Most people get spa treatments to relax and feel better, though that’s not how a massage ended for a guest at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, during what was a very special trip…
In this post:
A massage gone wrong at the Conrad Maldives
An X user named Andrew tags me regarding a frustrating situation that has unfolded after a stay at one of Hilton’s most iconic hotels, the Conrad Maldives. He was in the Maldives to propose to his girlfriend (now wife), and they got a couples massage. Well, that massage changed his life, and left him with a permanent neck injury, requiring him to have surgery.
The evening of the massage, Andrew experienced neck swelling, and the staff had reportedly said that “you are sore because it’s been a long time.”
The trauma caused a 4.6 centimeter mass of scar tissue and blood clots in his neck, which the medical team directly linked to the Conrad spa. He has shared every medical record and bill with Hilton’s Office of Trust & Risk, but claims he has received total silence for months.
So he’s now going public with the story, in hopes that public shaming might get Hilton to take notice — fair enough!
My take on this situation, and Hilton’s response
First of all, congrats to Andrew on his proposal and subsequent marriage, which is the only good news in this story.
This neck injury sounds absolutely awful, and I’m sorry how much suffering he has endured following this trip. Honestly, this story sort of unlocks a new level of fear for me, since I never thought that a spa massage could end so badly.
When you get a massage, you typically sign some waiver releasing the spa from liability in the event of an injury. Obviously that doesn’t mean that you can’t request compensation or take legal action if things go really wrong — it’s just like valets typically claim they accept no liability for your car, but if they crash it, they’re still going to be on the hook.
This is beyond my area of expertise, though I am curious to what extent — legally and medically — the massage therapist, spa, and hotel, can be held liable here:
- Medically, how extreme would the massage therapist’s technique have to be in order to cause a permanent injury like this? Was there something pre-existing that was made worse by the massage, without the massage therapist’s knowledge? Or can a massage really cause a permanent injury like this if there are no pre-existing issues? Does the person receiving the massage have any responsibility in terms of providing feedback to the masseuse about the amount of pressure and technique?
- Legally, if the massage therapist was properly trained and it just happened to be that this person reacted badly to the massage technique, is the liability different than if there were some sort of negligence?
Now, I think the real issue is how Hilton and the hotel have reportedly ghosted the guest over this incident. Hotels typically use third party insurance companies for injury claims like this, and all too often, it seems that the insurance companies find any excuse to avoid liability, and then the hotel group sides with whatever they decide, since they don’t want to pay “out of pocket.”
If all of the claims are correct, and if public pressure doesn’t help, then unfortunately this seems like something that may need to be handled via the legal system…
Bottom line
A spa massage at the Conrad Maldives ended in the worst way imaginable, with a permanent neck injury that ultimately required surgery. The guest has reportedly been sharing all the relevant details with the correct departments at Hilton, but the hotel giant has now gone silent, and is refusing to pay for the injuries.
I’m really sorry to hear about how this unfolded, and it certainly makes me look at massages a little differently…
What do you make of this Conrad Maldives spa incident?
The real question is if it can be linked to the spa experience and prove that it was the spa's fault
I've been to that spa. It's hard to imagine any technique there that would create a large growth / tissue clump that needs to be removed? It would have to be something he noticed at the time (like being hit with a wrench or something).
I chalk many of these things up to American "sue everybody, get rich" mentality, so it's hard to take them at face value.
The only way I can see someone getting injured at this particular spa is if they went to the open-air toilet and accidentally fell into the ocean below, hitting something on the way down.
(Since you've been, I thought you may recall that 'feature' of each treatment room.)
Sadly, any attorney is going to tell them that there is no recourse. Signing a waiver is very different than a valet handing you a ticket that says they aren't liable. And I know from experience. A hotel chain was responsible for my wife's death. My excellent attorney sent me to the best liability litigators who looked at the waiver she signed for an excursion. and told me to save my money.
Hilton will most...
