Returning Soon

Written in July 2020

When close-contact work was allowed to restart, I spent time getting ready so that I could see people again in a way that felt careful. It had been a long, stressful stretch, and I knew some clients were keen to come back while others felt anxious about it. I wanted the practical things in place before I opened the diary.

These were the steps I was using that summer. I am leaving them here so the page still makes sense as a record. They are not the arrangements for appointments now.

• I carried out a risk assessment with each client before the appointment, including checking for signs of Covid.
• New clients had a full consultation by phone beforehand, to shorten the time we spent face to face.
• I took card payments only, and I could not accept cash.
• Where possible we used the client’s own couch or sofa, with a footstool. If that was not possible, I brought my couch and cleaned the cover for each session.
• Any pillows or blankets had to be the client’s own.
• We both wore a mask for the whole treatment. If you did not have one, I could supply a disposable mask for 50p.
• We used hand sanitiser before and after the treatment, including before a consent form was signed.
• I wore gloves on arrival and took them off before the treatment, then put on a fresh pair afterwards.
• I cleaned the feet with anti-bacterial wipes.

My children were off school until September, so I had limited space in the diary. At that time I was also only booking people who were not classed as higher risk, and I said I would look at that again in August. The NHS page I linked to then has since been removed.

I was following guidance from the Association of Reflexologists, the Federation of Holistic Therapists, and the government. If you would like to read the poster I was working from, it is on my hygiene guidelines page, and the note I wrote when I actually reopened is Now open.

Booking today

If you would like a treatment now, please contact and book. I will happily talk through how an appointment works.

Thank you for the patience and kindness people showed me then. I hope you are well.

Gemma xx