I don’t speak much, but I know enough to understand light conversation and insults, and by the looks on their faces, I didn’t need to understand a single word anyway. It was obvious. Then they kept trying to shame me into giving a bigger tip. The attitude of the receptionist was terrible from start to finish. To be fair to the masseuse, objectively the massage itself was good overall, even though I had to remind the masseuse 3 times that I wanted oil, but I will never return to this place again. I hate when businesses underpay their employees so they can charge lower prices and keep the same profit margin but expect and force the customer to make up the difference in the tip.

Response to owner: I was there Oct 15. Massage time was from 2:45-4:15pm (90min). Based on the past reviews (which I didn’t read earlier because I had previous good experiences at the Keeaumoku location) this is an existing problem that has happened and continues happen to other customers repeatedly, so although I appreciate your response, I will not be returning to your Ala Moana location...

Horrible experience! First and last time, would not be coming back…

I went with my partner for our monthsary and when entering they asked if we wanted to spend $5 each for oil and I did. However in the massage we didn’t receive it and when I asked afterwards they just laughed. I also mentioned how I have weaker bones and to be gentle, but even as I mentioned this a couple times the masseuse was still using her elbows with force.

Also, the cashier did ask us to pay tips in advance instead of afterwards. I kind of got shocked as I am going to tip in cash but never had someone ask before I got a product, service, etc…

I ended up charged for tips prior to the massage then afterwards the two masseuses stands and just looks at us. We were about to leave when they asked for tip. I said I left it on card to the cashier before having the massage and they just talked to one another. Seemingly annoyed, I just added an additional $10 cash to my previous tip and said that they can split it on top of what I gave. They laughed as though I didn’t give enough or didn’t split it for them.

This was just our experience, and did expect more since I checked the reviews beforehand! I do hope everyone else who goes gets a better experience...

The massage itself was good, but the issue arose during checkout, which completely ruined the experience for us. We had actually planned to return, but the person at the cashier—who we suspect is the owner—was extremely rude.

When it was time to pay, she loudly asked how much tip we wanted to leave. I noticed that she had a payment machine where I should have been able to choose the tip myself, so I politely asked if I could see the machine and make my selection. She rudely refused and repeated her question, pressuring us about the tip.

Her attitude was pushy and uncomfortable, and in the end, I told her the amount. She responded with a sarcastic laugh, and any sense of goodwill from the treatment vanished in that moment. This behavior felt so wrong—pushing someone into an uncomfortable situation like that is unacceptable. Tips should be optional and based on the service provided, not demanded in such a rude way.

I wouldn’t recommend this place at all, as it has a very negative vibe. Later, I wondered if her rudeness stemmed from a deeper issue, like maybe the staff not being properly compensated and relying heavily on tips—but that’s just speculation. Regardless, the treatment we received was...