• COVID-19 Information

How We’re Operating

This quickest and most efficient way to secure your appointments with us will still be using our online booking system. Of course you can still email us or call us, but the online booking system is instantaneous!

However, there are some changes to make you aware of:

PAYMENT AHEAD OF TIME

We are now set up for online payments by card before your appointment, and this will be our preferred method of payment. However, because we also accept payment using vouchers, we cannot make this mandatory.

CANCELLING ONLINE

Because we are accepting online payments, we’re having to disable online cancellations. This is so that we can ensure your payment is either reallocated or refunded. So, if you need to make a change to or cancel your appointment, please email me directly with what you need to do (cancel / reschedule) and I will happily do this for you.

FOLLOW UP APPOINTMENTS

We are needing to keep face-to-face conversation to a minimum, so ask you to book your follow up appointments online yourself. This will also allow you to pay for that appointment in advance, and minimise ‘touch points’ when you are with us.

SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS

Initially at least, we will not be accepting bookings for the same day – although we anticipate our availability will make this a moot point initially! We will review this policy on a regular basis.

DURATION

For the foreseeable future, we will not be offering appointments of either 30 minutes or 90 minutes. We will review this policy on a regular basis.

The following forms are now ONLY available to complete online via the website or a reminder email. Completion of the form acts as a digital signature of consent. Forms are then automatically attached to your appointment record.

CLIENT CONSULTATION FORM

Required ONCE from ALL clients upon their first post-lockdown appointment. No massage will commence until this has been completed.

Upon reopening, I’m afraid that we are going to have to ask each and every client to complete the Client Consultation Form (again). This is because it will request important information of which we need to be aware in our new world. This will include (but is not currently limited to!)

  • Confirmation of preferred contact details
  • Medical History (non-Coronavirus related)
  • Coronavirus High-risk Assessment
    NB being in a high-risk group may mean that it is not possible to see you at this time, however we will discuss this with you ahead of your appointment
  • Information regarding compliance with the Track & Trace system

COVID-19 SCREENING FORM

Required from ALL clients for EVERY appointment. No massage will commence until this has been completed.

Because symptoms for illnesses such as Coronavirus develop over time, we will all have to continue to be alert to them for the foreseeable future. To this end, we will screen you before each and every appointment.

CONFIRMATION EMAIL

  • This is sent out at the time of booking your appointment. 
  • You will no longer be able to cancel your appointment online from this email – please email me directly to do this.
  • It will include a link to the Covid-19 Screening Form – please complete this for every appointment.

FORMS

Please ensure you have completed all the necessary online forms:

  • Client Consultation Form for all first time appointments post-lockdown (even if you have been coming to me for years)
  • Covid-19 Screening Form for EVERY appointment

TEMPERATURES

Before you leave home, please check your temperature and consider if you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms including:

  • A recent onset of a new, continuous cough
  • A high temperature (typically over 37.8℃)
  • A loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell

If yes to any, please contact us as soon as possible and we will reschedule or cancel your appointment.If you have already paid for your appointment, we will either reallocate or refund the fee.

BRING YOUR OWN WATER

There will no longer be glasses available for drinking water. To this end, please can we ask you to bring your own water bottle with you, or at least make sure that you drink some water as soon after your appointment as possible.

PLEASE COME ALONE

Whilst it is most common to come alone, very occasionally in the past a client’s relative or friend has asked to wait in the waiting room. Unfortunately this is no longer going to be possible.

APPOINTMENT TIMES

We are working hard to stagger our appointment times so you are unlikely to be arriving or leaving at the same time as another Vital Massage Therapy client. However, we do co-locate within a Health Club, so can’t guarantee you won’t meet someone on the way in or out. For this reason, we recommend wearing a face covering when entering or leaving the building and ask where possible, you follow the social distancing guidelines.

ON TIME

We have closed our waiting area, so ask that you arrive at (or just before) your scheduled appointment time. 

WASH YOUR HANDS

After this long it is pretty much second nature to us all, but please stop by the toilet and wash your hands thoroughly before coming up to the first floor. There is also hand sanitiser provided on the wall outside my room should you wish to use this before and / or afterwards.

BRING AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE

I know it’s rare, but please don’t bring anything that you don’t need to.

