A Sound Mind & Body

AWFUL BUSINESS! Siobhan refused to work with me to resolve a matter regarding my Living Social voucher. NEVER have I dealt with a ruder, greedier, and righteous business person! Long story short, I basically ended up paying $ 95 for one massage with Larry! ($ 80 for voucher plus $ 15 gratuity!) She would not honor an agreement we had made regarding a reduced price for the next massage. Run in the opposite direction, especially w the so-​called Deals! Horrible!

Sioban is a wonderful massage therapist. She was able to take out plenty of knots in my back and left me feeling great. I have been to many places in Boston, and while the ambiance of the waiting room may not be the greatest, the room was perfect and the music was nice. This massage was definitely one of the best I’ve ever gotten. I used a Living Social deal to introduce me to this place, and will certainly go back.

I had the best massage of my life here, thanks to Sioban. I usually get a Groupon and bounce around getting the best deal, but I will only be coming here moving forward. Yes, the décor is not great, but the sheets are clean (I watched them change them) and the music is nice and relaxing. Sioban was AMAZING! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her.

I’ve been a massage therapist for 7 years and it amazes me who can just open their own business now a days. My style of massage is more clinical, I work with athletes, very active older people and spent my first 4 years working at a chiropractic’s office. I considered myself skilled in deep tissue. (I think you need to know this to understand where I’m coming from)
I will not include a serious thing that happen which I had to see my primary doctor for because I’m afraid she will drive by my house and do something about it. I contacted her about this issue (which is pretty significant, she replied to my email with nothing helpful and never checked back on me)
The place lacks absolutely everything but the only thing that worried me were the sheets on the table, I could swear they DO NOT CHANGE THEM after each client. I’ve been doing this for a while.
The massage: my first massage I asked for deep tissue for my back and my arms. I consider the massage to be «deep» but NOT deep tissue, more like deep Swedish relaxing massage. I asked her what she specializes in, she replied deep tissue and sports massage. I must add that I never disclosed that I was a massage therapist.
She gave me a full body massage when I only asked for back and arms. She only did a little bit on my arms which was just basic. Her techniques are purely what you learn in school, nothing that she has picked up on her on. I don’t consider this «having skills»
When she did my legs it was as if she wasn’t paying attention very light and fluffy sometimes she wasn’t even touching me. (I think she thought I was sleeping?) I went back to see her a second time hoping and praying it could be different. This was a nightmare and it has been ever since. My doctor has referred me to a chiropractor to see if I can get feeling back to a small part of my body.
The massages are NOT 60 minutes more like 50.
There’s is so much more that I could add but what I want you to get from this review is that if you are looking for a REAL deep tissue or sports massage — this is NOT the place. Never mind the horrible atmosphere, at the end if she was a great massage therapist it wouldn’t matter where she worked. Skills comes from experience, it comes from loving what you do and wanting to be the best at what you do.
I feel bad for those who paid regular price instead of getting a groupon.

I would agree with a previous review that Larry wasnt experience; he didnt use enough oil and felt at times that he wasnt sure what he was doing. The place wasnt nice either. If you are looking for some sort of atmosphere, I wouldnt go here. The walls are thin, the place was chilly in the winter, I also had a massage with Sioban. The first message was one of the best massage I have had. However, the second was terrible. I wouldnt call it a massage. I wouldnt go back.

Went for a massage here a while back. The atmosphere, ambiance, etc. is pretty terrible… hand written posters, misplaced and outdated art, a fairly uncomfortable massage table. HOWEVER, Sioban is a highly skilled MT! I have had many, many massages in my lifetime, and can say without a doubt that she is the most skilled therapist and it was the best massage I’ve ever experienced. I need to get back there soon. If it weren’t for the shabby environment of the business itself, I would give this place 5 stars.

