Massage Practice Reopening Toolkit
4/24/2020
NewsThis blog is intended to be a guide and template for massage therapists and small businesses to reopen their practices. All of these suggestions were taken from iSpa’s Spa Reopening Checklist and adjusted to meet the needs of individual therapists who have their own practice or spas. Please check out the original checklist and additional resources from iSpa here.
When you scroll to the bottom of this article you will find a printable PDF with all of this information.
In this blog post we cover…
#1 Reopening guidelines:
• Laws and Regulations
• Treatments and Offerings
• Bookings & Payment
• Client Arrival
• Facility Management
#2 Sanitation guidelines:
• Materials needed
• Communal Areas
• Treatment Rooms
• Restrooms
• Laundry
• Retail Area
#3 Communications + template emails:
• Reopening Client Email Template
• Confirmation/Pre-Arrival Email
• Reopening Press Release Template
#1 Reopening Checklist
This checklist provides general guidelines for reopening your massage practice and does not supersede any laws under which your business operates. Always follow the health and sanitation regulations established by your local, state or national governments. All guidelines, templates and resources should be reviewed by your legal counsel prior to use and distribution to ensure they are in compliance with the laws of your respective governing body. The checklist is meant to be customizable with applicable components being used as deemed appropriate by each individual business.
Laws and Regulations
• Familiarize yourself with new laws and ordinances at the local, state and national levels Familiarize yourself with new regulations and guidelines from relevant professional governing bodies (i.e. massage licensing boards)
• Identify practices and policies that will need to be adjusted as a result of any new laws or regulations
• If you have employees, educate them on new laws or regulations applicable to their role
Treatments and Offerings
• Evaluate treatment options for items that may need to be removed or altered
• Determine if a tiered approach to offerings may be necessary (i.e. slower introduction of treatments that involve facial touching)
• Determine if low touch / touch-less treatment options should be offered to ease clients back in (see our blog regarding low and no touch treatment options)
• Establish treatment guidelines, possibly including:
• Policies regarding wearing gloves, masks or other personal protective equipment (PPE) during treatments
• Protocols and scripts for clients exhibiting symptoms of illness during treatments
• Verbal or visual indication of service providers washing hands prior to and following treatments
• Encouraging clients to wash hands prior to treatments (verbally, through posted signage, etc.)
• Consult with providers of equipment utilized in services to ensure proper sanitation protocols are in place and to identify if they have new resources available to assist with educating both clients and staff
Bookings & Payment
• Select date when new bookings will be available
• Share date and treatment menu with clients
• Review cancellation policies, especially as they relate to illness or suspected illness
• Inform clients in advance of new safety measures, changes to the office, procedures, etc. they will experience when arriving
• Forecast anticipated occupancy and business levels for the next six to nine months to establish baselines for scheduling, hours of operation, etc.
• Evaluate and adjust appointment scheduling to allow implementation of updated cleaning and sanitation practices, social distancing, etc.
• Evaluate cancellation policy and determine if changes need to be made (i.e. not penalizing those who cancel due to being sick, etc.)
• Evaluate payment options and processes
• Implement touch-less payment options when available
• Consider a temporary cashless model and communicate this with clients in advance
Client Arrival
• Evaluate greeting protocols for client’s arrival (i.e. replace a handshake with a warm greeting, a ritual involving hand cleaning and warm towels, etc.)
• Determine if the client check-in process will change (i.e. contactless check-in, texting confirmation of arrival, use of mobile apps, etc.)
• Evaluate recommended client arrival times
Facility
• Conduct a physical review of the space to ensure all essential systems are operational, including:
• Electrical
• Water
• POS systems
• Music/sound systems
• Evaluate your space to determine how social distancing will be managed (if applicable) in areas including:
• Entry/lobby/elevators
• Lounges
• Locker room
• Saunas and steam rooms
• Back of house and staff break areas
#2 Sanitation
Materials
• Collect and prepare sanitation materials
• Soap
• EPA-registered disinfectant (or equivalent, if outside U.S.)
• Disposable gloves (if applicable)
• Disposable gowns (if applicable)
• Face masks (if applicable)
• Household bleach (if applicable)
• Isopropyl alcohol (if applicable)
• Barbacide (if applicable)
• Additional PPE (if applicable)
Communal Areas
• Lobbies, Relaxation Lounges, etc.
• Clean and disinfect high touch areas
• Hard surfaces and high-touch areas (i.e. door handles, light switches, phones, counters, furniture, screens, keyboards, lockers, vanities, benches, etc.)
