Sole Spa

FELT VIOLATED
Initially i went in for a foot massage, the massage it self was good. The atmosphere around was terrible but being from a smaller city and visiting i wasnt sure if this was a cultural thing yelling in their native language to «be quiet» to the other workers who were very loud in the back room separated by curtains. Then his personal cell phone rang 2 separate times and he answered it while trying to massage my foot. He kept looking at the clock and abruptly ended 15min short of the service. They did take 10 $ off for that with out me complaining.
I was then offered a body massage as she kept pointing to sign 20%off. My back could use a massage so i did thinking it was going to be her doing it and ignoring my gut thinking the atmosphere is just a cultural thing. She took me to a private room and then the same male came in that did my feet, i said oh i thought your arms are tired, he said no no good. The back and legs were professionally handled but when he asked me to turn over is when HE GOT TO PERSONAL. Again is this a cultural thing to massage your inner thigh next to your panti line? Or to make your breast jiggle while massaging your arms and watching? I told him i was done when he got alittle more breast tissue then he should of. NOT my idea of a body massage, will never recommend if looking for a professional body massage, NOT an intimate massage!
Disappointed and Discussed

HORRIBLE experience. I urge you NOT to come here if you’re looking for pain relief or relaxation. They don’t even deserve 1 star. Be aware that these «masseuses» don’t have a clue what a massage is. I walked in and asked the receptionist if there were any specials since a coworker told me they do. She said 20% off before 5pm (it was only 3pm) but didn’t mention that it was only for 50 mins and up — which I found out when I had to pay. I was just looking at the price list and only really had 30mins to spare and I mentioned to her that my feet are very sore. I barely read the list and a masseuse came up to me and said «what you want» and I said «30 minute.» and before i could mutter out foot massage, she pulled out a massage chair and made me sit. I thought she heard me tell the receptionist my feet hurt because she popped up right when I said it. She immediately worked on my back. I thought it was weird but I don’t know how they do things here and assumed that she’d work on my feet after a few mins. I am not a rude person so I literally sat there cringing for 15 mins as she dug her ELBOW down my back and was «massaging» with such a quick speed and force that my head was bumping the face rest back and forth. She was digging her elbow into my hips and glutes so hard. I couldnt even lean on an elevator wall the next couple days. My hips were sore as f*ck in places I’ve never been sore in. I asked her when my foot massage will start and she said «back only». I said that’s fine and that I’d pay for the 15 (horrible) mins. My foot massage was ok but she used too much force on my calves which ended up being sore for days!!! I had to tell her to tone down the pressure but she didn’t give a sh*t what I wanted and didn’t change anyway. What makes everything worse was that she was obviously talking sh*t about me in CHINESE (Im not Chinese). Earlier she asked what I did for a living and I told her. While she was massaging my feet, she was talking away with her coworkers who were just chilling on the chairs beside me and I heard my occupation. I was polite the whole time and did not deserve this BULLSH*T service. Can’t believe I didn’t walk out. Pissed at myself for wasting my time and money.

Been to Sole Spa at least a half dozen times in the last couple of years. It is not always super quiet but they are always helpful. I noted as in another review it’s not clear if there is a particular style, but really, the job gets done and at a price that I aim to go back regularly now ($ 38 for 50 mins before 5pm Mon to Thurs). You will hear other voices every now and then and in other rooms you may hear the TV but there is always spa music playing if you want that and it is always very clean, private enough, soft lighting and you get what you paid for. I always leave feeling I had a good massage and you can ask them to be as hard or soft as needed, depending on whether you want relaxation or knots worked out. I highly recommend it for a calm, excellent value massage.

I couldn’t give 0 stars so I had to put 1. I came here a couple months ago but did not have the time to sit down and write a proper review. I came here with my boyfriend and my mom one night and were ready to be pampered. We are frequent guests of other reflexology places so we know what we were SUPPOSED to be expecting. We were given three different people and the place seemed a little unorganized when we came in. The people forgot to give tea and biscuits to one of us, which was fine. When my girl started massaging my feet and legs, it felt awkward like she was just brushing her hands and fingers on me with little to no pressure. She kept looking around to both people beside her to see what they were doing so she could follow? She didn’t seem to know what she was doing and then she whips out this rod thing and started poking around the bottoms of my feet with it! None of the masseuses were in tune with one another, and this girl looked like she was about 20 years old and was not doing her job properly so I asked her if she was new and she said no and that she had worked there for over TWO years! I felt bad but finally asked for a new person which then she came back and said there was no one else available so she asked if she could massage my boyfriend instead and have my boyfriend’s masseuse massage me and my boyfriend said yes. The entire time, they were also trying to upsell their services for extended massage time, and to buy future packages. They were relentless! DO NOT COME HERE! They do not know what they are doing and will try to sell you on sh*t you don’t want nor need! Go to Shangri-​la Footspa in Richmond and ask for Karen, Alex, or Warren! They will show you what real reflexology and customer service is all about — AND it’s cheaper. Thank me later :)

