Covid-19 Risk Mitigation Procedures:

Please fill in the covid 19 screening AND informed consent form before your appointment.

Covid 19 Form Informed Consent Form

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 (our 140 square foot office without a window to the outdoors) is believed to further increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission.  We have researched best practices for our profession during this pandemic (and will continue to do so as the available evidence evolves) in an effort to do everything within our power to mitigate the risk of Covid-19 transmission within our 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 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 my office (and myself!) thoroughly between clients (details below) to mitigate the risk of transmission from surfaces and I will utilize 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 and I will take my temperature every day that I work.  I will maintain caution in my personal life and avoid high-risk activities.  That said, please know that I am not living in a quarantine; I have a son in a daycare setting and I am still seeing a few friends cautiously.  I am eager to be completely transparent about my “bubble” and 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, as well as a follow-up questionnaire.  All clients will be required to sanitize their hands before a session and to wear a cloth mask.  I will not be seeing clients who engage in high-risk activities or who have recently traveled.  We must all work cooperatively to effectively reduce the risk of transmission and I will not work with anyone who isn’t on board with this cautious evidence-based approach.  If life takes an unexpected turn and you find yourself in a higher-risk situation (a large crowded gathering, for example, or unexpected plane travel) please reschedule your massage for a few weeks later; there will be no penalty.

·      Cleaning and sanitization procedures:  We have removed knick-knacks from my office and all cloth-covered items.  All pillows are incased in vinyl or plastic, as is the massage table itself and the headrest.  Pretty much, if we can’t wipe it down, it’s gone.  Myself and all clients will use hand sanitizer at the start of every session.  I am using an EPA-certified disinfectant and will clean high-touch surfaces before and after every client.  I’ll do a deeper cleaning (floors, etc.) on a regular schedule.  I’ve reduced the number of clients I’ll see in a day so that there is ample time for cleaning between sessions.

·      Masks:  I’ll be wearing a KN95 mask (identical to an N95 in terms of virus particle filtration) while I work.  I’ll cover this hospital grade mask with a cloth mask that I’ll change between every client.  I’ll require all clients to wear a cloth mask for the entire session.  If it is uncomfortable for you to wear a cloth mask while face-down you’ll have the option of breathing into a pillowcase “pocket” on the headrest – an ingenious option to create a little less claustrophobia while also capturing respiratory droplets – or shifting to a sidelying position.

·      Air purifiers:  I’ll be running two air purifiers with HEPA filters during our sessions.  I’ll run the air purifiers between sessions as well and I’ve reduced the number of clients I’ll see in a day to allow extra time between sessions to “clear the air”.  The brand purchased is highly rated by Consumer Reports for virus particle filtration and the combined capacity exceeds 4 times my room size.  There has not been enough research to conclusively state how well HEPA filtration compares to outside air flow but experts believe that the use of two high-quality air purifiers mimics the effects of fresh air.

·      Subletters:  Other massage therapists use my office on the days that I’m not there. They are  following safety protocols similar to mine.  Because we’re sanitizing surfaces and significant time passes between our work sessions, and because I’m requiring that we’re each using our own headrests, the likelihood of transmission between our respective pools of clients is very low.

·      Building-wide safety protocols:  Our landlord has taken many steps to improve the safety of our building.  Hand sanitizer is available, mask-wearing and social-distancing are required, and high-touch surfaces are being cleaned on a twice-daily schedule.  Disinfecting wipes are available in the bathroom for your use.  It’s a historic building and, unfortunately, there are limits to the improvements that can be made to the building’s HVAC system – we have been told that the building uses MERV #8 filters and that they are changed frequently.

·      Touchless payment options:  I will continue to accept checks and cash as forms of payments.  If you prefer a touchless payment option you can pay me through my Venmo account (@Emily-Mott-7) or use Paypal paypal.me/EmilyMott

·      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.

·      Hands and face:  I will reduce massage time on head, neck and face, unless a client makes a special request, as a general rule.  I also have the option of wearing nitrile (virus-blocking) gloves while I work in these higher-risk areas if you prefer.

·      Water, blankets:  I do not have a dishwasher on site for sanitization so I won’t be providing water; please bring your own.  Obviously, I won’t re-use blankets between clients.  Instead I’ll have a table heater for warmth and lightweight blankets available upon request that I can launder after every client.

·      Heat, cupping, and increased risk of thrombosis:  Unfortunately, for the time being, I will not be offering hot packs, hot stones or cupping as bodywork treatments.  Because Covid-19 infections are associated with an increased risk of blood clots, and because one can be infected with Covid-19 and remain completely asymptomatic, until the risks associated with blood clots are better understood it’s unethical for me to offer these treatments that pose dire health risks for individuals with blood clots.  Finally, 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 cautiously vis a vis blood clot risk.

·      Talking less:  Talking increases the rate at which we produce respiratory droplets.  We’ll each do our best to be mindful of our chatter during the session.

·      Travel restrictions:  I will not see clients from out of state and I will not see clients who’ve traveled out-of-state until they’ve completed a 2-week quarantine (some exceptions might be possible depending on the Vermont Department of Health’s current regulations).

·      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.  Additionally, if you were in a setting that felt higher risk (maybe, for example, you went to a social gathering and there were more people and less masks than you had planned on) please do delay your massage appointment for another few weeks.  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 as well as everyone I see in my personal life.  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.

·      Possible office closure:  It is entirely possible that I will need to shut down my practice again temporarily if rising case numbers in our area create an increasingly unsafe context for close contact work.  Additionally, if I, or any of my close contacts (including my clients and office mates) were to test positive for Covid-19, experience any coronavirus-type symptoms, or to learn that they were previously exposed to someone else with a Covid-19 diagnosis or Covid-19 symptoms, I will need to temporarily close my practice.  For this reason, it is of the utmost importance that no one come to a massage appointment with any symptoms whatsoever, however mild or unclear.

·      Regular Covid-19 testing:  I have been and continue to get a bi-weekly covid tests.

·      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!

·      A note about rates:  The supplies I have purchased and the changes I have made to my practice are costly.  I am not increasing my rates at this time but I warmly encourage you to give me a “Covid-era tip” if you would like to contribute to the increased costs of providing massage therapy services during this unusual time.