Sunny Island Spa — Local services in New York

The actual massage was great. Masseuse was strong and gave a relaxing deep tissue massage and foot massage. Hot stones were a great addition. She put 2 hot stones on my lower back after using them on my back and arms, then proceeded to massage my legs with her hands. One hot stone fell on the floor. She picked it up from the floor (and without cleaning it) used it on my legs. Not sure how sanitary that was. The only real criticism of the massage was that she cracked my neck and back without asking permission or giving warning - some people have pre-existing musculoskeletal issues and shouldn't have their neck/back cracked. Others simply don't like it. Please ask permission first!

Ambiance is poor - small rooms close together, dimly lit, narrow massage tables covered with a disposable sheet of paper. Since the rooms are so close together, you can hear conversations in adjacent rooms and as customers check in/out at the front desk. Music was played over a loudspeaker and not the best. When I was there, the man getting a massage in the room next to mine commented that the music was too loud. Two workers started talking loudly in Mandarin about this, then proceeded to turn the music off.

However the thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was my interaction at the end. I paid $60 for services received. I gave the masseuse a $15 cash tip (25%). Customary tipping etiquette for massages is 20%. I gave 25%. I handed it to her and she didn't even say thank you. In fact, she looked upset with tears in her eyes. Other reviewers have also mentioned their masseuses being upset with a 20%+ tip. Do they not pay their masseuses a decent wage aside from tips? If not, shame...

Just leaving my appointment and will not be back to this establishment. Unfortunately the lack of professionalism and service has steered me in another direction. The massage was decent and I can't complain about anything except the fact that she didn't actually massage my feet when I asked for that for the additional time allocated and paid for. I am leaving with a terrible taste in my mouth for the way these people treat their customers. I don't think they have any understanding of what it means to work in a service industry. I had to repeatedly ask my therapist to apply stronger pressure yet she decided to use her knuckles for that not her actual hand. Additionally, as I was receiving my service through out, there was conversation going on amongst the therapist which wasn't the most relaxing situation. Upon check out, I tipped 22% of my total and I was then asked by the person working behind the desk to give my therapist more money. I was taken back and appalled at this moment, and I said I tipped more than 20% and the therapist was there just saying give me more money. I'm not sure what sort of business practices this place thinks is acceptable, but that definitely is not one of them especially when people are tipping above the norm of 20%. I highly recommend staying away from this place due to the lack of courtesy and professionalism. There's a ton of other places in the area that I am sure have better manners and skills and provide a way better customer service experience. Stay away...

i came in, a gentleman following right behind me and the front desk lady seemed to address him first. i think he may have gotten the better masseuse, she was definitely prettier. they seem to give me the less attractive ones in this area. not to sound shallow. i dont care how you look, i just want a quality massage. i felt i could have been possibly discriminated based on my looks. she barely addressed me. the massage was good, the masseuse was attentive. except i did feel some pain when she was briefly massaging the bones on my back. i dont think youre supposed to massage there? perhaps some retraining. mandatory 10$ tip threw me off. i came in for knee pain and its gone for now. i dont know if it was worth it because of how i was treated. a group of 3 customers came in as i was waiting, receptionist slightly nicked my shoe walking past me as she tried to address them and didnt even apologize to me. relax, slow down lady. im a paying customer too, who cares if they're going to pay more. i was sitting down in the waiting area for only a minute and the masseuse asked me to leave. its very cold outside and what if i was waiting for a ride? i thought...