I love winter! Wrapping up to walk in the chill air, cooking soup with barley, miso and ginger, brewing chai and mulled wine, knitting warm woolly hats and jumpers.

Luckily for my massage clients, I upgraded the comfort level in the massage room last year with a beautiful table warmer, so you stay toasty on the table. This can make it a bit hard to get up at the end of the session, but it’s worth it!

This winter is also including some study for your therapist. To extend our professional skills and knowledge, we do continuing education every year. This year I am studying Oncology Massage, skilled and compassionate massage to help people manage their experience with cancer. Massage can offer comfort and relaxation while receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy, following surgery, during recovery. Nausea, insomnia, fatigue, pain, depression and anxiety may all benefit from lighter, slow and steady massage. Studies will be completed in spring.

Given the continued presence of Covid in the community along with the usual winter colds and influenza, I am still sending prescreening health forms before appointments and keeping up masking in the massage room, for therapist and clients. I always wear an N95 and recommend you do too. All the strict hygiene measures of the last few years are still in place (including medical grade air filter, hand sanitiser, linen and equipment disinfection procedures).

Stay well, stay warm, and see you soon in the massage room.

Many people find the end of year holidays and celebrations a stressful time. This year perhaps more than ever. It’s good to remember that massage is not only for physical aches and pains. 

Anxiety reduction is a well established effect of massage, though the exact mechanisms are not fully understood. It may be because massage elicits a response in the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest and digest functions, as opposed to the flight or flight response of the sympathetic nervous system. We may experience this as feeling calm and relaxed. 

If you are worried about how you will manage in the coming weeks, please consider massage as part of a sensible self care plan.

#remedialmassage #selfcare #stressmanagement #melbournemassage

Trumpets and fanfares! The doors are open for massage in a brand new practice!

Many things changed during lockdown, and Northcote Massage is now to be found a bit further north than that well known room at the pool. It may be over the border into Thornbury, but Welcome to Thornbury is in Northcote, so I figured it was ok. 

New location, but same care and attention to detail in offering remedial, relaxation, pregnancy and sports massage to all in Northcote, Thornbury and surrounding suburbs

Appointments are available on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Wednesday afternoon/evening at present. For those working from home, perhaps you could fit in a morning or lunchtime massage!

All workplaces must have a COVIDSafe plan in place in order to reopen. As it is fundamentally impossible to physically distance during massage, there are strict protocols to protect both client and therapist. 

Your part involves attending to pre-appointment screening processes, never attending if you are unwell or have possible exposure to COVID-19, wearing a clean surgical grade disposable mask for your entire appointment (available from pharmacies or can be supplied if you cannot access one), hand hygiene, and attending alone unless you need a support person or carer. 

Your therapist’s part includes attending to pre-session screening processes, never working if unwell or have possible exposure to COVID-19, screening all clients before appointments, spacing out appointments to keep down numbers in the rooms and allow time for disinfecting and airing procedures, disinfecting all items used during treatment (table, oil bottle, bolster, pillow), strict laundry hygiene for linens, minimum of items in therapy room, appropriate use of PPE (surgical grade mask for every treatment and other PPE as indicated), hand hygiene, ensuring regular cleaning and disinfecting of premises (door handles, lightswitches, eftpos, bathroom etc)

These are subject to change and under review frequently according to information supplied by  

https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus

https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-covid-19-information-your-industry

https://www.massagemyotherapy.com.au/Home/Resource-Centre

https://www.health.gov.au/

https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/business-and-work

Anyone requiring more detail please feel free to contact Northcote Massage.

Please remember that even with all the protocols carefully adhered to, COVID-19 is highly contagious, can be passed on by those with no symptoms, and can remain on surfaces and in the air for unknown time. Consequences of COVID-19 can be more significant for some, notably people 70 years of age and older, those 65 years and older with chronic medical conditions, people with weakened immune systems and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 50 years and older with a chronic medical condition. If you are at higher risk, please consider carefully your need for massage at this time, and call us to discuss.

With all that out of the way, I hope to see you on the table soon. After the year we’ve had so far, nothing could be as good as a massage!

Peta