Madison Ave Chiropractic Center

This was a terrible experience. I purchased what was supposed to be a 60 minute full body massage and when I went in, I learned that it was a «chair» massage. Seriously? A 60 minute «chair massage?» She actually stopped short after 45 minutes and when I told her it was supposed to be 60 she said «Oh well I can give you a few more minutes» which I didn’t bother doing b/​c the massage was absolutely the worst I’ve ever had. There was nothing whatsoever «relaxing» about the massage and I honestly don’t think the woman was trained at all. The whole time I was sitting there (yes sitting, not lying down) thinking, «Is she for real?» She was poking and doing something (not sure what) other than massaging. Also she was hitting (?) my legs, over top of my pants. What a joke! It felt awful. I left there so upset that I took the subway to midtown in the middle of my busy week for this horrible «massage,» or whatever it was. Also, I was in a room right in front of a door where people (employees) were outside being very loud, talking, lauging, etc which was so distracting and unprofessional. Oh, and someone walked into the room to get something. I am not making this up. I’m laughing right now thinking about how ridiculous the whole experience was. I guess it’s a good story if nothing else. Also the chiropractor was rude, condescending to the point of shocking me, and obnoxious. I was appalled by the way he acted and talked to me. I cannot imagine that his practice will last b/​c he was just awful and the whole experience was the worst ever. I could not wait to get out of there! I never give Unilocal reviews but I just really felt the need to warn others. Hope this helps save a few people their time and money. Wish I had read some reviews prior.

I absolutely ADORE Dr. Smatt and so, reading some of the reviews below is very upsetting, especially that someone called Dr. Smatt, «imposing/​condescending figure.»
Truthfully, Dr. Smatt is an imposing figure – he is confident and believes in what he practices. What is wrong with that? And yes, he has a colorful personality like most New Yorkers, but I would never call him condescending. He is a very funny guy and is sincerely one of the nicest people I have met! Yes, he is quick, but that suits me just fine since I go for my adjustment on my lunch break.
So let me tell you how I was feeling before I met Dr. Smatt. I was told years ago that I had slight scoliosis. I got use to the dull ache in my lower back that I have been feeling. If I walked a long distance or sat the wrong way, the pain would intensify. Visually if you looked at me, it seemed like I had a bump next to my spine and that my shoulders were not aligned. I bought the Cole Haan Nike Air shoes to wear to work, a new mattress, a temperpedic pillow and asked for an ergonomic chair at work. Although, these things helped minimize my discomfort, I can assure you that they did not solve the underlying issue.
At my co-​workers insistence, I decided to go to Dr. Smatt. I have now been seeing Dr. Smatt one to two times a week for the last year. I look forward to my visits because I know I will have a quick laugh, but more importantly that with his adjustment, he will lift the weight of the world from my back. That is exactly how I feel when I leave there. Side note: I suffered from ear infections and I haven’t had one this year.
I absolutely ADORE Dr. Smatt and he has changed the way I feel.

Wors’t experience ever!!!
I bought Groupon deal for 1 hour massage and consultation.
Be ready that your massage is going to be on a chair with 5 other people in the same room. Massage itself isn’t good plus you can’t relax at all.
Not a friendly atmosphere.

I bought a Groupon without first reading the reviews. Then I read the reviews. And I was scared. This was compounded by the horrendous appointment booking process whereby social deal buyers are relegated to an infernally slow website with minimal (e.g., one or two) available times in a 12-​month period (during standard working hours). So, per the reviews I was expecting God-knows-what…a limitless wait for a fully-​clothed, loud, lackluster massage in a bus terminal, followed by a session of humiliation and condescension.
What followed was nice… adequate…possibly more than adequate. My massage began punctually and I was instructed to remove my shirt and wear a gown. Yes, there was one other concurrent massage, but we were both quiet and relaxing music was playing. The massage felt great and was followed by a consultation with Dr. Michael Smatt that included neither condescension, nor humiliation. Now… after a relatively brief medical history and an x-​ray Dr. Smatt says he’s got the solutions for all of my woes. Does he? It’s tempting. Am I buying what he’s selling? I don’t know.

