Phila Massages — Local services in Philadelphia

I had a disappointing experience at Phila Massages. I scheduled with Joseph, but shortly before my session realized I got a second confirmation email where the masseuse had switched to a different provider. I tried calling to understand the change, but it went to voicemail. I went to the massage regardless as it was too late to solve the problem or reschedule. This alone is enough for me to hesitate to recommend this business- a last minute provider switch without communication is a serious service failure.

Unfortunately, I felt the intake prior to my massage was inadequate. My masseuse seemed distracted preparing the room, and did not ask me key questions about my injury, recent activity, or pain level. I felt like I needed to interject with this information or else it would not have been brought up. Regardless, I didn’t feel that the masseuse had a good understanding of my experience or needs prior to starting the session.

I’m sad to say the massage itself was only fair- not good enough for me to return or recommend to another person. While some aspects felt good, it overall didn’t feel particularly focused or fluid, and did not meet my needs coming out of an acute injury. Further, the head rests on the tables are not adjustable, which meant that my neck was at a somewhat uncomfortable angle for the portion of the massage for which I was face down.

Ultimately, I was left disappointed by my session and can’t...

Joseph is uniquely talented. I made my first appointment with him in January '04 as a result of tightness all over my body from regular weight lifting and failure for years to get massaged, which collectively were restricting my progress (left tricep, right bicep/shoulder, traps, right quad, left hamstring, etc). He gave me a 90+ minute, intense (at my request) recovery pressure point massage, and I listened to him by taking 48 hours before returning to the gym. The following weeks were truly incredible: pains that existed for months were either gone or significantly reduced, and I was able to re-establish and surpass previous personal records in the gym by the time I had my second appointment 3 weeks later. That appointment was significantly less painful (based on progress made in the first), and I am a true believer. I am now subscribed for a monthly massage and could not further recommend Joseph. If you are experiencing pain or tightness from regular exercise / desk working, you've got to go see this guy. He absolutely has put in his 10K+ hours, which is reflected in the quality of his work....

I’ve previously reviewed the massage therapist I see about once every two weeks, Joseph Rathman, who remains an incredible massage therapist.

However. In the past week, I have noticed some changes at Phila Massages that have caused me to be concerned. Typically, when I schedule an appointment, I schedule directly with Joseph after a session, or thru Fresha. This is usually a week to two weeks prior to my appointment. If any changes need to be made, Joseph and I communicate directly. This week, I received an email from Ross requesting to reschedule an appointment I had for early Sunday morning to over 12 hours later in the evening. In the email, he informed me that the appointment needed to be rescheduled because it was outside of business hours. However, I had not been informed that changes were being made to the business hours. I would’ve appreciated the opportunity to maintain my current appointment and reschedule from the next appointment, rather than rescheduling. I would’ve also appreciated being informed that the business hours were being changed at my...