Dear Valued Clients,

Your continued support is greatly appreciated—we live in a challenging time, and those of us who work in the massage field hear this everyday. Stress is the single largest trigger for one’s mental, emotional and even physical health affecting our overall well-being. Kindness to others and our own self-care go a long way in contributing to a kinder world.

The cost of doing business (and living)—inflation continues to rise but thankfully, at a much slower pace. As a means of meeting expenses and keeping therapist’s compensation competitive, we will raise our rates a modest amount starting this week.

As of Wednesday, November 1st—our rates will increase to:

 60-Minute Session — $100
90-Minute Session — $140
120-Minute Session — $185

This is an average of 4.8% since our last increase March 2022. As a reminder, packages are great way to save money and get discounts (up to 15%) on massage services. They are available for purchase online HERE.

What this means for you. Any sessions currently on the books can be prepaid at the current rate using the link in the confirmation email for that appointment. Any session on November 1st and after paid in-house will be at the new rate.

Package clients—unused package sessions are still valid. Any ‘open’ unpaid package invoices up for renewal can be paid and the old rate will be honored. Once the due date has passed, a new renewal invoice can be created but at the new rate.

Gift Certificates—previously sold certificates will be honored for the monetary value at which they were sold.

Thank you for your continued  support. We truly value our wonderful community of clients! Any questions? Feel free to EMAIL ME HERE.

Rod

Join our massage club and start saving….it’s free to join!  As of June 2022, we no longer offer seasonal promotions. Instead, we’ve created a new loyalty program with discounts and other special benefits. Simply signup using the link below and receive these great perks.

DISCOUNTS—Once you signup, we’ll invoice you for your first member package of 5 sessions with a 10% discount. Once you pay the invoice, we’ll email a notification along with your easy-to-remember member code. You’ll have an entire year to use your five sessions and you can share them with your partner or family. When you use all five, we’ll send another invoice…and each renewal you’ll earn an additional 1% off, up to 15% over time.

EASY BOOKING—Best of all, you will have an easy-to-remember code for booking with your package…and it never changes! Your last name and your birthday make it so easy and unique.

FRONT OF THE LINE—Members will be the first to be notified via text when last-minute appointments are available. This puts you in the front of the line when cancellations happen.

GIFT CARD DISCOUNTS—Gift cards make special gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and holidays….As a member, you’ll receive 10% off gift cards year around. These are available for purchase in-house, not online.

You can leave the program at any time without penalty and any unused sessions are still valid up to one year from the time they were paid for.

SIGN ME UP!

The Coronavirus pandemic has had so many consequences, both seen and unseen. One major consequence is that we’ve all been instructed to keep our distance, greatly reducing the amount of physical contact we have in our lives. Remember how, early on in the pandemic, we tapped elbows in greeting? Even that didn’t last long, as we’ve been told that 6 feet was the minimum distance we needed to be safe. Family members who don’t live together ache to hug their loved ones. Friends greet each other with a distant nod instead of a handshake or pat on the back.

All of this is creating a sort of touch deprivation, which is in fact a real condition. Touch is one of the most important ways in which we connect. According to an article by the Texas Medical Center, touch deprivation results in a slew of negative mental and physical effects, including increased stress, loneliness, depression and anxiety. As a result, the sympathetic nervous system becomes elevated and the body releases the hormone cortisol, which can increase heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension as well as weaken the immune system.  Some people may even begin to crave touch, as it’s one of the most crucial nonverbal behaviors, especially for the elderly.

On the flip side, a hug or friendly touch causes the body to release the “feel-good” neuropeptide oxytocin. Even a 20-second hug boosts oxytocin levels. Oxytocin increases our sense of trust, emotional bonding, and social connection, improve our heart functioning, and reduces our sense of fear and anxiety.  It also helps with our digestion and sleep. Studies have also shown that hugging even strengthens the immune system. Imagine that.

So what can be done while we’re still following social distancing protocols?

Getting a massage

A great way to alleviate touch deprivation is through massage. A massage research study called, “Cortisol decreases and serotonin and dopamine increase following massage therapy,“ published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, shows that massage results in stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system. This causes a decrease in the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. There is also an increase in the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. These neurotransmitters have been linked to emotional stability, the experience of pleasure, increased motivation, and a general sense of well-being.