Oh good Lord. I terminated a massage for the first time in my life. I had Larry as my massage therapist, and I had no idea what he was doing, but it wasn’t relaxing and it in fact hurt at times.
I had a groupon for a hot stone. No big deal, I’ve discovered great massage therapists through groupon who were just starting out.
All the comments about te down market feel we’re correct. They were playing Pandora, fine enough but they didn’t have a subscription so the iPhone they were using played commercials in the middle of my massage.
I don’t think he used any oil, although it was out when I left. He didn’t rub my back at all, rather brushing it and grinding his fist into my back and shoulders.
Finally after he simply squeezed my leg rather than massaging it, I called it quits. I told him that his massage style was not relaxing to me. I got dressed and never looked back
Don’t go here.

Oh my. Where to begin. The woman who runs the place was quite nice, as was Larry, my masseur. The space is, however, very down-​market: it wasnot not very clean, the massage table was not comfortable, the sheet used was clean but was as thin as a wafer and it was a wrinkled mess. The room was freezing!!! The massage was actually pretty decent. Do not go here if you want a relaxing spa-​like experience. This is a bare-​bones, get-​in, get-​out kind of place. Better suited for guys, I think, who aren’t looking to be pampered.

My experience was just «okay.» I had a Groupon for 3 sessions and wanted to complete my 3^rd session before leaving my review.
I booked an appointment well in advance, only to have them call the day before to confirm and an hour later to cancel. It was tough to get it rescheduled, but we finally did and I had a deep tissue massage. It was nice /​effective, but I found the place to be dirty and they use an iPad for music which is always dinging with the new text /​email sound– not quite the «escape» that I hope for during a pampering session.
The next session was a hot stone massage and for some reason, the stones got too cold. So, they tried to use a heating device that was scalding hot. It was unpleasant. It was hard to relax as much of the time was spent fumbling with the stones or I was on too much heat. Also, there was a TV in the lobby with the sound up very loud that drowned out the iPad music, but not the text/​email dinging. I wouldn’t do a hot stone massage there again.
So, to use up my last Groupon, I scheduled a deep tissue massage on my birthday. I made a mistake with the time (I had 4:00, they had 5:00) so I lost the credit for the last Groupon with no refund due to their no-​show policy. I understand. My mistake. I won’t be back.

Mmmmmm no.
I bought a deal where I got two massages for half price and they never expired! Good deal!
The first time I went was before they moved to Dedham and yes I agree with everyone else, it was a disaster to find!
The second time was after they moved to Dedham. I arrived early and as I was walking in I received a phone call from Sloban saying the masseuse was running late (like 30 minutes late). Unfortunately I had other plans and couldn’t stay around and wait, so we rescheduled. What bothered me though was the fact that I drove all the way there and besides an apology that was it! Not great customer service.
I finally DID get to an appointment — and the tables turned a bit. I made an appointment and it turned out to be a terrible snowstorm, so I was late! I called ahead and they said that was fine. As we were getting started, the masseuse asked what I would like done with the time we had left. I totally understood, I didn’t expect them to give me the full hour since I was the one who was late (although I did want to bring up the fact that I had to cancel my last appointment since the masseuse was going to be 30 minutes late).
Anyway, the massage was fine (nothing special, and the place definitely does not have a spa feel) and as always, it felt too short! However, I looked at my watch and it only lasted 30 minutes!!! I was about 10 – 15 minutes late, but that still left 15 minutes! When I said something, they claimed I was 30 minutes late. When I showed them my printed appointment time confirmation they said «Oh yeah we sometimes have problems with our booking website, your appointment was really at 4». Seriously? My sheet said 415, how was I supposed to know it was wrong?
Believe me, the aggravation is not worth your money and time!

I am so disappointed that I went to this place.
Unlike the others, my booking was easy.
The massage on the other hand was awful. I’m sorry Larry but more schooling and training would help. The stones were way too hot and I would assume I have burn marks. I’m confused at what he was even doing.
This place doesn’t even make you feel relaxed with it’s tacky decorations, folding table and dirty floors.
I should have walked out when I took one look. Find another spot. Like terra in dedham square.

