Berkeley Deep Sports Massage

A friend recommended Aida and I feel so lucky to have found her! I am an endurance athlete and have had all sorts of massage and body work over the years, and Aida is exceptionally talented, professional, and knowledgeable. I've had a persistent hamstring issue that she really helped me with.

Just had the most uncomfortable interaction I’ve ever experienced in the massage space. I booked a 60 minute appointment with Tanya. Upon arrival, I was greeted and asked what I was looking for. I indicated that it had been awhile since I’d had a massage and was in need of a relaxing experience. Tanya immediately became defensive stating “that’s not what I do” and proceeded to lecture me on the difference between a Swedish massage and a sports massage. As a certified massage therapist, I am well aware of the difference and was in a bit of shock at the level of defensiveness and hostility I was experiencing. Tanya insisted on my rescheduling with someone else, and upon my resistance to this, contacted the owner (which I did not request or want in any way). Had Tanya given me the space to explain my needs, perhaps she could have found a way to tailor her expertise to my preferences. Perhaps this just wasn’t a great fit, but it is unlike any interaction I’ve had with a massage professional.

I had a massage with Tanya, and my body definitely feels better. I think she is a skillful massage therapist. However, there were a couple of things that stood out to me that felt uncomfortable: a cold tool (for scraping I think) was introduced in the middle of the massage when I was facedown with no warning, and Tanya also provided firm massage with both hands on my neck while I was face up without warning either. There was no check in about how I was doing or feeling once the appointment started. Being facedown with a mask for 40 minutes impeded my ability to breathe or talk comfortably. I totally respect COVID safety measures, but their set up does not work well for me. At the end of the appointment, while I was still unclothed and on the table, I was sort of abruptly told to work on my posture and drink more water. Totally meaningful advice, but delivery made me feel scolded in a vulnerable moment. Being asked to tip when scheduling the appointment is really odd to me, and I think some of the awkwardness of my appointment might have been due to me deciding to only tip after the appointment ended.