In short, getting a massage allows the body and mind to relax. The experienced touch of the therapist helps shift the body’s functioning from sympathetic (“fight or flight”) to parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) nervous system, reducing the level of stress and its associated symptoms. 

There are other reasons to get a massage during this challenging time. In addition to touch deprivation, the pandemic has forced us to come up with new ways of relieving stress through physical activity. People are turning to home exercise machines and online workout videos. Parks have seen an increase in people hiking, biking, and walking. For many, these new workouts are causing soreness in seldom-used muscles. 

There are also many workers who’ve begun a new chapter of their lives – working from home. Recently, clients coming in for massages have reported how uncomfortable they’ve been while working at their dining room tables, and their need to upgrade their home office space for longer-term use. 

Massage can relieve the muscle tension due to poor posture and all those new-found physical activities.

As massage therapists, we’ve known the benefit of touch intimately. We watch as our client’s breathing shifts, deepening, and lengthening. We can feel muscles soften under our hands. The relief from stress and body aches is apparent in our clients even before they get off the table. 

Now that we can safely open our practices again, following the Covid safety protocols of sterilization and mask-wearing, we are seeing more stressed clients who are basking in the effects of touch. Even behind their masks, we know they’re smiling. We can feel it in their presence and see it in their eyes.

Touch within our “pods”

Many of us have defined our “pods”, the small group with whom we feel comfortable. These may be people we live with, or may expand to include a few close, trusted friends who are following safety guidelines themselves. Be sure to reach out, literally, to those in your pod… hug, lean in on the sofa during movie watching, or even trade a gentle back rub. 

At home with our pets

Not only do we make our dogs’ tails wag and our cats’ purr when we pet our animal friends, we too benefit from the positive effects of touch.  

Scientists at Washington State University started a program to help students relieve some of their academic stress. The students interacted with cats and dogs, and their cortisol levels were measured.   As little as 10 minutes of interaction showed evidence of a significant impact in reducing cortisol levels. This type of “pet therapy” has been repeated at campuses around the country, during final exams, or even on a weekly basis. 

Snuggling your pet while watching tv, even giving a little scratch behind the ears, can do wonders in helping you feel more calm and grounded – and make for a very happy pet.

The power of touch

As hard as it is to imagine now, this time will eventually come to an end. We will again welcome each other with hugs and handshakes. And very likely, we will come to appreciate the importance of touch in our lives. Until that time, stay strong and, as best you can, stay connected.

By Gila Koch, Massage Therapist

After a very long hiatus, we will be back doing massage starting Sunday, June 7th.Governor Scott gave permission last Friday to open today, June 1st...but in order to meet State requirements and get everyone up-to-speed, we are taking an extra week.

What to expect:

—Please be aware that wearing a mask is mandated by the State. If you would like to remove it when face down, this is acceptable ONLY IF YOU AND THE THERAPIST FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO. The client and therapist must both wear a mask when the client is in a face-up position. We will be providing disposable surgical masks, but ask that you bring your own when possible. Please respect the therapist’s choice should they ask you to wear a mask for the duration of the massage, including before and after.

—Staff will be instructed to use hand sanitizer frequently and include hand washing as required in regulations.

—Door knobs, iPads, furniture tops, face cradle cushions and other frequently touched or close contact surfaces will be sanitized between each client.

—Couples massage and pregnancy massage cannot be booked until further notice.

We ask that if you have had COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms, or have been in contact with someone who has,  please refrain from booking at this time and observe the 14-day quarantine and get tested.

Please be patient with us during this time of transition!  I look forward to see you all!

The coronavirus (COVID-19) originally detected in China several weeks ago has now been classified as a pandemic, meaning it is spreading rapidly on every continent. What we should all be reminded of, besides taking precautions, is not to create an unnecessary pandemic of fear. In this posting, I’d like to address those precautions (I’m sure many of you have already educated yourselves), review changes we are taking at the massage studio but also address the benefits of massage on the immune system.

About the Virus

With COVID-19, the first known advanced cases were reported in mainland China on December 31, 2019, and by January 7 the virus had already been identified. Within ten days the genome was mapped. It is a new coronavirus from group 2B (the same family as the SARS). Genetic analyses have confirmed COVID-19’s recent natural origin between late November and early December and that, although viruses live by mutating, its rate of mutation may not be very high.  However, its transmission rate and means of spreading (coughing, sneezing, touching surfaces and then your face or mouth) are similar to the common flu.

