Energy Healing modalities need not be done in-person, but some clients will want in-person only, and we have to be careful. The general rule is that if hairdressers and beauty salons are open, you can do in-person if you choose toi. This is a list made from both the RSA and England guidance.
For a full up to date list, please refer to your local government latest advice as local authorities can and will change the level of lockdown depending on the local situation.
Above all stay safe, be prepared and respect your and your clients health and well being. The following are standard procedure and compulsory during lockdown, some will remain standard operating procedure and some of the additional steps will be included persistently depending on the updated knowledge we get.
Standard Procedure You Must Do For Every Client
- Provide a hand sanitising/hand-washing station for customers before they enter the business premises;
- Sanitise/wash hands after handling cash;
- Encourage contactless payment where possible
- Disinfect common areas before and after use including after serving each customer;
- Sanitize or wash with soap each equipment or tool before and after each use
- All bottles with products must be wiped down with a 70% alcohol solution after serving each customer and at the end and beginning of each business day; – this includes crystals, candles, music equipment, etc – make sure a candle is out before wiping with alcohol!
- Fresh and clean towels, throws, blankets, pillow cases must be used for each customer, and pillows must be encased in plastic that can be wiped in-between clients;
Keep windows/doors open, if possible, to ensure adequate ventilation;
Arrange adequate PPE;
Masks must be worn at all times and you must also wear a face shield/ visor that must be cleaned after serving each client.
Aprons and gloves should be worn for and changed after each client;
Pre-book appointments with adequate time in-between to sanitise where they and you have been. And people must not sit in a waiting room unnecessarily, risking getting COVID-19 from others there. Salons/waiting areas must only allow customers inside if the safe distance can be maintained;
Employees and owners above the age of 60 or with comorbidities must be discouraged from working in person and rather use remote video, whatsapp, vimeo, Zoom etc;
No guests allowed; this includes partners, mothers, children, etc. Each person comes in solo for their appointment.
No food or drink (not even water) to be offered. Ask clients to bring their own water with them.
You must not home-visit anyone who is shielding, who is over 60, or who shares the home or is in contact with someone who is vulnerable with regards to COVID-19.
Clean your vehicle more often if you do home visits.
For home visits, communicate before arrival to discuss the steps required to safely provide the session in their home. For example, you will not drink their water but will bring your own (sanitize the bottle before entry).
Do not treat near the face. For example, if you do Reiki Hands-on OR hands-off, you must not go near the face and if possible do not breathe into their face, if it’s hot, air-conditioning / fans should preferably be angled 90deg away from you and your client to ensure there is no direct flow of air between you so that you do not get transfer droplets.
Keep the session time as short as possible. For example, instead of a 2-hour session that you may like to give, make it 1 hour to limit exposure, shorter is better.
If you have a reception area of any kind, you must use screens or barriers to separate clients from one another.
In your session, use back-to-back or side-to-side working (rather than face-to-face) whenever possible with any air-conditioning blowing away from each other, not onto each other.
Avoid skin-to-skin contact. For example, if you do Reiki, do it hands-off while wearing gloves.
NB: Report any cases of clients that you have seen within the last 14 days getting coronavirus to the track and trace system. Many businesses that take bookings already have systems for recording their clients. Make sure you have that too, such as an online diary or a written diary with contact details.
Avoid shouting. For example, if part of the session involves a raised voice, change the way you do that for now.
If you train in an energy healing modality, move the training online.
Reiki is an exception, where due to charlatans operating on the internet, Reiki attunements and training have to be in-person. You can do one person at a time in that case, for example. Do not blow your breath on the client.
Inform clients of guidance about visiting the premises prior to and at the point of arrival, including information on websites, on booking forms, on a text/sms that you send to confirm the appointment, by email, everywhere.
See clients by appointment only – no drop-ins and always choose the online option if at all possible.
If waiting areas can no longer maintain social distancing, consider moving to a ‘one-in-one-out’ policy.
Clients must attend and leave on time. You need the time to disinfect before and after each client.
The client toilet must have clear signs as to proper hand-washing technique, paper disposable towels, and must be accessible in a COVID safe& secure way. Clean everything, including toilets, more often between each use.
Provide more waste facilities and more frequent rubbish collection.
Most air conditioning systems do not need adjustment other than to not blow from one user to the next as previously explained, however where systems serve multiple buildings, or you are unsure, advice should be sought from your heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) engineers or advisers.
Clean objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, including door handles or staff handheld devices, treatment beds/couches (sanitize in-between clients) and make sure there are adequate disposal arrangements for cleaning products, for example touch free bins. Best clean with a solution that has 70% alcohol.
Wear clean clothes for work that you have not worn for transport in a disinfected bag. If you are seeing a client at your home, change your clothes before they arrive into the freshly disinfected rooms and keep any cups separate from your family items.
Provide clients access to tissues and inform them that if they do need to sneeze or cough or have a good releasing cry, they should do so into the tissue, which should then be discarded appropriately into a specially provided bin and that they should wash their hands thoroughly or use hand sanitiser after using a tissue. You should do the hand sanitiser route after a releasing cry.
Provide hand sanitiser in multiple locations in premises in addition to washrooms.
Avoid touching your face or face covering, as you could contaminate them with germs from your hands. Change your face covering if it becomes damp or if you’ve touched it
Wash your hands regularly.
Change and wash your face covering daily, ideally after each client.
if the material is washable, wash in line with manufacturer’s instructions. If it’s not washable, dispose of it carefully in your usual waste.
Schedule deliveries for outside of client appointment times. For example, couch roll deliveries.
Very Important
must not attend in person
if they have experienced any of the following.
Get them to sign to that effect, or at least return electronically that they are clear.
- A Fewer (above 37.8 degrees OR above what is normal for them, if less)
- A persistent dry cough
- Shortness of breath / Respiratory difficulty / Allergy-like breathing symptoms that are more dry than mucus ones
- Unusual Tiredness or fatigue
- A sore throat
- Loss of taste/smell
- Unusual aches and pains
- An unusual headache (as opposed to a regular migraine the client has, for example)
- Diarrhoea
- Travel to an area where there is a high incidence of the virus
- Close contact with someone who had the coronavirus at the time
- If they work in a facility where COVID-19 patients are treated. The client may well have immunity, and it is good to ask before making a decision on this case. Remember, they may have the virus on their hair, arms, etc, so discuss with them what measures they can take to be safe.
Until this virus is beaten, be safe, keep your clients safe, and remember, online is the better option for many things.