Albany Professional SPA

Wonderful massage, great price. Regarding the pressure to tip—would the business be willing to publish what their expected tip is? I tipped a little higher than 20% and still the staff member seemed distressed and asked me for more. What an uncomfortable way to end a relaxing experience!

Massage was good (though a bit too much acupressure through the blanket at the beginning), but the tipping pressure sadly ruins the experience. I came last summer and dealt with the same issue, so clearly it hasn’t been fixed. After paying, I was told “20% is like a restaurant tip,” with the clear push for more. This is the only massage place I’ve experienced this kind of pressure — another shop I visit simply lists the service price with a suggested tip right next to it, which feels clear and respectful. If you want higher take-home, adjust your rates or post a clear suggested tip — don’t put customers in an awkward spot. I’d otherwise return for the massage quality, but I don’t want to feel pressured or risk worse service for tipping less. At the end of the day, tipping is the customer’s choice, not an obligation.

I made an appointment online and arrived a few minutes prior to appointment time. Door was locked. No one came to the door. I called several times. I took an uber here and have been standing in the cold. Now I have to pay for transportation back to air bnb. I am more tense and sore from the cold and very disappointed.

Debated leaving a review since the service was good and I love supporting small businesses - however they pressure you to tip over 30% (25% reportedly not enough) which is awkward and off putting. This seems to be a recurrent issue based on prior reviews yet management clearly hasn’t put a stop to this behavior. Just increase the price and be transparent.

I had a lovely massage, however upon exit I paid a full 20% tip on my massage ($21 on a $105 service) despite the fact that we did not start on time due to having to wait at the front for assistance on arrival, then in the massage room for several minutes and that my masseuse took a phone call in the middle of my service without any acknowledgement, with a hard stop at the end time had we started on time without interruptions. However, the masseuse watched closely over me on checking out and insisted that I increase my tip to $25, to the point where I felt unable to sign and leave the tip I intended. This was quite off putting. If they wanted to charge more for the massage itself, I could understand, but I did not appreciate being forced to increase my tip beyond 20%, especially given the service hiccups which I had been happy to overlook. This leaves me feeling ambivalent about returning, whereas upon completion of the massage itself I thought I’d be a new regular. I also wonder if they would feel equally comfortable doing this to all customers of all genders and identities. Note to the staff, if there is some exact figure you want to make for each service, consider simply increasing the price so that a 20% tip gets you there, vs presenting one price up front then pressuring customers who are already tipping the norm to cover the difference. I was already envisions myself as a standard monthly customer while on the table, but now I’m not sure I’ll ever return. I hope the $4 was worth it.