I would like to start this blog by saying that we all have situations that arise unplanned, we are all human.

When your massage therapist gets ready for your appointment, it’s not just being there before you. It’s washing, drying, folding & arranging laundry. It’s trimming & filing our nails. It’s making sure the temperature, music and  lighting in the room are right.

Now it’s time for your arrival!  When you are late for massage appointment, yes, your stressed!  What most people may not realize is… SO ARE WE! Yes. A million things run through our heads. Did I schedule this wrong? Did they not get the reminder? Is my clock off? Lastly, but most important, is my client okay? Our minds begin to race!

So many things come up but all it takes is a simple text or phone call to let us know! After all, we are here because we care, and you paid us to!!!

In the event that you are late, please be aware, this effects our whole day! More times than not, we have another appointment after you.  This may be the number one stressor for us as therapists.  We may not have time to go over the specified end time just because you are running behind. Yes, we may have another appointment afterwards, but we also may have something personal to do. We may have a child to pickup, a personal appointment of our own, a lunch/dinner to eat, or maybe it’s our only bit of down time for the day.

So now your appointment is cut short because you got stuck in traffic! Unless your therapist was the one who was tardy, please do not expect or ask for a discount.  We held up our end of the deal and patiently awaited your arrival.  Many don’t realize, we don’t get paid if you are unpunctual or don’t show.  Our time is valuable, and our rates are set for a reason.  Last time I checked, my doctor doesn’t lessen our bills when we are late to see him/her, so why would your massage therapist? They simply lessened the amount of time they spend with us at our visit.

• If you have an appointment that day, make sure you give yourself enough time to get there.  It’s not good for you or your therapist to run in at the last second or even worse. If there is bad weather, check the traffic map on your phone to see if there are tie-ups.
• If your already late, TEXT OR CALL US! At that point we can stop worrying about if you have been in an accident! In the meantime we may be able to get other light duties finished. If we know ahead of time we may be able to make arrangements for the appointments after you. If we don’t know… we don’t know!
• Don’t expect us to go over in time because of this mishap. If your therapist has time to give, more times than not we will give it.
• Asking for a discount may rub your therapist the wrong way. Ask yourself, “Was she late or was I?”.  Chronic lateness could result in being blacklisted! Sound harsh? This is un-necessary stress for us.  If you lack  punctuality, we may lack patience! There may be people who would love your time slot. If it happens too often, you could get a break-up letter 😉
• You’re therapist may see this chronic problem as a sign of disrespect and take it personally.

 

In Health & Hilarity

-Marcy Kozsey