Elements Therapeutic Massage Reviews 16

The service at Element Massage Summerville was decent, and the location is convenient for me, so I was considering returning. My two therapists were nice, hospitable, and accommodating. My facial was relaxing, and the massage was okay—though I would have loved the addition of heating pads on the tables to enhance the experience.

However, my experience took a turn for the worse at the end when the customer service representative needed assistance with a gift card.

The person on the phone, who I assume was the owner, was unexpectedly rude and short with me. I was simply trying to understand their process, particularly regarding their rewards program, which is important for repeat customers. Rather than providing a clear explanation, she was evasive and acted as if my inquiry was an inconvenience—even though I wasn’t the one who initiated the call.

As I handed the phone back, she continued insisting she was explaining their policy. But my question wasn’t about policy—it was about process. There’s a difference, and if a customer is seeking clarification, the response should be informative rather than defensive.

As a small business, customer engagement and service should be a priority, especially in today’s economy. Unfortunately, this interaction left a negative impression, making me never wanting to return in the future.

Absolutely dissatisfied. I made an appointment later in afternoon on 2/17 at approximately 4 pm and called back on 2/18 at approximately 9:30 am to cancel at which I can respect a cancellation policy; however this was less than a 24 hour notice window. I was simply attempting to use my gift card for an hour massage and due to the snow, I needed to cancel. It was not extreme but not something I wanted to go out in. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was told that the individual I was speaking to was and then she advised me that she would give me the owner information but they would tell me the same thing. So they immediately charged my card on file (because I was a former member) $42 dollars for cancelling for absolutely nothing. I sent an email to the company, but do not anticipate any changes in their course of actions because again this is policy per them. So, if you make an appointment, simply remember if your life changes or the weather, they will not be considerate because policy is policy per them.

I bought my wife a gift certificate in Amherst MA a few years back. It seemed to be a good deal. I paid $99.99 for $200.00 worth of massages (maybe 2.5 / 3 hours worth). The place closed. Called the nearest Elements to us (E Longmeadow MA) and was told it couldn't be honored there and to call corporate in Colorado. Called repeatedly with nobody answering and no call back. DO NOT BUY A GIFT CERTIFICATE from this company.

I've been a customer here for over a decade, but recently they have struggled. Starting last spring I scheduled a number of appointments, would show up and they would have no record of my appointment. I waited a number of months and heard that management changed so I gave them another try. Yesterday I had my appointment and I asked to talk to the manager to tell them about my experiences this year. I thought I would get an apology for the past and an assurance that things had changed. Instead, the manager offered nothing. I had decided I would go elsewhere for any remaining sessions left on my account.

The straw that broke the camel's back is tonight I received a call from the same manager that I spoke to yesterday. I told him that we spoke yesterday and it was no longer necessary to call me. He asked me to remind him of yesterday's conversation (!) and when I did he said that he did not feel like it was his place to apologize to a customer for something that took place before he worked at this location (!!).

I asked if he was a representative of the Elements location. He responded by saying that I was being insulting. I asked if there was a district manager I could speak to and he said there wasn't one. When I asked if he was the owner he reiterated that I was insulting and he was going to hang up, which he did.

I cannot believe how far the Elements Central Scottsdale locations has fallen. Go anywhere else for your services.

BTW... I've had other managers of other Elements locations reach out and they have been lovely every time.

elements massage keeps charging my bank account for services not rendered. $244 this month alone. I am about to submit a small court case against both Kent WA and Maple Vally WA - this goes back more than a year. They are thieves..........

While I was a member, I had a great experience. However, my therapist left (or was let go, I’m not sure), and weeks ago, Elements Massage called and informed me about it. Not wanting to switch to a new therapist, I filled out and submitted a cancellation form. Now, weeks later, they’ve charged me $134, claiming it’s a final payment after cancellation. Really!? What exactly am I paying for? As a small business owner, I'm very disappointed and surprised that a company would take advantage of their clients this way, especially since my reason for cancellation was the departure of my therapist. I’ve requested a refund, and we'll see if they do the right thing or if their priority is just taking money from clients in such an unscrupulous manner.

fully relaxing moment. Release pressure from work. I was Back again to have massage, Freeman is very professional massagers.

Let me preface by saying I’m not usually a person who leaves reviews. But my experience with elements was absolutely terrible! First, I have been a total of two times. I’d never leave a bad review based on one interaction. And even though I’ve been twice, I have had to register each time and told my information isn’t in their system. First time I went to Briargate location. The therapist was running late and moved my massage time back. Now, they did offer a massage enhancement to make up for that which was nice. The therapist I had was a nice guy but he did a friction based massage that is not something I enjoy. Felt like he was trying to rip my skin off. And he coughed the entire time which was worrisome. But I thought even though I wasn’t informed of his massage technique prior to perhaps I should have asked. Because I hated my massage and left feeling worse than when I came in, my partner gifted me a massage. (Purchased a gift card for an hour massage). I decided to try the Stetson Hills location. Booked a massage for a Saturday over a week in advance. Day of the massage, it was cancelled a few hours before saying the therapist had an emergency. But of course, they have a 24 hour cancellation policy where you get charged if you cancel. But the therapist can cancel hours before when I scheduled my day around my massage. So I rescheduled for today. Now I asked for level 4 deep pressure. They booked me with someone who only did level 1-3 pressure which I didn’t find out until I got there. The massage was mediocre at best. The room was hot and stuffy. But the part that really infuriated me was when I went to check out. I gave them the gift card and was first told it had never been activated. Then told maybe it had already been used because there was a zero balance! So I had to pay even though I had a gift card and my partner has a receipt from when he purchased the gift card last month! The receptionist was not helpful in the least and offered no solution on how to fix this other than me paying full price. Hopefully we will get a refund for either the massage or the gift card that was previously purchased. But either way, neither myself nor my partner will EVER be returning to any Elements massage location. Terrible experience!

