Massage session turns ugly: Client vs masseuse catfight goes viral after cancellation

People often look forward to home massages as soothing sessions meant to take all the stress away and calm the stressed mind.But an incident in Mumbai went viral where the massage session turned out to be not just the opposite of what was expected but also violent and disturbing, videos of which have been floating online.A video of two women, a client and her Urban Company masseuse, gathered massive engagement, much faster than you can say “cancel booking.”What began as a routine home service visit ended with hair-pulling, punches, and police reports, leaving netizens shocked and debating everything from customer safety to gig worker frustrations.

What was the reason behind the ‘violent massage session’

A 46-year-old woman named Shahnaz Wahid Sayyed, a PR professional living in Bhakti Park, Wadala East, booked a massage through Urban Company to treat her frozen shoulder pain.

She lives there with her 18-year-old son.The 32-year-old masseuse, Ashwini Shivnath Vartapi, arrived on Wednesday with her portable massage bed, but Sayyed found it in poor condition and unsuitable for her home. The dispute kicked off even before the session started because Sayyed objected to the bed's size and the masseuse's demeanour.

Sayyed cancelled the booking right away and requested a refund via the app.

The tables turned and tensions arose when the masseuse resisted leaving. In the viral video circulating on platforms like Instagram and X, Sayyed is heard telling her, “Ghar mein khade reh ke badtameezi nahi karna,” urging her to stop being rude and leave the house.

Not a massage, hair-snatching and punching session instead!

Things escalated into physical violence, as seen in the video recorded by Sayyed's son. Both women are seen hitting each other. At one point, the client throws the masseuse onto the bed, and later, the masseuse grabs the client by her hair.Sayyed alleged that the masseuse pulled her hair, scratched her eye, punched her face, and pushed her to the ground before storming out, leaving her injured. Her son, trying to protect her, shouted, “She is a mad woman. She came inside my house and started beating my mother,” and warned, “Will call the police, your career is done.”The masseuse, meanwhile, was recording too and resisted when Sayyed tried to grab her bag.

Police get involved, complaint lodged

Wadala police registered a non-cognisable offence against Vartapi under Section 115(2) of the IPC, along with provisions from the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, as per Free Press Journal.No arrest has been made yet; the complainant was advised to approach a magistrate for further steps. Urban Company sacked the masseuse after the video surfaced, according to DNP India. Police noted some discrepancies in her app profile details during their probe.