I’m the author of this story. This story takes place about three months later in the same upscale spa in a five-star hotel.

Management has recently decided to overload all therapists with more bookings than we are legally allowed to do, with almost no turnaround time between clients, while constantly running out of supplies. As such, every single therapist is racing to get rooms set up for long and complex treatments.

On this particular day, I begin with a thirty-minute facial and a two-hour package afterward consisting of a foot bath, body scrub, body massage, and facial. I’ve managed to set everything up in with seconds to spare and take a deep breath to steady myself after such frantic running back and forth.

My moment complete, I head out to find my client.

Me: “Hello, [Client]. My name is [My Name], and I’ll be your therapist today. Are you ready to come in with me?”

She shifts her designer sunglasses and literally looks down her nose at me.

Client: “What is wrong with your voice?”

Me: “…I’m sorry?”

Client: “Your voice. I don’t like it. You sound breathy. Do you actually want me here, or should I come back another time?”

Me: “I’m so sorry, ma’am, I absolutely did not mean to come across that way. I have everything ready for your treatment, however, so if you’d like to follow me—”

Client: *Interrupting* “No, I don’t want you. I don’t like your voice. It’s too breathy. You don’t sound right.”

She looks me up and down with obvious contempt and points.

Client: “I only want this spa at its best, and it’s clearly not today if someone like you is here.”

Me: *Forcing a smile* “I’m sorry about that, ma’am. If you’re not comfortable with me, then you are free to speak with my manager.”

The client hightails it to the front desk and starts demanding her appointment be changed this instant. The manager explains that this is not possible, as we tend to book out a month in advance, this will mean a two-hour slot will be wasted, and her not liking my voice isn’t a valid reason. After all, I simply need to ask some basic questions such as allergies, etc., and then we don’t have to talk. Therefore, changing her appointment is really quite difficult and unreasonable.

To say the client is affronted would be an understatement; she looks as though someone has suggested she go bathe in garbage water.

Client: “That is unacceptable. I want my appointment changed now! I only have spa treatments every two weeks, and it’s important that I only get the best! This therapist…” *points to me* “…is clearly not the best.”

Manager: “Ma’am, her voice is not a valid reason to change your appointment so suddenly.”

Client: “Are you refusing to do what I want?!”

Manager: “Not exactly, but I’m just saying that it’s not—”

Client: “I want to talk to the manager!”

Manager: “Well, that would be me.”

I should point out that my manager is Mexican. The client is white.

Client: *In a tone of absolute revulsion* “You? Someone like you actually owns this place?!”

Manager: “…No, I don’t own the business.”

The client marches over to a seat and parks herself.

Client: “Fine. I’ll just wait here while you escalate my case to your superior!”

While she waits, two more women come in screaming about the hotel sauna being closed for cleaning, even though that has nothing to do with the spa, and the delightful woman from before starts commiserating with the newcomers about how incompetent we are, etc.

They go on more about my manager’s accent and so forth, pretty much being exactly the kind of people you’d cross the street to avoid. While I’m standing there questioning every single thing that has led me up to this point, the two sauna clients leave amid more shouting, and the first woman is told that the owner has agreed to switch her appointment.

Client: “About time. Don’t worry, I’m not going to make a complaint or anything!”

She is FINALLY gone, and the next thing I know, my manager is rounding on me.

Manager: “HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?!”

Me: “What are you saying?”

Manager: “You should have taken charge of that situation! You should have done more to reassure that woman! You should have done more to calm her down!”

At this point, I am barely holding back tears.

Me: “…she said my voice annoyed her. How was I supposed to calm her down when that was her issue? And she insulted me right to my face. I don’t want to deal with that kind of rudeness!”

Manager: “YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE MORE TO CALM HER DOWN! YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE LET HER GET THAT UPSET!”

Despite saying that she wouldn’t complain, the client called the head office to complain before she’d even left the building. As compensation for her unspeakable trauma, she received free products, free treatments, and free upgrades.

That was the beginning of the end for me. Thanks to this woman, all levels of management proceeded to chew me out throughout several meetings over multiple weeks over the incident, and they cut my hours as punishment for not “calming and communicating with the client”.

