Bernardo Massage Center

Honestly this review is a –10 000 000! Me and my friend called them to see how much a massage would be and they told us that it’s 40 dollars! So we get there, and honestly first thing they say to us is paying cash or credit and so we automatically had to pay, then me and her wanted to have a room together just to be able to talk and what not! They told us no that someone else was in there and that it was busy, but yet no one else was there it was only my friend and I. So I go into this room and didn’t really know what quite to do cause she put me in there and left and didn’t really tell me anything on like what I should do to get ready for the massage so I asked if I should put the robe on and she was like «oh no no no, don’t put robe on! There big towel for you!» She then closes the door! Mind you that once I look at the towel it’s doesn’t look that big and then once rapped around was small, more for hair! But any way she comes in and pretty much tell me to lay on my stomach and she like ripped the towel off me and like moved it to under my butt and started to softly rub her fingers down my body making feel so uncomfortable and honestly didn’t know what to do, so the massage is over and then I’m thinking that it is time for me and my friend to go since we already paid! But no they ask us about the tip! Honestly I didn’t wanna pay a tip cause I didn’t really like how my massage was cause it wasn’t even really like a massage! They then tell me and my friend that there is a fee of 10 dollars and mind you we were not told that on the phone, and then trying to force me and my friend to pay a tip or we couldn’t leave! So because myself and my friend were getting treated with disrespect I asked for a refund and that took me about 1 hour to get my 40 dollars finally back after having to repeat my self 100 times and they were ignoring me when I was talking to them, called me and my friend stupid, were laughing at us, and rolling their eyes. Then I have to wait 30 mins for the manager cause they told me that they don’t get the 40 bucks I paid for the massage their boss does so they had me wait till the boss came so all that happened and after a hour I finally got my money back my friend didn’t, because they say she got a different person then I did and because my person agreed to give the 40 dollars back the manager said it was fine but since the person who massaged her said no the manager said no so we then spent another 2 hours because the police ended up getting called and have to talk to them to only come to realization that my friend wasn’t going no to get her money back and that all we could was file a complaint so i guess here is my complaint about this shitty service!

i wish i could could give no stars! the night started when i called & asked for a 9:30 appointment for my friend and I (mind you that when i called, i looked it up on google where there was no reviews on this place). i showed up & got my massage (she pulled off my pants & massaged my ass. i was covered by a towel similar to the size you would wrap your hair in).
But it took a turn for the worst when it was time to tip. When I called on the phone, they said it was $ 40, so my friend and i tipped $ 5 each. Sounds reasonable, right? A 13% tip!
They REFUSED to let us leave, saying that they only get paid tips and all the money goes to the manager. My friend becomes irritated & confronts the lady for talking to her own customers like this. The lady then rolls her eyes, laughs and calls us «stupid».
To make a long story short, we wanted a refund. They refused to let us leave until the manager arrived. When she arrived, she told us she didn’t want to deal with it, so she called the POLICE. After 3 hours, my friend and I each got $ 20 back.
DO NOT GO HERE.

Wish I didn’t have to give any stars! You should go here if you don’t mind them coming in early and seeing you naked, if you love dilapidated décor, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, if you enjoy being guilted about the tip you’re leaving. I was giving over 20% of their prices, and with her haphazard massage style and bad energy, she certainly didn’t deserve 20% of market value! She confronted me head on about it. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. Never going back!!! But going to talk to management and see if they care (I suspect not).

It’s amazing a business like this exists in rancho bernardo. It felt like I was in a different era and culture. Horrible bedside manner. Terrible facility. Language barrier. Tons of oil and lack of technique. Very bizarre place.

This place should get shut down! I’ve never felt so violated in my life! Besides having to pay upfront, I was taken into a dingy and smelly room. There was only a small towel for coverage or lack thereof. I was straddled and touched «too close» for my own comfort. Really? Was she thinking she’s going to turn me on or something? I don’t think she knew what she was doing. She just lathered oil on me. No kneading, no thumbs pressing to relieve the knots. Nada.
I should have pushed her off, demanded a refund and left! Never again will I come here. The board or police should shut this place down as well as other foot massage places. These ppl are not trained masseuses and don’t conduct business professionally. Do you ever wonder why all these places have dark windows and «dirty??» I tried several places and I’m done! I’m sticking with Pala Spa from now on.

