I can hardly believe that August is almost over, and last week was finally the first week I re-opened my practice since March. While New Jersey State Executive Order allowed massage therapists to open their practices back at the end of June, there was a lot of mixed information from the State, the Board, and a lot of information to digest. You may recall that I wrote a guideline summary from information from three entities (CDC, OSHA, and the Board of Massage, which referred back to the CDC). Reading their guidelines, duplicity, and referrals back and forth from one entity to another, making it very confusing. You can read the information by clicking this link
This past week was great. I prepared and sent a COVID screening form ahead of time using Adobe E-sign. Everyone was happy to “click & send” instead of using their massage time to complete forms. I also used a contactless thermometer to check my temperature as well as my patients. I felt safe, and I provided the safety that my patients needed. We all wore masks, which is very important. In my studio, I have an air-purifier with UV light running during the sessions. While there is no guarantee that air-purifiers can eliminate viruses however, everyone seems to appreciate the extra layer of protection. I found a supplier that sells the sanitizing wipes in big buckets, and since I was always a cleaning freak (even before COVID), I go through those buckets of wipes quickly. The funny thing is, other than wearing a mask, there is almost nothing new in the State/Board guidelines. If you receive a message from any student from the Swedish Institute, you can rest assured that all the equipment is sanitized before and after your session – that is so emphasized in our training and becomes automatic. The new part is the additional areas of the room, such as doorknobs, chairs, coat racks, and any other surface that either touched by the patient or the therapist. To minimize failure to sanitize, I use a checklist that guides me to go through every item. I also schedule sessions with 30 minutes in between to allow time for sanitation (without feeling rushed) and also for the A/C and air purifier to cycle the air in the room.
I am happy to be back in practice. Besides working on all the muscular restrictions my clients have been enduring during all these months without much help, the social distance is causing even more lack of touch (from handshakes to hugs), and that is not good. Dr. Tiffany Field from the Touch Research Institute (University of Miami) has researched how touch and massage and its physiological and biochemical effects including decreased heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol, and increased oxytocin. You can read more about her work by clicking this link.
I hope to see you soon. Stay safe,
Mauricio – Massage by Bertone LLC
