Our Policies and Procedures
For new clients/ patients:
If you have known health conditions, please provide all information on the intake form such as surgical history, diagnoses, symptoms regardless of a recognized diagnosis, history of severe injury, medications, and/or relevant medical records.
In rare cases, a doctor's note approving the safety of our services may be required in the case of some health conditions.
If you need access to resources for other healthcare needs that we do not provide, we can assist in finding an appropriate provider and referral, or in finding affordable and accessible options for non-emergencies.
Late Policy
Please arrive 5 - 10 minutes before your appointment time to ensure that you can maximize your treatment time.
If you arrive after the treatment time begins, the treatment will still end at its designated appointment time to keep other clients on schedule, which will leave your session short.
There is no penalty fee for lateness, but you will be paying full price for a session that you did not receive your full time for. Please do your best to arrive on time!
If you are running late:
We always try to reach out if you have not arrived within 10-15 minutes of your session start time. Sessions are automatically cancelled if you do not arrive within 15 minutes of start time and have not contacted us to communicate your estimated arrival. Because we operate by appointment only, the therapist may leave the facility if there are no other clients on the books and you have not arrived or responded within the 15 minute window of your session start.
Services for children/minors:
We are happy to work with children and minors with a present legal guardian or authorized adult during the entirety of the session.
We can provide plushies, soundtracks, sensory objects, activity books, and patterned sheets to help little ones settle down comfortably.
Requirements when scheduling an appointment for a child: Let us know ahead of time (by phone or email) that the patient is a minor. We will provide electronic forms for the legal guardian to sign stating that they will be present and authorize the services rendered.
We understand that in some situations and family dynamics, the parent of a child or their legal guardian may struggle to be present during the session. In this case they may want an aunt, uncle, grandparent, etc to fill in as the guardian present.
In these situations, the legal guardian must sign a form authorizing a specific trusted adult to be dedicated responsibility for the child on that day. The name and personal information of that adult, relationship to child, and reason for non-attendance of the legal guardian can be stated, and appointment scheduling will proceed as normal with responsibility for the child being dedicated to the adult assigned on the paperwork.
Child and Pet Policies:
Regarding children:
You are welcome to bring your children into the facility during your treatment under the following circumstances…
The child must be of an age and situation in which they are able to remain safely occupied and quiet during the session without direct supervision, so that we may focus on your session. We can provide toys and activity books when needed. There is space in the treatment rooms for up to one child to remain in the room during session time if you prefer.
If these circumstances cannot be met, please plan accordingly to find childcare before scheduling your session. This allows us to deliver quality service to all clients, and also ensures little ones stay safe.
Regarding pets:
Service animals are always welcome.
Emotional support animals and other pets may be welcome under the circumstances that a crate is brought for them to remain in during the session time, and they are able to remain safely occupied and quiet during the session without direct supervision, so that we may focus on you.
We understand that things don’t always go as planned. If you have brought your child or your pet to a session and they were unable to meet our policy, we ask that you refrain from bringing them on future sessions for their safety and the safety of other clients.
Accessing Medical Records:
After every massage, your massage therapist creates SOAP notes, which are valid medical documents. Other services such as reiki and coaching may have post-session notes, but these are not recognized legally as medical documents.
If you would like post-session records for any legal or medical purposes (court, disability applications, communicating to other healthcare providers), make sure to schedule a massage service. We provide easy access to medical records to help clients get appropriate documentation of their experiences, our findings, and quality referrals. Just contact us by call or text at 443-353-0658 to access your records.
Allergy Alert:
We use oils and aromatherapy from various sources (ingredient lists available upon request), and some may contain nut-derived and other ingredients.
Snacks are also offered within the facility, which may contain allergens. Oils and topicals may still be stored in the treatment area.
Inform us of all major known allergies to foods, medications, or topicals before you arrive for your treatment, and we will discuss which options and ingredients are safest for you.
If you have experienced anaphylaxis in the past, please bring your Epi-Pen/ Epinephrine/ Auvi-Q to the session as a precaution.
