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Please note that at this time Shanti Bodywork is only accepting new clients who either have a referral or have a gift certificate. If you fall into one of these categories, please simply reach out via email @ sarah@shantibodywork.com to book, as only established clients are able to book online at this time. Thank you for understanding!
Availability for sessions is typically several weeks in the future, as I am a single practitioner. Please feel free to asked to be added to the cancellation list in the Notes section of your appointment request. Also, follow Shanti Bodywork on Facebook, as last minute openings are posted there as well. Thank you for your understanding!
Get in touch
Contact Sarah using the form below or feel free to call (978) 882-1602.
Happy August!
I have a lot of information to share, so I apologize for the long post, but it’s all important and I appreciate the read!
I've begun the process of getting my schedule up and running for reopening; I am SO excited to see you all! This being said, there are a LOT of moving parts to making this happen, and I so very much appreciate the patience through this unprecedented time. The first stage of the process is contacting EVERY PERSON on the schedule individually to see if they would like to stay on the schedule or push it out a little farther due to Covid concerns. I absolutely understand and appreciate wanting to wait before coming in, and will be moving folks out as far as they feel is comfortable. Folks that are staying on the schedule may very well get an email to discuss adjusting time/date of your appointment, to adjust for changes to my procedures due to Covid (see below). If your appointment was cancelled and you don’t have anything on the books at the moment, feel free to reach out to me directly. I’m doing my best to get to everyone, but there were hundreds of canceled and moved appointments and a reminder will not be taken as an offense 🙂
SCHEDULING
- At this time, I will not be accepting ANY new clients (except for those with gift certificates; the system for which I’ve shut down for the time being). I will maintain this “regulars only” policy until I feel comfortable opening up the practice, but it will likely be months before I do so. For me to reopen, I feel most comfortable working with clients with whom I have a strong relationship and can maintain ongoing communication.
- I will be opening slowly, with probably only 2 clients per day through August, and then reassessing at that point. There will be a full half hour between clients to ventilate, disinfect and clean the entire office with hospital grade cleaner.
- Because my office gets very strong afternoon sun (and the heat that comes with it!) I will only be working until about 1pm for August and much of September. This will allow us to keep windows open and air moving as much as possible.
- I will be limiting most sessions to an hour or less in August, to accommodate as many clients as possible and quite frankly to get the hang of the new gear 🙂
- If you are more comfortable doing so, I’m always happy to work on you fully clothed. Over the years, I’ve done quite a bit of these sessions, and some clients prefer this work! Just reach out if you’d like to chat further about this.
SCREENING
I will be reaching out to you the day before your session to be sure that you are feeling well, your family/contacts are feeling well, and you haven't been exposed Covid to the best of your knowledge or been in any high risk environments (air travel, out of state vacations or work trips, etc). If you have a fever, cough, shortness of breath, nausea/diarrhea, or loss of taste/smell, please let me know so that we can reschedule. OF COURSE please reach out and cancel if any of these things happen in the time leading up to your session. There will be no cancellation charges of any kind for any last minute cancellations due to health, of course.
PPE
You will be required to wear a mask the entire time you are in the office (when face down I may have a solution that involves some pillow case origami, stay tuned lol!). I will be wearing mask, gloves and goggles, and a barrier for my clothing for the entirety of our time together. I will, as always, “scrub in” and “scrub out” before and after each session, but will be adding sanitizer and gloves to the mix.
CHANGES TO THE OFFICE
- Please plan to show up 5 minutes before your appointment; I need the time before to prepare for you! My waiting room chairs have been retired for the time being.
- Please only bring in what you need. Leave any large bags at home or in the car please!
- Please come alone to your appointment. I’m typically happy to have kiddos playing on their iPads in the waiting room, but not at this time.
- I’ve always been a stickler for cleaning, but Shanti Bodywork is now next level. I’ve removed all clutter from the office, added disinfectable barriers to the table, face cradle, pillows, etc that will be cleaned with hospital grade disinfectant between every client. I’ve moved from blankets to flannel sheets if a layer more than a sheet is needed (my table heater will still be with us!). Between clients ALL surfaces will be disinfected; doors, light switches, chair, tables, iPad screen, pens, etc.
- Before coming in, please stop by the restroom for a thorough hand wash. I will meet you at my door with sanitizer for your hands, and will reapply once you are on the table and any time you may touch your face. Upon arrival, I will be checking temperatures; if not within a normal range, we will reschedule (no cancellation charge of course).
- I will have a Covid Health Screen and Liability Waiver for you to sign before EVERY session.
- We will keep the windows open as much as we possibly can to increase air flow in the space.
- I've also added a HEPA air filter to the treatment room.
This is a learning curve for us all, but rest assured I've been gathering loads of data, techniques, etc and I'll be offering a safe, happy place for us to ease the tension that 5 months of living through a pandemic has deposited in your muscles!
I can't wait to see you, and look forward to working with you again!
