The City of Brotherly Love and Saquon Barkley’s amazing year on the Eagles. Why not go visit the city to see a good football game and get a massage? After searching for massage places near my hotel, I spotted an appealing website called Muscle and Flow Massage Therapy. They won the 2023 edition of Philly Magazine’s Best Massage Center for Serious Knotts and a silver award for the 2024 Philadelphia Inquirer’s “Philly’s Favorites”. And even more rad, they had an opening the same weekend as an Eagles home game. I can get a massage, a 15-minute facial, see the Liberty Bell, eat an awesome cheese steak, and go to an Eagles Football game. Deal!
The website was user friendly. I simply looked at the list of services online and scheduled the appointment. When making the appointment, they required half of the price upfront but would be refunded if I needed to cancel or reschedule with more a 24-hour notice. I immediately received a text confirmation along with a link to complete the intake forms. Easy peasy. Then I received a confirmation text a couple days before my scheduled appointment.
I arrived 10 minutes early and a lady kindly welcomed me, told me to help myself if I wanted a water or a tea while I sit in the front lobby and wait. I sat in a cozy chair while the smell of the aromatherapy infused room help me unwind. 12 minutes later, my Massage Therapist peeped her head into the lobby and asked my name. She then escorted me down a small hallway and into her room. The room was slightly dimmed and very professional looking with soft massage music in the background.
She asked me all the right questions like a normal introduction. IE: We are doing a 60-minute massage plus the 15- minute Good Vibes Facial, what areas do I need focused on, etc. I replied that I’d like a full body because everything is tight. I workout a lot, been under a lot of stress, and have not had a massage in a long time. She nodded her head, gave me instructions on what to do (such as undress to my comfort level and start face down), and that she would return in five minutes. This whole conversation took 5 minutes. I was slightly confused as to why this took so long; I wrote all this down on the intake form they sent me. If she read it in advance, surely the conversation wouldn’t’ve lasted that long. By the time I was on the table lying face down, it was already 8 minutes into my session time.
Five minutes exactly, she walked back into the room and started the massage with her protocol of me lying face down. She immediately started on my neck and back. At first, the strokes were very light. But after a few minutes, she started doing trigger point work. She would put her thumb on a spot, tell me to take a deep breath in, hold it while taking my arm out of the linen and move it around, then tell me to exhale while she was putting my arm back to its original place (right back on the table). She continued to do that on both sides of my neck and back. She placed warmed towels on my back then proceeded to my hamstrings and calves, skipping my glutes. Her strokes were fast for the most part but did slow down when she felt a knot and spent a few extra seconds on the spots.
Time to flip over. She held the linens and instructed me to flip and scoot my face down so its all the way on the table. Once comfortable, she proceeded to lightly massage and stretch my arms in between the deep breathing pattern that she did while I was face down. Once she was done with the arms, she spent a little time on my shins, skipping my quads and feet. Once she finished that extremity, she proceeded to go back to my head and applied the Good Vibes Facial which feltlike a very small vibrating tool. I think I dozed off a couple of times! Something about a fascial that just relaxes my mind, especially when getting a scalp massage during the time.
Next thing I knew, the Massage Therapist rolled her stool over the creaky hardwood floor and told me that the session was over, take my time getting dressed, and she’d be outside waiting for me when I’m done. I got up, looked at the time to see that she still gave me the adequate time despite starting late. I got dressed, walked down the hallway and back to the lobby to check out. She politely took my card for the remainder of my balance and said that she hopes to see me again soon. I turned to exit and realized that the door was locked. So I unlocked it, and quietly walked out of the spa into a tiny walkway that let to the exit of the building.
My Take-a-way:
- Very professional website. Very user friendly, too. As mentioned above, they do require a deposit upfront in order to schedule your session. The appointment confirmation and intake forms are automatically sent to you in seconds! If you complete the intake forms on your phone (or computer) it will save you time during your appointment. It’s so user friendly and easy to do, so why not just complete them once you receive your text? I did not receive a phone call or email confirming the appointment. So definitely document the appointment on your calendar and make sure you can receive text messages on your phone. Seems like it is their preferred and only method of appointment reminders.
- My Massage Therapist was very professional. After reading her bio, I can tell that she was licensed in the state of PA and has been practicing for quite some time. I learned that Trigger Point Therapy was part of her niche. However, that’s not what I asked for. I expected her to go over my intake form that I had to previously submit before my arrival. However, she didn’t mention anything that I wrote. So I told her that I just wanted to unwind and relax. I should’ve asked her or ensured her when the session started that I didn’t want something trigger-point related. I also should’ve mentioned a 2nd time that I wanted a full body. She skipped my glutes, quads, and feet. Instead, I laid there and let her do whatever she wanted. So don’t be afraid to speak up if your session is not going as planned.
- Fascial: I’m still unsure about the fascial. Cool that it was only a 15-minute add-on. I should’ve scheduled a chemical fascial, a peel, or something instead. Yes, it felt great! It even put me to sleep. However, I should’ve done more research on the device. Was it more cost effective to schedule the 15-minute facial with a device that I can buy online and do it in the comfort of my own home? The device is online and can range from $5.99 on Temu up to $51.96 on IBSpot. So what it really worth it? I don’t know. I think I would’ve rather had a peel sit and process and get a full body massage. Lord knows that I needed my quads, glutes, and feet massaged too. But, if it wasn’t for the experience, I wouldn’t have known about the small handheld device. So maybe it was a good thing.
- Give yourself some extra time after your scheduled session. Like a doctor’s office, Massage Therapists can fall behind schedule. If it’s the therapist’s fault for timing, you shouldn’t lose your any time during your session. If its your fault for being late, please don’t get upset if your massage session has to be cut short. It’s not the therapist’s fault and he/she probably has a packed day and cannot extend the time. Their schedule and time is just as important as yours.
Overall:
It was a good experience overall. It was rather close to my hotel and Lincoln Financial Field; perfect treat to add to my agenda. The city home-like location was cute, too, especially for a Midwest girl. We don’t see many buildings like that in the country. My Massage Therapist was very polite and seemed very knowledgeable in the industry. And while she was awesome with her talent in Trigger Point and providing a Good Vibes Fascial, I didn’t get a full body relaxational massage. She skipped parts that I would’ve loved her to work on such as my quads, glutes, and feet. And I couldn’t tell if the vibrating rose quart facial device really worked or not. Whether it did or didn’t, at least I was relaxed enough to fall asleep for a few minutes.
When she checked me out at the end and processed my card, she said that she hopes to see me again soon. It makes me wonder if she looked at my intake at all. I wrote what I was looking for in the intake (which doesn’t seem like she read) and it also had my address on it; clearly living out of state, I’m not coming back any time soon. And remember reading about the front door being locked? I’m glad she did it. Seemed like both massage rooms were occupied at the same time and no one was at the front desk while both rooms were in session. I appreciate the extra safety step while in the city. I would’ve done the same thing.
