Guidelines for Vaccinated Massage Clients

Updated 2/15/2023:

As of Sunday, 2/12/2023, NYS has lifted the state mandate on wearing masks in healthcare facilities and most hospitals and doctors offices have made masks optional. We have decided that it’s finally time for us to make masks optional at our studios for both clients and therapists. However, if, as a client you would feel safest with your therapist also wearing a mask during treatment you can request this and our therapists will be happy to honor those requests. You may also find that your therapist or other clients in the studio continue to choose to wear a masks if they or their family are immunocompromised.

Updated 12/21/2021

We are monitoring the quickly changing situation with the spread of the Omicron variant. We have decided that for the safety of our clients and our staff, that all clients attending massage sessions at our studio must be fully vaccinated (1 dose of J&J or 2 doses of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccines). We are announcing this as of today and will be checking for proof of vaccination for all clients starting January 3rd.

Update for August 1, 2021

In response to the latest reporting on the transmissibility of the Delta variant for covid-19, we are returning to our previous masking policy. Going forward, all clients and therapists will be required to wear a mask at our studios both in the waiting area and during treatment.

Please note that the below policy is being paused while viral spread of the Delta variant is rising in NYC. If spread reduces back below 1% we will return to the guidelines below.

Updated as of May 24th

NYS’s lifted mandated covid safety guidelines for most businesses on May 19th. In accordance with the newest CDC guidelines. What this means is that businesses now have the option to either continue their existing safety protocols. Or to establish their own. The only true mandates on most businesses are that non-vaccinated patrons must continue to wear a mask and socially distance wherever possible. And for vaccinated massage clients, there are no longer any NYS mandates.

That being said, we are going to gradually scale back our existing covid safety plan. So, for the most part, we will be keeping our existing plan. There are some immediate changes, specifically to mask policy for vaccinated massage clients.

The main change: updated mask policies for vaccinated massage clients

1. You can remove your mask during your massage if you choose to. You will need to show proof of vaccination to your therapist (see #4). If you prefer leaving your mask on, that’s totally fine. Therapists will honor all requests to keep their own masks on.
2. Vaccinated therapists can work in treatment rooms without a mask as long as the client is comfortable with that. Non-vaccinated therapists will continue wearing masks as required by NYS and your safety.
3. For now, masks are still required in the waiting and common areas regardless of vaccination status. The waiting areas of our studios are meant to be peaceful and calming. We want to avoid having clients having to navigate asking each other’s vaccine status. And/or argue over mask safety which is not in line with our vibe.
4. For proof, you can show your therapist your vaccination card OR download the NYS Excelsior App. The app is super easy to use and you can add your pass to your phone wallet.
5. Without proof of vaccination, we’ll require you to keep your mask on under existing safety protocols.

Other changes to our covid safety protocols for both non-vaccinated and vaccinated massage clients

These are minor, but ones that we see as easy to make in the current environment. IE very low viral spread in NYC and continuing to drop.

• Now that viral spread is well below 1%, we feel it’s time to ditch the bulky and uncomfortable eye protection.
• We will be reopening our waiting areas again. We ask that you keep masks on in the common areas of the studios. So for now, no food or drink please.

These are exciting times after so much turmoil! Getting used to these new changes may take time. And that many of you will need some time to adjust. Feeling safe without a mask is a new idea. You can read about just how amazingly effective the new vaccines are here: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/health-departments/breakthrough-cases.html

As the viral spread continues to drop and vaccinations continue to increase we will introduce other changes. Stay tuned!

Further Reading

• Therapist COVID-19 Test Results
• What does a Massage Therapist do? (when not in session)