Chicago Massage And Bodywork Center

Can’t say how the actual service is as I was never able to actually go here. Poor customer service without a doubt. I purchased a groupon from the site as on the purchase page it had no restrictions for it’s use. Proceeded to purchase and schedule my couples massage for ²⁄₁₃ on 12/​29/​2015. Come to get a call this past Sunday stating that my appointment was cancelled because they don’t accept groupons on holidays. Luckily, I took a screenshot of the policy page of the website the day before where it did not state that groupons could not be used on holidays. However, it seems after Chandese received my VM and email yesterday she updated her website to reflect that either late yesterday or today. Anyway hoping to get a refund back from Groupon. It may be a wonderful place but the customer service I received was terrible.

Well. while it was a mediocre service – couples facial and a massage with quite a few amateurs around we felt it was ok for the groupon deal we found. But what really brings the rating down for this business is the way the masseur handles the «service charge.» Well, service charge is not mentioned anywhere as far as we knew and well we were prepared to leave a tip in cash of 15%, this is a tip and it is optional, what you can afford as far as I am concerned. Well he pretty much didn’t allow us to leave until a certain amount of gratuity, he thought they all deserve to leave with was added. So we had to and I say HAD to leave another $ 20 on top of our 15% gratuity given in cash.
This made us feel so uncomfortable, almost bullied that we left the place stunned and will not be returning.
Just saying. be prepared! Owner/​manager nowhere in sight!

So this was my first time having a hot stone couples massage but it definitely won’t be my last! I arrived to my appointment with my boyfriend and was greeted immediately by the two therapist. They gave us forms to fill out and offered us coffee. I thought that was a nice touch. We then went to the room and were told to undress to our level of comfort. Anthony was my therapist and my boyfriend was with the girl therapist. They turned the lights down and played the normal spa music. Anthony did an amazing job and was sure to focus on the areas I had marked on my form. The stones were a nice touch but could have been a tad bit warmer. My boyfriend throughly enjoyed his massage as well. Afterwards they informed us to drink a lot of water and explained why. I had no idea and I’m glad they shared that extra information. I went home and slept like a baby! Thank you Anthony for a great experience and I’ll be back again!

I don’t get massages as often as I need, but one of the main reasons I don’t is because I can never book a convenient time. I contacted Chanese on a Friday for a 60 minute massage after work, she told me they were booked through the end of the day but would try to make it work.
Lo and behold, about an hour later, Chanese told me one of her therapists was going to stay late to take me — my back, shoulders, and legs were super grateful!
This was my first time here and I was kindly greeted by Chanese. She asked me if I had to use the bathroom. I proceeded to the very clean bathroom to prepare for my 60 minute hot stone massage. When I came out my therapist, Khadijah, guided me to the reception area where I needed to fill out new client paperwork. Some of the form was cutoff for whatever reason, but I made sense of the questions asked. I was offered a glass of water by Khadijah while filling out my form.
Once done with the pen and paper, I was led to a small room with two beds. I’m used to going to spas for massages, please keep in mind this is more like a massage studio. They are located in a corporate building — it’s different, but doesn’t affect the end goal of receiving an effective massage. Khadijah asked me where my problem areas were. I explained and we got started shortly after.
Khadijah was fantastic! She remembered my problem areas and really honed in on those muscles. I can be a little wimp sometimes when I’m sore, so she definitely welcomed requests for adjusting the pressure as I said «Ow, Ouch, and Ahhh!» (Yea, I was a wreck). Don’t let her tiny stature fool you, she gets in there really good.
I felt soooo much better and more relaxed after my session. I even felt better the next day, the tension in my legs and shoulders decreased significantly.
I work in the financial district so this place is very convenient for me. Overall, the customer service, skill, and cleanliness impressed me. The reason why I knocked off one star is because the new client form was tedious and cut off in some sections. Also, it was a little on the warm side in the room I was in. A cooler room would have been nice.
I will definitely come back! I noticed a small fan in the room but was never asked about how I liked the room temperature. Next time, I’ll ask to turn it on during my session to see if it helps cool the room.

Had a groupon for a 60 minute couples massage with hot stones and aromatherapy. They didn’t have much to offer as far as aromatherapy, I think I smelled some salts once. The room was kind of messy and not very relaxing. They were playing music but it stopped half way through the session which was kind of distracting.
The massage also only lasted for maybe 45 minutes. We arrived at 1:00 our massages were at 1:20, and after we filled out some paperwork and got ready we started at 1:30 because we had to wait for awhile and then our massages ended at 1:17. Not a big deal, but kind of disappointing since we paid for the hour.
Probably wouldn’t go back, but it wasn’t a bad groupon deal.