Unfortunately, I decided to try this place even after I saw the bad reviews. I thought, I have an hour to kill while my son is in a class, I can try them. I’ve done Chinese reflexology places, and know what to expect – I just needed a massage, no frills. I knew to bring cash. The massage was ok, the lady was nice. BUT what happened afterwards is why I give them 1 star. I gave her a customary 15% tip while she was in the room with me, but then she stood there pretending to be surprised and then proceeded to tell me that she only gets x amount from her boss, etc. I give her an extra dollar because she asked and I feel bad for her, and tell her it’s over 15% but she still seemed quite upset. I left. I won’t be back. All the knots from the massage came back after this. sigh. Stay Away!
To the owners of Bernardo Massage: pay your workers more or tell them what to expect in a tip! No one is going to give a 30%-50% tip! Your workers are chasing away your customers by asking for a bigger tip! I’m sure you’d get more business if they did not have to mention the tip.

$ 49 for 1 hour is a great deal; the massage/​my masseuse was good. However I don’t think I’ll return. Simply because of the environment — it didn’t seem too clean and the overall place had a strange «smell». A nice relaxing environment/​ambience should add to the experience, not detract from it. I’d much rather fork out the extra $$ for a real nice spa treatment. I guess it’s a hit-​and-​miss with some of these smaller massage parlors, as they can be questionable and you get what you pay for. Then again, i’ve been spoiled at fancy spas…

I made an appointment at this place for 7PM, I show up at 7:05, and they gave my appointment away to a walk in. They said they could give me an appointment in an hour. I left and and am not going back.

This place is terrible. All the terrible things people said in the other reviews are all true. Don’t go here. Unfortunately my wife went here without my knowledge and without checking Unilocal first. I am sure this place will be out of business soon. I would give it a negative five star rating if I could.

Didn’t like the place one bit! It was not very clean, did not smell good either… the massage rooms were very very small and congested. The massage was average… They charge $ 2 extra if you pay by credit card…

Just awful. I walk in to speak with the one girl who kind if knew English. Paid up front, which was different, but fine. $ 2.00 charge for using a credit card instead of paying with cash. I got a 60 min massage with 30 min foot rub. I was escorted to room to which lady said «enjoy» and walked away. I sit there and another woman comes in and gas me disk my feet for 5 min. Comes back and takes my feet out and leaves. After another few minutes she comes back and «charades» for me to undress (as she speaks little English). I do so and get under the tiniest, thinnest sheet ever. Doesn’t cover table, yet alone me. For next hour she straddles me and gives me a massage. Didn’t ask pressure or areas of concern…
Afterwards, as I was walking up to front to give my tip. Two ladies chase and yell at me to give tip…
So no, would never come back. Place was creepy, don’t get 100% of what you paid for and just unprofessional all around

I wish I could write two reviews. Ambience and customer service would get a negative star. Paid by credit card and they charged me the 2 dollars mentioned on here, never heard of this except a gas station or under a certain amount. The place smelled and I did hear hammering on the roof the whole massage. No head rest on the table? The massage was good but not in a traditional way. Lots of massage without oil with the sheet. If you are modest good luck, she tore my underwear down and massaged my butt. I dug for cash and she said I could put on my credit card so I did put the same amount 7 dollars on a 35 dollar massage and got the evil eye and the you know they are talking about you in another language. Odd experience but pretty good massage.

