It is always up to you what clothing you wear during your massage. Some clients prefer to wear underwear, some clients prefer not to wear any clothing at all. During the winter, some people prefer to wear socks to keep their feet warm! So it really depends. Your comfort is the most important. Your clothing choice will not affect your massage.

Many people are sensitive to perfumes, colognes, body sprays, scented deodorants, and strongly scented laundry products. Even though sheets are changed and surfaces are washed between sessions, these scents can remain in the room. Clients coming in after you may have mild to significant reactions including asthma, allergic responses, or migraines. Please avoid applying/using these products before coming in for your session.

Your massage session or course appointment day and time is a commitment we make to each other to focus on you, and on your goals.  During your scheduled time, the space is reserved exclusively for you, and I bring my full attention, care, and experience to your session.  For that reason, please be advised of these important policies regarding your reserved time.

Cancellation, Rescheduling, and Late Arrival Policies

Whenever possible, I encourage you to reschedule your appointment rather than canceling.  I understand that unexpected events happen, such as illness, emergencies, family obligations, or car trouble, which may necessitate a change to a massage session or class.  My schedule is often booked 4-6 weeks in advance, so rescheduling as early as possible gives you the best chance of finding another spot.  Each massage session or course may be rescheduled once.  Additional rescheduling requests may be accommodated if my schedule allows and will be evaluated at my discretion. 

Cancellations

Please provide at least 48 hours’ notice if you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment.

Appointments canceled with less than 48 hours’ notice will be charged 50% of the full session price.  Requests to reschedule made with less than 48 hours’ notice are also subject to this late cancellation fee.  Reducing a massage from 90 minutes to 60 minutes with less than 48 hours’ notice will be charged a $35 fee in addition to the price of the 60 minute session.

If you prepaid for your massage session or course and request a refund, a $15 refund processing fee will be deducted from the amount returned.  If the refund is being processed as part of a late cancellation, the $15 will be added to the applicable late cancellation fee.  This covers payment processing fees charged by Square that are no longer refunded to the business and administrative time required to process the refund.

Recurring cancellations, late cancellations, day- or time-of-session cancellations, or no-shows are difficult for a small business owner to absorb.  Clients with a pattern of missed or late-canceled appointments may have future scheduling limited or declined at my sole discretion.

Late Arrivals

For arrivals 1-14 minutes late, we will complete your session in the time remaining and your session will end at its originally scheduled time.  The full session fee will apply, and the session cannot be extended or discounted due to late arrival.

Arrivals 15 minutes or more after your scheduled start time will be treated as a no-show and are subject to the No-Show policy below.

Day-of/Time-of Session/Course Cancellations and No-Shows

For cancellations made on the day of a massage session or course, at the scheduled appointment time, or for no-shows, the full fee is due.  Prepaid massage sessions and courses are non-refundable in these cases and cannot be rescheduled. 

Professional Boundaries

Massage sessions and courses are provided in a safe, professional environment. 

Any inappropriate or unsafe behavior – including aggression; suggestive comments, sounds, or gestures; sexual behavior; unwanted physical contact to the massage therapist; verbal or physical threats to the massage therapist; or any other conduct that causes the massage therapist to feel unsafe – will result in the session or course ending immediately.

The full massage session or course fee will be due immediately.  Pre-paid massage sessions and courses are non-refundable.  Future services will not be offered.

If any medications are prescribed by your health care team, you should take them according to the prescription and not interrupt your schedule for a massage. Please be sure to let me know what you’re taking. It’s best to plan your massage mid-way between doses of a pain medication so that you’ll be able to be awake and perceive pressure and pain during the session. Please don’t use alcohol, over the counter pain medications (unless prescribed with a schedule by a doctor), cbd, or thc/marijuana, or any other sensation-affecting products within 6 hours prior to your session to ensure you will be awake and perceive sensations accurately. I’ll need to adjust pressure and technique and avoid deep work to ensure your safety if you are unable in any way to respond to questions about pressure or comfort.

Massage has the potential to completely transform your experience within your body! You can feel better, sleep better, experience less pain, have more fluid and easy movement, and be able to do daily tasks more comfortably. Massage also benefits the brain, hormones, digestion, skin, and emotions. Mayo Clinic has a nice article on the benefits of massage therapy. "Brush aside any thoughts that massage is only a feel-good way to indulge or pamper yourself. To the contrary, massage can be a powerful tool to help you take charge of your health and well-being, whether you have a specific health condition or are just looking for another stress reliever." (Mayo Clinic, Jan 12, 2021)

I absolutely don't subscribe to the 'no pain - no gain' philosophy. As a matter of fact, I believe the opposite. We need to work therapeutically, but within your pain tolerance, so that the nervous system is able to monitor and respond positively to the work being done. There will be some pain, but too much pain sends our nervous system into a 'fight-or-flight' response and cortisol is released into the system. The body is not able to heal and renew during this period. If we can work within the body's pain tolerance, with enough therapeutic pain to get change to happen but not too much to activate the nervous system, and approach tension areas gradually, the body can release little by little and greater healing can be accomplished in the session.

All massages include all services that I offer that would be therapeutic for the issue on which we're working (except for Spa Therapy packages which are specifically designed). The only exception is that Reiki sessions include only Reiki. You may choose to exclude modalities you don't wish to receive, for example, some clients don't wish to have hot stones because they are sensitive to heat. We will talk prior to your appointment, and you'll have time to ask questions, discuss the plan for your session, and let me know about anything you'd like to avoid.

If you're not able to find an appointment time available via my Schedule An Appointment link, please reach out to me via text or email to let me know when you could come in and see if time is available. My goal is to get back to you within 24 hours - please do provide your contact information so I can reach you. I may send a text rather than calling if I’m between clients, so please watch your messages for a reply.

I don’t offer same-day appointments and may not be able to get back to folks requesting same-day sessions due to the day of the request having already passed. I may not be able to answer the phone during the work day due to being in session with other clients. Please don’t arrive to the office without having a scheduled appointment. Appointments are available only via my online calendar or by talking with me. I don’t do walk-in appointments. You’ll receive email and text confirmation of an appointment and reminders - it should be clear that it is confirmed. If you’re in doubt about your appointment date or time, you are welcome to reach out to me to confirm directly.

Absolutely! Please let me know where you're applying the cream or where you're receiving injections so we can avoid those areas if needed. Massage can be a great benefit to anyone, and can be very beneficial for the body. We will take care to avoid areas that may be sensitive due to medical treatments.

Please feel very welcome to reach out to me by phone, email, or text to share your question and get answers. It is so important to feel comfortable, safe, and confident both prior to and during your session. I'm happy to help!