My client's health and safety are of utmost importance to me. Like all medical professionals, I follow universal precaution procedures in the massage studio, and have increased their frequency in response to coronavirus. Universal precautions involve:
Treating high-touch surfaces such as countertops, light switches, and door knobs with medical grade disinfectant
Handling and cleaning massage studio equipment such as linens, face cradle, and lotion according to professional best practices
Regular cleaning of iPads and laptops
Continuously filtering the air with a HEPA filter
Staff will not be in the office if experiencing signs or symptoms of illness
In a time where people are encouraged not to shake hands, should I be getting a massage? According to both the CDC and the professional massage organizations, massage is still reasonably safe to continue for now, provided your practitioner is using universal precautions.
Know that during a massage, you and your massage therapist are in a closed space, with close proximity and a long duration of contact. This is fine provided both the massage therapist and client are healthy.
This is why it is of utmost importance: Please cancel your appointment if you or someone in your family is experiencing signs or symptoms of illness, including fever, cough, chills, sore throat, or a quick onset, unusually achey neck (often the precursor of fever.) Cancellations in case of sickness, as always, can be done at any time, free of charge.
Clients exhibiting any symptoms will be sent home, and I’ll immediately go through the full universal precautions checklist to treat the entire massage studio.
Five Creeks Massage is a low volume environment - only a few people come into the massage studio each day.
However, I encourage you to assess your own personal level of risk before you go into any situation. Do you have underlying health issues to a major organ group such as a heart or lung condition? Are you in an "at risk" group due to age? If you are in a high risk group, or are feeling uncertain and stressed by the idea of visiting right now, postponing your massage care until times are a bit more certain is a valid choice.
As a non-essential medical service, I’ll be watching the CDC and professional massage organizations for guidance on when, or if, we should close the studio for any length of time. If this occurs, I’ll contact you prior to your appointment to let you know.
Stay safe, and best wishes to you and yours!