Reflexology at the Mall at Greece Ridge Center (Rochester, NY)

While walking laps at The Mall at Greece Ridge Center, (and fighting the urge to stop for a Friendly's milkshake) I was pleasantly surprised to see a new store called Reflexology. Their sign advertised that in addition to reflexology (which is essentially an Asian foot massage), they offer acupressure and back massages. I love a back massage, so imagine how excited I was! Then I noticed that Reflexology's services start at as low as $10! And, no appointment is needed!

All I could think was, "What a great business idea!" Reflexology, acupressure, and massages are usually so expensive that most people can seldom afford them. Now here's a place where they're affordable and convenient. This is brilliant!

So, after convincing myself that a $10 back massage at Reflexology would make a far better treat than a high-calorie/no-nutrition snack, I decided to take a closer look.

Reflexology (the store) has two walls that face corridors, and both of these walls are clear Plexiglas. Standing in the corridor, you can clearly see a massage chair. The fact that everything's right out in the open gave me the feeling that Reflexology is safe. Clearly, they went to great lengths to prove legitimacy.

There always seemed to be an Asian man and an Asian woman there, who I assumed were the owners. The place looked clean, they looked clean, I had ten bucks, so I went in.

The man waited on me. He could barely speak English, but so what- I wasn't paying for conversation. I told him that I wanted the 10 minute massage and he pointed to the massage chair. As soon as I picked up my foot to walk over there, he zipped over and covered the chair with paper towels. Nice! I didn't have to stick my face in that hole wondering where the last person's face may have been.

Time for the massage!

I have to say, the massage was a little rough. If you saw the episode of CB S's hit TV show The Amazing Race where they went to the reflexology spa in Beijing, China, you know what I'm talking about. Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit because I didn't cry, but the back massage was not comfortable. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

I wondered if it was one of those deep tissue massages that would feel better afterward, so I didn't say anything. Plus, the guy really didn't speak English. He would just quickly say, "Good?", with no expectation of response.

It ended up feeling like a pretty long 10 minutes. Afterward, I waited for the delayed "good feeling". It never came. So, all I got for $10 was a really bad back massage. (Maybe I should have known better.)

Reflexology is located in The Mall at Greece Ridge Center, right down the corridor from TC Hooligan's. It's a shame that the massage was so terrible because I still think Reflexology is a brilliant business idea. I had even envisioned stopping at Hooligan's for a glass of wine with some friends first, then getting our back or foot massages. To me, that would be a great start to a day at the mall!

On a scale of 1- 10, I regretfully give Reflexology at The Mall at Greece Ridge Center a 2. I had such high hopes for this place. I'd like to give it another shot with a different masseuse, but the same guy is always there, and as soon as I see him I think, "No way!".

*Kay Whittenhauer is a freelance writer residing in Rochester, NY. To read more of her work on Associated Content, please click here.