Found SIoban via Groupon – what a find! Glad to discover such a skilled massage therapist close to home. Her expert pressure and technique make the deep tissue massage a real relief to my tight neck, back and shoulder areas! Go there to get muscle work done, not a frilly spa atmosphere. Easy to book online-​no problems.

I have been here twice so far and saw 2 different therapists. They were both awesome and has super strong hands.
Please note the office is located in the last building in the parking lot so drive all the way in until you cant go any further and that building is the one.
I came in last week and I was brought into the beach room. I didn’t know there was a beach room so I found it visually relaxing. I got onto the bed and waited for Sioban. She came in and asked me if I had specific areas of tension. I explained what I was hoping for and boy did she deliver. Sioban worked my kinks and knots out. She found them pretty quickly and got to work. I was extremely lucky to have gotten an appointment and I went in there moody and frustrated. I left the door walking on clouds and am grateful for her ability to make me feel good/​change my mood-​Thanks!
Will def return!

I would rate this zero stars if possible. Beginning to end, bad experience. Left messages trying to book, and didn’t get a reply the first three times I tried. Finally I sent an email and left another voice mail and was finally contacted back.
The address is a bit misleading too. I drove into 1208 VFW Pky, and Suite 103 was something else entirely. Drove further behind the building and saw it was 1208B… also not there. Finally kept driving further back from the street and found the building they are in. The directions on the website say that there is parking «behind» the building. By the time I realized the building was way back, I also realized that meant the parking was «in front» of the building.
I go to the door to enter the building and it’s locked, with a sign taped to the door, saying if you were here for A sound Mind…, they were in session, and to wait a minute for them to come open the door. Well, it was a cold day out and I was not psyched to be standing out there. Finally someone was leaving the building (the previous client?) and I was able to get in.
Wandered down the hallway to the open door of the reception area, where there was no sign saying the name of the business.
Then, the worst part of all was the massage therapist, Larry. How he got this job is beyond me!!! From the second he touched me, I knew it was going to be bad. Instead of laying his hands slowly on me to let know he was going to start, I got his thumbs or something practically poke me, and I flinched. I has told him that I wanted a swedish massage, and I do not think he knows what that is.
Every couple of minutes he’d ask me how was the pressure. If it was no good, I would have said so. The constant asking was annoying. Oh, and when he starting working on my legs, he tried to hard to make sure that nothing was exposed, it took him about ten minutes per leg to adjust the sheet around my upper thighs.
When it was time for me to turn over he says that because of the time we had left, he was going to work on my neck. I asked him to work on my arms instead since he had not touched them.
BAD BAD BAD! Luckily I was in a good mood at the time, so I tried not to laugh out loud picturing him at massage school learning and then massaging as if he had the manual in front of him and was following the steps in the correct order.
He had absolutely no intuitiveness about the human body, and I would suggest he look for a different line of work!
The one good thing I can say about the place is that the receptionist was nice.

The massage was OK. Not superb. I booked for deep tissue massage, but got something between Swedish and Deep Tissue, probably closer to Swedish. I have definitely had much better deep tissue massages elsewhere. If just to rate the massage technique, I might have given it 2.5 stars. What knocked one more star off was the feeling that the therapist (Sioban) just wanted pass time and rush through things. I booked for 60 minutes of massage and it was 47 minutes from the moment I entered the main door to when I exited the massage room. Note I counted sign-​in and undress/​dress time. The massage rooms looked disorganized. Nothing tranquil about the atmosphere.

