Cancellations due to sunburn

[Pompal 09.]

Okay, I live in a sunny tourist destination. People go out and get sunburnt. Then they call the morning of their appointment and cancel. This happens about 5-6 times a year. I haven't penalized anyone in the past but I am getting tired of it. Clearly I can't massage someone who is sunburnt, and I don't include "apply sunscreen, re-apply, re-apply" instructions in my emails. Surely the client should take responsibility for making sure their body is massage-able!

After giving this a great deal of thought, this is what I've come up with. When someone calls to cancel because of sunburn, I'll say something like, "Since you've committed to an appointment with me, this is a great opportunity to experience Reiki or Matrix Energetics. Neither involve manipulation of tissue so your sunburn won't be an issue." If they decline, I'll say, "Okay, you made a commitment for this appointment, and I understand that massage is out of the question. I've given you a very viable alternative. If you still decide to cancel your appointment, I'll have to ask you to call someone else for your next massage."

What do you think?

 

[Nikki]

I think this is a great reason to have clients prepay with credit card, actually. Tourists aren't as likely to call the same MT next time they are in the area, IF they are ever again in the area, anyway, and those who do return are more likely to remember the sunburn issue and not bother to schedule a massage at all than to be more careful not to get a burn. I know people who can't even stay home without getting the same burns year after year. :shock:

I think it is a great idea to offer them a different type of session "since you have prepaid and that session time is non-refundable without giving a 24 (or 48?) hour notice".

Maybe a sunburn relief treatment (lavender oil EO in aloe juice in a spray bottle) would be a nice alternative. It certainly wouldn't take the hour but would be very much worth the money for them. You could even give them the 4 or 8 ounce spray bottle of the solution.

 

[Tejinder]

Sally,

I think you have thought that out and worded it spectacularly.

 

[Shadow Striker]

Offering them an alternative is the perfect solution. What I do is offer a "sunburn relief treatment" which involves having cold aloe juice on hand. I mix up a bowl of aloe juice, lavender EO, and ice. I will soak a hand towel in this and then apply to their sunburnt areas. While it sits on there, soothing and cooling the burn, I do work on their hands, feet, and anywhere else that isn't burnt. It's rare that someone is burnt so completely that there aren't at least a couple places that you can work on. Every 5-10 minutes I take the towel off, re-wet it and get it cold again, and then reapply. This is where the ice is really handy because their sunburnt body will actually heat up the towel and ice is needed to cool it down again. Then go back to massaging. If you do the hands and feet, you could easily do an hour session. I have found that my clients really love this alternative. They feel taken care of and loved. At the end I very very gently apply a cream or lotion that contains aloe to the affected area.

I have even had sunburnt clients come in especially FOR this treatment.

And yes, if they refuse whatever alternative you offer them (while I love energy work, I personally don't believe it is a viable substitute for someone who scheduled for bodywork) you should charge them. Keep in mind, you can still do careful static trigger point work on most sunburns, even in the area that has been burned.

 

[Babby Joshua Christomato]

Shiva;

What a cool idea! Literally.........I'm going to have the ingredients on hand and if I have an opportunity give it a try. It sounds delightful, and what a great way to encourage someone to not cancel!

savannah

 

[Freda]

Cancellations due to sunburn

After giving this a great deal of thought, this is what I've come up with. When someone calls to cancel because of sunburn, I'll say something like, "Since you've committed to an appointment with me, this is a great opportunity to experience Reiki or Matrix Energetics.

Great thinking!

Neither involve manipulation of tissue so your sunburn won't be an issue."

huh? lol, I know what you mean, but for the average burnt tourist, you might try something like, "Both are wonderful treatments that don't involve direct touch".

If they decline, I'll say, "Okay, you made a commitment for this appointment, and I understand that massage is out of the question. I've given you a very viable alternative. If you still decide to cancel your appointment

"...I'd like to remind you of the cancellation policy that requires 24 hours notice. I will charge your credit card [full price - or whatever you're comfortable with]."

Ofcourse, in order to remind them of a cancellation policy, you need to have one that is read to them (on the phone) and/or signed (intake form), plus stated on your website.

I'll have to ask you to call someone else for your next massage."

ouch -- do you really want to do this?

ooo, as I was typing, shiva posted another wonderful alternative, and I just read a thread with a cucumber + EO recipe in it that would feel good, too. Since you are in a sunburn area, you could come up with a session especially for it!

