It’s time to re-open, and boy have I missed you all. There are going to be significant and ongoing changes to my practice. Some of these changes are due to the CDC guidelines and Kentucky’s Healthy and Work programs. Others are to keep myself and you safe. Massage as we once knew it is going to have to change and I hope you’ll have patience with me as I work to keep you all and myself and my family safe.

Massage Is Not Low Risk
Please know that at this time, massage is not considered a low risk activity, either for me giving it or you receiving it. Because it involves both extensive skin on skin contact and because you are in a closed room with one person sharing air with them for 60-90 minutes, it is not without risk. For that reason, I highly encourage anyone with any of the CDC risk factors to wait on receiving massage for the time being. This includes anyone 65 years of age and older, people with asthma, chronic lung disease, serious heart conditions, immunocompromised individuals, severe obesity (BMI 40 or above), diabetes, chronic kidney or liver disease.

Feeling Unwell - Reschedule!
In addition, if you have any respiratory symptoms, fever, or flu-like symptoms, please do not come into my office and cancel your massage (if you wake up sick, call to let me know, I will not charge a cancellation fee if you not feeling well). If you’re not sure if it’s allergies or a regular cold or COVID-19, please cancel, get yourself tested, then we can reschedule.

If you’ve been around someone within the last 14 days who has COVID-19 or is suspected of having COVID-19, we will reschedule. If you’ve been out of the country  or traveled in the last 14 days, we will reschedule.

I hope this will alleviate any stress and hesitation you have about an upcoming appointment. If you need to reschedule for whatever reason, and especially if you are not feeling well, I understand and request for you to please contact me as soon as possible to reschedule.

Practice Changes
I am limiting the number of people I see each day, and implementing a rigorous cleaning and disinfection regiment between sessions, which means I’ll be able to do fewer clients each day. Because of the cost of the supplies and additional time per appointment, I am going to raise the fees on sessions. I hope you understand. I know it’s a difficult time for everyone, but with 3 months of no income and many additional costs, it is a necessary change.

Rate Increase with Covid-19 Expenses
My fees are increasing by $10 a session. The new rates are as follows:

• 60 minute General Relaxation Massage $90
• 60 minute Deep Tissue Massage $95
• 90 minute Therapeutic Massage $115

What's My Session Going to Look Like?
Here’s what to expect:

• All scheduling will be via email or text for the first few weeks. I will only be doing 2 to 3 sessions a day.
• The day before your massage I will call to confirm and will need to ask you several questions to make sure we are both still safe for you to receive a massage and for me to give you one. This will include questions about recent health, travel, etc.
• Upon arrival for your massage, stay in the car and call or text me to leave me a message. I’m closing off my waiting room so I don’t have clients sharing rooms together, so for now, the car will be your best bet. If you are not well, we will reschedule. I’ll go over what you want to focus on to reduce the amount of time we’re talking and in the same room.
• Come up once I’m ready for you. You must wear a mask. I’ll have a form for you to fill out and sign (unless I can work out a way to do it electronically), and I’ll take your temperature. I’ll have a disinfected bin for you to place your clothes in while I step out to wash my hands. You’ll wear your mask for the session, so keep that on.
• During the session we will both remain masked and I’ll stay in my PPE as required. Once I finish I will leave the room to wash my hands. Please get dressed and wait in the treatment room until I return.
• I’ll have hand sanitizer for you to use before leaving the office. I’ll ask you to pay online in advance or after to reduce your time in the office, and will ask for you to email or text me to book your next appointment.
• Once you leave I'll be disinfecting all the surfaces in the treatment room, and any area you might have touched

 
The way going forward isn’t 100% clear, and this is a first pass at what the CDC and health officials are saying now are the best practices to resume massage therapy. Note that unlike PT and chiropractors, we are spending a lot more time in the same room, hands on, one on one with our clients, so I am counting on you to help keep me and my family safe.

I’m practicing social distancing to the letter at home to keep myself and by extension my family safe. Please do the same for me.

I will be updating my website as policies change and new information comes out. Please reference this page for the most up to date information.

Thank you all and I look forward to resuming work with you!

Good morning everyone,

I've been in contact with the people who run the major associations for massage therapy, and the guidance they are giving us is that because of the kind of work we do as massage therapists, we need to close down our practices for two to four weeks. I know this will disappoint many of you, but the fact is that we all need to be safe, and there is no way to perform massage while "social distancing." I've done reading about different professions and their risk. My concern is not really that I will get ill, but rather that I will pass it along to a friend, family member or one of you. 

Luckily, Brooks works from home and his job isn't affected at all. In fact, the only serious effect he'll have is me at home all day. Trying not to go stir crazy. I have plenty of projects in the mix that I can work on, and online classes I can take to get my CEUs for my massage license, but the reality is I would rather be working. You would rather that, too.

Once this crisis is over and we have a better idea of how well we have "flattened the curve" I am hopeful they will reduce the restrictions on all of us so we can slowly get life back to normal. Please know that I would much rather be working on all of you and making you feel better. I'm cancelling my own massages and personal appointments where social distancing is not an option. Please help your neighbors and friends as they need it, and share with those in the service industry or tourism industry who will be hit hard by this. 

Support your local businesses, your seniors and high-risk individuals in safe ways, and keep yourself and your family safe. I want to see all of you back on my table soon.

All the best to all of us together, 

I wanted to let you know what I am doing to keep myself and my clients safe and what I ask of you during this time. I will update my Facebook Page with additional information and the most recent updates will be there.

I have so many clients who fall into the high risk group of over 60 or with compromised immune systems. Please, do not risk my health or theirs if you are ill yourself or have been in contact with anyone who has. I love all my clients dearly and most of you have been with me for years. Do not risk the health of my other clients by coming in to see me if you might have the virus or you've been in contact with anyone who has. I would be devastated were anything to happen so be thoughtful and considerate of others as you evaluate yourself.

Before the start of the day and between client appointments, I am doing the following: 

• As always I am washing my hands for about 30 seconds up to the elbow before and after each client. I use a towel to open and close my office and the restroom door after washing my hands.
• As always I am changing all linens to fresh linens, including the face cradle.
• I am sanitizing the foot bolster and changing the pillowcase on the leg pillow.
• I am sanitizing all doorknobs and the restroom keys. 
• As always I am careful to never touch my face during a massage. 
• I am cleaning out the inside of my laundry hamper each day as I do laundry at home and I wash everything on the highest heat setting. 
• Note:  There are surfaces that I do not have control over - the doors into and out of the building, the banisters in the stair well, the elevator and the hallway. Do not touch these surfaces, or if you have to, please wash your hands afterwards.

In addition, I ask the following of all of you.

• Please check yourself for a fever before you come in to see me. I realize that the virus may be spread before you are symptomatic, but if you do have a fever, cancel. (I am checking mine each morning as well)
• If you have a dry cough or respiratory symptoms, please cancel and let us reschedule for a later date. More on symptoms here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html 
• If you are in the high-risk group and have and doubts about coming in for a massage please cancel. 

I realize this is a stressful time and things are ever changing. I want to provide a safe environment for you to be able to relax, and to do that, I need your help as well. 

Please make sure you are healthy before you come in for a session. If you have to cancel at the last minute due to illness, please, don't worry about a cancellation fee, just cancel. We all have to work together to get through this. 

I want to be able to continue to provide massage to all of you within the guidance of the CDC and our local health departments. I will update you as anything changes with my practice. 

Thank you all, 
Heather