Li's Spa Massage Redmond — Local services in Redmond

CHARGES MORE THAN THEIR AGREEMENT WITH INSURANCE (AETNA FOR MY CASE) && MANDATORY TIP

The massage was good but my comment isn't related to quality of massage service. It's related to billing/customer service.

When I called them before I go there, they told me they would work with Aetna. However they also told me that they charged $76 upfront and refund it back after they verify that I'm an Aetna member and everything is ok etc.. I was ok with it, paid $76 for the service and started waiting for refund. Here are the problems that I faced after that.

1-THEY CHARGE INSURANCE MEMBERS MORE THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE CHARGED THEM I checked my claim details and here are the details: They bill Aetna $140.00 The plan discount is ~$81 Plan Paid ~$59. In other words, ~$59 is what Li's Spa should/have to charge their Aetna clients because this is how much Aetna pays Li's Spa for their massage service. This is how Li's Spa made an agreement with Aetna and this is what they should charge Aetna members.

However they told me that they would refund only ~$59 as this is what they got from insurance although at the beginning they gave the impression that they would do full refund. So although they're in network with Aetna for my case, they don't commit their agreement with them. SUMMARY: THEY CHARGE INSURANCE MEMBERS MORE THAN THEY SHOULD HAVE CHARGED THEM ALTHOUGH THEY'RE IN NETWORK.

2- GETTING REFUND IS TIME CONSUMING Another minor problem was having to call and check them whether they got money from insurance so that you can request your manual refund. Sometimes there's no one on the phone, sometimes they say they call back etc. It's a time consuming process and just a minor issue comparing to the first one.

3- MANDATORY TIP: If they inform every customer beforehand, then I have no problem with it. However I didn't even remember it was mentioned when my appointment was arranged. Maybe I missed it on the call but it was a surprise for me after the massage session and they made me pay AT LEAST $15 for tip.

Although I feel that lost ~$20 after all (because of insurance difference, not tip), my biggest pain is spending my time on the phone and for this review which is at least an hour. My lesson is "never pay anything upfront" for medical service and I got it. I hope the other insurance members will be more careful about this place and know that THEY MIGHT NOT GET THEIR $76 REFUND FULLY as they don't practically work with insurance providers.

EDIT: After what I experienced, I had a call with Aetna yesterday. Aetna said that this place is clearly ignoring/breaking their agreement with them. (and with other insurance companies as well) Although Aetna talked to Li's Spa and wanted them to refund the remaining amount per their agreement, Li's Spa just ignored it and they insisted not to give MY MONEY back. If a provider has an agreement with an insurance company, they MUST obey the rules written in their agreement and charge the insurance members accordingly. They cannot charge an insurance member with some random fixed price that they defined if...

Wow, such a great experience here.

While booking: I asked about rates and the owner mentioned that a 60 minute massage would be $75. I had checked the "menu" option on Google before, and it pointed to a website that said $69. Wasn't a huge difference, but I informed the owner about this. She was unaware that this old website was still linked! But well unlike most businesses who would brush this off (technology, right?) She went The extra mile, tried to find out where the problem was and it seems she's already fixed it! She didn't seem super tech savvy either, so I'm really impressed! Other than that, they were able to accommodate my appointment request fairly well and a smooth process overall.

During the massage: the massage therapist was super nice and listened to the concerns I had before my massage, since my desk job was causing my body to be really stiff even though I regularly work out as well. She did a great job on my back. She suggested that my back was much tighter than it should be, and offered a targeted 60 minutes on my upper body instead of a full body massage. I liked this customized approach and it definitely helped loosen up my back quite a bit. She also asked a bit about my lifestyle and suggested I should keep better posture and regularly stretch my back out. I've been trying to incorporate the suggestions and already feel a difference in the stiffness I felt in my body.

Post-massage: Li, the owner, seemed super kind and knowledgeable about insurance/other benefits. She was a good guide and you can tell that she really cares about her business and her clients.

This was definitely a great experience overall! I...

Rude and disrespectful people here. They charge you 25% for a tip without your consent and don’t even let you have an option to chose a lower amount. I have been paying this 25% tip since more than one year now, but this time, I came out of a 90 minute massage having a severe back pain ( one of their inexperienced masseuse triggered pain from an old back injury) When I talked to the owner Li about reducing the tip this time to 15%, she said prices are high right now due to inflation and 25% tip is their policy. When I told her that inflation is true for everyone and they should tell the customer about this policy upfront, she said and I quote “massage is a luxury, and if you don’t have the money, you shouldn’t get a massage”. Don’t recommend this place to anyone, massage is supposed to be a relaxing and calming experience not an aggravating one, especially if you are paying an insane amount of money in tips. If they really want to account for inflation, why not increase the base price for services and let customers decide how much they want to pay in tips. What a scam! This is not how a business is run, this not how you talk to customers, never going back to this place. Also going to ask everyone in my friend circle to stay away from them. Great job losing 7 regular...