Yours in health (and tons of PPE),
Sarah
Hello to everyone on this gorgeous day! I hope you are all well and safe, and please know I’ve been thinking of you all often. Myself and my family have been healthy, and I’ve been filling my time with a lot of things, including working hard on the perennial garden - I hope this morning’s photos brighten your day a little! 💗
Just to update, we don’t have an opening date quite yet; massage therapy is categorized within the second stage of Phase 2. This being said, I am also still waiting on some backordered supplies that I will need to reopen. Once I have a date figured out, I will be likely reaching out to tweak appointments currently on the calendar, as I will need to extend time between clients for sanitation and additional steps I’ll be taking to keep things at a very high level of safety. I’m still working out the details, but a few changes that you will see include:
- Masks will be a must (when face down there may be an alternative; still working that out)
- I’ll be asking people to bring the bare minimum to sessions (e.g. no large bags plunked on the floor)
- I’ll be offering some shorter targeted sessions to help with folks who need specific areas but would like to limit their time in the room
- I’ll be offering some fully clothed shiatsu/compression/range of motion sessions, which will allow us to crank the windows and doors open for maximum fresh air flow (these sessions are awesome, by the way, I promise!)
As you know, this is an ever-shifting situation and a huge learning curve for us all. Please trust that I’ll be opening my doors when I feel it is the safe, responsible thing to do, and when this does happen I can’t wait to see you!
Feel free to reach out with any questions or thoughts; I’m always happy to hear from you!
Thank you for all of the texts, emails and other hellos along the way, and for being supportive, amazing clients - you’re the best!
Yours in health,
Sarah
I have been following the COVID-19 situation very closely, and at this juncture I have decided to close Shanti Bodywork for the time being. My goal with my practice is and always has been to promote health and wellness, and now is the time to continue to do so by stepping away from the studio. My plan is to shut down for the remainder of March, and then I will be reassessing the situation and working from there.
I'm sending calm and love to each of you and yours. Try your best to get out in the garden, or clean out some closets, or read a great book -- and please take social media and news in small doses (I know I need to follow this advice more than anyone else!). If we all do our part, we can minimize the effects of this illness and come out on the other side, perhaps a little more compassionate (and certainly more educated and with loads of extra toilet paper).
Feel free to reach out at any time; I'll eventually run out of chores here at home and will be looking for some levity and comradery!
Be well, and I look forward to seeing you very soon. Yours in health,
Sarah
Ps I’ve included a photo of Pepe, one of the many four legged friends obviously WINNING at life during the lockdown, just because.
...and after you arbitrarily stock up on toilet paper and cancel your social life, grab yourself a copy of this novel, recently published by a very talented local Shanti client. It’s a great story, and very well written!
From the website:
Mercy House, is about Sister Evelyn, a feisty feminist nun who runs a shelter for abused women in Bed-Stuy. When the Vatican sends a bishop to investigate American religious sisters as part of the Apostolic Visitation, (a real investigation which began in 2009), rightfully convinced they are breaking Catholic doctrine, it is revealed that she was sexually assaulted as a young novice by the very bishop conducting the investigation. She is forced to appeal to her assailant while hiding the forbidden practices of her shelter—including helping women obtain divorce, birth control, and abortions—all to protect the diverse and vibrant individuals under her care.
www.harpercollins.com/9780062914804/mercy-house/
Mercy House - Alena Dillon - Paperback
www.harpercollins.com
“Never underestimate the power of a group of women. Fierce, thoughtful and dramatic—this is a story of true courage." —Susan Wiggs, New York Times bes...Ok, everyone, it has to be addressed!
I want you to know what the Coronavirus that causes COVID-19 infection means regarding your bodywork appointment and how I am operating Shanti Bodywork at the moment. I also want to share with you my understanding about the State of Emergency and the spread of the virus, in case it helps you.
APPOINTMENTS:
• If you or someone you live with/are in direct contact with have a fever, cold symptoms, or a chest/sinus condition, OR if you may have been in a public space that has had COVID-19 activity, please text or email me and let me reschedule your appointment.
• If I have been exposed in any way to the new virus, I will let you know if it will impact your appointment. I will not knowingly put any client at risk of infection.
• I wash my hands to the elbows immediately BEFORE and immediately AFTER I work on each client, and sanitize every surface that I or a client touch between sessions. This includes doorknobs, chairs, iPad, oil/lotion containers, phone, desk, pens EVERYTHING.
• When you arrive, please wash your hands before our session, and I’m also asking for everyone to use hand sanitizer immediately before I work on arms/hands.
WHAT THIS VIRUS MEANS:
This virus is novel--this means that NO ONE who has not yet recovered from it has any natural immunity to the virus. Most of us have robust immune systems, and will clear the infection on our own in 10-14 days. But many of us don't have strong natural immunity: seniors, people with chronic diseases (like diabetes or liver disease), pregnant women, and people taking steroids or chemotherapies.
This virus is very VIRULENT--meaning it takes a tiny dose of the virus to become infected. That means that eventually EVERYONE will be exposed to it. Though most of us will get mildly sick a while and recover, and some may not show many symptoms at all, people with immune systems that are weakened will likely need medical care in a hospital.
THIS IS THE REASON THAT WE ARE TAKING SO MANY PRECAUTIONS TO SLOW THE SPREAD OF THE VIRUS.
We are in the middle of a serious flu season that has our hospital Intensive Care Units already working close to the max. The capacity is not there to handle a massive number of patients with the new virus all at once. The best way to make sure that our doctors and nurses and hospitals remain available to those who need them, and able to function well, is to PROTECT EACH OTHER. It is up to us to slow the rate of infection by taking all of the precautions seriously. That means thinking carefully about every visit, every crowd, every restaurant, every trip we make.
Thanks so much for reading this far--wishing you the best of health, I am thankful for all of you.
Be well and I’ll see you all soon!