Project Zen

Management did a great job dealing with a recent issue. Look forward to my next visit.

I tried calling three times to get a reservation and left messages three times — was even ready to put $ 450 on my account to take advantage of their special deal. No one bothered to call me back! What kind of service is this? I took my business elsewhere.

This is for the Customer Service only. I purchased a Groupon a couple months ago. Tried to make an appt but all their weekends are booked with their «regular customers.» The appt I did set I was not able to make. I work A LOT of hours (and my Father is ill). So they charged me a $ 37 fee which is fine, BUT I still have paid for a Groupon that I am not able to use! They wont take the Groupon and refund my $ 37 either.
To make matters worse, then the girl I just spoke with on the phone told me to call Groupon… What? Why? Its not Groupon’s problem (its clearly mine). Groupon’s wait time is 30 minutes.
~Now I really need a massage — Guess I will be calling Message Envy :(

They still continue to do a superb job! Today is my birthday and there was a mix up on the day of my massage. Mida (sp?) at the front called in Luka who came in especially for me so I wouldn’t miss out. In addition, they put together a great little gift basket for me. Always a class act here!
I’ve been going weekly for about a year and every one of the masseuses are very good or better. All family members and friends I have taken loved it.
My only word of warning is not to book a massage around 10 – 12 on Saturdays because you might take me spot. If that happens I will find you;)

This place is amazing! Angela was awesome and she was so gentle! The ambience is so peaceful. Definitely coming back to this place.

Got the Groupon deal for a 2 hour Thai massage along w/​the 1 hour foot reflexology.
First off, I must say this is a steal. Without the Groupon, everything adds up to $ 255 before tip. Incredible value.
My massage w/​Noi was relaxing. She has firm and consistent pressure. Although she asked where I wanted to focus on, she didn’t really allocate additional time for said areas. Loved the head massage part. The foot massage w/​Paolo was amazing. Especially when he works on your calves. Ohhh!!!
The noise level was super light. Music was good. Facility is clean.

At Project Zen, you get exactly what you pay for. The facility is lovely if small, front desk staff is efficient if a bit cool, and the massage therapists overall are good but not great. I’ve visited the spa 6 – 7 times for foot reflexology and deep tissue massage; each time, I leave shrugging and thinking «Meh — that was fine.» Never bad, never great, but adequate.
Pros: Facility is very clean, parking is plentiful, massages always meet a certain minimum quality threshold, prices are reasonable for a moderately upscale place, the tea is delightful.
Cons: It’s hard to put my finger on exactly where their growth opportunities are, but whenever I’m in the midst of a massage at Project Zen, it’s just never that great. You know those moments in a massage where it’s just sublime and you wish it could go on forever? For whatever reason, I never have those moments at Project Zen.
Also, the foot reflexology experience focuses pretty exclusively on your foot/​ankles — if you frequent Asian foot massage places and are accustomed to their approach, know that you won’t be getting the full body massage as part of Project Zen’s treatment.

I’ve been here in the past and i truly enjoy my services. I got the Day of Zen package, and it’s a three hour treatment with an hour herbal foot soak/​foot reflexology session and a two hour Swedish massage with a heated herbal press. The massage was not great but it’s not bad either. I do feel pretty relax after.
So why the 3 stars? I purchased another Day of Zen package as an anniversary gift to my Fiancé on 3.23.15. Ive been calling and leaving 3 voicemails trying to make a reservation. Our anniversary came and gone and I still didn’t hear back from anyone. I finally went over there to make an appointment in person. To my surprise, i wasn’t the only one experiencing this. A line of people were there trying to make their reservation in person because they could not reach them. I am glad i was able to reserve a spot a month and a half after our anniversary.

Super nice place. I booked a Thai massage and a facial. The Thai massage was wonderful. The space is dark and woody and smells fantastic. You go up stairs into this dark curtained space and change into these bagging pants and tshirt. There is a futon on the floor that you lie on. Then the masseuse does her thing — stepping on your back, legs and arms. Its a big painful so you need to give feedback on what works and doesn’t. I can’t say it was relaxing, but a good stretch, pull and pressure really was exactly what I needed.
The facial was a good facial — I would say above average for San Francisco. I like the products they used and my fave looks a lot better afterwards.
I will DEFINITELY be coming back.

This guy is an a-​hole! My g-​d! I had an appointment with him. I live in San Bruno and the drive is short; however, there was an accident on the freeway which in turn led me to arrive 30 minutes late to my appointment. While in traffic, I called Zen and informed them of the unforeseen situation. I asked to please allow me to change my appointment to a later date and time. He smirked, said no because the credit card is on file, and he will be charging my card regardless of whether or not I keep my appointment. I ended up coming 30 minutes late, receiving a half-​ass massage and left.
He’s so rude! He so doesn’t match the name of this place. UGH! Never again will I step foot in this place. Lacking customer service 100%. Had he been more understanding, I would’ve came back. Now he lost a customer and you know what they say — 1 bad experience = 10 negative responses to friends & family.

I tried out Project Zen in Burlingame after getting a GroupOn deal and wanting to try a Thai massage. The massage was great /​relaxing — I normally go for deep tissue massage and have lower back pain frequently, so to have Jin apply pressure to my back from her feet /​knees was incredibly good. I did feel much better after the massage, which involves not only the therapist using feet /​knees /​elbows but also more traditional fingers on your upper back /​chest /​legs. Since then I went back for a 2^nd Thai massage and that was great, too.
The place is very quiet and clean and well taken care of. They have you put on slippers to walk back to the room and for the Thai massage you wear special baggy pants.
They are having a special this month on a membership deal — once a month you get a 1 hour massage for around $ 50.

