Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa

  3904 Bridgeport Way W University Place, WA 98466-4484

• 

  Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa

  444 Ramsay Way Ste 110 Kent, WA 98032-4536

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/17/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On 5/11/24, I attended Hand and Stone at ****************. I booked online for a massage with an add on of Himalayan salt stones for 15 dollars and the aromatherapy add on for 10 dollars. Before the appointment began, I expressed to the massage therapist three times that I only wanted the mini-Himalayan salt stone upgrade for 15 dollars which is what I believed I was receiving and was being charged for. The massage therapist ran out of time and did not get my arms as I requested. I also asked twice for firmer pressure, and she continued to go light, so she did not honor my request. She commented at the end of the session that it was not her best service and that she is sorry. I overall was not pleased with the service I received from her because she ran out of time on the areas that I wanted to focus on and did not use firmer pressure per my request. When I went to the front desk at the end of the session, they charged me 30 dollars instead of the 15-dollar upgrade that I signed up for online and requested to the therapist. This is my first time coming to this Hand and Stone, I usually attend the Hand and Stone close to my home, in my previous experiences with the other facility, they always charge 15 dollars for the mini-Himalayan salt stone which is what I always request. At this place in ******, they charged me 30 dollars which was not correct. They added a coupon to waive the 10 dollars for the aromatherapy upgrade and charged me 30 dollars. I was not happy that I paid double what I normally pay, and I requested to speak with a manager. I got in contact with a manager on 5/13/24 as they were off during that weekend. When I spoke with the manager about the situation, she stated she would refund the 15 dollars. She initially agreed to my request. She then called back about a few hours later with an aggressive nasty tone and stated they will only be refunding 5 dollars back and not 15 dollars. Her tone was very defensive and argumentative. She stated that they removed the coupon and charged me for the 10-dollar aromatherapy upgrade and changed the 30-dollar price to the 15-dollar price. As a result, they reduced the total refund amount from $15 to $5. The manager on the phone was rude and snarky, she stated that is what youre getting, and we will not change our decision, I am busy. I am siding with the therapist, come get your 5-dollar refund, it is at the desk! You are going to be charged now for the aromatherapy upgrade. She was very rude and discourteous. She was angry that I even filed a complaint. She continued to dismiss my concerns about the poor service I received and the fact that I requested to the therapist I wanted the 15-dollar upgrade and defended what the therapist stated about the upgrade being 30 dollars instead. When I spoke to the owner about my experience and dissatisfaction with the massage and outcome, he stated all massages are subjective and they may or may not run out of time, his therapist needs commission, she needs to be paid regardless of your concerns. Each time I expressed my concerns, he always had excuses and was defensive of his employees and continuously dismissed all of what I said. When I asked why I was being charged for 10 dollars when it was waived initially, he accused me of wanting something for free and stated now the coupon does not apply. He was very nasty and unconcerned about my feelings. There is a sign I will share below that states adding a Himalayan salt stone or hot stone to your massage means you are eligible for a free aromatherapy upgrade, but they took that coupon back and charged me for it which is not the way to treat customers. I have been a member of Hand and Stone since 2020 and I make monthly payments of $89 to receive this service so for me it is not for free. I have packages and reward points that could have been used to cover these upgrades from being a longtime member, but he refused to apply or honor that request. The owners email response after expressing my concerns was very passive aggressive and defensive of his employees and business. He did not have any value for me as a consumer and he and the managers did not treat me with dignity or respect. Their interactions were very hostile and unpleasant. They had the tone of attacking me as if I did something wrong instead of trying to figure out how to make it right. He did not have any compassion or empathy and refused to rectify the situation. When I told him I will not be coming back because of the treatment I received from him and the manager, he stated that is fine, he could not care less. Overall, I received very poor customer service and was terribly treated by the manager and owner of the facility. They dismissed all my concerns and did not resolve my issue. They initially promised to refund the 15 dollars and only gave me $5 and charged me for the aromatherapy when they initially waived the fee. That is poor customer service as they initially applied a coupon to my package, then removed it and decided to charge me because I voiced a concern about receiving poor service and that I only requested for a $15 dollar upgrade but was charged $30. There was no compassion or an attitude of how I can make it right for the customer. They seemed irritated, annoyed, and as if they did not care about the customers concerns. I am frustrated with the poor treatment and unprofessionalism that I received. I am requesting for the remaining 10 dollars to be refunded and compensation for this terrible experience. I also want to add that they are not telling the truth about the mini salt stones not having the aromatherapy upgrade. I called in and spoke with ****** and he said the aromatherapy upgrade applies to both the mini and the full salt stones. The manager ******* made this decision because she was ***** and had an attitude that I complained about the poor service I received and that I was not charged for the right service. When I called in on 5/16/24 to follow up with what he said, she screamed at me "you are band from this place, never come back again!! GOODBYE!!!" Then she hung up on me. I reported her to the owner and to corporate. She needs to be fired. I will never ever come to this horrible business!!! They are racist and discriminatory against people of color. They are only treating me this way because I am black. They need to be put out of business!!! If you review Yelp.com and ****** reviews, they have mistreated so many people and gotten away with it. This inappropriate behavior needs to be exposed and should not continue. I have reported this to the owner and to corporate and they have done nothing to resolve this issue, nor do they care. They allow customers to be abused by this terrible manager. The owner left me threatening messages to never contact his business again. When I spoke to ***** in the corporate office, she stood with this business, she yelled at me, berated me, and refused to do anything to help. She even laughed at me and dismissed all my concerns. She told me to get over it and that she understands why they are treating me this way and they have the right to behave the way they are behaving. They are racist, they see a person of color and they do not feel they should treat them fairly and with respect. I want this horrible treatment to be exposed and for justice to be served.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/17/2024