How could I forget to write a review about this place!
My fiancé bought my sister and I massages here before his deployment. BMC had just opened so we figured it had to be good. Not so much. Purchasing the giftcards was sooo difficult. No one in the facility spoke English and the giftcards ended up being their business card with «1 hour massage.» During the actual appointment the week later, my hour started with a foot bath which was so-​so. Afterwards the massage began and everything seemed to just go downhill. The masseuse talked a good amount, had no blankets for coverage, straddles you through half the session and I could hear my friends conversation in the next room. At least the appointment was somewhat entertaining as the masseuse next door was asking my friend how much he weighed and proceeded to say he was a «tall asian.» Hahah. Oh man.
So… goodbye BMC, let’s see how long you will last. For those in the area, check out ZenSpa on Carmel Mountain as it’s the best so far I’ve been to!

My husband and I went in for a couples massage and I did not have a very pleasant experience. We walked in and felt like we were in a doctors office. First of all they made us pay before the services were rendered (I found that to be very odd considering I have never had to pay for anything before receiving any service). Once we walked back into the room, we noticed that the place smelled like cigarette smoke and the room wasn’t very clean. When the massage started the masseuse straddled me and started pressing on my back. When she started the massage she started by rubbing my back with massage oil and that was basically what my massage was, a oil rubdown of my back, arms and legs. The whole time during the «massage» the two women giving us the massages were talking and laughing. How can a person relax when there is constant talking?
I left so extremely disappointed! I have gotten massages at several different places from different therapists and have even tried different Asian style massage places and this was by far my worst experience. I left feeling worse than what I was feeling before I arrived. I feel like my 4 year old can give a better massage. I will never return to this place ever again! I really wish that I would have read the reviews for this place before going in for our massage.

Even though the coupons make it an enticing deal, do NOT go to this place! It was the worst and most stressful massage experience.
1) The massage rooms were dirty — very visibly dirty. The room I was in had large stains on the walls — YUCK.
2) It lacks the peaceful ambience of a spa. Sheets were threadbare and although it might be normal for others, the bars on the ceiling gave me the creeps.
3) Therapist demanded over a 30 percent tip, which not only is frustrating (aren’t you supposed to be able to determine your own tip??), it ends up making this place cost just as much as any other place, but without the amenities or service
4) They charge $ 2 to use your credit card, but don’t tell you this when booking appointment — once again not making it a good deal.
5) Poor customer service — they weren’t able to communicate clearly, except about the tipping.

Ok. I obviously should of read the reviews before I went to BMC. I had a coupon for $ 35 full body massage (1 hour). I made an appointment and decided I’ll give my self a treat.
Oh well… I was so mistaken. If you want a relaxing massage, that is not the place to go. If you want a therapeutic massage — this one is ok. It is kinda eastern practice massage. Although half of the time I was uncomfortable, in a mild pain, and freezing.
Anyway, after the massage was over and I paid UPFRONT $ 37, instead of $ 35 as on coupon, because I paid with credit card, I pulled a $ 5 bill from my purse and gave it to the girl. She looked at me and said that the tips are minimum $ 10! Oh, realy?! So for my bill it will be 27% tip (and yes, I did the math!). Since when tips are mandatory? And more than that, since when a business mandates tip’s amount?
So I decided I will not argue for 5 additional bucks, but I told the girl that I have to pay with my credit card, as I do not have enough cash on me. So we went to the receptionist and she pulled out my credit card slip (as I mentioned, I paid upfront). Well what do you know, the tip of 13 dollars was already on it. I was speachless. They said it was a mistake and some other customer signed on my slip instead.
So now I just have to follow-​up the credit card bill and doublecheck that they do not charge me more than I actually paid.
I am not going there again! EVER!!!

My friend and I had just run a half marathon and decided to get massages. We had a coupon for this place and thought we’d give it a try. From the time we walked in, the receptionist was awkward and rude. My masseuse didn’t speak any English which made it nearly impossible to communicate what I wanted, and I feel like she missed about half of my pressure points. I actually left in more discomfort than when I walked in. The room was less than peaceful — the bed creaked, there was periodic thudding on the roof, and I could hear the entire conversation in the room next to mine. When we were getting ready to leave, my friend and I sat in the lobby and our masseuses were obviously talking about us with the receptionist, looking and pointing at us. We tipped them and got ready to leave and they were obviously unhappy with the tip (15%).
Do yourself a favor: pay a little extra and go somewhere else.