They were utterly shocked and furious when I left a few months later, and I have since left the beauty industry entirely thanks to that place.

Related:
Meet The Mister Looking For His Miss-ogyny

I have a client bring her non-English-speaking mother back to the spa a week after having her brows done. I guess the aesthetician who did her brows had made them too thin.

Daughter: *Demanding* “You need to do something about it! Make them thicker and reshape them again!”

By industry standards, her mother’s brows are fine: nice arch, clean line, and not dramatic for a grandma.

Me: “How do you propose I fix her brows?”

Daughter: “Make them thicker!”

One of my methods for dealing with angry clients is to repeat back to them what they have asked.

Me: “How would you like me to thicken them?”

I’m assuming she wants a pencil or brow powder to cosmetically thicken them.

Daughter: “Make them thicker. Reshape them and make them thicker!”

When you shape brows, one is usually removing hair.

Me: “Would you like a brow pencil to fill them in?”

Daughter: “No! Make them thicker!“

Me: “So, without makeup, you would like me to remove more hair to make them appear like there is more hair?”

I’m repeating this in front of the entire spa, where all the customers can hear this crazy lady.

Daughter: “I want to speak to the manager!”

Me: “I am the manager.”

Daughter: “You are useless! Why can’t you fix her brows?!”

Me: “Ma’am, I cannot make hair grow back; only time can do that. Her brows are fine, and your mother has not indicated that she is upset about this.”

The mother has been standing there doing and saying nothing to her daughter. In fact, she looks quite embarrassed. Now this lady is screaming at me, so I tell her to lower her voice.

Daughter: “I will not lower my voice! Make her brows thicker! I don’t give a f*** if everyone hears me. Your staff is stupid, and the clients are idiots if they come to a spa like this where they cheat you and can’t fix a problem!”

Me: “Ma’am, you are now being aggressive to me, my staff, and the clients. Your request is unreasonable because I am not God and cannot grow back your mother’s eyebrows. Just wait four weeks and they will be back to how you want them for your mother. Please leave the spa now, or I will call the police.”

Daughter: “No, I won’t leave.”

Now all the clients, about five at the front, three in the back, have come up and are looking at this lady. I’m thinking, “F*** me. They are never coming back.”

Other Customer: “Lady, get out or we will call the police and let them know you are being aggressive and threatening. She has tried to fix your problem. You are being completely unreasonable, and now you’re disturbing us!”

She looked at me, looked at the clients, and actually left!

I work as a beauty therapist at a VERY upscale franchise spa in a five-star hotel. The majority of our clientele are quite well-off and/or coming for a special occasion. Most are perfectly polite, but we do get a few clients who are entitled and demanding.

It’s about an hour before closing, and I’ve just exited from cleaning one of the treatment rooms when the receptionist pulls me aside. She’s a lovely girl from Mexico.

Receptionist: “Hey, [My Name]. I’m sorry, but you’ve had a last-minute booking for a thirty-minute massage.”

Me: “Oh, really? That should be fine.”

Receptionist: “Yeah, I’m sorry. The client asked for you specifically.”

I glance into the waiting room and see the client. I’m instantly confused.

Me: “I’ve never seen him in my life. Why would he ask for me?”

Receptionist: *Looking embarrassed* “Well… he said he only wanted to be booked with an Australian therapist, so it has to be you.”

I stare at her in disbelief. My coworkers at the spa are all extremely multicultural, and I love that. We have people who are Thai, Nepalese, Mexican, Spanish, German, Japanese, Italian, etc. I am the only white Australian who works at this particular location.

Me: “What?! Are you serious?! What does that have to do with anything?”

Receptionist: “I don’t want to book him, but [Manager] said just do it. I’m really sorry. I know it’s weird.”

Me: “I can’t believe this… Okay, fine. I’ll do it. Thank God it’s only a short booking.”

I’m so stunned and angry that I have to take a minute. I don’t know what to expect with this guy or what bearing he thinks cultural background has on this, but since I’m technically the only one who meets his request, I have no choice. I prepare the room, brace myself, and go to fetch the client.

Me: “Hi, [Client]? My name’s [My Name] and I’ll be your therapist today.”