Used a groupon for a couple’s massage. My daughter and I both received a 60-​min massage. I walked in with pain to my upper back and walked out feeling 100% better. My massage was two days ago and I still feel good. My daughter is usually really timid about getting a massage, but she really enjoyed the massage and was at ease. They also showed us some exercises to use to help alleviate future back pain.
Yes, it is in an office building. But it did not take away from the experience in my opinion.

I wish I had something better to say about this place. I hate to rag on someone just trying to earn a living. I can’t personally speak for the massage, as the table I was on was extremely uncomfortable in the face after 30 minutes, so I was in too much discomfort to enjoy myself. Because my girlfriend was seemingly not experiencing this same issue, and seemed to enjoy herself, I didn’t speak up.
I will avoid a long-​winded email and skip to the important stuff. After the service was over, they asked us how we wanted to pay the «mandatory 20% service fee». After a look of bewilderment on my face, they explained they sent an email outlining this charge. Now, I actually already had cash-​in-​hand and was ready to tip them — even though I did not enjoy myself — but this put me over the edge. I went back and checked my emails, and sure enough there was a last-​minute email looking IDENTICAL to the one sent 24 hours earlier, except this one had one extra bullet point. Note that they didn’t provide this extra bit of info until the confirmation email — which was past the cancellation window — VERY SHADY and unscrupulous business practice, in my opinion. Below is the quote:
«CMBC is commited [sic] to working with high quality therapists. To ensure fair compensation for our therapists, a mandatory minimum service charge of 20% of the original price, will be added to each treatment in lieu of the therapist’s gratuity. Additional gratuities may be added at your discretion. This fee only applies to Groupons. This service charge can be avoided by paying the Groupon price in-​house. We accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover & Debit cards. Sorry, we cannot accept personal checks as payment.»
The bold text is where they try to circumvent Groupon and cut out the middle-​man… I’ve posted pictures of both emails side by side, so you can see for yourself. I’m glad we tipped in cash and didn’t provide a credit card, as I suspect it could be worse, that they could be trying to steal credit info… This place should be immediately shutdown and reported to the BBB.
Thank god for places like Unilocal,where this sort of criminal behavior can be fettered out via crowd sourcing. Caveat Emptor…
PS. This isn’t a spa… it’s a 10′ by 10′ office space, hence the reason they are able to charge «half-​off». My advice, pay full price at a real spa. Also, the other customer complaining about being interrupted mid-​service is accurate. I had a similar experience. I was left a voicemail and no callback number saying they were running late and to «wait downstairs» until someone came to get me. When I found their number online, I tried calling 5 – 6 times and got no answer and no answering machine. Seems they are overbooked for whatever reason, yet this review is probably only the 3^rd review on Unilocal.None of this adds up…
UPDATE: owner responded with the claim that the service fee is clearly outlined in the confirmation email. Correct, it is. But the confirmation email is past the cancellation window, at which point you forfeit your massage. As seen in the pictures I posted, it is NOT in the email sent out during the period where you can still cancel. Use your head, working Chicagoans don’t have time to peruse your websites fine print… if they could even find it to begin with.
And yes, 90% of exactly 21 customers who actually used their groupon gave it a thumbs up. There are still about 200+ other outstanding ones yet to be used. Expect the complaints to roll in. I suggest being more transparent on your groupon listing…
Let’s pose a simple challenge for the owner. Can you explain the differences in the emails you send clients? Why is the hidden fee structure intentionally left out of the first email in the pictures I posted ?
Update 2: Chanese, I suggest a simple solution for you. Post the mandatory 20% «fee» right under the Fine Print Section of your Groupon posting. When you have a mandatory 20% tip coming to you, you are no longer incentivized to do a good job, hence the crummy customer service and poor attitude. Why isn’t it there? Because you are misleading people. Until you list it there, when people MAKE THEIR PURCHASE, you are acting as a fraud.
So you have seen ‘100 people from Groupon” and yet only ¹⁄₅ of them gave it a favorable review on Groupon and nearly 0 on Unilocal.Compelling argument you make.
People are no doubt buying them because $ 55 for a $ 110 spa massage seems great. In reality, though, you’re far from a spa and your regular price should be $ 55. A «deal» for a massage in that closet would be «$ 27.50 for a $ 55 massage».
You can say all you want. This Unilocal review will certainly garner far more attention than your «clearly visible» fine print on some obscure page of your boiler plate webpage.
I appreciate the offer to get another massage but as clearly stated it was 1) unenjoyable and 2) that would just be awkward. I’d much rather have the forced tip back. Inquire within for my PayPal address.

Good massage; not committed to satisfy customers. I had a reservation for a 60-​minute massage. During the massage I was interrupted by someone (other customer) and the therapist asked me to come again to use the rest of the time. :(

Scheduled a massage using a purchased Groupon. Scheduling was very convenient and they extra effort to accommodate me and my friend at a short notice.
Purchased a hot stone aromatherapy massage and it was worth it. Recommend it.