I bought a eversave Swedish/​Deep Tissue massage certificate back in August. Since September I have been trying to book an appointment for me and my friend. NO LUCK.
My coupon is now about to expire and I can’t get appointments. Nobody answers the phone so reaching by phone to ask about anything is impossible.
Lately I have been contacting Sioban (the owner) through email. She responds sometimes, but sometimes it can take days.
I finally had to settle and book our appointments separately. I went for a deep tissue massage and got Carrie. It was a pretty good massage considering I work out ALOT and need alot of work on my body. But I am not sure if I would go through all this headache to come back here. They are booked out for 3 months! Also when you come with vouchers — make sure you bring enough for tip. I only had $ 20/​$ 3 on me and had no change? i ended up tipping her over 25%. Just not very good customer service in this case. I wasn’t going to give the girl $ 3.
I had to book an appointment for my friend separately, but was fortunate enough to squeeze him in before the expiration date of 2÷14÷2013. Which Sioban clearly pointed out she would not honor the full value of the certificate if it wasn’t booked before that date.
The Blizzard came the day of his massage, so it was cancelled. But thankfully Sioban let me reschedule that appointment because of this. The first available online appointment I was able to book was on March 11^th. I got an email stating that the appointment was 5:30. Yes the bottom did state that it may not be the actual time because it allows to book — if it wasn’t I would’ve expected an email stating otherwise, not sit around and just assume it’s later.
I already had a hard time with my appointment trying to confirm as nobody answers the phone and all she can tell me is that I will get a confirmation the day before the appointment. When I booked the second appointment, I already had the first email confirmation saying it waws 5:30. So obviously I thought it was at 5:30. My first appointment was at 5:30 so I don’t see why she would say that they don’t have 5:30 bookings.
The day before the appointment I got an email that the appointment was at 6pm, not 5:30pm. Normally this wouldn’t be a big issue, but i had another meeting scheduled at 7pm, so i asked why they would send me a first email telling me it’s at 5:30 when it wasn’t, she said that they don’t book appointments at 5:30 and asked if I needed to reschedule, but she would NOT honor the voucher because I am rescheduling.
BAD customer service overall — first it wasn’t my fault that I couldn’t book an appointment. It is their fault they are so short staffed. IF you go to this place, good luck getting an appointment. Good luck reaching anybody — you will always get a voicemail.
I am pretty pissed that she would not honor this voucher and it wasn’t even my fault. that there was booking issues. I did my part and made the effort to book, had there been better communication, this may not have happened.
GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

I was apprehensive to write after one session, but now that I’ve seen Sioban twice, I am more than eager to share a 5 star review.
Session one, deep tissue — NOT for the weak… if you’re looking for a light, barely work the surface, won’t feel it tomorrow kind of massage, this is not a place for you. Sioban WORKED me. She really went after all the knots in my back that drive me freaking crazy. Most places will work your knots for a sec, then move on and forget about them. Every time that Sioban heard that annoying «pop» that a knot makes, she made sure to eradicate it. I won’t lie, I did have a bruise the next day, but that was all me, I never told Sioban to lighten any pressure because I didn’t want her to. I wanted those damned spots GONE. She’s a tough cookie and if you want to feel what a really deep tissue massage feels like, Sioban’s your girl.
Session 2: sweedish — ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhmugawd. I left this place walking on a cloud. Again, Sioban worked on the knots that ailed me, but this session was more of a relaxing, all over massage. Sioban worked on my skull and got rid of a TON of tension. If I were rich, I’d have her at my home every day after work to do the head massage alone!
I will definitely be back to see her, and if you are new to the area or are looking for a new blisseuse, call Sioban! Sidenote: she is booking up quickly — with good reason, and I couldn’t be happier for her!

Great Massage and cool atmosphere!

Sioban was amazing! I can honestly say this is the best massage i have ever had! The therapist was nice she listened and concentrated on knots i didn’t even know i had. Can’t wait for my next session!!!

So I’m an admitted coupon w***e (pardon my language). I used to skip around from one spa to another depending on where I had a coupon, but I’ve now gotten two massages from Sioban and have every intention of going back.
Sioban, the owner of A Sound Mind & body, is a great massage therapist. She listens to what you tell her and concentrates on your problem areas with just the right amount of pressure. She also always finishes off my Swedish Massages with a scalp massage. That by itself would earn her an extra star but I already gave her all I could.