Precision Therapeutics will officially start offering massage treatments again starting on July 01. As much as this is exciting news we must acknowledge that these are still uncertain and unprecedented times to be living in. The next few months (and maybe even beyond a year from now) will be filled with changes. In regards to your massage treatments, here are some of those changes that you should be aware of prior to our July 01 re-start date.

 

 

The first and most important thing to be aware of is that there are new protocols that I must follow as decided upon by both the Alberta government, as well as my professional association (the CMMOTA). I will outline these further down below in both a general and specific basis (location wise).

Additionally there have been some changes to my schedule. Some of you may have already seen me talk about this on the Precision Therapeutics social media platforms these past couple of days. This includes my Evolve Strength Downtown clinic space, as well as the in-home treatments that this business is built around.

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As a business focused on improving peoples quality of life, your safety in seeking this outcome has and will always be my number one priority. This whole post is meant to give you a glimpse in to some of the efforts that will go in to mitigating the risk of resuming treatments during this tumultuous time in the world.

Please still understand that there is not currently a scenario where there will be zero risk at all. Physical distancing as outlined by Alberta Health Services is obviously not possible when you are getting a massage treatment after all. BUT the combination of *yourself* as well as *myself* following the below precautionary measures (in addition to common sense cleanliness and good personal hygiene) will combine to create the best possible scenario for mitigating risk at this point in time — again for both yourself and myself.

 

New Protocols & PPE Requirements:

I will break this up in to specific segments as the various locations and environments that I work in each actually have different protocols to follow. First I will talk about the general requirements that I must be following no matter which type of treatment I am offering or where I am offering it; followed by the Evolve Strength clinic space specific ones; and then finally the in-home / mobile treatment specific ones to finish off.

General Protocols or Requirements for Myself:

1. Wear a disposable surgical/procedural mask 100% of the time that I am in the presence of a client.

2. Wear protective eye-wear 100% of the time that I am in the presence of a client.

» In this instance I am going to be using a face shield that I can disinfect between appointments.

» Update: this one has been changed to be optional; however I will still have a face shield with me at all times that is available just in-case.

3. Wear an apron that can be changed or disposed of between appointments.

» In lieu of this, I have opted to change my clothes after each appointment instead.

4. Pre-screen all clients for COVID-19 symptoms prior to their treatment.

» Note that if someones treatment had to be cancelled/rescheduled due to this process they would not be charged a late-cancellation fee.

5. Not offer any treatments if I myself have even one potential COVID-19 symptom.

» In this particular instance upcoming appointments would need to be cancelled or rescheduled until a full isolation period had elapsed or COVID-19 testing results have come back negative.

6. No longer offer intra-oral massage.

» This one is not technically a requirement but has been considered a high risk form of massage due to the way that COVID-19 is transmitted.

» I would also suggest seeking out acupuncture for your jaw as a great form of treatment (but if we have ever spoken about inta-oral massage work then you already know this)!

7. No longer have a duffel bag that I carry supplies and linens around in.

» I have a rubbermaid bin that I will carry these things around in instead.

»» This can be disinfected before/after using it to transport my supplies in to a clients home or the Evolve Strength Downtown clinic space.

8. Disinfect all portions of the massage table.

» This one might seem like a no brainer, but before all of this the standards for cleaning was to simply clean what a client had touched. At minimum RMT’s in general are required to use soapy water (however I would use a mild disinfectant instead as I have never been comfortable with just a simple soap and water solution) → wipe down the face cradle cushion, the plastic face cradle base, and the table surface.

» Now everyone must use a disinfectant (I have switched to a heavier duty one than before), and do the above as well as any other thing that was involved in the treatment. → the legs of the table, the container that I hold my cupping supplies in, the bin that I carry all of the supplies around in, etc.

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Protocols or Requirements at the Evolve Strength Downtown Clinic Space:

**In addition to the “General Protocols or Requirements for Myself” from above**

1. Clients must wait outside of Evolve either within their own vehicle or generally just outside of the building until their scheduled appointment time.

» Call or text your therapists (+1-780-233-4397) just before your appointments start time for more direction beyond this.

2. Your therapist will come and meet you outside before you enter the building.

3. Clients must sanitize your hands prior to entering the building.

» Your therapist will provide this during #2.

4. Clients must wear a mask during all face-to-face interactions with your therapist.

» Unfortunately this may not be a cloth mask, and must be a new disposable surgical/procedural mask (no specified level).

» If you do not have a new disposable/surgical mask to wear in to the building, your therapist will provide one after #3.

» You do not have to wear the mask when you are face-down on the massage table, but you must wear it when face-up or side-lying.