Stumbled upon this hidden gem while exploring downtown Burlingame. It’s a few doors down from Starbucks.
Had an amazing eastern style Thai massage for $ 70/​hr minus 10% with Unilocal check in!
The facility was clean and well maintained. The rooms were small but standard for massage spots.
Everyone was friendly, they have fairly priced items available as well such as tea, Thai version of icy hot ointment and oils and diffusers. I’d definitely come back the next time I’m in Burlingame area.

Just had a Thai massage by Pat. Loved her. I heard Thai massage is painful but I know my body needed work so I gave it a try. WOW. It felt great, I was actually very relaxed. She knew right where my body needed work and I will be returning. Place was beautiful, clean and professional.

Purchased a thai massage for myself and my boyfriend on
— it was a great deal and I thought this new place, close to home, was definitely worth a shot.
You will be given a change of clothes for your thai massage, and slippers — which you will put on in the front waiting room area. Very interesting lay out here, with stairs that lead up to curtained off areas where your thai massage will be performed.
I was seen by Pat, who is quite strong (don’t let her size fool you). Pat is very friendly, and attentive. She made sure I was OK the whole time and was responsive to the way my body reacted to each part of the treatment. There was some cracking, and it felt great. I felt stretched and relaxed and didn’t experience as much soreness as I expected afterwards.
They serve you a cup of hot tea after your treatment and let you know what you can do to ease any soreness, aches, pains, etc. Overall, a very nice experience at an affordable price. I am curious to try out their other services, and I hope to do so very soon.

Was gifted a free massage, so I went in again. Got booked with a different masseuse (I want to say her name was Michelle?) who didn’t do as good of a job. I guess like most services, it really depends on who you get.
Given the inconsistencies, I probably wouldn’t return without a voucher.
Some +‘s:
Really clean, smells heavenly (like lemongrass, my favorite oil scent), and friendly staff.

This place is a great place to get a massage. It is clean, smells nice, and staff is friendly. I think this place is awesome, but I am somehow not completely in love. My husband scheduled a massage here because I have had a stiff neck for about a week that has been causing me discomfort at work and at the gym. My deep tissue massage was good but not good enough to leave without my neck still hurting. I have gone in feeling this tense previously somewhere else and left pain free. This is the only reason I am rating this place a ⁴⁄₅.
On a side note– I would probably keep this place as my emergency back up for massages.
If you have a super tense back/​neck like me… a deep tissue massage is somewhat painful but totally worth the pain.

Hubby bought me a series of massages from here for my birthday, and it’s one of the best presents he’s ever given me. As long as you plan a day in advance, it’s easy to schedule with their online system.
Walking in, you enter a quiet serene environment with an interesting aroma. Your masseuse comes out to greet you and take you back to your room. Before they do, they ask if you need to pee first. Given that you don’t want to interrupt your session to pee, you take them up on the offer. The bathroom, like the rest of the facilities, is roomy and inviting. A candle burning in the bathroom gives off a citrus-​y/​spicy smell that helps to mask what the person before you has done in the bathroom. You’re done with your business and go into the room. Before you know it, you’re in a such a state of relaxation and doze off, snoring a tiny bit. After the end of the session, you’re handed a cup of warm herbal tea to finish. Utter bliss.
I’m a fan of the deep tissues, but not so much the other massages. Also for Thai massages, it’s much more cost effective to go to one of the Thai places. Everyone is good enough, but some better than others. Noi and Paolo are great if I can book them.

Thai massage, cheap, spa-​like.
I’m not sure what more you could ask for? Receptionist was super friendly, and they accept spa finder /​spa week gift certificates.
Normally $ 70 /​60min for a thai massage, but they have deals ( Unilocal 10% off, spa week right now, and package deals — which gives you 30% off during October)
The Thai massage itself was strong, little lady stepping all over my back but not breaking it — score haha. She asked if she could use tiger balm, yes please! would totally dive into it if no one else had to smell me, since I’m always super sore from my workouts!
Would definitely come back if it were closer to my house!!! :) :) :) highly recommended!!!

My go to massage spot… I’ve been here at least 5 times and everytime I am always satisfied with my massage.
Have done thai, swedish, deep tissue from male and female therapist and always clean, on time and professional.
Love the calm soothing feel once you walk in the door with the low voices and tea =)
prefer this over SF as theres parking and you can eat yummy food in San Mateo afterwards!

I arrived 15 minutes before my appointment and checked in with the receptionist who was very friendly. She provided me with a form to fill out some personal information, area (s) you want your therapist to focus on, and the level of intensity from 1 – 5 (5 being the highest) that you prefer.
I was greeted by my therapist, Minnie, who brought me up to a private room. The room was quite simple — a futon like mat, single light hanging from the ceiling, and two cloths hanging from the ceiling for the therapist to hold onto while stepping on your back. This was my first Thai massage, so I didn’t know what to expect. Minnie explained that a Thai massage is a fully clothed session. She provided me with clothes to change into (a cotton t-​shirt and Thai pants) and showed me how to wear the pants.
I chose the intensity level 4, not sure if that was a good idea since I’m a newbie. The massage was interactive and quite intense. She kneaded my pulse points, elbowed, stepped on me, and stretched me out with different Yoga moves. Throughout the massage, Minnie asked if the pressure was okay. Of course there were times it hurt/​felt uncomfortable, but I have a pretty high threshold for pain. During the session, Minnie told me I had tight spots, which is probably due to sitting in an office all day. Although it hurt, it hurt in a good way. I felt super relaxed and light afterward. At the end of the session, I was offered a cup of licorice and mint tea.
The facility is clean, the staff is friendly and professional, and the location is great! If you feel like shopping or eating after your massage, there are many places to choose from. Parking isn’t really an issue as there are several parking lots, street parking, or residential parking.