I have been a massage therapist for 30 years. I enjoy doing relaxation or stress reduction massage as I believe there is great value in this type of massage. However, I mostly practice neuromuscular massage therapy which has been shown to reduce muscle pain from injury and overuse. It is a joy to help reduce or eliminate a client’s pain. There are many causes of pain and I cannot help everyone, but if it is muscle pain causing the discomfort then I can usually help.
When COVID-19 began to hit our state hard last winter Gov. Baker and the mayor of Greenfield began to issue mandates for several types of businesses. Many of those mandates to keep us all safe went way beyond the order to wear a face covering when entering a building. Massage therapy offices, dental offices, hair stylists, bars, gyms and many other businesses were ordered to close. And so, my professional practice was included in a statewide shutdown. I had no idea how long I would be prevented from working.
I supported the shutdown as I wanted my clients to be safe. I realized that as more information came out about the dangers of COVID most people would not feel safe in such a closed environment as my treatment room. It was in the early days of my office being shutdown that I had time to explore and consult colleagues about the ways to make my treatment room safe for hands-on massage.
By the time Gov. Baker lifted the shutdown of massage and I was able to take appointments again, my treatment room had changed in several ways. I always wash my hands before and after treatments so that routine remained.
Now when a client arrives at my office, I take their temperature. Both my clients and I wear a mask and they are given a gown to change into. Sheets, towels and hospital gowns have been moved out of the treatment room and are stored in an adjacent room. The room is turned, meaning the used sheets, towels, and blankets are put in a closed hamper after each appointment. This is also a normal pre-COVID practice, only now there is a 15-20 minute wait time before another appointment is started, while I clean and sanitize the surfaces in the room immediately after the client leaves.
There is a HEPA air purifier in the treatment room. The medium-size trash can is replaced by a small one. If a client places even one tissue in the can, then the tissue and liner are removed before the next appointment. In addition to changing the cloth on the face cradle, which is part of the massage table, I now replace the whole memory foam face cradle with a fresh one and a fresh cloth. At the end of my work day, I line up all the used face cradles, and turn on a UV light in the treatment room. The UV light should zap bacteria and viruses that might be on the face cradles or lingering in the room.
I have now received my two vaccination shots. Hopefully there will come a time in the not-too-distant future when the “herd immunity” will be reached, and life will get back to some kind of “normal.” But even after that happy day arrives, I plan to keep all the above-mentioned safety procedures in place.
OK, I do hope I can stop wearing a mask someday. I hate wearing a mask! But there will always be a chance a client will have a cold or the old-fashioned flu so it makes sense to keep that safety procedure in place.
Ironically, at the end of the day, COVID-19 caused me to improve the safety of my treatment room. It is a small price to pay to be able to continue in my profession and relieve the pain and stress that many people are feeling, perhaps more today than ever before.
Richard Wedegartner has been a massage therapist for 30 years and his practice was significantly affected by COVID-19. He lives and has his massage practice in Greenfield.