5. Regrettably we will be unable to offer any refreshments pre- or post- your massage treatment.

» It is highly advisable that you bring your own, or at the very least have something waiting for consumption after your treatment.

6. Surfaces throughout the office will be disinfected between each appointment.

» This is as a companion to #8 of the “General Protocols or Requirements for Myself” list earlier.

» Things such as the office door, the door handles, pegs of the coat racks, the desk, chairs, etc. (effectively every item or surface in the room that someone could conceivably touch).

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Protocols or Requirements for In-Home/Mobile Massage Treatments:

**Again, this is in addition to the “General Protocols or Requirements for Myself” from earlier**

1. Clients must wear a mask during all face-to-face interactions with your therapist.

» Unfortunately this may not be a cloth mask, and must be a new disposable surgical/procedural mask (no specified level).

» If you do not have a new disposable/surgical mask to wear during your treatment, your therapist will provide one.

» You do not have to wear the mask when you are face-down on the massage table, but you must wear it when face-up or side-lying.

2. All linens for the day — after being freshly laundered — will be stored in a rubbermaid bin in my vehicle.

» This bin is separate from the one that I will be bringing into each household/residence (as described in #7 of the “General Protocols or Requirements for Myself” list earlier).

3. My own work clothes will be changed prior to going in to a new household.. including socks.

» This is instead of “… after each appointment” (as described in #3 of the “General Protocols or Requirements for Myself” list from earlier).

4. Can no longer accept refreshments from a client while in their home (between treatments or otherwise).

» As much as I 100% appreciated every offer I have ever gotten for snacks or drinks to help keep my energy up; this is just an instance where it is better for me to err on the side of caution and make sure that I have my own refreshments in my vehicle.

5. Prior to entering every household with my materials and supplies, I will sanitize my hands.

6. If I have to change my mask during a treatment, the old one will be taken with me and disposed of later. It will not be left to sit in a clients home garbage (this is more so done with an abundance of caution for the people who live in that household).

» For example, a mask could be changed during a longer length treatment where the mask gets wet/damp simply from me breathing.

 

Scheduling Changes:

In-home treatments make up a good 85% of this business, so I will start with these changes. Thursday through to Sunday are still the same old days that I will be offering treatments where I bring all the supplies needed and come in to your home for the massage treatment. 10AM – 6PM are still my preferred hours. However in the past I tried my best to accommodate most peoples schedules as I had set up my own schedule to have as much flexibility is possible.

Cutting to the chase, I am now setting a limit upon myself that I may only go in to a maximum of two households on the same day. This decision has been made in conjunction with the new protocols that I must follow to be able to operate my business (as just talked about above; hopefully that helps to bring an understanding logistics wise as to why these changes have been made below). Logistics wise, I don’t see any other way, but this may change in the coming months as restrictions ease up or restrict again.

In order to be able to pull this off without multiple people booking-in by accident on the same day, my online schedule only has two bookable section of time. The first is from 10AM until 12PM. The second is from 4PM until 6PM. Laying out my schedule this way still gives someone who wants an hour long treatment the flexibility to book from 10:30AM – 11:30AM for example. But this also allows me to start working in one household at 10AM and potentially do three one hour appointments all back-to-back, while still having plenty of time until that 4 PM second household start time (if someone has booked in to that time slot) to meet the aforementioned precautionary measures.

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The Evolve Strength Downtown clinic space has similar changes to the schedule as above but just not as big of a gap between appointments since clients are coming to me at this location (as opposed to me going to them).

Previously my availability at this location was on Tuesdays & Wednesdays from 12PM – 9PM both days. This has now been shifted around to be 10AM – 8:30PM (again, for both days). Instead of having 2 blocks of time like for my in-home days, this will have four bookable blocks of time in my scheduling system looking like this:

10AM – 12PM

1PM – 3PM

4PM – 6PM

7PM – 8:30PM

Please remember that just because there is a two hour block of time does not mean that someone has to book a two hour treatment, just like with the in-home schedule changes that I was talking about above. They could book a 45 Minute, 60 Minute, 75 Minute, or 90 Minute treatment if they so wished to. Also note that the last time slot is not a typo, and is meant to be a maximum of 90 Minutes in length as opposed to another two hour block.

 

There you have it! The schedule changes are pretty straight forward, but unfortunately also mean that I will not be able to treat the same amount of people that I was before. I want to be able to help anyone and everyone who contacts me, but this is just the current reality of the situation that we live in right now. I still look forward to offering those who do book in the best treatments that I can — one appointment at a time.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns do not hesitate to contact me. See you all soon!