W Spa — Local services in Palo Alto

While the price is ok for the area, the lack of technique makes it a poor value in the end. Just be mindful you won’t find a technical or even productive massage here (nothing resembling Swedish, deep tissue, shiatsu, sport, reflexology, Thai, etc). Anyone can do a super light touch body rub that doesn’t release any tension. At one point, it felt like they moved my knots more upward and into my body - displacing the tension - instead of working it, moving it outwards, and actually releasing it. It was frustrating. And good luck communicating anything. They don’t really invite conversation beforehand, and it doesn’t feel like you can do much once the massage starts. Even the chair massages they offer at nail salons are lightyears more effective. Central...

I’m giving a low rating because of the poor customer service and tipping pressure. I booked a couples massage for $140, and tipped $10 per masseuse. Unfortunately, my experience wasn’t great—my masseuse was yawning, had an AirPod in listening to music, skipped massaging my feet, and just seemed to be going through the motions. When I paid in cash, I explained that $10 was for each masseuse. However, they insisted on a 20% tip (about $14 each), even though this “requirement” is not written anywhere.

Tips are meant to reflect the quality of service, not a forced surcharge. Pressuring customers for more is not a good business practice and certainly doesn’t encourage repeat business. For these reasons, I will not...

Giving this a lower rating b/c the masseuse was insistent the tip be 30%. She wouldn’t let me put less down (I had 20%). It’s a Chinese spa and the massage was good if you give direction. She was nice so I paid the extra tip but the way the masseuse persistently insisted on a set 30% tip left me feeling annoyed (they should tell you that upfront). The listed price for a massage is is cheaper than other places, but just know they’ll “require” a 30% tip. I paid it, but won’t be going back. You’d think they would understand customer service and repeat business better and think a bit more long term - forcing customers with a set tip amount isn’t wise. We just...