General Guidelines

By law, I may not diagnose or prescribe. I may advise you to see your doctor for serious medical conditions or refer you to an acupuncturist, chiropractor, counselor, naturopath or other health professional as appropriate.

The first time I meet with you, I will have you fill out an intake form that asks for basic contact information and about health conditions that may be affected by massage. We will briefly discuss the information you provide. Everything you communicate during an assessment or massage session is confidential.

I will leave the room while you undress. You may leave on or remove your underwear. I encourage you to do what gives you the most comfort. You are professionally draped and covered with sheets. I will undrape only the body part to be worked on. You may begin lying face down or up depending on where you indicate chronic pain or tension spots are. You can ask for different parts of your body to be worked on, or not worked on. I encourage you to discuss this with me at the beginning of the session.

I use professional organic massage oils and lotions; conduct sessions with soothing music and soft lights; and encourage you to use the awareness of your breath to guide you to deeper relaxation.

During a session, I want to know if anything makes you uncomfortable, either physically or psychologically. Please speak up immediately. You won’t hurt my feelings.

You might be sore the day after a deep tissue massage. If you are sore on the second day, please let us know at your next appointment so we can adjust the next massage to be less deep.

Scheduling Appointments

I work by appointment only; afternoons, early evenings and some weekends.

How Long are Sessions

Most clients come for a 60-minute massage. Please allow 15 extra minutes in your schedule in addition to your massage. This allows a brief conversation about your needs for the session, time to undress and dress, and a few moments to lie quietly at the end of the treatment.

Your first appointment, which includes an assessment, may take longer. There is no extra charge. Besides 60-minute sessions, we also offer sessions of:

• 30 minutes: Focusing on a specific injury or tension area
• 45 minutes: Focusing on back, shoulders, neck, head
• 90 minutes: Providing thorough deep tissue work in chronically tight areas, plus a relaxing full body massage including stomach and feet

Before a session, we recommend that you:

• Eat lightly or not at all.
• Dress warmly in loose clothing.
• Warm your skin and muscles with a sauna, jacuzzi or hot bath/shower, so your muscles and connective tissues are soft and pliable.
• If you will be paying by check, write it out beforehand.

After a session, we recommend that you schedule only light physical activities, resting, or sleeping.

Telephone

You may reach our answering machine when you call. We usually return calls within a few hours, or no later than 24 hours.

Lateness

I encourage you to arrive within five minutes of your appointment time.

If you are late, we will try our best to give you your full session, as long as we can start with the next client at their scheduled time. The extra 15 minutes between sessions allow us to talk about your needs; you to rest after the massage; time for us to prepare the room for the next client; and to receive your payment.

If you arrive five minutes or more late, we will not honor the appointment. You will need to reschedule and pay a $20 missed appointment fee at your next session.

If you miss the appointment altogether, a $20 missed appointment fee will be charged at your next session.

I would appreciate a phone call if you will be late or miss an appointment. I may waive the missed appointment fee, at my discretion, in some situations (death in the family, unexpected hospitalization, car accident, etc.) or if I can fill the appointment

Non-sufficient funds payment

If your check or credit card payment is returned to us for non-sufficient funds, we will call you immediately. Our experience has shown us that this is usually an oversight and not intentional. We request that you make payment in cash to us within two days of our call. If non-sufficient funds become a pattern, we may ask you to pay for your sessions in cash. We will also charge you for any fees that the banks assess us in this process.

Refunds

Please ask me for a refund if you are not satisfied for any reason. Knowing the reason for your dissatisfaction will assist us in improving our services.

House Calls

I do not make house and hotel calls.

Referrals

I work by referral, and appreciate you telling others if you are pleased with my work. To show my appreciation, I offer a free one-hour massage when you refer four new clients who book and receive a session with me.

Sexual Appropriateness

I practice non-sexual, ethical massage therapy. We reserve the right to terminate a massage at any time, if sexual behavior or conversation is introduced by the client.

Cancellation Policy

I do not charge a fee if you cancel an appointment at least six hours in advance. If you give less than six hours notice or forget to come, there will be a $20 missed appointment fee charged at your next appointment.