Been to this place about 20 times in the past year or so. Unfortunately there are not so many places for good massage in Vancouver. I’ve been to many of the spas in Vancouver such as, Utopia, Scandive, Thai spa, Smile Thai and so many more. Although type of their massage, price and clientele varies, but I believe for having good massage experience some elements are necessary: hygiene, relaxed and calming environment and finally an experienced and motivated masseuse. This place has these elements to some acceptable extent. But, one should be so careful because not all of the staff are experienced and skilled and can easily cause injuries and discomfort. I’ve had some very bad experienced there with two of their staff, leaving me with pain for weeks. Angela, the manager, could be tricky and not honest at times. But, since choices are limited I still use this place, but try to manage my experience proactively.

This woman should at least cut her nails before giving me a massage. D@mn nails digging in my skin.

Over the last few years I’ve visited sole spa about a dozen times. A couple times it was hit and miss but I felt the need to update my review as all off my recent visits have been great. Today I had Mary and she gave the best foot massage I have ever had — clearly she is highly trained. I definitely recommend asking for her when you book an appointment. Also, Monday to Thursday before 5pm there is a 25% off special. This place is worth checking out if you enjoy a good foot rub! I will be back soon.

I am sitting here right now as the guy doing my massage is falling asleep!!! FALLING ALSEEP! Throughout the entire hour he’s been dozing in and out. The pressure is hard and then gets soft as his head bows down and he drifts to sweet sweet slumber. Are you kidding me? I came here because of the Social Shopper but will never return. I will continue to go to Footworks on Broadway — way better! The customer service here at Sole is terrible! No one speaks English and I cannot explain my concerns to anyone. The package was supposed to come with 15 min crystal mud bath and 50 min foot massage. They did not give us a crystal mud bath. It was plain water. Then after 15 mins we had a chance to ask and they didn’t understand what we were asking. Finally they realized and instead of giving us fresh water, they just dumped the crystals in our cold water and left us for another 15 mins. The crystals did not activate because they used the old cold water. What a waste of another 15 mins. After my massage from Sleep, he then asked «shoulder massage?» And I asked if it was included. He didn’t understand my response. Finally the other guy doing my friend said that it would be an extra charge. I thought maybe he was offering to do my shoulders as an apology for falling asleep. On top of all that the customer service was nil. No welcome in the door, no names, loud talkers coming and going, water given in styrofoam cups, no question about the pressure. Just all around terrible. I will not return! Giving this a 1 star is being generous.

Used my social shopper coupon for a foot massage. Massage was ok but the person doing the massage was interrupted 3 times about dealing with issues at the front desk. This made for a disruptive massage. Employees do not introduce themselves. When I went to pay I was told how much to tip which I thought was very inappropriate.

Chairs are SUPER comfortable, I fell asleep.
i was in the private room with the TV and my technician was watching the TV as she did my massage, not to be a jerk I asked her to turn it off as the noise was distracting… obviously to both of us.
Anyways as part of a social shopper coupon I was happy. Though once you add the tax and fees it’s not really a discount at all.
I’ll go back to use my last two coupons of course.
Go if you’re in the area but it’s not a zen spa experience… but the massage was great.

I wish there was an option for less than one star!
I called three weeks ago to book my Social Shopper reflexology. I was confirmed for an appointment in Saturday at 2pm. My friend and I arrived exactly at 2pm. When we told her about the appointment she flipped through the appointment book and could not find my appointment. The entries in the book were chicken scratch so I’m not shocked to see others having problems with their appointments. We were told they could not take us until 4 pm, 2 hours after our schedule time! We declined as we had plans. The woman was of no help and told us our only option was to come back another day. She hardly apologized for their error nor did she try to make amends for the situation.
Do NOT go to Sole Spa! They do not care about their customers!

