"Client Intake? Are you kidding me? I just want a massage".
Yes, this happens...
Sometimes clients who are new to Essential Massage (or massage in general) are surprised when they are asked to provide their medical history, which we call the "Client Intake". Sometimes clients have received massage elsewhere and haven't been asked to provided their medical history at all.

At Essential Massage we believe that obtaining your medical history is a meaningful part of preparing for your first session and it is an integral part of the quality of care we provide. This is not only a belief we have, it is a New York State Law and it also shows that Essential Massage is following ethical and professional guidelines. It takes a little extra time and effort, but it's because we offer comprehensive health care that puts your wellbeing first. To simplify the process, Essential Massage has made the "Client Intake Form" available on essentialmassage.net so you can complete it online and the data is secure. Your personal medical information is kept confidential. Without exception, every client completes their own Client Intake Form before receiving their first Essential Massage.

In a world where communication has been abbreviated into text messages and soundbytes, we take an extra sentence or two because receiving massage therapy is not like getting your nails done (which can be really fun and important)... massage therapy deals with your entire self and can have profound impact physically, mentally and emotionally with scientifically proven benefits from increased self-healing to reduction in pain, anxiety and muscle tension. Excellent! Therefore, we receive your Client Intake Form with your Informed Consent and make sure it is medically safe for you to receive massage treatment before you receive your first Essential Massage. It's a respectfully good thing!

Here's why... When your Client Intake Form arrives, the Massage Therapist will see if there are any medical conditions that contraindicate Massage Therapy (either locally or systemically). Your medical history is a constellation uniquely yours and is assessed with that in mind. If a questionable medical condition does exist, in an effort to provide you quality care, your Physican's Authorization will be obtained. New York State Law requires that any client who does not allow this protocol should not be provided massage therapy by a New York Licensed Massage Therapist. Any Massage Therapist who would provide Massage Therapy treatment to a client with disregard to their medical history or while knowing a contraindicated medical condition exists, should be avoided at all costs. Providing massage therapy to clients with certain medical conditions can worsen their conditions and even be life threatening. Many clients are completely unaware of these important detail for two reasons: because sometimes people are in a rush to relax and because awareness in this field is still blossoming.

As a Licensed Massage Therapist, it is my responsibility to not only provide quality care, but to educate the public and to uplift our professional ethics so everyone can understand and benefit by this marvelous modality we call Massage Therapy.

Knowing that a medical condition exists which indicates massage therapy is also helpful because it signals the Massage Therapist to utilize specific medical massage techniques during your session. This preparedness has proven to be well worth the initial extra few minutes of effort and it will work for you too. You'll see.You'll spend a minute or two extra filling out the Intake, but you won't get a generic drive-thru massage...and you'll know that you're not being subjected to medical risk that could have been reasonably prevented.

For some people who are completely healthy, filling out a client intake seems like "overkill" However, it is streamlined and hassle-free for you because for most people a Physician's Authorization is not required. However for those of you who do have complicated medical histories with conditions of concern, it is a trust-builder... knowing that Essential Massage will provide you comprehensive assessment and treatment, so you can honestly relax and really enjoy your massage is a perk. You'll be comfortable, safe, secure and completely relaxed....and isn't that what you want from your massage experience?