Massages are supposed to be relaxing experiences, but Elements Massage (Louisville, CO location in my case) really make it a hassle and an overpriced ripoff. Here’s my story:

I received a gift card for a one-hour massage ($119 value) as a holiday gift in December 2023. I was excited to get a massage but I thought, I am really busy and stressed right now with work, so I will wait until I get a break with work and then I can really enjoy the massage.

It was not until the end of June that I had the time to book a massage. Here’s where the hassle began…

Registering Online Doesn’t Work (and you have to speak to a receptionist who upsells you):

I went through a lengthy process of filling out detailed personal information (just to book a massage??) including health, contact, emergency contact, billing, and 7 pages of consent forms. When I finally got to the submit page, I was greeted with an error message that said my email address was already in use for another account, and that I would need to call them on the phone to schedule the massage.

When I got home from a long, busy day of work, I called and was able to schedule the massage over the phone. I explained that I had a gift card for a one-hour massage, but the receptionist encouraged me to upgrade to a 90-minute massage. “Whatever, fine” I thought. So, I went along with the upsell. Then, the receptionist told me she would send me some forms for me to fill out before my appointment. She texted me the 7-page consent form again and another invasive questionnaire that asked things like my occupation. (what does that have to do with me getting a relaxing massage?)

Daily Spam Marketing Emails (that you can’t remove yourself from):

Ever since I registered for my massage appointment, I have received daily marketing emails from Elements Massage. I have unsubscribed 3 times and responded and told them I did not want to receive any more communication. To this day, I continue to receive daily spam emails from Elements Massage. I have had no choice but to block them from my email account.

The appointment:

Finally, my appointment day arrived, and I was pleased to be greeted by friendly staff and a clean, peaceful environment. The massage was very relaxing and my therapist, Amy, was skilled and professional. After the massage, blissed-out and relaxed, I went to pay…

Deceptive Charging Practices:

When I handed the gift card to the cashier, she informed me that it was no longer worth the full price of the $119 one-hour massage and that the value of the card was now $59.50. When I asked why, I was told that the full value of the gift card was only valid for 6-months from the date of issue, and that my gift card had expired days earlier, and therefore it was only worth half-value. When I said, “That is really lame.” The cashier said, “Yes, it is.” And, to her credit, she gave me a $20 dollar “new customer” discount (which she really should have given to me anyways because it was my first time as a customer at Elements Massage). The receptionists also said they tried calling the owner, but he wasn't picking up, so there was nothing they could do. So, I ended up having to pay $40 extra because of their deceitful fine-print gift-card tactics.

Furious and frustrated, I left Elements Massage with more tension in my body than when I went in. To add insult to injury, two days later, I received a call from Elements Massage. When I listened to the voicemail, I expected it to be the manager/owner apologizing to me for the gift-card ripoff. No, it was just one of the receptionist with a follow-up sales call to see if I was ready to schedule another appointment. What a joke. For the amount I was ripped off ($40), I could go to any number of massage spas in the area and receive a comparable massage (without having to fill out 7-pages of legaleese in triplicate) and without feeling like I was ripped off.

Conclusion:

Let me be clear… I will NEVER patronize Elements Massage ever again. What a horrible experience.

Hanover MA. I booked my second appointment with Rachael weeks in advance on 5/10 at 545. I get a random text message the afternoon before saying "...We were wondering if you might be flexible with your appointment time and could move to 5:00pm to help optimize Rachael's schedule."
I called to let them know that I would not be able to leave work early to make it by 5pm. She told me that they needed to accommodate another client, so I agreed to book for a week later. Elements never apologized for the inconvenience or thanked me for being guilted into changing my appointment so Rachael could fit some else into the spot I reserved WEEKS ahead of time. I was going to sign up for the membership, but ended up cancelling that second session. Elements - you just lost a customer.