• Soft surfaces (i.e. carpeted floors, rugs, drapes, furniture, etc.)
• Evaluate changes that need to be made to shared amenities offered in communal areas (i.e magazines, blankets, hair dryers, communal foods/beverages, etc.)
• Evaluate seating areas and distance or remove seating if necessary to meet local/government requirements (i.e. social distancing, etc.)
• Evaluate need for floor markings to assist clients with navigating the office if necessary to meet local/government requirements for physical distancing
• Develop a process for clients who want to forgo access to any communal areas and go directly to their treatment room/area
• Evaluate high traffic areas that require the opening of doors and determine if they can be propped open to prevent repeated touch
Treatment Rooms
• Clean and disinfect high-touch areas
• Door handles
• Light Switches
• Counter tops
• Clean and disinfect hard surfaces
• Treatment tables
• Trolleys
• Clean and disinfect soft surfaces
• Face cradles
Restrooms
• Clean and disinfect hard surfaces and high-touch areas
• Door/stall handles
• Light switches
• Sinks
• Faucet and handles
• Toilet paper/paper towel dispensers
• Toilet handles
• Toilet seats/tanks
Retail Areas
• Clean and disinfect shelves and items in hard surface containers
• Remove testers or shared shopping bags/baskets that may cause sanitary concerns
• Store most commonly used testers in a sealed, disinfected container in an accessible location not visible to clients
• Print and post sign notifying clients that testers are available upon request (if applicable)
• Evaluate the addition of individual sealed samples when available
• Evaluate shared dressing/changing rooms and determine if temporary closure of that space is necessary
• Evaluate the addition of individually packaged snacks and/or beverages if communal food and beverage amenities are no longer offered
• Evaluate curbside pickup and/or mail order options for clients visiting solely for retail needs
Laundry
• Launder clothing, towels, linens and other machine-washable items according to the manufacturer’s instructions, using the warmest appropriate water setting.
• Dry items completely
• Clean and disinfect clothes hampers
#3 Communications
• Send “Welcome Back” emails to clients outlining:
• new sanitation practices and policies
• advertised reopen date
• expectations on what may visually be different when they enter the office
• changes to payment process
• changes or new guidelines relating to the use or availability of communal spaces/amenities
• updates to intake forms (if applicable)
• occupancy limits and spacing requirements (if applicable)
• Communicate reopening timeline with resource partners/vendors and third-party partners.
• Distribute a press release announcing the reopening and your commitment to client safety and high sanitation standards
• Identify a way to thank loyal clients for returning to your business
Reopening Client Email Template
Dear [INSERT NAME],
During these past months of uncertainty and change, I have been looking forward to the day when I can welcome clients back to [INSERT BUSINESS NAME]. I am excited to announce that we are reopening our business on [INSERT REOPENING DATE] and will operate based on the reopening guidelines established by [INSERT GOVERNMENT ENTITY AND/OR PROFESSIONAL BODIES]. My new hours of business will be [INSERT HOURS].
My top priority has always been to bring an unparalleled safe experience of healing and rejuvenation to my clients, and my resolve is stronger now than ever before. My team has been hard at work to raise the bar of hygiene and sanitation, as well as considering every step of treatment processes to ensure I meet your needs in a focused and safe manner that is in accordance with government guidelines.
Here are some tangible ways we have ramped up our efforts to guarantee client and employee safety:
[Samples of Additional Text that could be added/altered for this section:]
• Service providers will wear masks during treatments as an enhanced safety measure.
• Our front desk staff will welcome you upon arrival and help you navigate to either the locker room or directly to your treatment room, if preferred.
• Temporary closure of [INSERT ANY COMMUNAL SPACES THAT MAY BE CLOSED]
• XXX will be available to clients in lieu of communal snacks and beverages.
• Reduction in the number of available fitness equipment items to meet social distancing requirements, with signs posted on closed equipment.
• Opportunity to pay for your treatment and gratuity in advance to allow for a touch-less payment transaction.
• No cash payment transactions onsite. All payments will be collected via credit, debit or gift cards.
To keep our clients and staff safe, we will ask all clients to:
• Refrain from visiting the office if you or a household member have a fever, COVID-19 symptoms or a communicable illness.
• Refrain from visiting the office if you are under an isolation or quarantine order/directive.
• Respect the sanitation and hygiene standards and processes posted within the office and shared by employees.
• Wash hands prior to beginning each treatment/service.