I t049 this forum!

 

[Jude]

The ding-a-ling defense...we hear that alot in our Miami operations and have done similarly -- offering an aloe body wrap. They actually need that!

We put a big disclaimer on our confirmations -- sunburn, hangover, sudden or not so sudden changes in weather (we do a lot of cabana massage in Miami) is beyond our control -- but not beyond theirs.

 

[Crystal?of?Iris]

Cancellations due to sunburn

I'll have to ask you to call someone else for your next massage."

ouch -- do you really want to do this?

Personally, I can completely understand why you might tell the client this. At some point in your practice, you just don't have time to allow for poor planning to happen a second time.

It's not the most accommodating, but on the other hand, if you have a busy practice, a clients lack of respect for the therapists time can cause not only financial issues for the therapist but also affect another potential client who may be in pain, or need that appointment, but now will be unable to come in because the time slot was booked but not utilized. There are only so many hours in a day to help people. Not being compensated for that time and being ineffective due to a booking issue doesn't jive well.

 

[Pompal 09.]

I am all for the taking of a credit card number to charge if they cancel short notice. If you can get some of them to pre pay---even better. Especially if you have some verbage that states since this is a vacation and due to higher than average late cancellation potential you have had to adopt this policy :: then going from there offering an alternative to their dilemma sounds like an awesome idea.
I was just talking to a friend who was on a cruise and she said that she was sunburnt when it was time for her massage and they offered her a sea weed wrap as an alternative and it really helped.
Her other option was to be charged in full for the missed appointment.

 

[Vennice D]

First, many thanks to all for the fabulous sunburn treatment ideas! We have plenty of fresh growing aloe here, so walking outside to pick some and mixing it up with lavender EO and ice is a piece of cake. I keep rolled up wet washcloths in my fridge for my clients anyway, so using a few for a treatment now and then fits into my routine easily.

Credit cards are another matter. I don't take them. I don't want to take them. Here in Mexico the perceneforum.xxxe the credit card companies keep for themselves is high. I have never needed to take credit cards, so it's one suggestion I'll pass on, even if it does give me the ability to charge the few clients who cancel.

As far as "firing" a client, that would only be the case if they cancelled and refused to pay. I have no problem with clients who pay me for my time, whether they get the massage or not. For clients I see regularly, I can always cut them some slack as well.

Although I am in a visitor destination, the tourists who come to Cozumel, either by cruiseship or by air, do tend to come back over and over. I have tourist clients I see once a year, twice, three and four times a year. Because Cozumel is a prime scuba destination, close to the U.S. and relatively inexpensive, divers do come back.

I realize energy work is not the same as massage. When I want a massage, I want a massage. But if my body is too burnt to massage due to my own negligence, energy work is a viable alternative. I use the word viable in the sense that it is a workable alternative, not an equal alternative.

I just updated my website with my cancellation policy. I do include it when confirming appointments by email, but occasionally someone slips through the cracks. The latest cancellation was by the sister of a local American client, who was visiting for the week. They referred her, she never saw the website and I didn't go over my cancellation policy over the phone. Lesson learned.

Thanks again, everyone!

 

[Tan Boon Hwee k]

I really like the idea of offering an alternative treatment - great suggestions posted here!

Angela

 

[HRmassage]

Offering them an alternative is the perfect solution. What I do is offer a "sunburn relief treatment" which involves having cold aloe juice on hand. I mix up a bowl of aloe juice, lavender EO, and ice. I will soak a hand towel in this and then apply to their sunburnt areas. While it sits on there, soothing and cooling the burn, I do work on their hands, feet, and anywhere else that isn't burnt. It's rare that someone is burnt so completely that there aren't at least a couple places that you can work on. Every 5-10 minutes I take the towel off, re-wet it and get it cold again, and then reapply. This is where the ice is really handy because their sunburnt body will actually heat up the towel and ice is needed to cool it down again. Then go back to massaging. If you do the hands and feet, you could easily do an hour session. I have found that my clients really love this alternative. They feel taken care of and loved. At the end I very very gently apply a cream or lotion that contains aloe to the affected area.

I have even had sunburnt clients come in especially FOR this treatment.

THANK YOU!!!! THIS IS AN AWESOME IDEA!