Sadly, any attorney is going to tell them that there is no recourse. Signing a waiver is very different than a valet handing you a ticket that says they aren't liable. And I know from experience. A hotel chain was responsible for my wife's death. My excellent attorney sent me to the best liability litigators who looked at the waiver she signed for an excursion. and told me to save my money.
Hilton will most certainly not do anything that resembles admitting they are liable for anything and good luck suing the hotel which is probably owned by a non-US company and the waiver is likely iron clad.
Sorry to hear that.
I just had a bad experience with massage. It was in a very upscale day spa in a very upscale neighborhood. The therapist is supposed to be very experienced and have worked decades in the spa. She told me my neck n shoulder were super tense so she “did me a favor and used extra strength” to loosen the knots. My neck was clicking right after and felt not right for a week. So think...
I just had a bad experience with massage. It was in a very upscale day spa in a very upscale neighborhood. The therapist is supposed to be very experienced and have worked decades in the spa. She told me my neck n shoulder were super tense so she “did me a favor and used extra strength” to loosen the knots. My neck was clicking right after and felt not right for a week. So think twice before having someone massage close to your neck. Everyone’s body is different and you never know.
IT IS ALL EASY FOR EVERY READER TO ACCUSE THE PASSENGER OR FIND FAULT WITH HIM AND SUSPECT HIS NECK INJURY
LIKE MASSAGE THERAPIST CHIROPRACTOR
CAN ALSO CAUSE INJURY TO THE CERVICAL
DISCS DUE TO HIS RUDE AND HARSH MASSAGE
FIRST OF ALL
IS THE MASSAGE THERAPIST LICENSED
IS THE THERAPIST HAVING MALPRACTICE
INSURANCE
WAS THERE ANY COMPLAINT AGAINST THIS
PARTICULAR THERAPIST IN THE PAST
DID...
IT IS ALL EASY FOR EVERY READER TO ACCUSE THE PASSENGER OR FIND FAULT WITH HIM AND SUSPECT HIS NECK INJURY
LIKE MASSAGE THERAPIST CHIROPRACTOR
CAN ALSO CAUSE INJURY TO THE CERVICAL
DISCS DUE TO HIS RUDE AND HARSH MASSAGE
FIRST OF ALL
IS THE MASSAGE THERAPIST LICENSED
IS THE THERAPIST HAVING MALPRACTICE
INSURANCE
WAS THERE ANY COMPLAINT AGAINST THIS
PARTICULAR THERAPIST IN THE PAST
DID THE CUSTOMER START FEELING DISCOMFORT OR PAIN IMMEDIATELY AFTER
MASSAGE WAS OVER OR AFTER REACHING HOME AFTER HOW MANY DAYS
HIS ATTORNEY WILL GET THE INFORMATION
AND CLUES TO BRAND HER AS CULPRIT
FROM THE WAY THE ATTORNEY CONDUCTS
DEPOSITION OF THE THERAPIST AND DRILLS
HER SHE WILL VOMIT THE TRUTH
DOES HAVE HIS XRAY OR MRI OF HIS NECK
PRIOR TO MASSAGE IN MALE
IF NO RADIOLOGICAL FILM IS TAKEN
AND IF HIS MEDICAL RECORDS DID NOT SHOW
ANY ADVERSE CONDITIONS OF CERVICAL DISCS THEN HE IS RIGHT AND HE WILL WIN THE CASE I AM AN AIRLINE OFFICER AND
A GRADUATE IN MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTION
MEDICAL BILLING AND MEDICAL CODING
(whispering: are you ok, bro? like, we hear you, no need to yell..)
He is alleging that the massage injured him to the point that he required major surgery and is left with chronic problems.
Putting aside whether the massage had anything to do with this or not, the injury that he is claiming is probably worth more than $100,000.
This is not something that the hotel’s customer service team is going to make right. The appropriate venue for pursuing a major injury claim like this is...
He is alleging that the massage injured him to the point that he required major surgery and is left with chronic problems.