I have had back pain for years and after 3 visits to Dr. Smatt I feel better than I have felt in years. I found Dr. Smatt to be outstanding, and his office staff is friendly, efficient and helpful. No appointment is required and he serves many busy professionals in the area — I walk in and walk out 10 or 15 minutes later pain free.

Massage was pretty good but the Chiropractic adjustment was amazing and after reading the below reviews I was somewhat surprised (imposing? condescending?, um, not at all) Dr. Smatt was very kind, professional and confident in what he does and that is what I want in someone working on my back. I don’t want a novice. He took xrays, explained where the pain was coming from, handled it and after my first treatment I saw improvement and was sleeping better also. (I have two herniated discs). He was open to all my MANY questions and very patient with me, so to be honest I cannot hesitate in recommending him to anyone with a back injury. You will be very pleased with his adjustments. Also, his office staff was very welcoming.

I don’t know how the chiropractor is. I went for the massage. Which was horrible. They bring you into a room with multiple massage chairs then your undressed from the waist up while they come in and out of the room which is to the front waiting room. They also talked the entire time and I was more stressed out when i left then when I went in — Please AVOID!!!

First time I ever went to a chiro thanks to my g.f. I was so worried but I was in so much pain and I tried everything from Yoga, to acupuncture to physical therapy. Those only helped for a little bit but the pain always came back. After 1 visit with this place I was able to sleep and stand up straight the next morning which I couldn’t do before and I actually went cause the pain was so bad I started getting really hunched over.
Only thing is that its really painful first few hours after the adjustment. But after that you feel way better for days and even become more flexible. I felt like I did in high school during my teenage years after adjustment. Today I am 30 years old. I recommend coming here as the price is also pretty reasonable.

I admit I purchased my visit from Groupon the massage was excellent, although short and had a strange ambiance with over 5 other massages going on simultaneously in the same room.
As for the Doctor, I couldn’t tell you… It took me 3 months to get an appointment and after my massage they left me waiting 40 minutes past my appointed time. When I questioned what was going on I was informed that my Doctor left and there were 2 more appointments before me, and So I would be waiting upward of an additional 20 minutes so I left. The receptionist was far from pleasant. Save your time and your money.

Dr. Smatt really is the greatest. I’ve been to other chiropractors who aren’t as personable as he is, and it really does make a difference. I have had pain in my shoulder for 6 years, and after my first two visits to his office, I would say that about 60% of the pain has subsided. I have since tried to make an appointment at least once a week, and hopefully over time, the pain will be gone!
I also have to respond to the folks who are upset that they paid X amount of dollars for X amount of time. Hello! That is the way the chiropractic treatment works! It’s not supposed to be a massage, it’s supposed to be an adjustment. Adjustments are quick. I’m not sure how long they expect to be adjusted for. But maybe I understand this because I come from a science background. Anywho, Dr. Smatt is worth the trip and I come in from NJ.

had a Trubate for this place, was all excited, saw Dr Smatt, he seemed somewhat of an imposing/​condescending figure, as he briefly explained that I had problems in my neck and that I needed 6 treatment at $ 45 each session. He didnt indulge on the details of the exact treatment at first and told me to look it up on google, and handed me a sublaxation pamphlet. I was told w/​o treatment my back pain will come back and get worse and worse. Although he seemed more concerned about how I would be able to pay for possible future payments.
Oh wells done with that portion of it, on to the massage! I go outside and a young woman (one of the masseuses) asks my name, I tell her Nick, and she turns her head to the other masseuse (older then god ok maybe pushing 80, not very good english) and says «I got phillip!». The elder masseuse still unsure and confused is again told by the younger «I got Phiillip!» a couple of more times. Now I was usually not one to care but I believe I was being brushed off after she saw me.
Oh wells on to the massage! 3 other clients in the tiny room yay! with 3 other masseuses yay! All the while still in my clothes on a chair! ahh as the old lady tries her best to put pressure with her elbows on my spinal area, you could hear her feet sliding against the floor as she leans on me to put more pressure. You can also hear her making loud mouth sounds as if someone was going to spit, and the dry coughs! Being the softee that I am I dropped some tip and left very unsatisfied and wondering had younger and stronger hands been better?