  Many things in her complaint are not factually correct. I will stick directly with the service.

  The service was booked at our spa for the first time. She is a member at *****. We booked at Swedish massage. While at the spa she changed from a Swedish massage to a specialty massage of Salt Stone Massage. This specialty massage is $30 more than the Swedish. We were running a member special that if you booked certain kinds of specialty massage services you can choose from a list of enhancements for free. She elected to do that specialty service and add Aromatherapy (a $10 enhancement), but free that day with the specialty massage service. 

  She received the full specialty massage using salt stones and aromatherapy. At the end the charge was $30 (Salt Stone Massage vs Swedish) and $10 (aromatherapy). We couponed down the $10 enhancement and she paid the $30. On Monday she called and said she wanted the mini salt stone enhancement (10 minutes of using the salt stones), not the whole service salt stone. She did receive the whole service salt stone and never made any comments when its use exceed the 10 minutes, but we agreed to reopen her ticket and change it to a Swedish massage with mini salt stone enhancement. The issue is that the special offer then does not apply and she needed to pay for the aromatherapy of $10. We refunded the difference and she picked it up in cash of $5.  ($30 specialty removed, $15 mini stone enhancement added and aromatherapy enhancement of $10 less the $30 paid).We have given her the discounts we will be giving.We never agreed to give her a free enhancement of aromatherapy receiving a Swedish massage with mini salt stone enhancement. The issue is over $10 not $25 as stated.
  

  After the service certain events occurred that caused us to restrict her access to the Spa. This restriction relates to the **************** spa that she said early on she would never visit again.

  Thank You.
  

  Business Response

  Date: 05/19/2024

  This was a salt stone massage (added cost $30) with a member special of a free enhancement. $30 cash was paid by the customer at the closing of the ticket. We later refunded $5 by changing the service to a Swedish massage with a Mini Salt Stone enhancement  and paying for the enhancement. In an attempt to satisfy the customer we will agree to refund the requested amount of $25 requested in addition to the $5 already refunded. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 21724609
  

  Good morning *******, this is *********************. I have received a response from the business that they are willing to offer a refund of $25. I tried to call directly but there was no response. I am not sure their method of refunding the amount or whether they will mail it or allow me to pick it up. Can you please follow up with them on my behalf to know how and when will the refund be issued. I will consider this case closed when the refund has been issued. Thanks.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/20/2024

  If we could get a conformation on an address we can mail a check or money order to her. *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/23/2024

   
  I have received the response from the company. I am requesting for a check to be mailed to my address:
  
  ************************************
  

  
  

   

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2024

  be sent today.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/30/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On Jan 11, **** I went to this establishment for a massage and facial. Upon entering the room for the facial, I told the esthetician that I was there for a maintenance facial. Without stating that there would be an enhancement, upgrade or surcharge, the esthetician performed my facial service. Upon leaving, I was charged three times the amount for my facial. They stated the esthetician added on two upgrades. I informed the business that I did not agree to this. I have been a loyal member here since 2018 and have never had an upgrade (other than a few times when they were offering a free upgrade to members). I informed management that I did not agree to this. They refused to reimburse me. As a member, I pay $80 per month for services. Instead of charging me for one facial service, I was charged for 3 services, equal to $240. They overcharged me the equivalent of $160.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/12/2024

