Cincinnati… Always a cute little city. Reds game in the summer, Bengals game in the fall, and beautiful bridges to run on and hit up Newport, KY. While hitting up a Reds game, I decided to schedule a relaxing couples massage for my bo and me. I spent a couple hours online just to find a place that offers the classic “couples” massage; meaning we would have our massages together in the same room. Finally found a place and immediately booked an hour Couples Massage online including a 30-minute session in their infrared sauna prior to it. How cool is that?
Already have completed the New Intake Forms online, we took our time driving around and eventually found a cute blue house while hearing our Waze app telling us that “We reached out destination.” We walked through the front door and saw the desk was to the left; very quant with a fireplace and a couple chairs and some relaxing music. An employee immediately acknowledged us and offered a bottle of water. She then invited us to go to the infrared sauna early at no extra charge since we were early. We were so excited to use it so gladly took her up on the offer. She walked us into the room. The room was spacious with two gray robes laying over two chairs and a rack full of towels. She taught us how to use it and explained that she’ll be back to get us for the massage.
I have never been in a small private infrared sauna before so I didn’t know how to dress for it. (And the employee was gone before I can ask.) Do I get in it with my clothes on? Do I take everything off and just wear a towel? So we decided to leave our undergarments on and sit on a big towel while we sat in there for 30 minutes. It felt warm and got really hot, but a good hot. It wasn’t like it was a hot humid like I can’t breathe-kind of hot. It gradually got warmer as the time went on. It was nice and warm and very easy to breathe. I didn’t realize it was that hot till I noticed the sweat dripping off my nose; not to mention my dry-fit undergarment was soaking wet.
30 minutes later, the timer went off of the inferred sauna. We got out, dried off with the towels, used the restroom, put on the cozy gray robes and relaxed in the chairs while waiting for someone to get us. After a few minutes of waiting, an employee knocked on the door and escorted us upstairs and down the hall to the couples massage room. (Keep in mind, this is a cute old home so there’s no elevator in case you need it.) She escorted us in, confirmed that we were there for a 60- minute relaxation session, and told us to start face down before walking out the door. We undressed to our undergarment and crawled under the linens.
Momentarily, the two employees came back into the room and started the session. First, she pulled the linen down my back and began using light long strokes on my back and neck. She added a hot stone and a warm towel as a way of finishing the back. She then continued the session on my legs and did the same thing. The hot stone was nice touch! It felt so relaxing and I couldn’t wait for it when she flipped me over. Halfway through the session, she grabbed a side of the linen and told me to flip over. (My bo’s therapist did the same thing that my therapist did.) So we both flipped. She continued the long light strokes on my arms, legs, and feet. As a finisher, she did my neck and scalp and put a warm towel over my face. I was kinda bummed that I didn’t get the stone on the anterior/front part of my body and was curious to know why. I should’ve asked but thought, “When in Rome”.
They ended the session and whispered that it was over and to take our time getting dressed. I looked up as they were leaving to make sure the door was shut before I got off the table. Then I noticed that our therapists were wearing sports bras and leggings. That was awkward. We got dressed, left cash gratuity on the tables, and without direction on what to do, we decided to go ahead and open the door to walk back down the stairs towards the lobby. When we walked down the stairs, one of the therapists (in her sports bra) took our payment and wished us a nice day. We got in the car to head to our hotel and realized that our session was cut short; it was only 50 minutes and not the full 60. And that concluded our relaxational experience in Cincy.
My take-away
- Very cute and quaint establishment. The website was easy and efficient. Once I made the appointment online, I received the forms electronically for us to complete before the session begins. It saved time and made the check-in process very efficient.
- The Massage Therapists were kind and legit. Only one of the therapists had a business card in the lobby so I wasn’t sure about the other one. I didn’t see Massage Licenses displayed but you can tell they are knowledgeable in the field. In fact, I’d say they were more relaxation and health focused than sports and medicinal focused.
- The infrared sauna was a huge bonus! Such a great add-on option. I highly recommend it before your massage.
- Great job on the Swedish Massage. I’m not a fan of starting massages face down, especially if warm towels are involved. But to each their own.
- Being that it was my first time there, I would’ve been grateful for a little more detailed communication. Ie: What do you wear in the sauna? After the massage, do we just open the door when we’re dressed and ready to head back downstairs? So don’t be afraid to ask questions if you are unsure about anything.
- I was not a fan of their dress code policy, if they have one at all. Massage Therapists wear things from scrubs to uniforms to yoga pants. Again, to each their own. However, I recommend employees dress a little more appropriate than just a sports bra. Wearing just that sends the wrong image and impression to clientele.
All in all, it was a cute and relaxing place. The infrared sauna was a creative and great add-on to the service. We walked in not knowing what we were getting into and left relaxed and refreshed. Refreshed from the sauna and relaxed from the massage. Just wish we had a session longer than 50 minutes.
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