This is definitely one of the places where you don’t judge a book by the cover. A week before I came into town to see the Houston Texans game, I googled spas near NRG Stadium. BeLuxe was the second spa on the list. I browsed their professional website and scheduled a 90 -minute stone massage. (Side note, they do ask for a credit card on file when completing the process but they do not charge you until you are finished with the session. They then will ask you if you would like to use the card or if you prefer a different form of payment.) The process was easy. As soon as I clicked to confirm the appointment, I received a text with a link to complete the paperwork. Super easy and convenient.
It was awesome how everything was less than 10 minutes away; my hotel, the grocery store, amazing authentic food, and even the spa. Getting there and finding the spa was the hard part. I followed the gps and found the building without any problems; I was even 15 minutes early. However, when I got there, the main entrance was closed. It looks like a big glass building that housed a medical plaza. There isn’t a sign on the building (or inside when peeping in) that advertised BeLuxe. I called the spa 5 times trying to tell them that I can’t find them and the building was locked and it went to voicemail every time. By this point, my session was supposed to start and I was getting frustrated. I jumped back on their website to see if they moved or worse, they were closed. I even stopped and asked the local security guard if he knew anything about BeLuxe Spa. He told me that he has never even heard of them.
I was about to drive off when I received a phone call from the number that I called; it was a lady representing BeLuxe. I explained how I’ve spent the past 20 minutes finding the place, now late for my massage, and not sure what to do. She politely told me to walk up to the back entrance of the building. There I would see a silver intercom box with all the suite numbers. Follow the directions using suite 610. When I walked up to the box, the instructions were rubbed off. I saw a pound sign and a star sign on the keypad. After 4 different tries, the door unlocked and a lady nicely dressed in jeans and a sweater came out of the elevators to greet me. She escorted me to the sixth floor, showed me to the restroom, then opened the door to the spa. She introduced herself to me, said that my therapist will be right with me, and left. After about three minutes of waiting, a gentleman in gray scrubs came into the lobby to greet me.
He was very professional. He shook my hand while introducing himself to me, thanked me for the opportunity to allow him the session, and escorted me back to the room. In the room, he verified the type of massage (90-minute hot stone) and asked if there were any areas I need focused on. After telling him my problems, he asked what I thought about doing a combination of a deep tissue and incorporate the hot stones into the session. I appreciated his idea and agreed. He proceeded to tell me the basics: “I’ll step out while you undress to your comfort level. When you’re ready, crawl under this sheet and we’ll start face down. Take your time.” I undressed to my comfort level and crawled onto the table to start the session face down. He walked into the room, checked to see if I was comfortable and happy with the aromatherapy he added into the air. The room was dimly light with soft warm colors on the table; very welcoming. I was very comfortable, gladly enjoyed the smell of the room, and eager to start my session. But I couldn’t help wonder why the lady left, not even a receptionist or anyone else in sight. Am I really laying face down in a “spa” with a male therapist by ourselves? I’m not sure how safe I really am at this point.
Then the session started. And OMG! He undraped my feet and realigned my hips. Then, he undraped my back to place the oil and started massaging my back. He found knots in places that I didn’t even know I had. He listened to my body, if that makes any sense, and focused on places that he felt needed the attention. When he hit a trigger point, he reminded me to focus on my breathing and let him know if anything becomes too painful. After manually massaging my back, he then applied the hot stones. The stones were oh so nice and warm; they never got cold! When he finished the back, he places warm towels over it, stretched me out, slowly removed the towels, and placed the linens back before moving on towards an extremity. At this point, I was melted into the table. It was so amazing that I would’ve been fine if that’s all the massage that I received! But the amazingness continues. He did that protocol with all my extremities, both face down and up.
Remember earlier, I mentioned I was running late on time because of trying to find the place? Well, 10 minutes after my session was supposed to end, I asked my therapist if we need to end so he’s not late on the next client. He kindly said that it’s not my fault for trying to get in and he is happy to provide the full 90 minutes. I was in paradise so I gladly continued to lay on the table and allowed him to finish the session. He ended the session with hot stones on my neck and shoulders while massaging my scalp. Then the worst thing happened… it was over. He softly said the session was over, take my time getting dressed, and he’ll meet me back in the lobby whenever I was ready. I was thankful for his patience because it took me a minute just to come back to reality lol. I got dressed, left a cash gratuity on the table, and walked back in the lobby to see my therapist patiently waiting with his phone in his hand. He had me on speaker with the lady that walked me into the spa. My therapist smiled and kindly chuckled saying that I look like I was on cloud 9. And indeed I was. I was so relaxed and couldn’t stop smiling. They both asked if I would be willing to stand in front of their social media wall and take a picture of my “relaxed” face. I welcomed the opportunity for him to take a picture with his phone and one with mine. After the photo, the lady on the phone asked if I wanted to use the same card that I used to book the session. After the check out, my therapist shook my hand, thanked me again for the opportunity, and wished me wonderful time on my trip.
My take-a-way
- As mentioned before, this is definitely a place where you don’t judge a book by its cover. I almost drove away after the 3rd phone call attempt. I wish their website had something written about where to go during the building’s “non-business” hours. (My appointment was on a Saturday afternoon.) It would’ve also been a good idea to have an automatic text alert sent with after hour instructions when receiving my appointment confirmation. Locals might understand how to visit BeLuxe Spa but travelers such as myself may not.
- Both the lady and the Massage Therapist kept calling me Ms. Jade. I corrected them both but maybe they didn’t hear me because they still called me Mr. Jade the entire time. Whatever name they used to address me, they still looked at my intake forms and professionally confirmed the type of appointment I booked.
- Communication! Aside from getting into the building, the communication was very professional and fluid. Both the lady and my Massage Therapist were polite. My Therapist asked me what I needed focused on, efficiently explained what to do before the session, thoroughly explained what he was doing and checked in on me during the session. The efficient communication continued towards the ending procedures.
- Social Media Wall: what a great idea! The clients share their “massage glows” and the spa gets recognized. Great way to support a local business. But also a great way to show the spa’s appreciation towards clients and passion for doing what they do. You can tell that they care for their clients and truly worked to satisfy in making their clients feel better. The “massage glow” and the “awwwww” sigh brough a smile to my Therapist’s eyes. He even said that hearing my “awwww” was exactly what he was aiming for!
Inside the cover, Medical Building of 7501 Fannin Street, had a wonderful spa called BeLuxe. Once you get in, you’ll be amazed on what you experience no matter the service you request. The facility was quant, dim, and professional. The service was on point, both with communication and with talent. My therapist knew what to do just by reading (feeling) my body. He made the customized 90-minute hot stone session feel like I was on cloud 9 and not in Houston. I’m so glad I stuck around after the third phone call attempt. It was totally worth it.
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