I also go for a good massage with happy ending as I find it is the best value for the money. Other people may prefer the thai and extra options, but too many times I have had regrets and disappointment from poor quality service or after thoughts of spending so much money for so little.
If you want to find the best value for your money, go by your previous experience. If you know several places that offer good value and service then go back to those places. If you ae looking for new places to try, just check out eforum.xxx for other peoples experiences. If the majority of post are positive on a masseuse, then it is worth a try.
I also have a little massage data base I have built into my Gmail, I write quick one line reviews and E-mail it to myself after each massage appointment, I also enter a list of places that I may try in the future and also any info that comes along on eforum.xxx about these places. I usualy stick to 5 or 6 places for massage ( all indies ) but if I am looking for a new place to try, I use my data base to look up a good prospect.