Dharma Holistic Therapies is open but there are measures in place to keep everyone safe when they visit. All clients are required to read the COVID-19 safety measures before an appointment can be booked. These are updated when needed so may change from time to time.
All clients be contacted the day before EVERY appointment by text message to check that you are fit and well enough to receive treatment with a few questions relating to COVID-19. If you have HAD COVID-19 at any point, you must obtain consent from your GP before you can make an appointment. If there is any doubt at all regarding your health, your treatment will be deferred. THERE IS NO GREY AREA. Even if you just feel under the weather/below par or if you feel even slightly that you may be coming down with something, regardless of what that something is, you must cancel your appointment. Your answers will be documented and you will need to check and sign this document when you arrive for your appointment. Please bring your own pen with you.
Clients from areas with travel restrictions in place are strongly advised not to book an appointment. Those in areas that are put into a lockdown will need to cancel any appointments they have booked.
I will not be taking any bookings from new clients at this time.
Your temperature will be taken on arrival.
Appointments will be limited for some time as I have had to reduce the number of clients I see to allow for ventilation and increased hygiene measures between each treatment. This means the usual flexibility you have come to expect from me will, unfortunately, not be possible right now.
You can no longer book appointments on behalf of other people. I must have contact with each client directly before they book. The communication required prior to treatment is now part of the consultation process and is therefore confidential.
If you are classed as clinically extremely vulnerable (you have received a letter from your healthcare team that has told you that you must shield yourself for a given period of time), you are required to maintain strict social distancing at all times, even when further relaxing of shielding measures comes in to effect on 6th July & 1st August. For this reason, you are advised not to come for a treatment at this time as social distancing cannot be maintained during a treatment. I cannot go against the medical advice you have been given by your clinician. If you have been placed in this category and would like to discuss your individual situation, please feel free to contact me. If you are classed as vulnerable, GP consent may be required, please contact me to discuss your individual situation.
You must inform me if you have returned from overseas travel, or if anyone in your household has returned from overseas travel, in the 14 days before your appointment.
At the present time, treatments will be limited to massage, reiki, face massage and reflexology. Indian Head Massage, Reproflexology, Crystal Therapy and Ear Candling will not be available at this time. This will be reviewed when appropriate. I am currently unable to offer treatments longer than 60 minutes in length.
I will be limiting the length of time of each treatment as follows
Back & Leg Massage – 60 minutes only. Back & Shoulder Massage – 45 minutes or 60 minutes. Reflexology – 45 minutes or 60 minutes. Reiki – 45 minutes only. Face Massage – 45 minutes. It will not be possible to mix and match your treatments as some of you usually do. Each appointment will be for one type of treatment only. I have reviewed my working practices to minimise the duration of contact with the client so far as is reasonably practicable and we must keep the amount of time we spend in the treatment room to a minimum. Once you have signed your consultation, you will be left to change for treatment.
A full hygiene checklist is worked through before every single appointment. The room is ventilated and every surface and touch point you may encounter is disinfected/sanitised before you arrive. These measures are in place to keep myself as well as my clients safe.
You should arrive for your appointment at the set time as usual. However, you must now wait in your car, or outside the boundary if on foot, until you receive a text message to say that you can come in for your appointment. This eliminates the risk of you arriving as another client is leaving. Please do not be late for your appointment. My working days are no longer as flexible as they were before and every available minute between clients will be needed for increased hygiene measures.
Social distancing rules apply until the treatment begins (2m, or 1m apart with risk mitigation at present). I have to reduce the risk of cross infection in so far as is reasonably practicable at every point of your visit, even though social distancing cannot be maintained during the treatment itself. Please respect this
Personal hygiene. Clients must arrive for their appointment, freshly showered and in clean clothes. I appreciate that some of you do usually come straight from work and that this may pose an issue. I do however ask that any of you who work in environments where there is a higher risk of cross infection due to the volume of people you may come into contact with or the type of work you do (those who work in schools, healthcare settings, zoo, shops, supermarkets, hair & beauty and other close contact services etc) to please follow this advice. Other clients should wear clean clothes to their appointment as a minimum precaution but please also shower beforehand if you are able to do so. You must not come for treatment in the clothes you have been wearing for the entire day if you have been in contact with the general public,
You will be required to sanitise your hands when you arrive, before you leave and at given intervals during your time with me. This will be explained at your appointment. Sanitiser will be provided for you to use.
Clients need to be able to get themselves onto the treatment couch and comfortable without assistance. This is to limit contact until the treatment starts. If you normally need assistance, please contact me to discuss your individual needs.
Clients must bring their own bottle of water. Water will not be available for you in the therapy room as usual. Please consider the environment and bring a reusable bottle if possible.
Please only bring with you what you need e.g. bank card, phone, keys. Extra bags (shopping etc) will not be permitted in the therapy room.
Phones MUST be switched off prior to treatment. If your phone rings during a treatment, it will not be handed to you for you to turn it off. You will not be permitted to take or make phone calls in the therapy room to eliminate the need to raise your voice.
Payment must be made by card or BACS only. Cash will not be accepted at this time.
Face Coverings. It is mandatory that you wear face covering when you come for a treatment, unless you are exempt from doing so. You must inform me if you are exempt from wearing a face covering so that I can complete an individual risk assessment. I will be wearing a face visor and mask during your treatment. Please consider the environment when purchasing your face covering.
And finally! For added peace of mind, I am qualified in Infection Control (specific to COVID-19) and have completed a semi-quantified risk assessment on my practice. I have been fully trained to do this by a highly qualified woman who not only runs her own very successful brand of spa’s for immuno-suppressed clients, she also has post graduate degrees in biology and environmental health, she worked for the Infection Control Police for 8 years and is a court advisor on Infection Control. The safety of you, my family and myself is my absolute top priority which is why I have engaged in this further study. Any decisions made are based on up to date information available from the World Health Organisation, my professional body (FHT) and the most current Government guidelines. All of which are being regularly reviewed.
If you have been to visit me before, you can now contact me if you would like to make an appointment. Thanks for reading Helen