Grotto Spa-The Forum Carlsbad

Honestly all these reviews that are negative are wild. I was not only amazed at the immediate customer service upon our Groupons not working but was told “no worries , enjoy your massage and we will figure this out when you are done”. Upon finishing a great 90 minute massage for myself and my wife we had a gift card with our remaining massage packages waiting in the form of gift card to avoid future issues. The associates were Steven at the front desk , Sally and Anny were our masseuses. Awesome experience at an affordable price

I dont write reviews very often, but I am in this case because I do not think the 4.1 rating is accurate for the experience I had. I had a GroupOn for a 60 mins massage, and it was AMAZING. I have neck and shoulder issues, and she did a great job of applying just the right amount of pressure, and spending a good amount of time on each section. Highly recommend, and will return! Very well worth the money

THE WORST MASSAGE MY HUSBAND AND I EVER HAD! There is no way the people working here are licensed. Believe the bad reviews. They didnt ask what areas to focus on. Rolling your arms over and over again up and down someones back is not a massage. They never worked on any of the knots, they barely touched our arms and legs, and pressing your thumbs as hard as you can into someones scalp is not a head massage. I had to stop the masseuse at one point when she put burning hot stones on me. Ive had stone massages before, and never once has someone put stones that were that hot on me. Once they were done they took the roughest towels and scrubbed us down with them. This massage was in no way relaxing. I would have gotten up and left, but I thought my husband was enjoying his massage. Unfortunately he felt the same way about his masseuse. Save your money and go elsewhere.

Had a massage and enjoyed it . The place is clean, soft and relaxing. They offer full body, reflexology, couples massage, etc Male or Female massage therapist per your request Girls are very soft and soothing and guys are good if you need deep tissue massage to awaken your senses . I would recommend Peter .. Kevin is good too just doesn’t speak much English so other stuff members had to step in to help with translation Other then that I lived the services . Professional, polite and relaxing . Thanks Grotto Team 💆💆💆💆💆💆

It was a good massage for the price. Am I certain they are totally licensed...no. But have I had a good massage from unlicensed people before...sure. I would say the value here is great and it may become my regular massage spot. Ive avoided regular massage as the price is too high but here the quality to value strikes the right balance. I wish I would have written down the ladys name who gave me my last massage, it was great! Ill be back again soon and hopefully will find her or another who has her talent.

Worst ever! I walked in relaxed and walked out with a tension headache. We could not communicate due to the language barrier. It felt like a prank. Felt like they never did this before I had to ask them to stop after 20 min and left. So disappointed and now have a headache.

Went for a couples massage off a Groupon deal that we found. Was such a relaxing experience, definitely already planning our next visit.

Awesome massage from Sunny. I get lots of massages and this one is definitely one of the best I have ever had!

I don’t understand why there are bad reviews here. Just got the most amazing couples massage with me and my sister! I personally like really hard massages so the pressure was amazing and they thoroughly decompressed a lot of tension in my back. 10/10

Went today with my boyfriend for a couples massage it was very nice we both really enjoyed the experience ! At times the pressure was a little to hard but I did not ask them to go lighter im sure they would’ve if I asked, the hot stones and the foot scrub where so nice it was a good cozy environment with relaxing music, we will be back !

I came in last night and I had the worst foot massage in my entire life. The 28 year old male who worked on me sneezed and coughed in my face. On top of that he had no idea what he was doing the whole time and was awkwardly petting me. I felt that I was at a human petting zoo and not at a massage. 0/10. I wouldn’t recommend this foot massage place to my worst enemies. And then the lady asked me to pay beforehand and tip prior to me even getting the work done. This place should close down for good!!!

Ive had two wonderful massages here and highly recommend the services. In both cases my massage therapist checked in regularly to make sure that I was comfortable. This is a gem of a spa.

Best masage Ive had. My husband and I got a couples massage and it was a great experience. I will go back on a regular basis.

Unfortunately this business doesn’t put the client first and I have a hard time continuing to support businesses like that.I bought several massage packages from them in the past that did not list or explain an expiration date, on the cert or otherwise. I have been in and out of Southern California for business non stop since. I just so happened to be back over Easter and found all of my gift certificates so I figured that would be a nice way to finish the day and treat myself.I arrived for my 8 pm appointment and was told to stand at the desk 10-15 mins while the hostess tried to call the manager repeatedly in front of me to see if they could even use my gift certificate (again with no expiration date listed) After the long wait I was told that the price has increased since the year when I bought the several gift certificates and I would be forced to pay the difference… not able to use multiple of my gift certs to pay it, but to monetarily pay the difference over the top of one of them.In my opinion this is just bad business. As a business owner myself in the health and wellness industry i bend over backwards for my clients, and would never have forced a client into this situation. Especially one that was already standing in the, empty, lobby of my business.Horribly customer service, and even worse that it happened on a holiday. Yuck.

This place doesn’t qualify as a Spa. The staff barely understand English. I was referred to as “lady.” The room was not relaxing, with a bed and an old chair. The room was cold. When I mentioned it, the masseuse brought in another blanket. My body that wasn’t covered, was cold. No conforming essential oils. The masseuse rubbed me in an inconsistent and clearly untrained manner. Do not recommend.

The staff was very nice but the massage was so painful!! My husband and I are bruised today. It was super rough and not enjoyable at all. When I tried to explain it hurt they didn’t understand English /:

Came here for a couples massage on vacation. We didn’t get to meet our masseuse prior to the massage which felt a little odd to just be put in a room & not have met the masseuse. The room was also completely silent, no music or white noise machine until almost an hour in. The masseuses were also talking a bit amongst themselves & had to leave the room at times which was disruptive. At the end we paid, said thank you, & left a tip that we felt was appropriate for the experience we had. In which the staff stared at us & basically said “that’s all?” and clearly wanted us to tip more. It was very unprofessional & uncomfortable. I believe in tipping people in the service industry & we did so accordingly.

I have to review this amazing place because I just had the best Massage of my life from Frank!!! I frequently try out massages at different places because I do a very emotionally and physically hard job. I had the best experience and massage here, and at such a good price. Frank your the best! I’ll be back soon :)

The foot reflexology massage is much more than a foot spa, it’s a full body experience. We had the best massages from two incredibly talented professionals. The service was seamless and enjoyable end to end. We will be back!

I am so impressed with the service, basically being able to walk in for a massage. Sunny gave a fantastic massage. Not even just for the relatively low price, but overall!

This place is a hidden gem. Nice and clean place. I was not expecting that great of a massage at the great price. Relaxing massage that soothed my sore muscles. Highly recommend. Ill be back here again soon.

The massages were fine but they hard up-sell and insist on minimum 30% tip!!!!!! illegal and cannot be enforced but they provide no option for not tipping or tipping less!!!!!

An exceptional.My daughter and I had the massage today. I wasnt expecting such a positive experience.

The staff was so friendly, the place was immaculate, and the owners are amazing!!! I will definitely be returning and recommending this Spa to others.

They force you to tip $15 at minimum when really, one should have the option to tip any amount based on the service they received.

Had a good massage I will definitely be back. Felt so relaxed.

The massage was good and people were nice!

Staff service is too poor. Never come here again .

First couple massage! Hot Rocks rock!

Recommend... !!!! Nice &clean ...!! 100% recommended

The press is okay and the price is affordable. There are many things, including essential oils and hot stones.Passable massage with a very good price for what it offers. The &65 has oil and hot stones.