Tourists visit TCM clinic for stiff neck, end up paying nearly $1,000 after allegedly being upsold treatments
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.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the couple have since lodged a police report, alleging they were upsold treatments and that the woman’s boyfriend underwent bloodletting without his consent.
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.
Looking for relief, they visited Hwealth TCM Care at Citylink mall on Aug 7.
A check by Stomp found that the clinic has a 4.8-star rating based on 200 Google reviews.
Simple massage became multiple treatments
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.
The couple were then taken to separate treatment rooms.
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 “Santong”, which cost $198 for an hour.
“I thought the price was still acceptable and I really wanted relief for my stiff neck, so I agreed,” she told Shin Min.
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.
‘I saw blood and was shocked’
When Ms Zhang entered her boyfriend’s room after finishing her own treatment, she claimed she found the therapist performing cupping and gua sha on him.
She said her boyfriend had only wanted a massage and had previously disliked cupping during trips to China.
She then suspected he was being hard-sold additional treatments, she said.
The couple were shocked when they reached the cashier and were presented with a bill of $866.
Ms Zhang said they decided not to argue because it was their first time in Singapore and they were unfamiliar with local massage prices.
“But the more I thought about it afterwards, the more I felt we might have been cheated,” she said.
They decided to make a police report.
According to receipts seen by Shin Min, the amount was listed simply as “treatment charges”. Her boyfriend later paid another $88 for the extended massage, bringing the total to $954.
Boyfriend says bloodletting was done without his consent
Ms Zhang’s 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.
“I told her I wasn’t uncomfortable,” he said.
“I 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.
“I was already in pain and didn’t 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.”
Lincoln, who does not speak Chinese, added that he only found out later from Ms Zhang that the procedure was bloodletting.
Photos he shared with Shin Min Daily News showed red marks and blisters on his neck after the treatment.
Upset by the experience, Ms Zhang later detailed the incident in a series of posts on Xiaohongshu, where they attracted widespread attention.
Clinic apologises, offers 15% refund
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.
Screenshots of messages seen by the Chinese daily showed the clinic apologising for the poor experience, saying it would assess the therapist involved and improve communication with foreign customers.
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.
“I understand they also provided some services, so I’m not asking for a full refund,” she said.
“But I think refunding half the amount would be reasonable.”
Clinic declines to comment
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.
A woman who later identified herself as the clinic’s manager called Shin Min to explain the matter, but declined to have her comments made public or published.
When Shin Min returned to the clinic the following morning, it was still unable to obtain an official response.
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