Lakeshore Spa

I walked in and asked the lady at the front desk what is the difference between the $ 25 dollar 1 hour foot massage and the $ 20 ½ hour reflexology massage. She said that I needed to have an appointment for the 1 hour foot massage but that, for more money, I could have a 30 minute feet/​30 minute full body massage. Does that make sense? No. So I handed her $ 20 for the ½ hour, no-​appointment-​required «reflexology» massage. She used a half gallon of baby oil and disposable plastic gloves in an effort, apparently, to poison me from the feet up. The advertising is fraudulent; this woman had no training in reflexology (or proper massage techniques for that matter) nor did she have the slightest bit of intuition. This place should be shut down immediately.

Great and reasonably priced massage. I will be back for sure. The atmosphere is nice too.

Given the negative Unilocal reviews and a few bad experiences at other Chinese massage places, I was a little skeptical. That skepticism was reinforced by the requirement to pay in advance of receiving a massage, and a sign at the front desk indicating no «happy endings» or «special services.»
But out of desperation for an upper back and shoulder massage, I was willing to give it a try. And I’m very glad I did.
The guy who gave me a super deep tissue massage (a guy from China named something like «Macko») was very strong, hard working, and talented. He really worked his butt off for 30 straight minutes and it made a big difference.
What made it go smoothly was the kind, English-​speaking woman at the front desk who translated everything I said to the non-​English speaking therapist, and who repeatedly checked in on us during the session. (I think she works only on Sundays.) She even put a towel over the lower back area I asked the massage therapist to avoid (as a reminder to him) and moved my hair out of the way with a hair clip.
The therapist repeatedly checked in with me, too, asking me «OK?» We had a thumbs up, thumbs down system for describing more/​less pressure, but his pressure was great the whole time. (I asked for «medium» which was definitely my upper limit.)
With a 20% tip it amounted to $ 43 for ½ hour. Not a bargain, especially since it was not a spa-​like atmosphere, but it was a good value.
I’ll be back if I can book a massage with Macko again.

After getting massages at several comparable massage places in the Lake Merritt area, I decided to give Lakeshore Spa a try. That was 8 months ago, and I have been a regular customer there ever since. In my experience, the quality of the massages at Lakeshore Spa far surpasses that of similarly priced massage places in the area. I have had massages from several of the therapists at Lakeshore Spa and have been thoroughly satisfied each time.
While the therapists at Lakeshore Spa are all very good in my opinion, my favorite is Maggie. She combines deep pressure (if you want it) with great sensitivity. She is also intuitive, really listening with her hands to the needs of the tissue. She seems to always find the right level of pressure, adjusting her strokes and pressure as appropriate. She is also very good at knowing what areas need more attention. The first few times I saw Maggie, I would tell her the areas I wanted her to focus on. Then I discovered that she would naturally figure this out on her own — so I stopped telling her and just let myself surrender to her touch, knowing it would perfect each time.
The combination of high-​quality massage and a very affordable price makes this place an incredible bargain. Check it out for yourself; you will not be disappointed!

Love this place. It’s my go to massage spot. Friendly people and an amazing deal. Was there tonight and might go back tomorrow

BEST AND MOST PAINFUL MASSAGE I HAVE EVER HAD.
if you’re expecting a light back rub or some sort of swiss massage with aromatic oils and warm towels. RUN AWAY. who comes to an asian place expecting a leisurely massage anyways? I have no clue why are they located here on Lakeshore with all the fancy clientele. I’m just so happy I happened to stop by (without looking at prior Unilocal reviews as I do not have a smart phone)
this place is awesome because:
— it’s cheap: $ 30 for 30 minutes
— she digs her elbows into those shoulder knots
— her forearm is boney and bladelike and hurts so good when she runs it over the knots in your back
— she has the strength of a horse
— it was harder than a Thai
— they took credit card, i just hope my information is safe
this is just an awesome no frills therapeutic massage, just get ready for a world of pain. NO PAIN NO GAIN!

