Rose Thai Bodyworks — Local services in New York

I hate to give a bad review to a small business, but this just wasn’t it. There’s a chance my poor service was due to the fact that I had purchased a Groupon for a 1hr massage, so it was heavily discounted, but I wish they just wouldn’t post their service on Groupon if they’re not gonna use the same standards.

The pros are the place is very clean and the staff is very courteous. Massage rooms are private and cutely decorated. They also have a sitting area for tea after the massage. They also make sure to give you a full 60mins even if you use the restroom/spend time filling out the form.

I spent the first 5ish mins filling out a form and indicating that my problem areas are my shoulders and right side of my next, I drew Xs on these areas on every body image they provided. The massage started out immediately with Thai stretching, which i thought was unusual since I booked a Swedish massage. Also a bit unsafe since it’s chilly outside, it’s morning, so my muscles were not warmed up properly and were tense. The masseuse pointed out that I have lower back issues (not the case) because she couldn’t stretch me as far as other clients. I just said “sure” since it was very clear that her English was minimal and she wouldn’t understand that I had done a long run the day before and the room and outside was chilly, and that’s why my muscles were tense and I had no lower spine issues.

After also stretching my legs she confirms with me that my neck and shoulders are what I depicted as my problem areas. Weirdly enough she spent the next 40+ mins on my legs and lower back…. My neck and shoulders were barely touched until the very end. Not only that, but the only Swedish technique that was used was using oil, outside of that the masseuse mostly used shiatsu technique with her elbows and forearms around my body. When she did use her hands, it was an intense and clumsy pressure, at least 2x as much as with forearms/elbows and I called out in pain multiple multiple times like when my lower spine was used to hold her weight when she was working of my legs or when she suddenly put her full body weight in my inner thighs with her palms.

Toward the end of the massage she admitted that she had forgotten to massage my neck and shoulders and said she would do it at the end…. But she barely did. She had me hunched over holding my sheet with one hand while she sat behind me and just used her forearms for a couple of mins on my shoulders. She asked if there was any other area I wanted to call out and I pointed to my neck, that still hadn’t been touched. She quickly massaged my neck with barely any pressure and then let me know the massage was over.

I got dressed and walked out pretty disappointed, planning to leave maybe a 3 star review.

I sat down to drink ginger tea as is traditional is Thai massage places. I was the only one there and felt a little awkward that both staff were just staring at me as I drank a bit of tea and had some water. I was asked to pull out my Groupon, which I did, and was continued to be watched so I decided to just tip and leave. I pull out a $20 and explicitly call out 3-4 times “5 back” — making sure there was no doubt despite the language barrier. The lady left for 30 secs or maybe 1 min and came back to tell me there was no change. I looked at her incredulously and then said “well, I guess I’ll have to find a bodega or coffee shop that does have change and come back”. She looked nervous and left again for another 30 seconds, I heard a drawer open and some coins rattling around and she emerged with a 5 dollar bill magically found. I want to believe the best in people but I do find it extremely odd that a place of business would have no change whatsoever and then less than a min later that wasn’t the case once I stood my ground that the tip would only be 15 — hence my 2 star review.

At least from my experience, it wasn’t the worst massage I’ve ever gotten, but it wasn’t what I paid for or asked for and the weird sly way to try to get a bigger tip left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I would...

I loved this place. The owner is so sweet and incredibly kind. Space is new! When I went, it had been open only for 9 months. It’s a converted second floor of a combo residential building i believe, so look for a small sign in front of what looks like an apt door where you’ll get buzzed up vs. an expansive storefront. Massage was good. All tables are heated which was SUCH a delight. Thai technique was solid, and my lower body needed it more than I realized. I have a higher sensory tolerance so I was hoping to get more pressure upper body but perhaps that’s a deep tissue massage thing I need to order next time. Ginger tea is served after. Lovely and...

My review is based on my experience only. Rose is very sweet lady the place is very clean and very welcoming. I booked for a 90 minutes Thai massage and i was expecting for getting stretched like the original Thai massage. Unfortunately i didn’t feel it and it felt more like Chinese bodywork where you can get for much cheaper price. I was going out with the feeling of paying more money to get Thai massage but i ended up getting different massage. And i also felt like branding yourself as a thai massage just to get more money is the idea of this place. I left 3 stars because it wasn’t bad Just not...