Bought a deal on Livingsocial for $ 39, but the place has been «booked’ full since November and the deal expires May 1^st, 2012. I’ve totally been unable to fulfill my deal and can’t get my money back. It’s the principal of the matter — totally infuriates me! Shady shady shady!

I am a massage junkie and in search of THE massage and I must say I totally was unprepared for a massage to feel SO GREAT~~OMG I loved it and DrSmatt was INCREDIBLE I floated out of that place!!!1

I came here from a groupon — $ 29 for Chiropratic evaluation and massage. Dr. Smatt knows his stuff. He explained my x-​ray and complimented me on my straight spine. However, my hips were very crooked. That scared me so I agreed to keep coming back once a week for a month.
My massage was friggin awful. First of all it’s in a dingy carpeted room with two other clients in the room. The massage is on a massage chair, not a table. Lame. My massage kept being interrupted every 7 minutes, staff walking in and out of the room, talking, etc. I was disgusted and shouldn’t have tipped but I’m nice so whatever.
I have been back 3 times since then to get my bones cracked. I have stopped now because I do not feel that I get the attention I need. I am put into the room. Given a quick hello. Cracked in less than 4 minutes and told to be on my merry way. For $ 45 a visit? I know this is a bargain but I’m not paying anyone $ 45 for a 5 minute visit. Thanks but no thanks. However, since I am a client I will come back as I see necessary… And demand a little more attention. Yes I’m needy, sue me.

This place was awful.
This was my first time seeing a chiropractor, and I was not sure about it but definitely open-​minded and willing to learn. Unfortunately, Dr. Smatt was in no mood to explain to me what was entailed. He saw me for about 5 minutes, was condescending, did a quick X-​ray and then told me I would need re-​adjustment. He never explained what re-​adjustment entailed, and I certainly left his office sorry that I bothered with the radiation of the X-​ray.
So on to the massage — I figured this was why I came anyway, so forget the whole chiropractor experience. Time to relax. Except the massage really wasn’t relaxing. I didn’t realize it would be a fully dressed chair massage, the masseuse aptly described it as «get what you pay for». But then she poked me. I asked her to massage instead of poking, but no luck. I tried to hold out, I didn’t say anything when she massaged over jeans AND boots (she never asked me to take them off) but I gave up at about 20 minutes. Again, she was nice and polite, but this was not a relaxing massage.
On the plus side, the receptionist was very receptive and, when I told her about my experience, gave me an booklet with an explanation of what readjustment entails. Still, if you are going for the massage or service, I’d suggest you go elsewhere.

Dr. Lauren Smatt, who I guess is the daughter of the two people who run the place, was my chiropractor for a few months. First of all, she has no personality whatsoever. I never saw her smile, make a joke, or really move her face at all. (Why is she working in the people business if she doesn’t like people?) Next, she made me come in multiple times a week and basically didn’t really help me. When I complained that I was in pain, she’d try to do something for maybe 3 minutes, and then she’d say «okay, that’s all I can do for you.» It was $ 50 a session and each session literally lasted about 15 minutes, even though I would complain at the end of 15 minutes that I was still in pain. She kept telling me «it’s working, it’s helping, you should keep coming back.» I went for MONTHS and when I told Dr. Lauren that, she was like «it hasn’t been that long.» Then she looked it up and was like «oh, you’re right.»
If you’re going to use this place, don’t see Dr. Lauren. She’s not all that good and is a robot.

