Relaxation Garden

Very bad experience! The male masseuse was massaging only my neck area for 30 min, and I had asked for an 1 hr massage. Way too much time in one tiny area massaging with one hand. He seemed uninterested, and very insensitive, burping, sniffling and when he cut a big fart. I got up and said; This is not working for me, I dont like this! They sent a girl in for the remaining time… but it was already too late, I was pissed. They didnt seem to care! Charged me full price anyway. Me and my husband were both there and will never go back.

Great price, great massage. Don’t come expecting a soho spa, come for a deep tissue, 1hr for $ 55.

Unfortunately not always so good. Lot of the staff seems unexpeirenced. Good thing is, you typically can just walk in and the prices are reasonable.

BEST MASSAGE EVER! I have had many massages and this was hands down the best deep tissue massage I have ever experienced. The massage was done exactly as I requested and was very thorough and ran as such for the whole time alloted!

great massage for the price, and love that you can just walk in. Clean, semi-​private cubbies, polite staff that listened to feedback about what I wanted focused on.

For the price, this place is great. The thing to keep in mind is that you have to tell them what you want during the amount of time you’ve selected (full body, focus on lower back, very hard, etc.) or you’ll get some inconsistency. I’ve found that each masseuse has a very different style. But I really like this place and I appreciate that I can walk in with no appointment and get a massage within a few minutes, often immediately.

Stay away from this place! It’s a rip off! Poor service and unprofessional masseurs. My shoulders were sore for a week after getting a massage here. Besides, I hate that they force you to buy more time and pay more. The first time I was here, I paid for a 45 minute massage. The lady kept massaging the right side of my body until the time was up! Then she said I should buy more time and pay more if I wanted my other side massaged! I said I would pay for 15 more minutes. She only massaged my left arm and shoulder for 15 minutes and said if I want my left leg massaged, I would have to pay more! I could not believe it. Never seen such a thing. There are several other spas in the neighborhood that are professional and reasonable. This shop is set up to make fast money, not to provide service.

I’m so glad I came across this place today. I was feeling pretty stiff and Cindy sure did work the knots out. Cindy has a gentle nature and strong hands. I didn’t need to point anything out to her as she intuitively knew what I needed. I live on the other side of the country but I will do my best to get back here when I’m on the Atlantic side.

I am a big fan of this place. The staff are all very friendly and the lay out of the place is simple– little bamboo style sectioned off booths– and hushed talking make it a relaxing environment. I’ve visited quite a few times in the last few months and have had three different people massage me– all have been excellent. Their method is chinese and swedish massage– they really work into our knots. I’ve also had a very good reflexology here. Prices are really reasonable too. Nothing but good things to say!

Coming from the land of cheap asian massages, California, I was determined to find the equivalent in my newly adopted hood. Relaxation Garden is my place! In some ways it’s better because there’s a little more privacy with the dividers.
If you’ve experienced these «cheap» asian massage places then you should already know you it’s not about the ambiance (water noises and generic forest noises) but they get the job done. If your muscles are tight, have a stiff knot, this is the place. I’ve been going to the same lady and have taken friends and family from out of town and they love it too. People often complain it’s too firm, you just have to let them know because it’s their style.
NOTE: I think tip is cash only but you can pay by card.

Best part: Relaxation Garden is one of the only massage parlors that has an owner who speaks english well enough to communicate exactly what kind of massage you want. If you’ve been to a fair share of massage houses you’ll be pleased to hear this.
The massage is standard affair. That is, especially relaxing after a long day at work.
For those who are nervous about getting a massage, don’t be! For some reason in the USA these kind of Asian massage parlors get a negative connotation (you know what I’m talking about). But it’s not like that. All you’re going to get is a relaxing time, and is well worth it.
Would give a 5 star if:
The dividers between booths could be taller (though being 6’4″ I’m probably the only person that would notice this), and a tighter room altogether.

I REALLY wanted to like this place and gave it two tries. I guess I’ve just become spoiled by some of the other fantastic Chinese/​tui-​na massage experiences I’ve had in Manhattan, and am still looking for the equivalent in Brooklyn, to no avail.
The first time I went, was in November or December, and the guy I got had such a stuffy nose or cold that he was snorting up his snot the entire massage, and it was completely grossing me out to the point that I cut the session short. And on top of that, he wasn’t really that good…
So last week I got out of work a little early, and figured I’d treat myself to a massage and I was looking for one in my nabe (Brooklyn Heights), and remembered one a few blocks away from my place, so I wandered over there looking for Unilocal reviews on my phone, on my way. Nothing… I looked it up on google maps, again, nothing. So I searched for the name of the establishment on google, and voila… evidently, I had stumbled upon den of erotic massage! A number of search results indicated that this was a hotbed (pun intended) of salacious massage activity. Not what I was looking for, so I found another place via Unilocal (Five Elements) and wandered over there, only to find a giant NYC sign plastered on the door that they’d be shut down due to non-​payment of Worker’s Comp taxes or fees or something…
SO…I decided to give Relaxation Garden another try…
While walking over, I sort out a plan of attack to make sure I didn’t get the same guy I got before… good thing I did, because that’s who I was about to get. I walk in, there are some people milling about the waiting area, there seems to be some confusion… they point me to a stall, but don’t indicate who would be doing the massage, so I go in there and it’s the «room» right by the front, behind the desk, and the phone is ringing, and then the front desk woman’s cell phone ringing, and then there is a guy trying to negotiate prices, and it’s all very loud and not relaxing, so I asked to be moved away from the front, they accommodated me with no hassle, and moved me to the back. Still noisy, but better. The aforementioned massage guy comes by and I said, I’d like to have a woman, please… and that can’t really be argued with, so that was my easy out. So a woman came in, and her massage technique was good, if a little hard, but that’s fine, but her pacing was all off, and I think it’s tactic to get you to add on more time. I had come in and specified that I’d like an hour massage, and they said ok… so she spent probably about 45 minutes just on my back, and then gave brief attention to my arms and legs, and then when the hour was up and the massage was completely unbalanced, she asked me if I’d like to add on more time to do the other areas. When I said no, it was pat pat, off you go. Very rushed and not smooth at the end. AND, this woman too had the sniffles, but she stopped mid-​massage, to blow her nose (twice) which was better because I didn’t have to listen to it, BUT she didn’t wash her hands either so that was kinda gross (and I’m not a germphobe). This got me wondering (a leap, I recognize) if there is something going on in the place, like mold or something to cause all these sniffles, or if it was just an unfortunate coincidence that both times I went I had Mr/​Ms Sniffles.
All in all, the massage is fine (nothing great, nothing bad), but the atmosphere (and I’m not a girl who needs candles and aura cleansings) is just not conducive to getting a massage… it’s loud, disorganized, rushed and not relaxing.