I have been going here for months and the experience has been great up until last month. I was working with a massage therapist, Cash, for about 3 ish 4 ish months. Towards the beginning of April, our relationship had become more blurred between professional and friendly. I found him on social media, on what looked like more of a professional account. Then at that point, I informed Cash that I was going to stop seeing him because of a line he crossed during one of our sessions about his personal life by saying something intimate about his sexual life. So, I wanted a clear boundary from him on what was going on so I asked if we were friendly or cliently on social media. He responded with both. Due to a traumatizing incident at work, I ended up coming back to see him one more time after that. The lines were still muddled and I talked to him about mixed signals. Whether he understood that it was about him, I am unsure. He should have said just a client. Which is fine and acceptable. Three days before my next session he set his only boundary with me which I honored completely. Just to get a call on Saturday to inform me that my behavior was inappropriate. The same day, his boss lets me know that I have made it too personal and unprofessional with Cash. The sad fact is Cash could have said, "You are making me uncomfortable." I would have stopped and happily continued on with my life, but now I feel betrayed, hurt, and blindsided by a company that I had put faith into that saw a really intimate and vulnerable side of me.

Cash was extremely inappropriate. I take all responsibility for the part I play in this, but it is not the expectation of the client to set and maintain a boundary that was never set or clarified to begin with. He was given so many chances to say no or just tell me to stop. He could have handled this professionally. He could have kept clear boundaries and not talked about his personal life. He could have stopped soliciting friendly actions. He continued this and I was literally unaware of his feelings or intentions until yesterday when I was absolutely blindsided.

The way the whole situation was handled was so poor and made me feel so terrible. This is supposed to be a professional place of business. Your employees should make clients feel safe, but also not send out weird messaging like soliciting hugs, winking, and talking about things of intimate nature if they want to keep simple clear lines. Additionally, if I brought up things that made him uncomfortable, you as management should have made him feel empowered to say something to me in the moment.

But overall, the company is unprofessional, unethical, and completely toxic for a place where people are supposed to relax and feel safe.

Also I have proof of some of these interactions if you would like them. I don't interact with people and not CYA. Which you should tell Cash to do in the future.

Unfortunately they pick and choose who they will provide service to. You know, once you find the right massage therapist for you, it’s like finding a good Dentist or Doctor. I have been going to this place for about 5 years.
I get a massage every month because of my arthritis and fibromyalgia. I have tried every therapist there until I found Luis. He is excellent, unfortunately after my 5th massage I had with him; today he decided to cancel my appointment!!! The front office called me telling me that I needed to reschedule my appointment because Luis feels he’s not the right fit for me. I was like; I don’t understand, what are you talking about???? NO OTHER REASONS, just that. I’m thought to myself; was $20 tip not enough for him. Am I too old for him to provide me his services?? I’m sad 😢

Woodridge IL location

I booked a massage and took a vacation day to enjoy it. I had a confirmation email from the place and brought it with me. They double booked the massage. The manager uttered "oh wow..." and "I don't know..." but didn't solve my problem. I demanded a refund. Since this was a gift card, it went back to my coworker. I explained that as well, but it seemed to be above her pay grade. I called back - very irritated - and asked to speak to the owner. The manager threatened to call the police on me for harassment. I'm out of a gift, out of vacation time and now am being threatened. what a way to run a business. Filed with the BBB.

This month I got a pretty severe flat on route to my regular appointment (I did the monthly subscription). I called up the very polite receptionist, telling them I can't make the appointment, I'm waiting for AAA on the side of the road. "Oh, no!" they said, "Well, we're billing you $89 anyway."
Therapists great (hence 2 stars) but man. What a cold business. I will not be renewing my membership. Clearly they aren't interested in having a good relationship of any kind with their customers, especially given I've been going quite a bit this past year and paying them good money.
I've had a few emergencies here and there come up and had to cancel appointments the day of with other people (PT, doctor, dentist, the usual), and no one's ever actually done something like that.
This is for the Needham, MA location.

Received inaccurate information about contract terms, charges, and rollover benefits of unused sessions. Directly quoted one charge, then another higher amount charged to credit card. When I complained, they said their terms “recently changed” even though all my contract materials and even the website shows a different amount

The massage therapist I saw is amazing. Management is sorely lacking. I am canceling my membership and have three remaining sessions. All my membership materials say they are good for up to a year, EM “manager” says I only have 2 mos to use after cancellation

Dobson Riverview Mesa AZ
*NOTE* their reviews on their website are totally fixed they're from listen360.com which is totally about helping businesses they only report good reviews if you need a balanced review of good and bad go to yelp and Google maps. Their business of course is not going to show anything bad and they have a lot a bad things to be told to the public**

Beware- all the fraudulent business practices that are expressed in other reviews here are correct. Their manager Bry is very shady, she's rude, unprofessional, and definitely not helpful. If you need to dispute your transaction that they charged you when you had canceled your membership not only do you do this with your bank you have to report them to Visa or MasterCard if you used your card number for the membership. Then also I suggest reporting them to the Better Business Bureau, but you do need to go as far as reporting them to visa and MasterCard as well as your bank when you open a dispute. Anything that you put in writing to them as a cancellation is legitimate whether you go in to their office and sign or not - these are deceptive business practices that Visa and MasterCard will not stand by. I encourage you to open a dispute with your bank and then dispute to Visa and MasterCard. Your bank can provide that further contact information.

I had one massage in March, cancelled within 30 days and now in July they charged me. I have unprofessional email correspondence from Bry. She's horrible and she gives Elements a bad name as well as the reviews of fraudulent billing practices expressed in an overwhelming amount of reviews for this location as well as others. DONT GO HERE.