PPE

I will be fully kitted out with the required level of PPE to work with you. At the moment, we are required by the Government to wear visors. However, I have also invested in a high grade FFP3 surgical mask with a valve. I will also be wearing an apron which will be changed after each client.

CLIENT PPE

Clients are required to wear a face covering when entering and leaving the premises, and during the consultation. I also request that clients wear a face covering during the massage session.

TALKING

I will have a quick check in and catch up at the start of your appointment to agree a plan of action, but please be aware that we have been advised that we keep talking to a minimum during the appointment. I appreciate that this will be easier for some clients and I’m aware that for some of our clients the talking is as much part of the session as the massage itself. If you find yourself in this camp, please let me know ahead of time so that I can both have a quick chat ahead of your appointment to discuss how this might work.

Conversation at the end of the appointment will also be kept to a minimum, with our preference being for you to rebook online. If you didn’t pay in advance for your appointment, or have a voucher code to redeem, we will briefly discuss how you will settle up. Any after care advice will be provided to you by email as soon as possible.

POSSESSIONS

I ask that you place all your belongings and clothes into the clear plastic box which is in each room.

ONLINE PAYMENT WHEN BOOKING (PREFERRED)

I now have the facility to take payments online at the time of your booking. Don’t worry, if you need to reschedule or cancel your appointment, just contact me and I’ll either reallocate or refund your payment as appropriate.

GIFT VOUCHER

Perhaps your favourite form of payment because this means someone has treated you to a massage with me! If you have a voucher please add a note to your online booking and bring the voucher along with you to your appointment.

CARD

I will continue to accept all major credit and debit cards, including American Express. However, where possible please ensure that you use a device to pay, rather than the card itself. This way, you can do so using ‘Contactless’, rather than handling the payment terminal to enter your PIN number – don’t worry we will be cleaning the terminal after each use anyway!

CASH

Simple, old school – unfortunately we will be discouraging this form of payment moving forward. If you have no alternative, then we will of course accept the money, but will ask you to place this into the till box yourself, and if there is any change due we will add this to your account as credit. For clarity, I will NOT be handling cash at all.

I suggest that on your way out, you use hand sanitiser again, or wash your hands. Since I am based at McCaulays gym I can’t guarantee you won’t meet someone on the way out. For this reason, we would kindly remind you to follow the social distancing guidelines and keep your mask on. There is a one way system in place and a mirror on the stairs to avoid close passing.

I have introduced a new cleaning protocol which will take place before EVERY appointment, and at the end of my working day. I have increased the gap between our appointments to allow for the undertaking of these tasks, in line with current guidance, but this means our appointment times might change in the future as these guidelines shift.

Cancellation Policy: 24 hours. Please cancel as soon as possible if a foreseeable event is likely to prevent you from attending, for example, illness or adverse weather conditions.

I require a minimum of 24 hours notice to cancel an appointment. Failure to attend an appointment with less than 24 hours notice of cancellation will incur the charge for the full appointment. This is because we may not be able to fill your appointment slot and still need to cover our costs.

However, if you need to cancel your appointment at short notice because of Covid-19 related symptoms, a long-term medical condition which varies from day to day then we shall discuss the cost implications on a case by case basis.

The long and the short of this is, if you are cancelling because you have started to develop Covid-19 related symptoms, we will NOT charge you. However I do need to know as soon as possible so that we can make your appointment slot available to another client who might be waiting.

More Information

COVID-19 INFORMATION 

PLEASE READ BEFORE ATTENDING YOUR APPOINTMENT

Lockdown has now been relaxed sufficiently and massage therapists have been given permission by the Government to return.

There will be quite a few changes in place, both before and during each appointment, to help ensure the safety of both clients and practitioners. 

Before you leave your home, please check your temperature, and consider if you are experiencing any Covid-19 symptoms, including:

  • A recent onset of a new, continuous cough
  • A high temperature (typically over 37.8℃)
  • A loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell

If yes to any of those questions, please contact us immediately to cancel or reschedule your appointment.