If i could give negative stars I would.
Me and my boyfriend went to get a massage last night, I wanted a foot massage and a back massage and he wanted a full body massage. When we walked in there was no one at the front desk. so we rang the bell they had at the front. A lady came out I’m assuming she was the owner and said it would be 45 minutes until she could take us, which we had no problem with so we said we would come back. SO we came back and still no one was at the front desk. 10 minutes later she comes out and says we could do the couples massage room, which I liked so we could be together. SO we go in the room and she doesn’t even say anything to us what we should do, there was a tiny towel so i assumed to just cover my self with that.. ANyways we both are laying there waiting for them to come in. .one lady comes in and starts on my bf, I’m waiting there for 10 minutes for my lady to come in. WHile the lady that was working on my bf was asking him questions of how hard or soft he wanted his massage which i thought was good. my lady comes in and just starts working on me without asking me any questions. at first (3minutes into it) it felt nice and than she started doing it really hard. .i asked if i had knots she said «muscle» i told her it didn’t feel good and if she could lighten up a bit i understood i had big knots in my back but i don’t want to be in pain while she is working them out. She didn’t listen to anything i was saying and than when it came to my foot massage she didn’t do anything it felt like she was scratching my feet, i could have went to get a pedicure and payed them more money to give me a longer massage. Overall my bf had a nice massage and i left with more pain then when i first came in, today i feel as if i have a backpack filled with 50pounds of rock in it. When we were leaving after paying $ 120 for the worst massage of my life we walked out the door, and the two ladies came running after us grabbing me asking for a tip, I wanted to go off on them but i have morals so i replied as nicely as possible and said sorry i didn’t enjoy it no tip. SO I WILL NOT BE RECOMMENDING THIS PLACE TO ANYONE.
NEGATIVE STARS FOR SURE !!! NOt impressed at all.

If I could rate this place ZERO stars I would!
(Very, very long story shortened)
So me and my homegirl went to get a massage last night… After asking the receptionist for a massage for 2, we paid them sat and waited for our masseurs’, after waiting for 20 minutes in the waiting room, we were put in another ‘waiting room’ with only one chair to wait 30 more minutes each alternating turns sitting down in the chair… smh. Once being called to our room, it was an OK but very amateur massage (seeing that I frequently get massages) for the $ 40 we spent (I’ve had better). After thanking them I gave the both of our masseurs’ a $ 10 tip, because my friend had accidentally forgotten to get the tip from the ATM.
While leaving my friend’s masseur followed her out of the door to the curb asking for a tip from ‘her’ ‘because she worked REALLY REALLY hard’(even though I’d already tipped her), then she tells my friend to go to the ATM and get her some more money for her tip… I thought it was rude so we walked inside and I explained to her what I gave was her tip, she continues saying she wants my friend to give her a tip too, after getting irritated and slightly embarrassed that a business person could be so unprofessional. we left, but this chick followed us out the door and down the hall, my first thought was to turn around and slap her for being so rude… but instead I turned around and followed her and started telling her about herself… lol. We’d paid our money and further more a tip is OPTIONAL and she was being totally forward and out of line!
Long story short if you value your money, and the appreciation for your business when spending it DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!!

REALLY good deal for full hour body massage — $ 35. I had a older masseuse who did a fairy good job and she worked on my back pretty good. What do you expect for a $ 35 session. It is true that the place is kinda bare bones but it is clean and neat with private rooms. Needs some décor~. Will come back for sure with my mom.

I found this place through an advertisement placed on my windshield. I called and got an appointment on short notice on a Sunday evening, taking advantage of a very reasonable deal – $ 35 for 70 minutes, half reflexology, have body massage. I was happy to see free parking in a private lot shared with Jenny Craig. The décor is clean but bare bones. For the foot massage, I was in a very comfortable chair. However, the masseuse brought a large bucket of hot water lined with a trash bag, which besides being tacky, was not comfortable. The foot massage was good, but I was put off to see that instead of massage oil, a giant container of generic Vaseline was being used. There was faint Muzak playing, but the place could have benefited from a few fountains, since one could clearly hear clocks ticking in each service room, as well as street noise (and sirens at one point) through the open front door.
After the reflexology, I was moved to a massage room. The sheet I was to cover myself with was actually a torn off half of a sheet, frayed edges and all.
The massage was competent, but I was unable to communicate that I wanted more than just a back and shoulder massage and that the pressure was excessive. During the massage, the masseuse’s phone went off (on vibrate) in his pocket near my ear. Also, I could hear the front desk attendant on the phone some of the time, and she entered my room during my treatment at one point to get change from the masseuse! I think this place has potential but should take this critique for improvement. They may want to try out the excellent Foot Spa on Grand as a model.