• Share special sanitation or hygiene requests prior to arriving at the office.
To book an appointment, please visit [INSERT BOOKING LINK] or call us at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER]. At [INSERT BUSINESS NAME], our passion is serving you. We look forward to resuming operations and bringing healing to our clients once again.
Sincerely,
The [INSERT COMPANY NAME] Team
Confirmation/Pre-Arrival Email
Dear [INSERT NAME],
Thank you for choosing to book a treatment with us. We look forward to seeing you soon. Below you will find confirmation details for your upcoming service along with an overview of efforts we’ve put in place to welcome you back to our business safely and comfortably as we navigate through the COVID-19 reopening process.
Confirmation Details:
• Treatment:
• Date & Time:
• Special Requests:
What you can expect:
• Reduced hours (X:XX am to X:XX pm) and appointment times to ensure we meet reopening requirements set by [GOVERNMENT ENTITY AND/OR PROFESSIONAL BODIES].
• While our business has always met stringent sanitation requirements, we will now more visibly display those efforts and display additional signage for your comfort.
• Verbal confirmation by your service provider(s) that their hands have been sanitized immediately prior to the start of your service.
Samples of Additional Text that could be added/altered for this section:
• Service providers will wear masks during all treatments as an enhanced safety measure.
• Our front desk staff will welcome you upon arrival and help you navigate to either the locker room or directly to your treatment room, if preferred.
• Temporary closure of [insert any communal spaces that may need to be closed]
• [INSERT ITEMS] will be available to clients in lieu of communal snacks and beverages.
• Reduction in the number of available fitness equipment items to meet social distancing requirements, with signs posted on closed equipment.
• Opportunity to pay for your treatment and gratuity in advance to allow for a touch-less payment transaction. No cash payment transactions onsite. All payments will be collected via credit, debit or gift cards.
What we ask of you and our clients:
• Refrain from visiting the office if you or a household member have a fever, COVID-19 symptoms or a communicable illness.
• Refrain from visiting the office if you are under an isolation or quarantine order/directive.
• Respect the sanitation and hygiene standards and processes posted within the office and shared by employees.
• Wash hands prior to beginning each treatment/service.
• Share special sanitation or hygiene requests prior to arriving at the office.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [INSERT PHONE NUMBER OR EMAIL]. Thank you again for choosing to support [INSERT BUSINESS NAME]
Sincerely,
The [INSERT COMPANY NAME] Team
Reopening Press Release Template
[Contact Name and Title]
[Business/Company Name]
[Phone Number]
[Email Address]
[Website]
[HEADLINE (ALL CAPS) EXAMPLE: [YOUR BUSINESS NAME] SET TO REOPEN FOLLOWING COVID-19 SHUTDOWN
[CITY, STATE, Month Date]—[INSERT BUSINESS NAME] will reopen on [INSERT DATE] in accordance with the regulations and guidelines put forth by [INSERT GOVERNMENT ENTITY AND/OR PROFESSIONAL BODIES]. Management and staff have worked diligently during the business’s closure to update its already rigorous sanitation and hygiene standards and implement new policies and procedures to promote the health and safety of clients and staff.
A selection of the updates and adjustments [INSERT BUSINESS NAME] has made can be found below.
[use bulleted list to detail the most critical updates made to your business’s policies and SOPs; see example below]
• [Revised Treatment Menu: [your business name] has revised its treatment menu to include low- or no-touch treatments, as well as a simplified selection of traditional treatments]
• [item #2]
• [item #3]
• [item #4]
• [item #5]
[INSERT QUOTE FROM OWNER/MANAGEMENT/CORPORATE FOCUSED ON CLIENTS’ PEACE OF MIND, CLIENT EXPERIENCE, EXCITEMENT TO SERVE CLIENTS AGAIN, ETC.]
[INSERT BUSINESS NAME] will continue to follow local, state and national regulations regarding the safe business operations. As the business receives additional guidance, its policies and practices will be updated accordingly.
Additional details can be found at [INSERT WEBSITE WITH HYPERLINK].
Clients interested in scheduling treatments or services can do so via [INSERT DETAILS (i.e.booking website, phone number, etc.)].
Thank you for reading! We hope this has been helpful for you and supports you when you decide the time is right to open your practice. If you would like to learn more about Yomassage and low/no touch offerings you can add to your practice, please visit this page.
We have created tons of other resources to support you in your practice during this time. You can find them here.
If you want to join the Yomassage community, you can do so through our free Yomassage Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/yomassage.