I went here on Thanksgiving day and saw they were having a special ($ 45/​hour, what what!) so my boyfriend and I got Thanksgiving massages. The lady who did my massage was either really bony or really forceful, but sometimes that’s a good thing I guess. After time was up and we paid and left, I asked my boyfriend how his massage was and he said, «Well…she sure got up in my creases.» Long story short, during the massage he was a little worried about what would happen if she asked him to turn over onto his back (but she didn’t).
Then when we went home to take a shower to get all the massage oil grease off, my BF pointed out that I had big bruises on my back from the massage. Guess my lady was really bony AND really forceful!
I’d go back, but def speak up if it’s painful (or if you think you’re about to get molested). And don’t plan to wear a backless dress or anything afterward.

Seriously phenomenal.
Like one of the reviewers below said, they don’t ask you about your injuries and individual requirements before they start working on it. But it doesn’t matter, because even on my first visit, their intuitive knowledge of my back and body was *that* good.
Many of the massage therapists I’ve visited either go too hard (getting out the knots, but leaving me in pain and not exactly relaxed) or, less often, too easy (a nice slice of relaxation, but no real difference in how you feel afterwards.
Relaxation Garden was the perfect middle ground, though. My therapist spent a good amount of time warming up, mapping out the knots and nicks on my body and getting me relaxed, and then got to work on the deep tissue; identifying tension points I never knew I had, but keeping the deep tissue work nicely mixed up with the more relaxing, lighter massage.
I don’t think I’ve had a massage this good since I used to see an osteopath. And as others have mentioned, at $ 55 for an hour, the price ain’t half bad, either.

Ive had two really aweful experiences here.
The first, the woman massaging me asked me 3 times to extend my time (mind you I was already at an hour) and went so far as to ask if Id stop my massage to run into another room to ask my friend if he wanted to extend his time too. It was the most un– relaxing experience of my life. There is nothing worse than paying someone to relieve tension only to have it brought back on by them hussling you for money. I finally let her have it after the third time and after i explained how after the first no it should have been enough.
The second bad experience (I shouldnt have gone back but I wanted to like this place)
The woman massaging me had the hands of a weak five year old. The massage was so soft and bad that I could have massaged myself better. When I asked for it a little harder she didn’t listen and just kept verry gently rubing me, after an hour when I emerged from the massage room. They were all gossiping and laughing at me in chinese– NOT COOL. Talk shit after the customer leaves. It was so clear that I asked them why they were laughing at me and the man (who appears to be the owner) just shooed me away with his hand.
So people of you don’t mind being hustled for money and some old school racism.
Be my guest and pay them money to unrelax you.
Yeah Im pissed at this place.

this place rivals some of the more spa-​like massages i’ve had. it is a great deal and really convenient for those who live in the neighborhood. i also came here for just a 60 minute massage and ended up staying another half hour. enjoy!

A one hour full-​body massage for $ 55. You can’t beat it. For $ 55, you won’t be getting any walls – just partitions – but at least they are considerate.
They walked gently in the «hallway» and spoke softly at the front, which is separated from the massage area.
The massage was so good that I almost fell asleep. They were professional and courteous. And they’re open until 10 p.m.
I don’t know why there aren’t more reviews for this place, but on busy Smith Street they probably don’t need a lot of advertisements.

«No pain, no gain.»
Relaxation Garden is my secret weapon.

I actually really like this place. The only gripe I have is that they can really dig into you while working out those knots, which personally is too much for me. Now I know to ask for a medium massage and they’re always good and check with me if it’s OK. They are very responsive to feedback or if you ask for a general area like shoulders to be worked on. I also like how it’s really dim and quiet in there and everybody whispers — I feel instantly relaxed and welcome walking in and how you hear very subtle music while you get a massage in a private bamboo’d off section. I once also had a really painful toe that made me limp and came in for a foot massage thinking it might help a little and walked out with no pain. I think it’s worth trying — especially for the prices.

If you’re the type who needs fancy candles, aromatherapy, Enya, a steam shower, and a happy ending to go with your massage, then this isn’t the place for you. But, if all you’re looking for is to get your stress and knots beaten by petite Asian women and scrawny men, then drop in! No appointment required, and they’re open late. Not only is it totally affordable (an hour is $ 55), but I always feel like they’re totally in touch with my body when I’m on the (sort-​of comfortable) table, and demonstrate a genuine interest in my well-​being because the massages are never routine or predictable. I don’t even need to say where to concentrate because they always figure it out, and I always leave feeling relaxed and satisfied.