I have trouble even leaving one star for this place. I’ve been here once before and did not have such a great experience, the staff were rude but thought i would give this place a try again since I saw a coupon on social shopper.
When we got in, there was already a mistake with a customers booking which should have been an indication for us to leave. My husband and I were seated in a private room which was nice. Our coupon was for a deal of 50 minute reflexology and 15 minute salt bath. The foot bath was nice, but the 15 minute turned into an hour of waiting before people even came in to do our reflexology. The water was cold and the owners son was running around and bothering my husband and I in the room. At first it was cute and I was trying to be understanding and then it just got out of control. He was running in and out of our room watching us and making a lot of noises opening and closing our door.
Finally someone came in to give the reflexology session but only for me. So my husband had to keep waiting. The second person didn’t come until a half hour into my session. And then they wouldn’t stop talking in their native language so it was no longer a relaxing session. My reflexologist left because someone else requested him so another girl stepped in just 10 minutes before my session ended and the talking between them got even more distracting.
During the session, a customer came in requesting for service as her appointment time had passed and no one was in the front. She came by a few times and tried talking to the guy doing my session and the guy was so rude, waving his hand and telling her to sit and wait.
The session itself wasn’t even good at all. I feel like I should go back to Footworks so I can feel more satisfied. I am definitely not coming back here and would not recommend this place to anyone.

I read the review for this place, some good some bad so I decided to give it a try. I called on Wednesday to make reservation at 4pm. They told me they can make it at 5pm for me but I was going out with my girls so I said I will go another day. 10 mins later they called me say can put me and my boyfriend at 4pm. But another 10 mins later they called me again to cancel the appointment but didn’t say why. And I called today again to make reservation at 9pm. Even tho they don’t offer the discount price $ 28/​50mins on friday but the woman who spoke to me on the phone offer me 20% off. We got there 10 mins before. They gave us a individual room for me and my man. The woman at the reception asked if we want to make it 60mins and will be only 8 dollars more. I said no, 50 mins is fine for today. But when the guy came in to the room that woman told him to do 60 mins for us in mandarin. I didn’t want to let them know I speak mandarin so I just make sure the service we are getting today in English with 2 guys who are going to massage us. He went out the room and came back said: you do 50 mins foot massage and go outside for 15 mins head and shoulder for $ 55. And I was like… Dude, you make me so confused. 3 different prices in 10 mins? What the heck? They tried sooooo hard to convince us to pay more
Anyway, we deal for 50 mins service at the end. It was Suuuuuper awkward because they did not talk to me or my boyfriend, and didn’t ask if the pressure was fine. Few mins later, the guy who was massaging me literally felt asleep!!! I am not joking at all. Me and my boyfriend both noticed it. The guy was nodding his head but still massaging me, well… It wasn’t really a massage. He was just touching my feet with mo pressure AT ALL!!! The time went so slow, I wasn’t enjoying it.
After the massage we went upfront to pay. The woman was going to charge me 42 bucks, which is 10 bucks different from the price you told me before. I asked why is 42, she said our session was 60 mins. I was like… No?!! It was 50! She went back to talk to the guys and said because we changed our mind, otherwise it should be 60 mins. I just couldn’t hold my temper anymore. I told her we never changed our mind. We deal 50 mins and it was just 50 mins.
Overall it was a really bad experience. Employee wasn’t nice and friendly with no skills. Don’t know why most of the Chinese businesses don’t have integrity and they just try to make money for today but never thought about if they provide a good service to customer then the customer will become a return customer. Sigh…

