Tricky reopening for massage clinics - St. Albert TODAY

[massage]

Mahalo Massage Therapy and Wellness owner Anamaria Vallejo was excited to reopen her clinic on Jan. 4, but said it’s been kind of a “tricky reopening.”

“Now people need to have a doctor's note or a health regulated referral,” Vallejo said.

Under new restrictions, people who need a massage are required to get a note or referral from a health regulated professional, like a doctor or a chiropractor, before they can book an appointment.

“So that is making things a little bit more complex than we were thinking, but that is better than nothing,” said Vallejo.

On Dec. 13, Alberta's massage therapists were required to shut down due to the recent round of public health regulations put in place to curb high COVID-19 numbers. Therapists and clients alike were confused by the move as regulated health professionals like chiropractors, physiotherapists and acupuncturists were allowed to remain open.

Massage therapy is not a regulated health profession, but massage therapists usually work in conjunction with a regulated health professional and help clients manage pain and other health concerns.

“We are assisting people with the rehabilitation process and we work together with physiotherapists and chiropractors or many other professionals, so it's not beauty or relaxation – it's a real treatment,” said Vallejo.

After hearing from therapists and other health professionals, Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, issued an exemption order for massage therapists. They were allowed to return to work on Dec. 22, but clients are now required to get a referral before treatment.

Many clinics, like Vallejo’s, remained closed until Jan. 4. Vallejo said it was just too complicated to try to rebook clients with the new requirements.

Vallejo is thankful they are open but says the referral requirement doesn’t make sense.

“Some clients find that very hard to have the referrals, and they are also some professionals that are asking our compensation for referrals. So, you’ve opened the door to (a) few things that we didn't see before,” she said.

Vallejo is also confused as the new requirement requires people to go to more places as they jump through the referral hoops.

“You are seeing more people, and that increases the risk to get COVID,” she said.

Vallejo believes the reason they were shut down initially was likely because they are not recognized as a regulated health profession, something the industry has been trying to achieve for, according to Vallejo, at least a decade.

She said many therapists she knows are hoping they will eventually receive recognition so they can have more security and be seen more seriously as a health treatment option.

“We wish, you know, that maybe the provincial government will open the discussion to finally regulate massage. That could be the best thing that we can have as a profession because we know all the benefits that we do to each person that has a massage treatment,” she said.