I first went to Sankofa Massage when they offered a deal during "Everyone Deserves a Massage" week. At first I thought it was a bit unusual that Sankofa is located in the back of the store, Urban Elements but heck, I needed a massage, so off I went.
I was rewarded by my decision by having the best massage experience I've ever had. I have now been to Sankofa twice, and both experiences make me highly recommend them.
To begin, Tye, the massage therapist, has a pre-massage meeting with you. After determining whether or not this is your first time massage, she asks you specifically what you are looking for in the massage. Then she tells you a bit about her style of massage -- she runs a bit deeper than most for a relaxation massage-- to be sure that you have a full picture of what will be happening. She also asks questions about oils and scents to be sure that you have a beneficial experience.
I wasn't able to get a deep tissue massage at that time, so I went for the deeper than normal relaxation. It was perfect! She did dig a bit deeply for some knots, but was respectful of the fact that I had an event to attend and could not have too deep a massage. Her responsiveness to and respectfulness of my massage needs was better than I had experienced in any other massage place.
It is the after massage experience that was the newest thing for me. Tye sits down with you, asks for feedback on the massage (which she also does during the massage) and then talks with you about what she did and what your problem spots are.
Two weeks later, I went back for another massage, and was pleased that she did all of the same things -- premassage talk, massage that she adjusted as needed for my problem areas, and post massage meeting.
Now here's the last thing that I think makes Sankofa unique - even though in my last post-massage meeting when I asked Tye if I needed to come back for work she said it wasn't necessary. How often do you find that today? The post massage talk is not a way for her to get you to make more appointments, it's genuinely designed for true feedback!
From beginning to end I found my experience at Sankofa a positive one.
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