  • Every client attending their first appointment with Vital Massage Therapy post-lockdown is asked to complete our updated Client Consultation Form, which you will be prompted to fill it in after completing your online booking. 
  • Every client will also be asked to complete a new Covid-19 Screening form ahead of EVERY appointment for the foreseeable future, this is available on the website and should be completed 24 hours prior to your appointment. If you are considered a ‘vulnerable’ client, it may not be possible to work with you at this time. However, I will be in touch with you directly to discuss this with you individually to risk assess you on a case by case basis.
  • Please wear a face covering when entering and leaving the building, and during the massage. 
  • Please bring your own water.
  • Please wear easy to remove clothes and keep jewellery to a minimum. You will be given a container in which to put your possessions and clothes when you undress. This box will be fully cleaned and sanitised between clients.
  • If you are a key worker, particularly a frontline member of NHS staff, please change out of your work clothes and shower before attending your appointment.
  • Please plan to arrive at the time of your appointment, please call me on 07810301198 when you have arrived and I will meet you outside the building.  
  • When you arrive, please go straight to the toilet to wash your hands thoroughly. 
  • I will be wearing the appropriate level of PPE – personal protective equipment – to work with you. At the current time this is a visor and face mask. 
  • The massage will continue as per usual however I would ask you to keep conversation to a minimum to avoid any possible droplet formation.
  • When the massage is over, leave all the linens on the table and do not fold up or help to tidy.
  • When the appointment is complete, we recommend you revisit the bathroom and wash your hands again, or at least use the hand sanitiser provided just outside the room. Again, please wear a face covering when entering and leaving the building.
  • Payment should ideally be made either at the time of online booking to avoid touching the card machine or cash. Please note that there has been an annual increase in my prices. The charge is now £40 for a 60 minute massage. 
  • There will be at least a 30 minute gap between clients, to enable disinfection of the practice room, table, equipment, hallway and bathroom etc. 

This policy outlines some of the key measures I have taken to reduce the risk of spreading coronavirus (COVID-19). Please note the content may be subject to change. 

Adhering to guidelines 

Throughout the pandemic, I will be following guidelines issued by the government, NHS, other relevant authorities and my professional association, the Federation of Holistic Therapists, regarding safe and hygienic practice and the use of any personal protective equipment (PPE). 

COVID-19 Risk Assessment 

I have carried out a full risk assessment, in line with guidance from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), in order to: 

  • identify what work activity or situations might cause transmission of the virus; 
  • think about who could be at risk;
  • decide how likely it is that someone could be exposed; 
  • and to act to remove the activity or situation, or if this isn’t possible, control the risk. 

Health screening 

Prior to seeing any of my clients, I will be: 

  • monitoring my own health and deferring treatments if I have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19.
  • contacting my clients 24 hours in advance and deferring any treatments if: they have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19; are clinically extremely vulnerable and shielding; anyone in their household has COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19; they have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms of COVID-19 in the past 14 days; they have been contacted by the NHS Test and Trace Service and told to self isolate.
  • asking my clients to call and cancel and defer treatment on the morning of their appointment if they have a temperature or other symptoms of COVID-19. 

Enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures 

I have introduced enhanced cleaning and hygiene measures between clients, which includes washing and disinfecting any non-porous surfaces and therapy equipment, such as chairs and couches, and replacing any porous or single-use items, such as towels and couch roll. Strict personal hygiene measures will also be adhered to, including regular handwashing/ sanitising. 

Adapting or restricting treatments 

It may be necessary for me to adapt or restrict certain treatments, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and/or protect my clients’ health and safety. Any clients likely to be impacted will be advised as soon as possible. 

Maintaining social distancing 

Please note that while many treatments involve close contact, I will be observing social distancing measures wherever possible. This might include, for example, maintaining an appropriate distance during the consultation process, and when arriving and leaving for an appointment. 

Cancellations policy 

If a treatment is cancelled or deferred at short notice because my client has COVID-19 or has symptoms of COVID-19, any standard cancellation fees will be waivered. The client will be asked to kindly confirm in writing that their appointment has been cancelled or deferred because they have COVID-19 or symptoms of COVID-19. 

For more information… 

I am happy to be contacted to discuss any aspect of your treatment during this time. Please contact me at: Vital Massage Therapy 

Name: Emma Costantino
Date: 1/8/20 

GET IN TOUCH

  • 07810 301198
  • info@vitalmassagetherapy.co.uk