Terms & Conditions
A legal disclaimer
1. Appointment Scheduling and Cancellations:
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Booking:
Specify how appointments are made (e.g., online, phone, in-person) and the information required from the client (e.g., name, contact details, preferred time).
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Cancellations:
Clearly state the cancellation policy, including the required notice period (e.g., 24-48 hours) and any associated fees for late cancellations or no-shows.
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Rescheduling:
Explain the process for rescheduling appointments, including any restrictions or fees.
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Late Arrivals:
Address what happens if a client arrives late for their appointment, such as reduced treatment time or cancellation with full charge.
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2. Payment and Pricing:
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Fees:
Detail the cost of each service, including session duration and any additional fees (e.g., for add-on services).
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Payment Methods:
Specify accepted payment methods (e.g., cash, credit card, online payment).
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Deposits:
If required, outline the deposit amount and when it's due.
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Refunds:
Explain the policy regarding refunds for cancelled appointments or other situations.
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3. Client Health Information and Disclosure:
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Medical History:
Require clients to disclose any relevant medical conditions, injuries, or medications that might affect the massage.
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Informed Consent:
Include a statement that clients understand the nature of massage therapy, its potential benefits and risks, and that it is not a substitute for medical treatment.
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Pregnancy and Contraindications:
Specify whether the therapist provides services for pregnant clients or those with certain medical conditions (e.g., post-surgery) and if not, why.
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Allergies:
Ask clients to disclose any allergies, particularly to massage oils or lotions.
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4. Scope of Practice and Liability:
Clearly state the therapist's qualifications (e.g., license, certifications) and their scope of practice.
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Limit the therapist's liability for injuries or adverse reactions resulting from the massage, while still acknowledging their responsibility to provide services within their scope of practice.
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Explain that clients are responsible for their own health and well-being during the session.
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State that client information will be kept confidential.
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5. General Conduct and Safety:
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Professionalism:
Emphasize the professional nature of the service and the therapist's commitment to ethical conduct.
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Client Behavior:
Outline expectations for client behavior during the session, such as respecting the therapist's boundaries and maintaining appropriate communication.
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Right to Refuse Service:
Clearly state that the therapist reserves the right to refuse or terminate service if a client is behaving inappropriately or if there are safety concerns.
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Modesty:
Explain how the therapist will maintain client modesty and ensure a comfortable and safe environment.
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Example Clauses:
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Cancellation Policy:
"Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice will be charged the full session fee."
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Medical Disclosure:
"Clients are required to disclose any relevant medical conditions, injuries, or medications before the start of the session."
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Liability:
"The therapist is not liable for any injuries or adverse reactions resulting from massage unless directly caused by the therapist's negligence."
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Professionalism:
"All clients are expected to maintain respectful and professional behavior during their session."
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Important Considerations:
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Legal Review: It is highly recommended to have your terms and conditions reviewed by a legal professional to ensure they comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
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Clarity and Transparency: Use clear and concise language that is easy for clients to understand.
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Accessibility: Make the terms and conditions readily available to clients, such as on your website, in your treatment room, or as part of your booking process
Terms & Conditions - the basics
Having said that, Terms and Conditions (“T&C”) are a set of legally binding terms defined by you, as the owner of this website. The T&C set forth the legal boundaries governing the activities of the website visitors, or your customers, while they visit or engage with this website. The T&C are meant to establish the legal relationship between the site visitors and you as the website owner.
T&C should be defined according to the specific needs and nature of each website. For example, a website offering products to customers in e-commerce transactions requires T&C that are different from the T&C of a website only providing information (like a blog, a landing page, and so on).
T&C provide you as the website owner the ability to protect yourself from potential legal exposure, but this may differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, so make sure to receive local legal advice if you are trying to protect yourself from legal exposure.
What to include in the T&C document
Generally speaking, T&C often address these types of issues: Who is allowed to use the website; the possible payment methods; a declaration that the website owner may change his or her offering in the future; the types of warranties the website owner gives his or her customers; a reference to issues of intellectual property or copyrights, where relevant; the website owner’s right to suspend or cancel a member’s account; and much, much more.
To learn more about this, check out our article “Creating a Terms and Conditions Policy”.