TOFFT: Swan's Massage - 157 Pleasant, Malden
I was looking for a good massage to relieve some aches from working out, and anything extra would be most welcome. A place that advertises on CL without a name, but with address 157 pleasant st Malden and a phone number, was the closest available.
The lady who met me at the door (which said "Swan Massage") was reasonably attractive and 40-ish. She led me into a room that featured a sign saying that they love their customers and love tips, but please don't ask for sex. I have seen such signs in places that have a little extra, but my mistake was reading the last line ("no refunds") and not turning tail. If a place has to say that, then it means that customers have asked for refunds in the past, and that's not a good sign.
It started good until her phone rang. A customer wanted to come right now. She kept telling him one hour, several times, but apparently he wasn't having it. Eventually she rung off. But five minutes later he was there, and wanted my masseuse, and would not take no for an answer.
The door opened and closed several times. There were murmurs in Chinese. Eventually they sent in another lady to take care of me. Even then, the door kept opening and closing. It was not relaxing with all that commotion. Her hands were cold, and she seemed weak, but I did not actually see her until the flip. I thought she might be a grannie, but in fact she was probably no older than the previous lady. Not as nice looking, either, but not ugly. The big problem is that she gave me a soft massage despite me asking a few times for strong or hard. On the flip, she ran her hands all over my front softly in a way that I thought might be a tease, but she studiously avoided an area of interest.
Annoyingly, she asked me several times if everything was ok, and each time I told her that I needed a stronger or harder massage, and she continued doing what she was doing. When she finished (with no joy), she asked if it was good, and I said it was not, that I had asked for stronger and she did not give it.
To her credit, she told me to lay on my stomach again and gave me another 10 minutes where she used elbows, knees, and a bit more pressure. It would have been a passable massage if she had done that the whole time, but it was still weaker than I am accustomed to.
I complained that I had pain coming in, still had pain, and they had taken my $60 without providing a good massage. She offered me a discount "next time". That surely does me no good. There will definitely not be a next time for this place.
Still, I have a sense that some guys. Regulars? - are getting something extra. Why else would the guy before me insist on the first lady? And why would someone call MY lady and she invited him to come in, if she denied him too? So YMMV.
I suppose I might have had better luck if I used the trick of putting a tip on the table of the expected amount. I do that sometimes, but other times I just want to see what is offered instead.
BTW neither lady looked as nice as the beauty the feature on their CL ad. No surprise there.
PS, while the first lady was working on me, my arms hanging down from the sides of the table, I became aware of something furry checking out my hands. It was a poodle. Reasonably well behaved, but it was distracting and it got old. But the dog seemed to like me, and persisted. I think having animals in a massage parlor is a bit unprofessional.