A tourist from Thailand said she and her boyfriend ended up paying nearly $1,000 after visiting a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Singapore for what was supposed to be treatment for her stiff neck.<\/p>\n
According to Shin Min Daily News, the couple have since lodged a police report, alleging they were upsold treatments and that the woman\u2019s boyfriend underwent bloodletting without his consent.<\/p>\n
The woman, who gave her surname as Zhang, told the Chinese daily that she and her Brazilian boyfriend were holidaying in Singapore when she developed a stiff neck<\/a>.<\/p>\n Looking for relief, they visited Hwealth TCM Care at Citylink mall on Aug 7.<\/p>\n A check by Stomp found that the clinic has a 4.8-star rating based on 200 Google reviews.<\/p>\n Ms Zhang said a staff member recommended she undergo a one-hour massage and one-hour moxibustion treatment, while her boyfriend signed up for a one-hour back massage.<\/p>\n The couple were then taken to separate treatment rooms.<\/p>\n After massaging her for a while, the therapist allegedly told Ms Zhang that her condition was too serious for moxibustion alone and recommended an electrotherapy treatment called \u201cSantong\u201d, which cost $198 for an hour.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought the price was still acceptable and I really wanted relief for my stiff neck, so I agreed,\u201d she told Shin Min.<\/p>\n She added that the therapist later told her that her boyfriend had requested an additional 30 minutes of massage, so she agreed to extend his session as well.<\/p>\n When Ms Zhang entered her boyfriend\u2019s room after finishing her own treatment, she claimed she found the therapist performing cupping and gua sha<\/a> on him.<\/p>\n She said her boyfriend had only wanted a massage and had previously disliked cupping during trips to China.<\/p>\n She then suspected he was being hard-sold additional treatments, she said.<\/p>\n The couple were shocked when they reached the cashier and were presented with a bill of $866.<\/p>\n Ms Zhang said they decided not to argue because it was their first time in Singapore and they were unfamiliar with local massage prices.<\/p>\n \u201cBut the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I felt we might have been cheated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n They decided to make a police report.<\/p>\n According to receipts seen by Shin Min, the amount was listed simply as \u201ctreatment charges\u201d. Her boyfriend later paid another $88 for the extended massage, bringing the total to $954.<\/p>\n Ms Zhang\u2019s 27-year-old Brazilian boyfriend, Lincoln, told Shin Min that after entering the treatment room, the therapist spoke to him in basic English and asked where he felt uncomfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cI told her I wasn\u2019t uncomfortable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cI thought she was asking which part of my body I wanted her to focus on during the massage, so I pointed to my neck. Instead, she started performing bloodletting. When I saw the blood, I was shocked.<\/p>\n \u201cI was already in pain and didn\u2019t want to continue. But I was worried that if I complained, she would try to sell me more treatments, so I just endured it until the session ended.\u201d<\/p>\n Lincoln, who does not speak Chinese, added that he only found out later from Ms Zhang that the procedure was bloodletting.<\/p>\n Photos he shared with Shin Min Daily News showed red marks and blisters on his neck after the treatment.<\/p>\n Upset by the experience, Ms Zhang later detailed the incident in a series of posts on Xiaohongshu, where they attracted widespread attention.<\/p>\n Ms Zhang said the clinic contacted her after the incident to apologise to her and her boyfriend, and offered to refund 15 per cent of the amount they had paid.<\/p>\n Screenshots of messages seen by the Chinese daily showed the clinic apologising for the poor experience<\/a>, saying it would assess the therapist involved and improve communication with foreign customers.<\/p>\n However, Ms Zhang said she rejected the offer and instead asked for a 50 per cent refund, which the clinic declined, saying the company would not agree to it.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand they also provided some services, so I\u2019m not asking for a full refund,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think refunding half the amount would be reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n When Shin Min visited the TCM clinic on Aug 8, a staff member said the owner was in China and asked the reporter to leave a contact number, saying the owner would get in touch in a few days.<\/p>\n A woman who later identified herself as the clinic\u2019s manager called Shin Min to explain the matter, but declined to have her comments made public or published.<\/p>\n When Shin Min returned to the clinic the following morning, it was still unable to obtain an official response.<\/p>\n Have something to say? Join in!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Explore more on these topics<\/p>\n<\/div>\n See something interesting? Contribute<\/a> your story to us.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Scroll to continue reading<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\nSimple massage became multiple treatments<\/h2>\n
\u2018I saw blood and was shocked\u2019<\/h2>\n
Boyfriend says bloodletting was done without his consent<\/h2>\n
Clinic apologises, offers 15% refund<\/h2>\n
Clinic declines to comment<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Stomp](\"https:\/\/www.stomp.sg\/assets\/stomp-comment-COLiWNMD.png\")
<\/p>\n