Support the Studio: Face Masks For Sale!

In addition to being a massage therapist, I'm an avid home sewer. With Five Creeks Massage studio temporarily closed, I've been home sewing face masks. I've already donated about 250 so far, mostly to essential medical staff. With each batch, I innovated until I got good feedback about comfort and fit.  

I'm offering face masks for sale on the Five Creeks website, to offset my costs while the studio is shut down. For each mask purchased, one will be donated. In the past, donations have gone to essential workers, homeless, and hospital staff - about 90% here in Oakland.

Check back frequently and follow us on Facebook, because I’ll be posting new face masks, about once a week!

When does the massage studio re-open? Because of long-duration, close contact, massage is going to be one of the last businesses to be allowed to re-open in the statewide California plan. If we practice right now, we lose our license. I agree with that policy, because no benefit from massage is worth a client dying. Early indications are that massage can only safely resume when there's enough proper PPE to go around, without competing against essential healthcare workers for it. Many of my donated masks go to hospitals to extend the life of their current PPE, which is a tiny but significant step in the right direction. 

Best wishes to you and yours! Be well.  

- Andrea at Five Creeks Massage

Coronavirus Update: Massage Studio Temporarily Closing

UPDATE: Bay Area stay at home orders have been extended indefinitely. The massage studio will remain closed for a while longer. Be well, take care of yourself, and we’ll be delighted to see you when it’s safe to do so, whenever that is! - Andrea

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Five Creeks Massage studio is temporarily closing, for at least 3 weeks. I hope to reopen April 7. I’ll be notifying everyone with appointments via email; please use online booking to reschedule.  I will reassess our situation as we near April 7, and see if it is actually a good time to reopen. 

In light of the developing situation with coronavirus, closing seems to be the best thing I can do for the community, my clients, and myself. Learn more about proactive closures to "flatten the curve" here. 

Note that no new guidance has come from professional massage organizations, or the CDC about the safety of massage in light of the coronavirus. Even though we use the same universal precautions used in medical offices, and there’s only a few people in the massage studio per day, massage is by nature hands-on, in close proximity with a long duration of contact. I’m taking this as a personal decision, based on my own assessment of risk and my tolerance for it. I currently have no symptoms and neither have any of my clients. 

This is a stressful, quickly changing time for everyone. So I’d like to offer up my three favorite stress busters to calm and focus your mind. My favorite meditation app is called Calm and there’s a free version. Gentle stretching is amazing, and I love a good hot cup of Chamomille tea. Be extra kind to yourself in the days ahead.

Best wishes for you and yours,

-Andrea

A Quick Word On Coronavirus

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!