First, I will preface this with the fact that I get a foot massage almost once a week, and I’ve been everywhere in SD. So, when I moved to Rancho Bernardo, I looked for something closer to home.
I hadn’t gone here before because I can usually find massage for 20 on convoy, and I’m on a budget, so even 5 bucks makes a difference to me. so, I called and asked if they have a first time customer special. All she said in response was «no» pretty rudely, actually. So I asked how much for reflexology and she said 25.
So I asked if I could come in right away and she said yes. So, I walked from the car shop over and she had me pay ahead of time, which is fine. She took me to a private room that had a massage table and a reflexology chair. She said «enjoy» and left the room. About ten mins later, another lady came and put my feet in a bucket of water, which they normally do. She said, ill be back, you sleep.
So, I waited and waited and she never came back! So I dried my feet and walked to the front desk. I told her I’d been sitting for 20 mins and no one was helping me and she just stared at me. So I said, I’m sorry but I can’t tack on a half hour to my appointment and she again just stared ad me. So I said, so ill need to. Leave now, I’m sorry. She said «its ok» and gave me my cash back with an attitude. She never apologized or tried to make it right.
I am a VERY easy-​going person/​customer and have NEVER walked out of a massage place but this was just bhorrible service… or lack there of.
Also, the cleanliness of the place was lacking. And I wasn’t sure how they would have massaged my head or neck since the chair in the room was squished in a corner and it didn’t seem like it was moveable. So, who knows if they even do the fjull reflexology that everywhere else does.
I would say avoid this place, for sure!

So I figured I would give these guys a try again since the last massage I got was ok.
Called an hour before, and they had spots available. So far, so good.
I get there and I tell them I have a coupon from
which gives you a $ 5 discount (from $ 40 to $ 35). I show the receptionist the coupon from my iPhone, and she says I need to have it printed because they need to do a daily tally (coupon vs. receipt). NOWHERE ON THE OFFER DOES IT SAY YOU NEED TO SHOW A PRINTED COUPON. Besides, a lot of establishments accept offers on mobile devices. What is the difference?
Note to Management: Don’t make discount coupons available if you are not going to honor them. You lose more than $ 5 in customer complaints and (bad) word of mouth!
It just went downhill from there.
Receptionist: «OK, you need to pay first.»
ME: «I paid AFTER my massage the last time. Why do I need to pay upfront?»
Receptionish: «It’s company policy.»
ME: «OK, here is my card.»
Receptionist: «We charge $ 2.00 for credit card payments.»
ME: «I was not charged that the last time. Why are you charging me now?»
Receptionist: «It’s company policy.»
ME: (sighing and digging really deep for my inner Zen) «OK, how else would you guys want to nickle and dime me?»
Receptionist: (after swiping my card at least 3 times) «Do you have any cash?»
ME: «No, why?»
Receptionist: «Our credit card machine is not working right now.»
ME: (trying desperately not to roll my eyes, debating if I should just walk out at this point, or look for the hidden camera behind the counter) «Well … (deep breath) … Do you accept checks?»
Receptionist: «Yes»
ME: «And do you charge $ 2.00 for that too?»
Receptionist: «No»
ME: (blinking twice and not believing I am almost at the end of this very tedious transaction) «Finally!!!»
The massage itself another story altogether. Suffice it to say that if your (female) masseuse straddles you thrice on the table, a happy ending should follow. And a happy ending it is, at least for my pressure points. Not sure if I can take another round of company policy though.
Goodbye BMC … it was certainly interesting while it lasted!

Mandatory tips amounts? I’ve visited spas across the world — large, small, commercial, independent, and had the worst massage of my life here. My masseuse didn’t speak any English, so I couldn’t communicate my pain points, or why some of her practices were making me uncomfortable. She knew how to tell me that I «owed» her more tip though. Prices are really low (go figure) BUT they expect a minimum tip amount — which for my service equaled 30%! When I questioned it, they said it’s because they don’t pay their people very much and expect me to make up for it.