Cancellation & No-Show Policy
Cancellation 24 hours before your service is free of charge. Your appointment can be rescheduled for free.
If you have not canceled at least 24 hours before a treatment: There is a $25 late cancellation fee to compensate practitioners, as these last-minute appointment vacancies can usually not be filled.
Please call to let us know that you are unable to make it to the appointment. Each session requires a great deal of preparation.
If you do not reach out before your appointment start time to inform us that you cannot make it to the appointment ("no call, no show"): The full cost of the session will be charged or owed to us before your next appointment.
Three no shows without informing us may result in your cancellation as a client.
General conduct policy:
There will be no toleration of words or behavior that is discriminatory, sexual in nature, or threatening in nature.
Harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.
Behavior that poses any risk to staff or to other clients will not be tolerated.
The consequence of breaking this policy, based on the severity of the action, will result in:
Cancellation of the client/therapist relationship (you will no longer be allowed to return as a client)
A lawsuit
And/or any other necessary action to protect staff and patients
Inappropriate Behavior policy:
Jokes, comments, and requests about "happy ending massage" or other sexual services are not tolerated. Your session and client rights will be terminated. You will be charged the full service price and dismissed from the facility.
It is important for genuine therapeutic practices to be respected so that medicinal services can be offered in a safe environment. Sexualizing our services damages the safety and reputation of therapeutic environments, and contributes to a culture of oversexualization of the human body.
Furthermore, many sex workers at facilities that front as "spas" are victims of human trafficking. If you are seeking sex work, Sanctuary Repose does NOT participate in these actions, AND we encourage you to consider that the individuals at other facilities you do solicit services from may not be able to truly consent. Seeking services from victims of human trafficking results in lasting trauma to these individuals and contributes to a system of slavery. Not all individuals involved in human trafficking feel safe to come forward or have the terminology to express the depth of their situation. You are responsible for the management of your sexual needs in a way that does not harm other people, and we encourage you to reflect deeply on your impact on the world.
Do not contact Sanctuary Repose seeking sexual services.
Do not try to disguise your requests for sexual services as requests for legitimate services to coerce staff members.
Sexual harassment of staff members will result in legal action that holds you accountable for the damage you cause.
If you are a victim of human trafficking looking for help and resources, or if you want to learn how to help victims of human trafficking, view and support resources by clicking here and here.
Pregnant clients:
If you are booking a massage or corrective exercise, please inform us that you are expecting before the session begins for your safety. The protocol and positioning for pregnancy is different than in standard sessions. Relaxation and stress relief during pregnancy can be immensely helpful for both parent and your little one. Prenatal services here are safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ parents.
Payment & Refund Policy
Payments: A credit card must be held at booking to hold your appointment spot. The card is not charged until the time of service. All payments are due at the time of service.
Refunds: Refunds are determined on a case by case basis. Refunds are typically issued only in response to practitioner error. For example, if the practitioner is late to your session, you may receive a partial refund if the full service time cannot be performed. If the therapist needs to cancel a session that you've paid for, you will be refunded for services you did not receive. If we forgot to incorporate an enhancement, you will be refunded for that enhancement.
Liability Waiver:
You will be required to sign a liability waiver before all services to ensure informed consent (that you understand the risks as well as the benefits of the services).
The following liability waiver applies to all of our service types and must be signed by every client. Many clients begin with one service and expand to others. This allows for clients to book services freely with one signature.
Click here to view the All Services Liability Waiver & Copy of Policies.
A paper copy is available to read in-person in our office at all times.
If filling out forms verbally in office, you will be handed a paper copy to read over before completing a digital signature on one of our devices.
Your practitioner can read the waiver aloud if needed for accessibility purposes.
Patient Rights & Responsibilities:
As a client, you have many rights (such as privacy, informed consent, access to your records, and autonomy [the ability to commence or stop your session at any time]).
By committing to these services you also have responsibilities, such as communicating your medical history or any discomfort during your sessions so we can keep you safe, making on-time payments, and doing your part to help us maintain a safe environment for all.
Before your first visit, please see the in-depth list of your rights and responsibilities here.