LaVida Massage of Clarkston

This past Saturday, my husband and I went to the new Clarkston location (the one they call Clarkston North) and had a couple’s massage. We each explained what areas of our body that needed the most attention. The therapist that I had made it sound like I was creating too much work for her. That was an immediate turnoff. When the massage started, she talked way too much and kept telling me that I needed to make another appointment before the first appointment was even over. I left feeling worse that before because I was so stressed out. My husband was in worse shape … he specifically told his therapist not to massage specific areas do to an injury but she did it anyway and left him practically paralyzed.
It wasn’t worth the $ 120 that we spent. We think we’ll go to Massage Green the next time we want a massage.

I see Michelle at the LaVida in Clarkston and she is incredible! I have referred many friends and family to her and they have all been impressed! She is always professional, listens to any issues well and very accommodating to everyone. I hate to post this because she is already booked often but she is so worth the review! The front of the house staff has always been pleasant and accommodating as well:)

Not a guy that gets massages very often, but Angela was fantastic today. Best massage I’ve ever had. Got the knots out of my neck and helped me relax and relive some stress too. I’ll be back to see her again for sure.

I’ve been going regularly to Lavida now for a couple of years. I see Michelle there, and she is awesome, professional and experienced. This is the perfect place to go. Their hours work well with my schedule and the pricing is very affordable. I’m a member, and it is really worth the investment.

If you go here be sure to ask for a room on the left side of the business, if available (situated by the salon next door). Otherwise, all you will hear during your massage is the banging, clanging and water running from within the kitchen of the Chinese restaurant on the right. I struggled between giving this Lavida location 2 or 3 stars because of that and the fact that I would have been overcharged for a couples massage had I not made a little issue about it.
I had initially called a little while ago to get pricing on a 60-​minute couples deal so I could budget for a tip. I was quoted $ 79.90. Cool. A great intro price to sample the goods. When I was ready to book I asked the Clarkston receptionist about the price again just to double check and was told it would be $ 99.90 for a new client couples massage. ??? Enough time had passed to where I wasn’t sure if I had called the Commerce location or the Clarkston one (the closest two to us) to when I verified the price the first time. So I went ahead and booked at Clarkston as, checking around, around $ 100 for a couples massage seems to be a standard price on the low end. Even so, I still felt a little uneasy about what I was quoted by Clarkston and gave Lavida Commerce a call. They quoted $ 79.90 for a new client couple’s massage and the receptionist there thought it was strange that Lavida Clarkston would be $ 20 higher. So I made yet another call back to Clarkston and spoke with Rebecca. With a little hedging she said would honor the $ 79.90 price as they wanted my business, but it would still be contingent on what the owner there might say. In the end, they officially honored the lower price.
Thing is, a new client individual 60 minute massage is $ 39.95 at the Clarkston AND the Commerce location. Commerce obviously just doubles the price for couples, which makes perfectly good sense. The room we were put in for our massage was actually two rooms made into a large one by simply pulling back one of those accordian type dividers. So to see that they charge an extra $ 20 for simply pulling that back was a little ridiculous. From what I could tell, nothing extra or different was done during the massage other than the both of us being in the same room.
The registration process was simple and filling out the forms took about 5 minutes. The waiting room and massage room (s) were nicely appointed for a massage chain; a modern and relaxing style w/​complementary textiles and colors. The piped-​in new age music you hear in the waiting room is the same you hear in the back hallway and while you are getting your massage. The massage itself was good, but could’ve been PRETTY good if it wasn’t for the aforementioned clamor coming from the Chinese restaurant next door. The therapists were very nice, attentive and spoke minimally during the massage just to check in on pressure, where to concentrate and how things were feeling at appropriate times.
The actual massage was about 45 – 50 minutes taking into account the registration, dress down and dress up. You may want to get there a little early to maximize the duration of your massage. We walked in the door at exactly at 4PM, our appointment time. Before the massage takes place you strip down to your bottoms (or to where you feel most comfortable, the therapists are very flexible). Intimate areas like your butt are massaged over the sheets. The minutes flew by and it didn’t seem to be enough time. If I ever do a couple’s massage again I would definitely book it for 90 minutes. Once we were dressed and walked out of the room, the therapists were there waiting with a cup of water for us to drink. We were instructed to drink lots of water the rest of the day to flush out massage induced toxins.
If settling your bill with a credit card, you need to tell the receptionist how much you want to add for a tip before they run your card. Lavida also offers a menu of items like waxing, facials, peels, hot stone massages and massage package memberships, which is nice. Surprisingly, there was no upsell for a membership. I may try the location in Commerce in the future if I ever get the chance to see if a more relaxing experience is to be had.