Therapist and Clients Beware - Massage Therapist Unwind Wellness Center Employee Review

In this business’ defense, the spa/massage industry in the DC market (most likely more broadly, as well) is a hustle. From businesses not really vetting therapists, allowing them to perform modalities they aren’t trained in, and/or having an overall lower standard of professionalism. The goal, Unwind included, is volume - not quality. As a therapist, this means you are a number on a long roster of therapists and appreciated according to how much you overwork yourself. They staff according to the business they would like to have (the longest hours of operation I’ve ever heard of, 9AM to 10PM) and many therapists are left waiting around. I tried to be proactive and asked to be removed day-of when I had no bookings and appointments would magically appear on my schedule. I learned overtime they would curate my schedule (and those of other therapists who spoke up or attempted to reduce their schedule to match the business needs) at the expense of other less assertive therapists. Since therapists can only see their schedule, not a general spa calendar like all other competitors I’ve worked for, we were none-the-wiser when appointments were moved or when select therapists were prioritized over others. Although I benefited, this was the beginning of the end of my time with this spa. Other top reasons for my departure, constant A/C and facility issues (and still the expectation to work through extreme temps), unnecessarily changing rooms between appointments (software would randomly assign rooms and reception/management was too lazy to update most of the time), large gaps in my schedule due to overstaffing and no available rooms, and general unprofessionalism of staff - seemingly overworked and under-skilled/under-trained. Senior managers rarely make an appearance at the spa and micro-manage from the comfort of home - leaving junior staff to work obscenely long shifts solo at locations.