A test for the detection of the virus has been available since January 13th. We are seeing good results with the strong control measures in China and the number of new cases is actually decreasing.  The virus causes no symptoms or is mild in 81% of cases. 14% result in severe pneumonia and in 5% of cases, it can become critical or fatal. Very detailed epidemiological studies are being conducted in most countries of initial infection, and while still early, many health experts believe fatalities could be lower than originally believed. The newest data reflects the number of confirmed cases and the resulting deaths, but most infections are cured and the proportions are improving. The vast majority of fatalities are in the elderly or very young children under 3.

People under 20 make up only 20% of cases, and mortality under 40 is less than 0.2%. Symptoms in children are often so mild that the virus can go undetected. However, transmission is still possible and universal precautions should be maintained by everyone.

Symptoms

The CDC states the following symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

—Fever
—Cough
—Shortness of breath

Symptoms of sore throat, headaches, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, itchy or irritated eyes could be flu, cold or allergy-related, but are NOT associated with COVID-19. 

Prevention

The washing of one’s hands regularly with soap and water is still the best prevention for exposure. While many consider this basic daily hygiene, HOW you wash is very important: scrubbing under your nails, washing all exposed areas including forearms and elbows, and taking your time to thoroughly wash.

The virus can be effectively inactivated from surfaces with a solution of ethanol (60% alcohol or greater), hydrogen peroxide (0.5% hydrogen peroxide) or sodium hypochlorite (0.1% bleach), in just one minute.

Avoid large groups and public areas unnecessarily.

Strong Immunity Starts with Health

Once exposed, your best line of defense is your body’s own immune system, which can vary greatly depending on age, genetics and other factors. Making good health-oriented lifestyle choices can strengthen your body’s ability to fight the pathogen in the early stages of exposure:

—Avoid or moderate alcohol and tobacco
—Eat a diet high in vegetables and fruits and low in saturated fats
—Exercise regularly
—Learn techniques to manage stress levels

Massage and the Immune System

Researchers recently completed a comprehensive study at Cedars-Sinai’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, the first study to be conclusive (and backing up previous smalller studies) in the connection between massage and the body’s immune system. Mark Rapaport, M.D., chairman of the department stated “People often seek out massage as part of a healthy lifestyle but there hasn’t been much physiological proof of the body’s heightened immune response following massage until now.” The study concludes that vigorous massage (beyond light touch) significantly changes the numbers in lymphocytes and white blood cells, decreases Arginine Vasopressin (AVP), decreases levels of the stress hormone cortisol and a notable decrease in most cytokines produced by stimulated white blood cells. This points to building a heightened neuroendocrine functionality, and thus a stronger immunity toward disease.

The truth is, most of us have already or will be exposed to COVID-19.

HOWEVER, it’s important to note that should you currently exhibit any symptoms listed above (or recently have), you should avoid contact with others, stay home, self-isolate and seek medical attention. This is especially true of the elderly, young children under 3 or anyone with a comprised immune system.

Actions We Are Taking at RCMT:

We are currently taking additional preventative measures to disinfect surfaces such as the table, face cradle, doorknobs, pump bottles, surfaces and drawer handles. Hand sanitizer is available in both rooms and staff has been encouraged to use it more frequently. Normal laundering of sheets is considered proper protocol for fabrics.

Cancellations/reschedules are encouraged for anyone with symptoms or who have been exposed at home or work to people with symptoms.

Again, most of us have already or will be exposed to COVID-19 and our immune system will function as it does to arrest most pathogens. Be smart, but don’t contribute to unnecessary fear and panic.

The Bright Side

The process by which we develop new vaccines has been dramatically groundbreaking. Already there are more than eight projects underway seeking a vaccine against the new coronavirus. The University of Queensland, in Australia, has announced it is already working on a prototype using the technique called “molecular clamp”, a novel technology. This is just one example that could allow vaccine production in record time. Prototypes may soon be tested on humans.

Rod Cain is owner/operator of
Rod Cain Massage Burlington Vermont