Putting aside whether the massage had anything to do with this or not, the injury that he is claiming is probably worth more than $100,000.
This is not something that the hotel’s customer service team is going to make right. The appropriate venue for pursuing a major injury claim like this is through the courts, not the internet. I have to wonder why he is pursuing this publicity course rather than the more logical course that would lead to compensation if he could prove his case.
Who knows... maybe he's hoping for a juicy GoFundMe, or, it's because he was told by counsel that his case was weak, so, perhaps it's a tertiary attempt at gaining some in-kind extortion. (Like, I'll stop the 'bad press,' if you give me 500,000 Hilton Honors points).
Good luck for a foreigner getting any justice in the medieval Maldives legal system.
Is it eye for an eye still? So… massage therapist… time to wreck ya neck!
In 2017 a young Sydney woman went into "locked-in syndrome" after a workplace neck massage caused damage to an artery followed by a big stroke. She eventually recovered enough function to do basic self-care, but it took a long time. Thing is, rare things happen to people. It doesn't necessarily mean that this guy's massage was inappropriately vigorous. This is the risk you take every time someone massages your neck. Letting a chiropractor "adjust" your...
In 2017 a young Sydney woman went into "locked-in syndrome" after a workplace neck massage caused damage to an artery followed by a big stroke. She eventually recovered enough function to do basic self-care, but it took a long time. Thing is, rare things happen to people. It doesn't necessarily mean that this guy's massage was inappropriately vigorous. This is the risk you take every time someone massages your neck. Letting a chiropractor "adjust" your neck is even more dangerous, with an estimated one in 20000 chance of having a stroke of some degree of another. Given that the risk of death under anesthesia is about one in 100000 (in Australia at least), you might want to rethink that next bone-cracking session.
In Australia? Don't you blokes have a bunch of venomous snakes and great white sharks?!
We also have funnel web spiders and drop-bears.
KTNBOTP
Even in an acronym or from a meme, the n-word ain't 'cool' here.
This guy had a preexisting condition that was aggravated by the massage. Plain and simple. A neck massage does not cause a mass to form and it appears that thing had almost certainly been developing for years, based on the photo. He either knew about it and failed to disclose it, or he was blissfully unaware. In either case, there is no reasonable way the massage therapist or the hotel could have known, and they should *not* be held responsible.
It'll be interesting to watch his lawyers try to prove mechanism of injury in court. There's no way that the resort or Hilton will admit liability. His doctors can expect aggressive cross-examination, and for the defense to produce their own experts. Give it up, bro. Be thankful you could still walk onto the plane home, and that you're able to type on a keyboard and wipe your own ass.
For some lawyers, perhaps, billing their client for a 'investigation' in the Maldives, might be a 'win' for them... like, sign me up for that case. (Oh no.. a week in the Maldives.. for work.. oh...)
Nothing would surprise me. As the old joke asks, "why don't sharks attack lawyers?".
A: Professional courtesy.
ZING!
For everyone that does not know this...
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS WAIVING LIABILITY PRIOR TO AN INCIDENT!
It is called a 'dummy clause'. (Dummy being the only one that thinks they cannot sue.) Never forget that. Of course they are liable.
Ok, I guess we’ll have to do a ‘special military operation’ in the Maldives to ‘enforce’ that… /s
I'm not sure why you think that. People should do their own research.
‘Do (your) own research’ is like peak pandemic-era meme for not getting vaccinated because you’re a wuss. (Wah, wha… I’m’afraid’a needles…)
"Of course they are liable", huh? Seems to me that's for a court to decide, and maybe even a Maldivian court at that.
Quick! To the 'superior court' in Male! And if that fails, appeal to the High Court, and finally the Supreme Court of the Maldivian Judiciary... per the Constitution of 2008!
