Akai Wellness Center — Local services in New York

2nd Review: I was back again today after a year+ away (traveling), Gaga gave me again an absolutely AMAZING massage! Focus on shoulders and back with arms & legs as well, I feel like a completely new human. SO SO GOOD! Thank you Again!

1st Review (circa 2023): TLDR; Absolutely amazing. Bang for your buck, worth every single penny!

One of the best massages of my LIFE! An absolute diamond in the rough! In street racing circles, Akai would be known as a “sleeper” (looks like nothing but blows your socks off). Sure, visually, it might not be the Ritz Carlton, but the prices are HIGHLY COMPETITIVE, and the quality is WORLD CLASS. To be clear, my massage was nothing short of PHENOMENAL. I had Derry (I might have gotten his name wrong? Apologies if so) and he gave me - easily - one of the top 5 BEST massages of my LIFE. 40 mins of INCREDIBLE shoulders, back, arms and legs wellness. Brilliant pressure, hot stones from heaven, even a hot towel to take the massage oil off - really really solid 5/5 stars! Goes without saying; I HIGHLY recommend the Akai Wellness Center and I cannot wait to return again. During my massage I heard 3 people pay and and give very positive feedback. Really felt like Akai is a BEST KEPT SECRET in the Upper West Side / Manhattan. My only regret is not also getting the foot...

Unfortunately, I cannot review the quality of the massage, because it did not happen. I am on my feet all day and so desperately needed a massage that I scheduled just 30 minutes between work and other commitments. I arrived on time and was greeted with “Oh, no reservation?” After assuring the receptionist that it was an appointment for 30 min. at 4:15, she had someone else come out who started to tell me that they couldn’t take me without an appointment. After repeating the same information to him, he looked at the book and said “Oh, 4:30.” No, right now at 4:15. He said he could take me in 10 minutes, but at 4:30, every provider was still with other clients, so I had to leave or would have been late for work.

It is possible that someone without an appointment walked in claiming to have one, and took my spot, but the business needs to confirm name, time, and service, not simply ask people IF they have an...

Giving this place two stars because the lady worked really hard but the owners are crooked. They had a sign out front saying there was a special: $20 for 30 minutes or $38 for one hour. At the end of my 30 minutes, I was told I was being charged the regular price of $35. When I brought up that the sign had a special listed for 30 minutes, they tried to cover it up. There was one lady who was super rude and basically told me to get over it, but there was luckily another lady who was super nice and called the owner.

If you’re going to advertise a special price, you have to honor it! And if you’re running a special, you should explain ahead of time if there are any exclusions. Which there shouldn’t have been because it was literally on the sign!

Needless to say, I won’t be back. There are plenty of other places in the neighborhood with nicer facilites who...