After a long and tiring 23-hour journey from Malaysia to Utah, what is the best thing a girl with scoliosis and an injured lower back can get after several hours of sleep? A massage! My mom scheduled me for a massage yesterday morning and let me just say, it was just what I needed.
The massage center we went to is the one up on Bluff Street, by Stadium 8. The staff there is super friendly and nice. I’ve been to this location a few times before and have always enjoyed being there. Everyone I’ve been in contact with on all my visits have been kind, knowledgeable, friendly, engaging and happy. Oh, and the office is always clean. That is something that is very important to me. I’m a bit picky about places of business (especially personal care businesses) being clean and tidy. Massage Envy on Bluff Street has not let me down. The environment there is clean, comfortable, professional and inviting.
When you first walk in, the person at the reception desk checks you in and then directs you through some doors on the right and then through another door on your right to a relaxation room that has comfortable couches, dimmed lights and a gentle fragrance. There is a water dispenser with plastic cups in the reception room and you are more than welcome to bring a drink with you into the waiting room. The waiting time varies, but I’ve not had to wait more than 10 minutes for my therapist to come out and get me. If the therapist is going to be more than a few minutes, someone comes in and lets me know the therapist is finishing with a client or some other reason and lets you know she will be coming soon, followed by an offer of a glass of water. They are very attentive there.
In the massage room, the therapist speaks with you for a few minutes about any problem areas you’d like addressed, special requests, massage pressure and any other questions or concerns you may have. Every therapist I’ve had there speaks with a quiet and gentle tone that lends to the spirit of relaxation that is prevalent there. The therapist then indicates she will be stepping out of the room while you are undressing to your level of comfort and getting under the blanket on the table. The massage rooms are clean with dimmed lights and quiet music. It is a very peaceful and relaxing environment. After a few minutes, the therapist knocks on the door and asks for permission to re-enter the room. That is something I really like about this center because I’ve been to massage places before where they wait about one minute after they leave, knock and walk right in without waiting for a response. I like to fold my clothes or hang them up before laying on the table, so having the therapist wait several minutes and then wait again for permission to enter is something I appreciate greatly.
The therapist I had yesterday is named Julie Ridge. She is an excellent masseur. As stated before, I’ve been to this location several times before and while impressed with the facility and the professionalism of the staff, I haven’t always been 100% satisfied with my massage. And this isn’t just specific to Massage Envy masseurs. This is something I’ve come across at almost every massage place I’ve been to in Utah, Virginia, Oklahoma and Malaysia. I like a deep massage and most masseurs are hesitant to apply a lot of pressure to my back either because I have scoliosis or because I’m relatively thin. One masseur in Malaysia told me she was afraid of breaking my ribs, so I can understand the hesitation. Even so, I do like deep massages and I don’t always get the deepness I need. Scoliosis makes the muscles in my back very tight and I have a lot of stiffness that I deal with every day, so it takes a deep and pressured massage to work out the tension along my spine. The massages I’ve received at Massage Envy in the past have felt good and have been relaxing, but they don’t usually have the level of pressure I need to fully relax the muscles in my back. This is not a bad thing. Massages are great even if they aren’t as deep-tissue as I’d prefer. The girls I’ve receive massages from in the past add more pressure when I ask and they do work out knots and tight muscles in my body, just not as much pressure as I would like. They do a good job and I always leave feeling better than when I walked in, so I’ve never had a bad experience there. People who don’t like super deep-tissue massages will be 100% satisfied with the massages they receive. Those who do want a super deep-tissue massage, I highly recommend asking for Julie.
The massage I received from Julie yesterday was perfect. She explained that she likes to start out a bit gentle and work her way up to deep pressure in order not to hurt the muscles. And she did. She started out gently and worked her way up to a deep pressure that felt wonderful! One thing I’ve noticed with past masseurs is that they slowly lose pressure, but Julie kept up a deep pressure throughout the entire massage. It was great. When I left, my back felt so relaxed and better than it had in a long time. She worked out knots as she came across them and when she got to the sore spot in my back (where i injured it at the gym in November), she worked on it gently for a few minutes and then went back to the deeper pressure on the remainder of my back. It was a really good massage and I was 100% satisfied with it.
Another plus for Massage Envy is the pricing. The prices really aren’t too bad. They have a membership pricing plan and a pay-per-massage price. The membership plan includes one massage a month as well as a discounted rate for additional massages. You also get discounts on retail merchandise: lotions, oils, chapstick, etc. My mom pays $49 a month for the main membership and my sister is on my mom’s account as a family member and she pays $39 a month. Along with the membership, my mom is able to bring a guest with her and the guest receives the membership price. Oh, when we were there yesterday, my mom had an extra massage from a previous month and they allowed her to use that massage to pay for mine. So, all we had to pay for were the tips. Kinda cool. I’m not entirely sure what the non-membership price is, but it’s not too much more. So, either way, it’s a good price. AND, they do military discounts, so that’s even better!
Every time I’ve been there I’ve been offered a membership with them, but I always decline. I only come to Utah to visit family and don’t see a point in getting a membership when I’m only here once or twice a year. The receptionist always informs me that there are locations where I could get a membership by where I live and then politely accepts my decision to not obtain a membership. I really like that they aren’t super pushy.
Overall, I give Massage Envy 5 stars. I love the professionalism, the friendliness, how clean it is there, the quality of the massages and the price. I highly recommend this place for your massage needs and I HIGHLY recommend Julie if you want a quality deep-tissue massage.
Address:
1091 N. Bluff Suite 304
St. George, UT 84770
Hours of Operation:
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM Sunday
8:00 AM – 10:00 PM Monday-Friday
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Saturday
Phone: (435) 628-9049
