What should I wear?

You need to consider which areas of your body are going to be worked on, for the hips and legs we’d usually advise wearing/bringing a pair of shorts. For the back/shoulders/upper body/neck we’d usually advise ladies to wear a vest top and a bra that unfastens easily, rather than an over the head sports bra type top. How much you remove is up to you but it’s usually more effective if the therapist can access the area directly. Please discuss any concerns when booking or at the start of the session.

What should I bring?

At the moment, we’re advising clients to limit what they bring into the gym/treatment room with them, as we have no locker facilities and more stuff is potentially more sources of infection. You may wish to bring a filled water bottle for after your session, as we are unable to offer drinks or refills at the moment.

How should I prepare for a session?

It’s always considerate if you wash/shower before you attend a hands on treatment session, at the moment we’d prefer that you didn’t come straight from work if you have a customer/client facing role, unless you can wash and change before you arrive.

Trying to stretch or work out what movement causes the discomfort is helpful but try to avoid aggressively using a foam roller or other massage tool for a couple of days prior to your session, or the area that needs treating may be too sore and bruised for the therapist to work directly on.

What should I expect from a treatment?

At the moment, our procedures are a bit different due to Covid-19 but our massage techniques are broadly the same.

If you can text or buzz the intercom when you arrive, the therapist will meet you outside, give you a facemask if you don’t have one and show you to the bathroom. We’re asking all clients and staff to wash their hands on entry to the building. You’ll then be shown through to the treatment area. If your problem is complex then it may be helpful to arrange a phone call in advance, to discuss the issues you’re seeking treatment for, so that we can limit face to face time in the room. If it’s a straightforward maintenance session, you can briefly explain to the therapist what the issue is and they may assess it, before leaving the room for you to undress and sit or lay on the treatment table as directed. Towels will be provided for modesty, so you can cover areas not being worked on.

Can I talk during a treatment?

Sports massage is not always like a relaxing spa massage, in sport it’s often carried out in changing rooms, bathrooms or even on the side of a pitch or competition area. Many clients like to chat about their issue or their event or what’s going on in their life and some clients like to close their eyes and be quiet. Just let the therapist know if you’d like them to be quiet. However, it is important that you say so at the time if something is too uncomfortable or you don’t consent to something that the therapist is asking you to do.

We don’t usually play music but you may bring your own music/speaker if you wish.

Will it hurt?

Sports massage is a deep tissue treatment and at times it can be uncomfortable. Some people also find some areas of the body more uncomfortable to be worked on than others. The therapist will communicate with you about your comfort levels and we usually advise that a pain scale of 6-7 out of 10 is the maximum level we would work at.

Can I eat before a massage?

A light meal or snack an hour before is fine. It’s not a good idea to have a heavy meal prior to coming for a massage, as your body diverts blood to the digestive system to digest your meal. Massage stimulates local area blood flow to improve tissue healing, which may be more difficult if you’ve eaten a lot or counter productive.

Please avoid drinking alcohol before you visit. A hangover will also affect your pain tolerance, so please consider this when booking your session.

If you have diabetes, you may find it helpful to bring a small snack for afterwards, as massage can affect your hormones and lower your blood sugars.

How old do you have to be?

While a full DBS check has been carried out for our therapist, for the protection of the therapist and the child, anyone under 16yrs of age must have the written consent of their parent or guardian to come for treatment or an exercise session. We also prefer it if the parent or guardian is present (or an agreed chaperone), in addition to the therapist, in the room during the session.

There is no upper age limit, the therapist will vary their techniques for your individual requirements and we now have ground floor level access to the treatment room.

Can I bring someone with me?

You may bring a chaperone if you are nervous, have cultural requirements or require an advocate to be present. However, this must be discussed and agreed prior to the visit. The chaperone must also complete the client screening tool, wear a mask while in the building and be happy for their details to be released to track and trace.

We are currently not allowing friends and family to wait/spectate in the gym/treatment room. There is a coffee shop across the road and the centre of town is within walking distance for you to arrange to meet afterwards. Parents of under 16s must stay with their child or collect them at the end of the session.

I don’t feel very well is it still OK to come for a treatment/exercise session?

We have always advised that if you feel unwell, have a temperature or have had sickness or diarrhoea within 48hrs of your appointment, that you re-arrange your session with as much notice as possible. Massage can make symptoms worse and your pain tolerance is likely to be lower, as well as the risk of spreading infections to others. Specific symptoms with regard to Covid-19 include, but are not limited to, a high temperature, a new and continuous cough, loss of taste or smell.

Due to the current situation with Covid-19, we are strictly enforcing our sickness policy.

If the therapist suspects that you have a temperature, you will be asked to have your temperature taken with our contact free digital thermometer. If your temperature exceeds 37.8DegC, or you decline, you will be denied access to the building or asked to leave immediately and contacted by phone to rearrange your session.

We have suspended our cancellation/rebooking fee for the time being, so as a client you will not be penalised for being responsible but this may still mean that we are charged for the room that we rent, if we have less than 48hrs notice. Our business has chosen to absorb this cost, to encourage responsible behaviour and protect our local community. Please consider that we work with a range of clients, some of whom are older or more at risk from complications of an infection than others. As a self employed therapy business, we lose income if we become ill and can’t work.

Please do not put our staff or clients in this position. If you know you are not feeling well at the time of your appointment, contact us to rearrange.

I’ve got an event, when should I visit?

Ideally we’d suggest that you don’t leave your first session to immediately before your event, as people’s response to massage is individual. You need to know how you will respond and book your session accordingly. The last thing you want is to feel sore, instead of ready to go, at the start line.

Regular sessions will also help to identify areas which need more work and avoid areas of tension building up. They also allow the therapist to develop an understanding of what works for you. Like everything else, we usually suggest not introducing something new right before a big event.

How many sessions will I need?

It depends on your issue, some things are easy to sort out and some things require a few sessions. As a general rule, you if you’re not seeing an improvement by the second or third session, it may be that it’s not the right treatment option for you. We suggest that everyone comes for an hour the first time so that we have time to explore the issue. A follow up is generally recommended but not always needed.

What happens afterwards?

It’s normal to have some soreness after a deep tissue treatment but this should subside after a couple of days at most. We recommend you take it easy for 24hrs, keep moving and drink plenty of water. The point of massage is often to stimulate a small amount of inflammation to promote healing, so we usually advise avoiding anti-inflammatory medication unless advised by a medical professional.

During the current Covid-19 situation, we are asking all therapy clients to complete a client screening tool prior to entering the building. If you develop symptoms of Covid-19 or test positive within 10 days of a session, we ask that you notify us directly where possible. Track and trace should also contact us, but as we have a duty of care to our other clients and gym users we would like to be able to act as soon as possible. We may be asked to release your contact details to NHS track and trace or other public health authority, permission to do this is part of the requirements for a face to face visit. We do not pass your details to marketing agencies or other third parties without your explicit permission, unless it’s a life threatening situation.

If the therapist or another client tests positive within 10 days of your visit, then we will be guided by track and trace as to who must be notified. The Therapist is wearing full PPE for all sessions and all clients are being asked to wear a face covering at the moment to help mitigate this risk.