Your Covid19 Questions Answered, sort of

When will we reopen?
As of April 27th, Governor Baker has not yet announced when non-essential businesses may reopen. According to the reopening plan, massage falls under Phase Three which is the last category of businesses allowed to reopen. If Massachusetts begins to reopen on May 4th and each phase runs for two weeks, we could reopen on June 1st, at the earliest. Please keep in mind that these are hypothetical dates. As of right now, no definite dates have been provided to us. When we have more concrete information, we will let you know. 

How will we ensure client & staff safety once we reopen?
Ensuring client & staff safety will probably mean new protocols that may or may not become permanent changes to how our business operates. The specifics of the necessary changes have yet to be determined. Like you, we are sifting through the information and opinions flooding the news & social media. The sources that we are focusing on are Governor Baker's live updates, the CDC, OSHA, and our licensing board. Industry leaders have shared podcasts about suggested changes and some of those we may implement. As Massachusetts opens back up, we will have a clearer picture of what we need to do to keep everyone safe.

Suggested Changes:

• Replace anything that isn't easily washable. Some items will move to storage temporarily; others will be replaced outright. This includes fabric items like chairs, cushions, bolster covers, and heating pads. This also means reducing clutter on open shelving like our essential oil & retail displays. This also means water & tea may no longer be offered.
• Limit the number of people in our office. To operate effectively, we need one desk person & two LMTs, which also means two clients; that means a maximum of five people in the office at one time. To further limit exposure, we will stagger appointment times & not offer same-room couples massages. We will lock the doors between clients to prevent walk-ins and allow staff time to sanitize thoroughly between sessions. When you arrive for a scheduled appointment, please wait in your car; someone will call or wave you in when it is time for your massage.
• Policy Changes. Our cancellation policy will be reviewed to ensure it is fair for both clients & staff. We also plan to conduct a COVID19 risk assessment via telephone prior to initial return appointments. New clients must also pass this risk assessment prior to coming in, if we decide to accept any new clients at this time. We encourage high risk clients to consult with their PCP prior to scheduling any hands-on treatments.
• Use PPE until a vaccine has been developed &/or immunity has been confirmed. Staff & clients may be required to wear face masks while in the office, including during appointments. Additionally, LMTs may be required to change clothes between appointments. 

What are we doing during this downtime?
Our staff have been busy with continuing education & looking for ways to offer you services using a virtual platform. We are studying oncology massage, insurance billing, personal training, and nutrition. Once the personal training & nutrition certifications have been completed, we will introduce virtual 1-on-1 appointments, virtual classes, and pre-recorded workout videos. We will also create new membership options so that you can utilize the services you want at an affordable monthly cost.

A self-care video library is also underway. Once we have generated enough content, the video library will be released on a subscription basis (probably $5/month, free for current OM Team members). Currently, we have outlines for over 70 videos that include:

• Stretches from our client homework manual targeting specific muscles (1-5 minutes per video)
• Instructions for using various self-care tools (1-5 minutes per video)
• Demonstrations on simple self-massage techniques (1-5 minutes per video)
• Pre-recorded warm up/cool down routines (5-15 minutes per video)
• ​Pre-recorded full workouts (15 minutes or longer per video)

We wish you the best and look forward to seeing you as soon as we can safely (and legally) reopen.

Sincerely,
The OM Team