Q: What can I expect at my first session?
A: Before your first appointment, you will receive a welcome email containing pertinent information about your first session. When you arrive, you will find a new client intake form at the front desk, and will be offered some water or hot tea. When you come back to the cozy treatment room, we will sit and discuss what your needs may be, as well as any concerns you may have. After undressing to your comfort level, your wellness provider will encourage lots of communication through that first session, making sure you are comfortable throughout. Post-session, we may discuss how the session went, what the findings were, and create a plan for moving forward as needed. Each session is customized to the unique needs of each client.
Q: What is included in my session?
A: You are receiving a truly customized session! Each appointment, your wellness provider will check in with you about your specific needs that day, to build a session that meets those unique needs. Your massage appointment also includes (as needed and/or by request): heat therapy, topical enhancements (arnica, biofreeze and/or CBD oil), and aromatherapy (using pure essential oils, diffused and/or diluted in a carrier oil for topical application). Your acupuncture appointment may include complementary modalities to create your custom session.
Q: I've been to some massage studios where an "hour" massage is only 50 minutes. How long is my actual treatment time at Exhale?
A. At Exhale, you receive the time you are paying for, not paying for the time it takes to get ready for the next client after you leave ;-) There is a five minute buffer created at the beginning of your booking time, so unless you need more than five minutes for your pre-session consult (or are more than five minutes late), your session time is a full 60/75/90 minutes.
Q: What types of payments do you accept, and what is your policy if I have to cancel my session last-minute?
A: You can view payment options and cancellation policies here: https://exhale.massagetherapy.com/payment-and-policies
Q: What is your tipping policy?
A: Tipping is never expected, but is graciously accepted. If you choose to give a gratuity, you may do so via cash or Venmo (credit card tipping is possible, but discouraged). Thank you!
Q: Should I keep my underwear on, or take it off?
This is completely up to you! We have clients who do both, depending on comfort level. It does make the muscles of the low back and hips more accessible without underwear, but we are certainly happy to work through cloth if that is how you are most comfortable (as we say, undress "to your comfort level"). We of course always use proper draping techniques, so your gluteal cleavage, genitals, and nipples will always remain covered during your session.
Q. I prefer not to use draping/a top sheet when I get a massage. Is that ok?
A: No. Appropriate draping as noted above is mandatory during your session at Exhale, and is in fact the law in PA ("codes of conduct" under the PA State Board of Massage Therapy). We always strictly adhere to all ethical codes of conduct, at all times during your session.
Q: I have massages/acupuncture sessions on my account from purchasing a package/series. Can I "share" one of my sessions with someone else?
Unless there are circumstances that would make it impossible for you to use your sessions (for instance, you suddenly find out you have to move across the country (this actually happened once!)), "sharing" of sessions with someone else is generally not permitted. There is no easy way to do it in the system, it would make bookkeeping much more complicated if it happened regularly, and if that was casually allowed there would be nothing stopping multiple acquaintances from banding together to purchase packages (when the packages are designed to offer discounts to those who are regular clients). If you are hoping to "share" a session with someone because you are concerned that it will expire before you are able to use it, no worries! Read on.......
Q: I realized that I will not be able to use all of the sessions in my series before they expire. Do I lose them?
Of course not! You are, of course, encouraged to use the sessions in a timely manner, as our series are intended to offer a discount to those coming in regularly, but if you end up with "expired" session credits we can reactivate them up to 90 days after the expiration date (exp date is 6 months from activation for series of 3, 12 months for series of 6 or 12) . After this time, the unused percentage of the original purchase price may be turned into a gift certificate (so for instance, if you have a single expired session from a series of 3, 1/3 of your original purchase price will be given as a gift certificate credit to use toward any future session). Please let us know if you have any questions about this policy. Thank you
Q: When should I not get a massage?
There are (thankfully!) only a few instances when you would want to avoid massage completely. This would be if you have symptoms of ANY communicable illness, if you have been directed to quarantine, or if you have a contagious skin condition. We also ask that you not schedule a massage in the days following a vaccine, to avoid potential last minute cancellations due to any side effects. There are many conditions which may require us to modify our technique or avoid a certain area of the body, and if you have certain conditions you may want to consult with your doctor before receiving massage therapy, but there are very few reasons why you would be unable to receive massage therapy at all. Please reach out if you need clarification about a specific contraindication.
Thank you for your business, and please let us know if you have questions not listed here.
