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Find out why The Joyous Living won’t recommend a2z Massage in Ventura County.
If you’re in Ventura County you might have heard about a2z Health (a massage therapy school) in Thousand Oaks. For a discounted price you can get a student Swedish Massage. But is it worth it?
The Joyous Living would suggest that the answer is a resounding NO. Yes, the prices are better at a2z Massage ($29 for a Student Massage vs. $69 for a massage by the Certified Massage Therapist).
Official Description of the Student Massage:
Our fully supervised Student Massage Clinic is an important component of our outstanding Certified Massage Therapy Training Program. Our schools offer this wonderful opportunity for students to gain valuable hands-on experience, while at the same time providing members of our community a very affordable massage.
Available at our Reseda and Thousand Oaks locations.
$29 – 50 minutes [as of July 2021]
Official Description of the Certified Massage Options:
SWEDISH – A relaxing technique, ideal for those who are seeking to relieve stress, release mild tension and improve blood circulation.
$49 – 50 minutes [as of July 2021]
DEEP TISSUE – A more intensive therapy for the release of moderate tension built up in muscles. Therapists are able to use more pressure and technique to problem areas.
Available at our Reseda and Thousand Oaks locations.
$69 – 50 minutes [as of July 2021]
My Terrible Experience at A2Z Massage
Sadly the quality of the student massage I experienced suffered greatly. These are students learning the trade and unfortunately, it becomes a sales spiel so your quality restful time is disturbed and not at all restful. No fun and definitely not what you sign up for when you pay for a massage.
Nowhere in the description that I shared above does it mention that you’ll be given a 50-minute sales speech.
Usually (at least for me) you want to relax, close your eyes and allow yourself to drift off when having a great and stimulating massage.
However, with a student drilling you with their sales spiel and asking countless personal questions as if we’re here for a chat, that is not going to happen. So annoying and disappointing.
The reason I am writing this review is that after sharing my dissatisfaction online as part of the company’s survey, I heard back from Ben Drillings (the Director) and Lilah who wrote:
Here’s what’s we are going to do next. I’m going to take the time to review your feedback with our staff and then do our best to resolve the problem so:
1. It doesn’t happen again
2. We improve serving you in the futureWe will do our best to follow up with you on this issue.
I have tried to reach back out to Mr. Dillings several times since he sent that above message [looks like a form letter, right?] and no answer, no reply, nothing. And what’s the most annoying part of it all is that I keep getting emails from a2z Massage inviting me back and I keep replying to Ben and Lilah saying that I have no interest and to take me off their mailing address and that I am just waiting for a reply about my feedback. No reply, no answer, nothing.
Finally today I received an offer for a birthday discount. Seriously! So frustrating. I finally decided to write this post to express my frustration and disappointment with a2Z massage. They are 100% concerned with themselves and making a buck. Nothing about customer service. So please do yourself a favor and DO NOT use their services!