  Thank you for the chance to respond. The service in question is a facial and certain upgrades. The base facial was one that the client had before and she has had certain upgrades. The professional after looking at the skin made a recommendation for additional services and outlined the use of using additional service packages to pay for the service. The additional services are very notable, explained in detail and uses complex equipment that is different than any base facial. It is far removed from the basic facial. We fully explained the service, reason why and the cost. Again it was very notable in the service and it was different than basic facials she had in the past. At the end of the service the professional explained the whole service again, showed results generated by the upgrade and showed her the tools used in the added service. 

  The service was fully performed and we used existing service packages limiting out of pocket costs. If she would have stopped us during the service it would be a different, but the service was fully explained and fully used, the service was notably different than past services, and needs to be paid for. We can not refund money on services fully performed.We also discussed this on the phone with her and in person. Unfortunately our position can not change.
  

  While at the spa she said she wished to terminate her membership and we agree that is in the best interest of everyone. We have processed the termination today so no additional charges come out for her membership and she has 90 days to use any packages she might have remaining. The packages can be used at our spa location or any Hand & Stone location nationwide.After the 90 days packages unused will expire and all future services will be a the non-member rate. 

  Thank you.
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/12/2024

   
  Complaint: 21133149
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  There are some flagrantly false statements in your message. I have been a loyal member with Hand and Stone since 2018 and have never made a complaint or had any issues. Even when I encountered a massage therapist who had very poor skills, I simply made sure not to book with him again, but fully paid for my service. In this case, the esthetician is not being truthful about our interaction and conversation. I clearly stated that I was there for just a maintenance facial and at no point did their employee use the words upgrade, add-on, additional, upcharge, etc. Each esthetician does things differently, and as this was my first time working with this particular person, I was under the impression that she did things her own way, not simply assuming that I was consenting to two additional fees simply because she was using different techniques that I had experienced in the past. It feels like she was purposefully deceptive. It is very unfortunate that they charged me 3 times what I expected. There should be clear understanding and consent for any additional fees, especially when we are talking about triple the cost. 
  I do agree that it is best that the membership is canceled. I was told by their employee that I still have 20 services on my account. This is approximately $1600 that I have already paid to the business. Per their message, I have 90 days to use them. By this calculation, the last day I can use them is Thursday April 4th.

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/15/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I signed up for Hand and Stones monthly massage package for myself and my girlfriend for $159.90/ month. We have been unable to use even 1 session due to the therapist "not showing up to work". I have set 4 separate appointments, and had every one cancelled the day of the service due to the reason above. I cancelled my membership after the 4th cancellation and requested my money back for the combined 6 sessions I paid for but could not use. The manager offered me a free upgrade on each session, I declined, and she said that's all she could do. I would like a full refund due to their lack of competency and the inability to use my sessions.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/18/2023

  We have two members. One is ************** and ********************. They are both relating to this complaint, but they need to be addressed as the two memberships they are.

  We did have ************** have an issue with the massage therapist unable to do a scheduled service due to a sickness and loss in the family. We do not make staff work if sick or are unable. We did apologize on behalf of the spa and offered compensation for the delay in the form of extra service time, service upgrades, time to use services doubled and waiving last payment required by membership contract. Our packages are also good at any Hand & Stone ******** so they can be used anywhere, not just *******. It is unfortunate that is the best we can do. Per the signed contract no refunds are possible.
  

  In the case of ******************** we did not have any calls out by staff and did have staff willing and able to do the services in question. They elected to cancel the service as we could not do both at the same time as a couples service. We offered the same adding of service time and waivers as **************. In addition after that issue described, on December 7, 2023, ******************** used one of the prepaid services in question at our ******** NW spa. That service was booked and membership used that ************** is saying we owe them back.We can not refund used services used at another H&S ********.
  

  We would be happy to have the packages used over the next 6 months at any Hand & Stone ******** (as occurred on 12/7/23) or be booked at the Kent ******** the extra time and services added to the booked time. Again we are sorry our professional had these issues come up that did not allow the service to be conducted on the ************* requested by **************  Please accept our apologies.