If I could give 0 star, I would. Last month, I bought a coupon for an hour massage for $ 29. I must admit that it was a very awkward massage I’ve ever had. When I entered the massage room, I was so surprised to see that there was another client in the same room. I thought that I was getting a massage from a doctor but at the end, it was a foreign lady who doesn’t even speak much english gave it to me. It was a clothed massage on the chair, and I felt extremely uncomfortable while I was having my massage done because there were more and more people came in the room. Since I was facing down, I couldn’t really see what was going on until I was done. The massage itself was okay, it only last for 40 mins and my massage therapy kept distracting from the client before me or after me, tell them that she would be done in a few mins, the funny thing was that she just started on me. This treatment was supposed to be $ 455. I would be so so pissed if I paid the full amount. It felt like I was getting a massage in public. When my massage was finished, I turned around, I saw about 4 other clients, some getting their massages done and some are waiting. I was in a room with ton of strangers! It was so odd. I will never go back to this place and I will not recommend it to anybody.

OK. Here goes…
I also bought a massage on a daily-​deal website, and wasn’t expecting much. I was actually prepared to write a terrible review about this place, but I just can’t do it. First of all, I walked in and the receptionist was passive-​aggressive and rude, and I was instantly turned off from the place. Then she got better, and I got over it.
I met with the doctor, and told him that I used to work for a chiropractor (which I did) so I was hoping that would have some weight, and he wouldn’t try to pull any wool over my eyes. I know I need a lot of chiropractic work but I just can’t afford to go as often as I need to. Even with my insurance, co-​pays add up! $$$ So after a brief discussion he told me if I wanted to come back, I could come multiple times a week and he would only charge me one co-​pay. After I make sure he’s not joking around, I’m totally sold. He gave me an adjustment which was NOT part of the massage that I signed up for, answered some questions about wrist pain I’ve been having, and set me up for my first appointment in about a week. (I’m so excited!) He really knows what he’s talking about and I’m feeling confident about my future treatment.
Now…onto the massage…
It WAS indeed a room with several massage chairs set next to each other, but it was really peaceful and quiet with appropriate soft music. My masseuse was a tiny little lady who had brute strength. She pulled and pushed on places that were so neglected for so long, and I knew I would have to drink a lot of water after this one. (Her name is Jessica for anyone that wants to be SERIOUSLY WORKED ON.) Personally, in response to Caryn D’s 1 star… what are you really expecting from a daily deal for $ 39? It’s not going to be Red Door Spa on 5^th Ave. And personally, if I don’t like what my masseuse is doing or not doing, I’m damn well going to say something so I enjoy myself.
Over-​all, it was a great experience, and Dr. Smatt was clearly over-​accommodating. I’d recommend it to anyone with an open mind and reasonable expectations.

I bought the deal off Living Social for a massage and adjustment because I couldn’t take my back pain for another minute longer. I show up on time and have to wait (no big deal it happens). The massage takes place in a medium sized room with various other people also getting massages. You sit in a massage chair (like you would go at a nail salon) and they go to work for the next hour… or 40 minutes in my case. Yes, I didn’t even get the full hour but honestly I was relieved when he stopped-​afterall, he was texting with one hand while giving me the massage! Hands down the worst massage I have ever received. Then it was time to see the doctor. He talked to me for about one minute, took xrays, diagnosed me, cracked my back and neck and I was out of there in 5 minutes. It felt really rushed and unlike my previous chiropractor he gave me no tips, or exercises to help with the problem long term.
All in all, please don’t waste your money or your time.

I’m a fan of this place. Dr. Smatt is a really cool guy. My own chiropractor went away for a while, and I don’t like seeing the other people that work in his office, so my chiropractor referred me to Dr. Smatt. The office was super conveniently located smack in the middle of NYC, and the people in the office were super super friendly. Dr. Smatt took his time to understand what had been ailing me by listening to everything my own chiropractor had been working on with me over the past few years. He made no assumptions and listened well. All in all, he really helped my back while my normal guy was away. I also had a massage here and it rivaled some of those you get at the best spas. Give this place a try if you’ve got back issues.