First of all, the impression I got was that they are only interested in how much money they can get from their customers. I had booked acupuncture and immediately got cornered with insistence that ‘just acupuncture’ should be complemented with massage - 30 minutes or an hour would be better. It wasn’t really a suggestion, it was an order.
In fairness, the massage was technically pretty good (the stars are for that) but the masseuse - who smelt of cigarette smoke - kept telling me off for not ‘trying hard enough’ to look after myself. Not conducive to a positive environment.
Then she hollered for ‘Dr Lucy,’ the acupuncturist, and shouted ‘right shoulder.’ The acupuncturist came in for about 30 seconds, didn’t ask me anything; didn’t feel for knots or take my pulse... just shoved three (just three) needles into my neck, back and arm (?!) and then left me for 35 minutes. In fact, she didn’t come back; it was the receptionist who came and pulled the needles out of me (she seemed confused that there weren’t more) and then proceeded to try to sell me packages: ‘£300 for five sessions?’ No. I don’t think so.
Oh, and two days later, my shoulder is still sore.