Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Procedures:

The CDC clearly states that close contact with other people increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission.  Massage therapy is, unavoidably, close contact.  Additionally, sustained close contact (a full-length massage session) in a confined indoor space (my 140 square foot office without a window to the outdoors) is believed to further increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission.  For the above reasons, I have spent weeks researching best practices for my profession during this pandemic (and I will continue to do so as necessary) in an effort to do everything within my power to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission within my massage therapy practice.  I believe that regular bodywork is an important part of maintaining optimal health and well-being.  Therefore, for some of us, it makes sense to proceed with this higher-risk close contact activity; for others (depending on your age, your vaccination status, and other health factors) the decision to limit all close contact activity (including massage) might be the wisest one.  Although I am doing everything I can to mitigate the risk of transmission in my practice, I absolutely can not eliminate all risk and, ultimately, your decision to get a massage is a very personal one that I encourage you to make with input from your loved ones and your healthcare providers.  I have detailed my Covid-19 safety procedures and protocols below.  I am more than happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

·      Massage therapist responsibilities:  I will sanitize high-touch surfaces (and my hands!) thoroughly between clients to mitigate the risk of transmission from surfaces and I will utilize high-quality masks and air purifiers with HEPA filters (details below) to mitigate the risk of aerosol transmission.  I will monitor myself (and my immediate family members) daily for coronavirus-type symptoms.  I maintain caution in my personal life but please know that I am not living in a quarantine; I have a son in school, attend fitness classes and see friends.  I will happily answer any questions you might have about my activities outside of work.

·      Client responsibilities:  All clients will be required to complete a health screening form prior to each appointment. It is of the utmost importance that even fully vaccinated clients reschedule their massage session if they are experiencing any coronavirus-type symptoms.   

·      Headrests:  I’ve bought extra headrests so that you will never place your face in a headrest that someone else has used that same day. I also sanitize each headrest thoroughly after each use.      

·      Masks:  For the time being I will continue wearing a KN95 or a FLTRN95 mask (almost identical to an N95 in terms of virus particle filtration) while I work. In accordance with current CDC, Vermont and Burlington guidelines, it is OPTIONAL for you to wear a mask during your session. Please choose what works best for you. If and when case numbers in our area rise to a higher risk level I will again require everyone to wear a mask during sessions.

·      Air purifiers & windows:  I’ll be running two air purifiers with HEPA filters during our sessions.  I’ll run the air purifiers between sessions as well. The brand I’ve purchased is highly rated by Consumer Reports for virus particle filtration and the combined capacity exceeds 4 times my room size.  Additionally I leave my window open (to a large indoor atrium) and run an exhaust window fan to further increase ventilation. 

·      Required forms:  I’ll require you to fill out a very brief symptom screening form no more than 24 hours before every scheduled appointment.  I’ll also require that you complete an informed consent form specific to the risks associated with Covid-19 in a close contact setting. 

·      Temperature screening:  I’ll be taking your temperature with a touchless thermometer at the start of every session.

·      Water:  I do not have a dishwasher on site for sanitization so I won’t be providing water; please bring your own. 

·      Past Covid-19 infections:  Because Covid-19 infections are associated with an increased risk of blood clots, if you know (or strongly suspect) that you had Covid-19 and recovered, it is extremely important that you share this information with me so that I can proceed extremely cautiously vis a vis blood clot risk.

·      Flexible cancellation policy:  I previously required 24 hours notice for cancelling appointments and charged my full fee for most late cancellations.  I will ask you to continue to honor that policy when possible but will leave it up to you decide.  I want everyone to feel completely comfortable canceling, especially if you feel at all unwell or run-down.  Unless you choose to pay my fee because the cancelation was clearly your error, there will be no penalties for cancelations at this time.

·      Contact log:  I will maintain a contact log of all clients I see. I will participate in contact tracing if necessary and will share the names and contact information of my clients if requested by state agencies. 

·      Ongoing risk monitoring:  I will continue to monitor the Vermont’s Department of Health guidelines and the Covid-19 case numbers within our vicinity.   

     ·      Research and training:  The supplies I’ve ordered and the safety protocols and procedures I’ve implemented are informed by my professional guidelines (AMTA, ABMP, etc.), state guidelines (OSHA, ACCD, etc.), several online courses from experts in my field (healwell.org), general guidelines for medical professions (CDC, UVM, etc.), and a lot of independent research.  I’m more than happy to answer any questions you might have about my research and the conclusions I’ve drawn; the science on these issues is ever-evolving! 

 ·      Vaccinations:  I am fortunate to have been fully vaccinated and boosted. I will keep my vaccination status up-to-date.