As Told Over Brunch

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I Won an At-Home Massage on Instagram and Here's How it Went

My sister and I tag each other in a lot of Instagram contests -- as in every day practically. While I have yet to win a trip (fingers crossed for that one), our record is looking pretty spiffy so far.

My sister has won:

  • A session with a life coach (I am rather jealous) and a piece of art (she didn’t actually get that though)
  • A racing t-shirt and a swag bag
  • A gift card for pizza (she’s gluten free so LOL)

And I’ve won:

  • A gift card to a crepe place in Charlotte (delish)
  • Entry to a healthy living festival
  • A Buddha necklace
  • And an at-home massage

As you can tell by the title of this blog post, we're here to talk about the at-home massage.

The story all started maybe a year ago. There was a sponsored ad on my Instagram for Zeel, and at-home massage company. I clicked to their website and checked their zone. They weren't in my town. Since I understand marketing, I wanted to let them know their targeting was off, since I was getting the ad, but not in their delivery area. They didn't respond. I saw the ad again on Facebook. I reached out again. Nothing.

Months passed.

Then I saw an ad for MindBody RVA, and rejoiced. It was Zeel, but if the title was any indication, they would actually be in my area! I searched for them, and found out they would in fact be Richmond once they opened.

The plot thickened. They had a contest for a FREE MASSAGE. Out of all the contests, I needed this one.

I won a free massage!

Months passed, and they still hadn't opened. I almost forget about it. Then I got an invite to book as soon as the opened. Within a week, I scheduled my appointment. 

MindBody RVA Review

I was relatively nervous before it, kind of like when you’re about to meet a person for the first time. I found myself cleaning my house, organizing the kitchen and vacuuming like I was hosting a first date at my house. It just felt odd inviting a stranger into my house to rub me.

When my masseuse showed up at my house, she was a perky, petite woman that got right to setting up the bed. I was sitting on my sofa, chatting and feeling like I needed to be a better host. So, I made things weird.

“Do you need any water or snacks? Sorry I made this appointment during lunchtime,” I offered.

She thanked me and declined, and finished setting up her Bluetooth speaker.

Then she excused herself to go to my bathroom (which gave me a bit of anxiety because I’m self-conscience because that sucker is the size of a broom closet). I got undressed and tucked myself into the bed, which was now set-up in the middle of my living room.

She knocked to come out of the door – and not to come in – which made me laugh a bit. Then, the massage started. And so did the barking dog next door.

I of course am not going to complain about a free massage, whether it’s hosted at a salon, at my house or likely anywhere, but this was my concern about the at-home massage idea: my house isn’t that relaxing. I have lights that only go on and off (no dimmer, salt lamp, mood lighting, etc.), I have no aromatherapy diffusers and I can’t control the barking dog.

However, after a few minutes of rubbing, I forgot all about the dog. Then, I think it might have stopped barking entirely. The massage was a great pressure, working across my entire body.

Once the massage was over, she excused herself again to the bathroom while I changed. After, she told me about how tight my shoulders were (don’t worry, I could tell) from how I carry my stress. As I was sipping water, I had this vivid image of someone holding their stress in a briefcase instead. Then I shook my head because I was being ridiculous, and this woman needed her tip.

If I may digress for a moment: getting the tip money was difficult for me because I don't ever have cash, so I went to the ATM. I had to sit there for a solid minute trying to remember my PIN because I never need cash, so I haven't needed to recall it in at least a year. However, I did acquire the cash and tried to hand it to her.

She didn't take it. Apparently MindBody RVA include tip in the price, which is AMAZING. I hate fumbling for cash at the end of a massage, trying to calculate how much extra I have to give. Math harshes my massage vibe.

Overall, at-home massages are a cool concept: you don't have to leave your house, MindBody RVA gives a great massage and it's only as weird as you make it. However, I do miss the atmosphere of going to a massage: the dark room, smell and warm towels.

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