As of 30 May, 2022 all coronavirus restrictions in Wales are now lifted. Previous to that, I had certain precautions in place, detailed below. If you would still like me to take any of these precautions during our session, please do let me know before your arrival. Otherwise, except for such preventative measures that I’ve integrated into my everyday practice, this page is an archive of precautions past:
You may cancel your session without charge at any point, right up to the appointed time, if you believe there is any risk to public health by proceeding, and please avoid arriving early to your session. (Lots of spraying and wiping to do.)
Please read to the bottom (takes approx. 5 minutes) before confirming your booking. Thank you, and stay well!
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In order to continue working with people who are perhaps more vulnerable, and to cater to those who would like to be informed about what measures are in place, I have devised a Coronavirus checklist. I’ve based these measures on government guidance for “close-contact services” and guidance from the UK’s General Council of Massage Therapy.
NB: there is no way to completely sanitise the massage setting and still be doing what I do! This is breath and body work, and I realise that both of those may occasionally be classed as “biohazards”. I am also not putting all official guidance strictly into practice. After what will soon be years of experimentation and practice with various PPE, I am well aware of what works for me and my clientele and which options I can offer you. I am happy to cater to most of what is obviously a very broad spectrum of public and client beliefs, opinions, and requirements around the existence and nature of SARS-CoV-2 , it’s ongoing variants and COVID-19. I find myself in a sweet spot of philosophical skepticism, deep and abiding faith, relative isolation amongst friends and family, and relative security that allow me to keep my head bowed and simply do my job – comfort, educate and facilitate healing through this profound work.
What the above says in brief is: at this time, this practice may not be for everyone! Each individual must please evaluate your own risk appropriately and responsibly. I will not require my clients to be vaccinated. Perhaps this goes without saying, as we are all so well-versed in disease-speak by now, but if you are feeling in any way:
- unwell (especially with any cold or flu symptoms),
- in a “high-risk” category – whether through age or underlying health conditions, and/or
- a risk to anyone you may need to be protecting for the 2-10 days after our session, then
I will miss you, and you must, of course, please stay away! You may cancel your session without penalty at any point, right up to the appointed time, if you believe there is any risk or danger to public health by proceeding.
If you experience any potential symptoms in the 10 days after our session, or receive a positive test result in that time, you must please let me know!
Also, please do not hesitate to let me know if you would prefer:
- to have the first session of the workday/week,
- that I wear a mask, face shield, and/or gloves throughout our entire consultation and session,
- to avoid massage work/contact around your face (eyes, nose, mouth),
- to wear a mask during our session, or
- a shorter session (1 hour or less), in order to minimise contact.
And please do avoid coming early to our session, as I will need all the time I have between sessions to change over, air out, sanitise and reset for the next client – you!
For my part, I will:
- reduce client numbers with more space between sessions ,
- make hand sanitiser available at the entrance and in the client seating area; hot water and soap are available in the loo,
- at a minimum, wear a type II mask whenever we are maintaining a face-to-face distance of less than 2 meters,
- sanitise door handles, bathroom fixtures, oil bottles, face cradle, and other client contact surfaces as necessary between sessions,
- sanitise my hands before entering the client space, as well as during our session, especially before donning and removing my mask or doing any massage work around the face (eyes, nose, mouth),
- put all towels, sheets, face cradle covers, and blankets through a lengthy hot wash after sessions,
- use a highly-rated air purifier at all times in the Glandwr, West Wales treatment room,
- present a QR code for the Glandwr treatment room for those participating in the Track and Trace system,
- take a rapid Coronavirus antigen (later flow) test as necessary during my work week, and
- inform all of my clients of the previous 5 days of any positive test result, and of the previous 10 days of any positive test result within the practice community.
**** In order to pay for all of this extra doing, I will be raising all session fees by a small amount from 1 December, 2021. ****
I can confidently say that it is not the easiest time to be a contact-based practitioner. Still, I love this Work, and I look forward to working with you. Until such time… Go Well!
Ayres O
I would highly recommend the following podcast to anyone focused on health in this “public health crisis”. It essentially encapsulates my personal practical approach and theories related to the Coronavirus situation:
These interviews with Prune Harris regarding her experiences of having Covid-19 I find deeply inspirational. Excellent viewing…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otuRFYdIwpM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCuiFNXI1tM
Esalen® Massage & Integrative Bodywork 