Milan Institute

I liked my massage here and I would recommend this place to others. The best part is the value. I got a 50-​minute massage for $ 35. This is a school where they teach students massage so they can get accreditation.
I can see Ellen’s point about the lack of privacy. Instead of individual rooms you get a hospital-​like curtain drawn around your massage table. Another man got a massage about the same time I did and he gave his masseuse his whole medical history. I felt by the end of it I probably knew his medical history better than his children. The facilities are generally spartan but I don’t need much. In fact, a lot of that New Age stuff turns me off.
Another problem is you don’t know which masseuse you will get. I said I wanted a deep tissue massage and I think they gave me the best student they had for that. The massage she gave me wasn’t the best I’ve had, but it was good enough. Especially for $ 35. (I added a tip, lest you think I’m a cheapskate). I had back pain and she figured out the muscles that needed to be stretched weren’t just in my back but along my leg, too.
One tip: I got there and tried to go in through the front door. It was locked. I thought they would be coming for my appointment so I sat on a rock and waited. The other gentlemen arrived, then went around the side and found a poorly-​marked door where customers go in for massages. So remember to try the side door.

I’m not a glutton for punishment. Really I’m not. Since I tried the Milan Institute of Cosmetology, I decided to finish the job and try their massage school, which is at a different location.
I booked appointment for myself and hubby. On arrival, we noted the industrial and «rough» look of the building — okay they are located on Industrial Way, so no big surprise.
The reception area was simple, but inviting. The front desk person was a massage instructor who introduced himself and thanked us for coming in. He gave us standard medical forms to complete and waiver forms.
A few minutes later, a door opened and our two student-​massage therapists led us each to our own individual massage «areas.» I say «area» because they were not massage rooms. It was one large room with hospital-​type privacy drapes enclosing 5 massage areas or compartments.
I give them credit for adding soft touches (to my compartment at least) like a purple shag rug, pictures on the walls, and little white lights to create a dim lighting effect. The music was typical massage music. Pretty basic, but fine with me.
The problem, however, with these hospital-​drape-​privacy-​massage-​compartments (a new word for me!), is that you hear everything going on behind the curtains next to you. For instance, a woman was snoring loudly in the curtained area adjacent to mine — she had fallen asleep during her massage. And when she was awake, she spoke loudly to her massage technician. I took this more as her rudeness than any fault of the massage school or the student techs.
The massage was just okay. Again, this is a student spa, so I came with an open mind. The student-​massage therapist was overly cautious and way more attention than necessary was devoted to draping me with the sheet — rather than giving a relaxing massage. To her credit, the student was very polite and responsive.
At the conclusion of the massage, I was given an evaluation sheet to fill out; I tried to give constructive criticism. I think it is a good sign that they had the post-​massage evaluation because it shows that they care about the job they are doing and the experience of the customer.
I think that the massage you get at the Milan Student Massage Spa depends on the skill level of the student you get. However, if the hospital curtain thing is a problem for you, then be forewarned. I will probably return and see if the experience is better with another student-​massage therapist.
The prices — almost forgot — are good. A 50 minute massage is $ 30, and on your first visit, the price is $ 20. An 80-​minute session is $ 45. Their brochure lists different modalities of massage — Swedish, sports, Deep Tissue, pregnancy, stone massage, etc., with the proviso that the availability of a specialty massage depends on whether a student trained in that modality is on staff at that day/​time.