| rev:text
| - Body Blitzkreig
Some people are regulars at their local pub or cafe. Some frequent book stores, movie theaters and shopping malls ... I camp out at Toronto's lengthy and blissful array of spas. Yes, I am 'that' girl. Many a weekend have been spent lounging around in my birthday suit, having some short and surprisingly aggressive little lady scrub, wash, pick and soothe me from head to toe. So, when a gal pal of mine suggested trying out one we hadn't hit before, how could I refuse?
Body Blitz is an all female spa, based on the Turkish style bath-houses popular with the boys ... but made modern and girlie with gorgeous decor and fruity drinks, so I was sold. However, like a cheap rose bought at 2am on Queen street from a toothless gypsy, my experience quickly wilted.
I had an appointment at one afternoon for a body treatment (aka: rub and scrub), and came early as recommended to enjoy the water therapies. Before we entered said waters, I ordered and paid for a plain, hot chai Tea off the menu (not a chai latte - and plain chai tea - chosen specifically because everything else listed had soy in it, and this one did not). The tea never came before my treatment, and I had to ask a server afterwards for it. When she brought it, I took one sip, and then asked her what was in it, as the menu did not indicate any milk, and milky it was. She informed me that the chai tea had soy milk in it, but that was interestingly NOT listed on the menu as an ingredient. Sadly, I am SEVERELY intolerant to soy, and was immediately quite ill and had to go home. On my way out though, I went to the front desk to inform the clerks of this, and was treated like an unwanted party-crasher, and not someone who had just spent a fortune for a few hours of bathing and beautifying. I was eventually offered a refund or credit for the $3, but in my ill state, all I wanted was to go home and rest. I remained seriously ill all weekend, getting far too familiar with the insides of my beloved blue bathroom once again.
So here's my big rant: it is completely unacceptable that the spa did not list all the ingredients in the chai tea, as there are many people out there with severe food allergies such as myself. I wanted so very badly to be a regular patron of the Body Blitz spa, as before the incident, I thoroughly enjoyed the water therapies and the body treatment I received. But no, with the reaction I had to the soy, but mainly the insulting and high-school-like treatment of the front clerks, I have absolutely NO interest in returning anytime soon.
I even sent the management a very professional and detailed note, informing them of the incident, and recommended that they train your front desk clerks in to handle distressed clients more respectfully and delicately, and to revise their tea menu to indicate ALL ingredients so as to avoid something like this happening to another patron. I am fortunate that my food allergy is not life threatening, but there are many people out there who's lives depend on the information presented to them when selecting beverages and food from establishments, and this could have been an unfortunate life threatening situation if that was the case.
I eventually did hear back from their director, who was somewhat courteous, and indicated that they were changing the menu to indicate all the ingredients. Good. They also offered me a credit ... yes a credit ... for the whole amount of the tea. Wow, a whopping $3. Lucky me. I indicated that I would not likely be returning, and was told that I should have written my allergy down on my personal health form. Funny, I didn't realize that going for a massage or swim required a list of things I can not ingest. I actually remember joking at check-in that their line for allergies wasn't long enough, as I am one of 'those' people with a whole whack of allergies, but just wrote down the ones pertaining to my body/skin/breathing.
I guess the lesson here folks is make sure that if someone is going to rub cream all over your body, they know what exactly might reek havoc on your digestive track ... just in case you need a snack mid-massage and decide to eat the lotion.
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