He seems pleased and follows me to the room. I check his consultation form and he gets on the massage bed. I begin the massage.

Client: “So, you’re Australian?”

I’m irritated by his bigotry, but I try to be polite.

Me: “Well, yes. I was born and raised here.”

Client: “I’m glad. I’m [Ethnicity]. You been working here long?”

Me: “I started at this company last June.”

Client: “How often do you work?”

Me: *Thinking he’s just making small talk* “I work four days a week, currently. It’s such a physical job after all.”

Client: “So, you married?”

Me: “No.”

Client: “You have a partner?”

Me: “No, not right now.”

Client: “D***! I was going to say that your husband is a lucky man. Your hands are magic! How old are you?”

Me: “Late twenties.”

Client: “How long have you been single?”

I try to end this conversation.

Me: “A while.”

Client: “You should get married. You ever been with a [Ethnicity] man like me?”

Me: “No. Did you want me to turn the music up or anything?”

Client: “No, I’m good. See, honey, you need to get with a [Ethnicity] man like me. But just so you know, you won’t be able to work when you do. You can’t be Miss Independent with them.”

Me: “…”

Client: “You have to let them be in charge. If you submit, they’ll take care of you. If you try to be your own woman, it won’t work out.”

I die a little inside.

He proceeds to lecture me throughout the rest of the treatment about how a “proper” wife should behave while asking extremely invasive questions about my dating history, which I gently rebuff.

The thirty-minute massage is agonisingly slow, but I get him out as quickly as I possibly can. My coworkers are very concerned with his odd behaviour once I tell them what he was saying. A note is put on his file that he is not to be rebooked. I go home and think that’s the end of it, but the next morning, I arrive to find the receptionist looking worried.

Receptionist: “[My Name]! Are you okay?”

Me: “Yes. What’s going on?”

Receptionist: “That weird guy from yesterday came back looking for you.”

Me: “What?!”

Receptionist: “Yeah, before we opened, he was standing outside, staring into the window. He was wondering when you started work.”

Me: *Pauses* “If he comes back today, tell him I’m not working. And if he comes back again, tell him I’ve been moved to a different spa.”

Receptionist: “If he comes back, I’m calling security. He’s crazy.”

The spa manager was horrified when she found out, and the client was promptly blacklisted for life. So far, he hasn’t returned, and I hope it stays that way!

When I worked in a spa, my boss would schedule people over their breaks. One time, I went up front to get the information for my next client, and my boss called me over to her computer.

Boss: “I know you have an opening after this client marked as your break, but this guy—” *points to a new client* “—wants to get in, so I’m going to put him there.”

This would have given me over four hours of work without a break, and that is hard on your body, trust me. I was already tired and was looking forward to eating.

Me: “No, this is my break time. If he would like to be seen, my open time slot is here.”

I pointed to the one open slot I had toward the end of my shift and walked away. Surprisingly, my break was left alone. I can’t remember if the guys took the open slot or not, but the look on my boss’s face was nice.

(My brother-in-law has always been a few playing cards short of a full checkerboard, but this one is a real stumper. I am visiting him after he has been out raking leaves most of the day. He is complaining about having sore muscles. I suggest a therapeutic massage. He isn’t so sure about that, stating that he is happily married and doesn’t need “that.” I convince him that a therapeutic massage is not “that” kind of massage, look up some close ones on my phone, and suggest he call for an appointment. He is a little hard of hearing so he always uses the speakerphone option, so I hear the whole conversation.)

Employee: “Hello, this is [Massage Business]. May I help you?”

Brother-In-Law: “Yeah, I got some sore muscles and I was told you folks can help out with that?”

Employee: “Certainly, sir. Are you a returning patient, or a new patient?”

Brother-In-Law: “Oh, I ain’t never been in one of your kind of places before, but I was told you would make my sore muscles feel better, so I guess I should make an appointment with one of your massagenists.”

Employee: *pause* “Uh, sir, our practitioners are referred to as massage therapists; would you like to make an appointment?”

Me: *stifling my laugh, having to leave the room*

(My brother-in-law did make an appointment, which did make him feel much better; however, I doubt that it was with a misogynist as he requested.)

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