Very bad experience! Had to end the massage early and walk out.
I felt compelled to end the body massage after only 10 minutes because it was so incredibly amateur and ineffective, and I felt uncomfortable with how she touched my exposed body.
I’ve had lots of massages from many different therapists, some great, some mediocre, but never anything this bad. It was evident that this person had received no professional training because her massage violated the very basic principles that all professionals learn right away.
After a few minutes of ineffective, seemingly random touching over the sheet, she pulled the back of my underwear all the way down exposing my bare bum. (Never had it happened quite like that, and I’ve seen many different therapists over the years.)
She then covered my entire back and butt in massage gel, and then she went right to massaging the top of my butt/​lower back before touching anywhere else on my back/neck/shoulders…huh?
Then without touching anywhere else on my back which was now completely covered in gel (and feeling cold from being wet and exposed to air) she randomly rubbed my left upper arm for 30 seconds, and then actually did a light sweep with both of her hands up the sides of my entire mid-​section, fingers running along the front side of my body along the stomach, targeting no muscle groups, and nearly touching the front side of my breasts.
The massage was so ineffective and unprofessional, and the weird touching made me feel uncomfortable; I realized I couldn’t stand to stay for the rest of the massage, so I asked to end the session. It was a little confusing because of the language barrier, but she left the room, and I started to get dressed.
Then, the owner/​manager came to the door of the room to talk to me. I said not to come inside the room, because I was in the middle of getting dressed. She didn’t understand and walked right in where I was standing with no pants on, and proceeded to talk to me about why I was ending the service, and how she could get a different girl to come in… etc.
I just kept putting on my clothes while she was talking, and then started walking toward the front door, offering to pay for the 10 minutes that had past. I wanted to pay and get the hell out of there, but the manager kept insisting that I stay for a massage by a different person, or her, maybe for free, not sure, but I just kept saying no and left, leaving some cash on the counter.
Feeling bad about the whole thing because I’m sure they are nice people, but OMG, just take your business elsewhere. Big time Unilocal fail, don’t know how/​why their rating is high.

Great new place. Comfy lounge chairs for foot massages. Tranquil inside. Reflexology, so you can ask for as painful or as soft a touch as you want. Good deal for the mon-​thurs off hours’ special.

Go see «happy» she is a awesome therapist. Lots of parking and they serve some very tasty tea and biscuits while you soak your feet.
Comfortable chairs and the cleanest washrooms I have ever seen at a foot massage place.

Angela here is excellent. This place is clean, comfortable and personable.
I usually get full massage then reflexology, or foot massage. I have gone to lots of other spots in Vancouver and never leave feeling unknotted, or totally pain free, I do when I leave this place.
The owner, Angela, is very helpful and likes to make sure your experience is the best it can be.
No complaints here, ever. Don’t know why there a few negative ones here. I am just bordering over extremely fussy with services.
This place, for the price and service cannot be beat!

My friend and I went to Sole Spa for a double massage. Our massage therapists were nice and one was especially good at getting the knots out. This is not the most formal professional spa in the world but its cheap and good quality.
I would definitely recommend Sole!

i came here with my fiancé b/​c my massage therapist recommended this place. firstly, i have to say that $ 28 for 50 min foot massage is an awesome deal (mon to thur only). and they did a pretty good job, even without english as their strong point.
the place was clean, modern, nicely furnished. we were seated in comfy sofa chairs in front of a big tv. but then we were left alone for literally 5 min without anything further. and someone came in with large bins and we were asked to soak our feet for another 10 min in silence. it was sort of awkward at first. but we eventually settled on a tv channel and the massage (when they got to it) was great. i think they even massaged us for the full 50 min after we soaked our feet.
but i feel like the moment they realized i knew how to speak chinese, it was as if the customer service switch turned off for them and they were quite un-​customer-​service friendly:
1. my massage lady turned her chair and had it facing the tv half the time (my fiancé’s massage guy did not. i’m not sure if my fiancé being a halfer makes a difference or not).
2. the front desk lady demanded a tip. (sorry, but i tip if there is customer service given, not just service performed).
3. the front desk lady was also quite rude in telling us that we must make reservations next time because «we are not always so lucky to get walk in appts». (ok, i get that. but it all comes down to the delivery of the request. to add to that, i had tried to call in twice to book an appt the day before, but no one picked up the phone.)
massage: 4 stars
service: 0 stars
not sure if i would come back. my fiancé has no complaints though. he also didn’t understand what was being said between me and the front desk lady because it was all in chinese.

A new foot massage lounge… how could I resist?
(Especially with the 2 for 1 special going on!)
Having just opened earlier in the week. I popped by to check it out. It definitely has a very spa like feel to it. When you walk in, you enter in to a Zen-​like atmosphere, filled with tranquility and serenity. The lights are dim and music plays softly in the background.
I ended up having my foot massage in a private room equipped with a TV! However, there’s also an lounge lined with chairs if you prefer to get your massage in an open space.
The massage itself felt great and I found myself slowly dozing off in the end. They also offer acupressure massages as well. The cost is pretty average — not too pricey, but a little bit more than Golden Feet. A 50 minute foot massage is $ 40. (I guess the difference in price is made up by the awesome spa environment!)
I would recommend giving it a try — if you enjoy foot massages and a relaxing and elegant spa-​like space, this is a great place to get the best of both words.