Mobile Massage Therapy with Covid-19 Protocols

Disclaimer: The ideas listed below should not be used as a replacement for your association/college or provincial/state guidelines. Please follow the requirements in your jurisdiction. The content in this article should be taken as suggestions only. I am a member of MTAA and I am following their pandemic directive.

I have some mobile massage colleagues that are nervous about doing mobile massage. The main concern is that we don’t know how clean their house is. And while that is true, we know that the virus cannot seep through our skin. As long as we are washing our hands (and drying them on a clean single-use cloth/paper towel) and not touching our face, our risk is greatly reduced.

I feel less stressed at the thought of doing mobile massage than working in a large clinic where I’d be exposed to more colleagues and members of the public. I also don’t have to worry about scrubbing down the bathroom and treatment room all day. 

The standards for mobile massage are going to be mostly the same as in a clinic in regards to PPE, washing sheets in hot water, screening clients and wiping down the table.

Here are a few key points a mobile therapist could take into consideration:

What are you using to transport your supplies?

I’m using plastic totes. I have a separate tote for each household for the day. They are then sanitized at the end of the day.

I use washable PUL wet bags for my dirty sheets

Can you wipe down a few touch points?

I’m going to wipe down light switches and doorknobs that I may touch (before and after the treatment)

Where do you put on your mask?

I’m going to don my mask in my car. I have hand sanitizer in my car and will put my mask on before going up to their house.

How should I dry my hands?

For each client, I bring two paper towels folded up in a ziplock bag and bring them into the bathroom with me when I go wash my hands

What about the table bag?

I am going to make sure I fold the bag in on itself and try to leave it at the front door so I’m not dragging it through their house. I will also wash it on a regular basis. 

Another idea a friend suggested was to ditch the bag all together and use a wheeled table trolly instead.

Do I need to wait for 10 minutes after wiping down the table?

Most cleaners take 10 minutes to sanitize

At the suggestion of one of our course creators, Jessica Villeneuve, I will be using Spray Nine, which works after 30 seconds.

Who else is in the house?

Try to have other family members away from the treatment area.

Screen everyone in the household.

You can view a little video I put together for my clients below if it helps you visualize the workflow.

I know some of you are nervous but I’m confident that the new protocols will feel normal soon! You’ve got this!