Idk how Hilton would claim responsibility. This definitely seems like a pre-existing issue that a massage made worse unfortunately. They'll point to that and the release form he probably signed in court. Also, this happened in another country so idk how legally this would even work back in the states even though Hilton is a US based company. I'd assume this property is independently owned and operated. Feel bad for the guy.
Something is not right about this story.
Neck trauma doesn’t form soft tissue masses like the one in the picture, a hematoma (aka blood clot) is what I expected to see.
It also wasn’t a chiropractic session which is known to cause fractures/strokes.
What’s in the picture is a mass that most probably grew independent of the massage. Now it could be that he only felt it or noticed it thanks to the massage,...
Something is not right about this story.
Neck trauma doesn’t form soft tissue masses like the one in the picture, a hematoma (aka blood clot) is what I expected to see.
It also wasn’t a chiropractic session which is known to cause fractures/strokes.
What’s in the picture is a mass that most probably grew independent of the massage. Now it could be that he only felt it or noticed it thanks to the massage, that’s the version that gives him the benefit of the doubt.
As for the other version, you could probably guess it.
Also wanted to add that, even if we admit it’s from the massage, it would’ve had to be a real bashing for that to happen.
No massage, no matter how harsh, would cause that.
I’m with you, Aziz. Feels like he may have had an underlying issue, and merely is blaming the ‘messenger’ here. Likewise, I’ve requested ‘deep tissue’ and ‘performance’ massages before, done the ‘suction cup’ stuff, too, and, no, never does it lead to this outcome. Odd stuff.
I had a real bashing of a massage in Beijing once. Fortunately, I didn’t let him touch my neck.
@Aziz, totally agree with you.
Have a friend who visited a chiropractor a decade ago with "a sore neck" and he's now unable to turn his head left or right more than 15 degrees. He's stuffed :(
No-one touches my neck, except me. I don't care how pretty the spa is at a resort.....
Chiropractor (wouldn’t trust them) is different from massage, but, point taken, you do you.
Mess around with ya neck and you're on the way to a stroke or a TIA, if you are 'lucky' !
Yikes. Huge fan of Rangali Island, and the Maldives, in general. Have stayed at the Conrad there multiple times. And I enjoyed the massages at their spa. Never experienced any issues like this. That said, things like this can happen anywhere and to anyone. Not sure if it was the therapist’s fault, or if this individual was uniquely at risk, etc., how such a tort action would work out against an entity in the Maldives,...
Yikes. Huge fan of Rangali Island, and the Maldives, in general. Have stayed at the Conrad there multiple times. And I enjoyed the massages at their spa. Never experienced any issues like this. That said, things like this can happen anywhere and to anyone. Not sure if it was the therapist’s fault, or if this individual was uniquely at risk, etc., how such a tort action would work out against an entity in the Maldives, or whether the disclaimer holds. Regardless, wishing Andrew the best of luck and a speedy recovery. I suppose, if something doesn’t feel ‘right’ during a treatment, we should absolutely speak up, immediately. Like, there’s ‘deep’ pressure, then there’s whatever this was. Not great.
Anyone been through MLE airport recently? Heard they opened the new terminal, but that it’s not fully operational yet. Would love to hear some feedback, if anyone has.
@ 1990 Been through twice since November. Operational but not all airlines have moved yet. The new terminal (and lounge) is very nice :)
Epic. Do you recall whether Qatar is using new or old terminals? And is arrival immigration vis new or old? Thanks!
I am curious to see more details on how medical team linked this to the massage at Hilton. Without that detail, it is hard to judge. I wish Lucky asked and obtain the details before posting. I feel like I see a lot of premature posts lately
Ken, stuff like this story gets on social media, then folks like Ben, Gary, Matt, etc. pick it up, and it often doesn't go anywhere. If the fellow wants to formally sue Hilton, etc., then they can/will/should, but it'll likely take months, if not years, might settle, or amount to nothing. Public pressure might help, but, this one is more complicated, than the typical 'the hotel wouldn't honor free breakfast' or whatever these blogs typically highlight.