Scheduling
- My schedule varies week to week, but I currently generally offer sessions on Monday, Friday & Saturday days, Sunday afternoons, and some evenings, and occasionally have other flexibility.
- I aim to schedule sessions 1 – 4 weeks ahead of time, via email or text.
- Repeating sessions can be scheduled further ahead for regular clients or if you pre-pay for a series.
- Last minute / emergency relief sessions, when available, are at 2x regular rate.
- For first time clients, please allow an extra 10 mins for preliminary intake paperwork & conversation.
- I like to schedule a quick ~5 minute introductory call with new clients before a first session working together. When reaching out, please let me know a few times when I might be able to catch you for that.
Cancellations & late arrivals
- 50% of fee is due for cancellations w/ less than 48hrs notice and 100% is due for cancellations with less than 24hrs notice.
- If you arrive late, that time will be deducted from our session; the full fee for the scheduled time will still be due. Please be on time.
- If you are late enough to miss more than half of the session, that counts as a cancellation and the full session fee is due. Take a breath and relax wherever you are – there’s no sense in stressing to scramble to get less than half of a massage.
- Cancellations fees are waived for any pandemic-related concerns. If you have had a sudden covid-exposure risk, I expect you to reschedule our session. Similarly, if I have any sudden new exposure risk, I will inform you and reschedule our session.
Locations in West Philly:
- The Cedar Works – 4919 Pentridge St
- ADA-accessible, ground floor location
- Indoor unventilated space w/ a HEPA air filter
- Outdoor / quasi-outdoor sessions sometimes available in warmer months.
- Home studio – 45th & Osage
- Bright space w/ windows and plants
- Up one flight of stairs (plus a few stairs up to porch)
- HEPA air filter, potential for open windows
- Outdoor / public park
- By special appointment for outdoor Thai massage, or in conjunction with an outdoor community event chair session.
- Your home
- I am currently only doing house calls for clients who are bedridden / hospice patients, are extremely pregnant, or have other significant health situations that make coming to my studio space impractical.
- Other wellness spaces (may be available with advance planning at additional cost.)
- Studio 34 Yoga – 4522 Baltimore Ave
- EveryBody Movement Wellness – 4305 Locust St
Payment policy
- Payment is due at time of service
- I prefer cash, check or Venmo (@jjtiziou)
- In a pinch, I can accept credit cards via Stripe or PayPal
Gratuities
- Gratuities are never required but always accepted and appreciated. Every extra bit helps me provide care to folks in need who cannot afford my regular rates. Revenue from this practice also helps support my artistic & community practices.
Documentation / Confidentiality
- Client intake forms & notes are kept private, and will only be shared with your permission unless subpoenaed by a court.
- Information shared during our conversations will be kept private and confidential with the following notable exception:
- Licensed Massage Therapists are Mandatory Reporters – this means that I am required by law to report any knowledge or suspicion of child abuse.
Hygiene and sanitation / infection control
- Please be clean, having recently bathed before coming in.
- Please do not come in if you are experiencing any symptoms of infectious disease (cough, fever, etc) or if you have recently been in contact with anyone experiencing such symptoms
- Long before the covid-19, massage therapists had prioritized sanitation and infection control. Please see my covid-19 specific policies for my additional requirements of you and commitments to you to help minimize risk during the pandemic.
Allergies
- I do my best to use hypo-allergenic products.
(my default massage oils are coconut or grapeseed oil, and I use unscented laundry detergents.) - I sometimes use a few drops of essential oils in a diffuser to create a pleasant aroma.
- Please notify me of any allergies, skin or respiratory sensitivities, etc.
Draping procedures
- Any unclothed parts of the client’s body are to be covered at all times unless being specifically worked on by the therapist with client’s consent.
- Chest/breast & groin regions are to remain draped at all time.
- If any draping is ever arranged so that the client does not feel appropriately covered & safe, they should immediately request an adjustment / redraping.
Required communication:
- It is your responsibility to notify me of any changes to your condition since our last session (injuries, diagnoses, changes in medications, new allergies, etc.)
- To help avoid injury, it is your responsibility to provide feedback about your comfort level during the session, particularly with regards to levels of pressure or amount of traction applied.
- It is my responsibility to check in with you about techniques used, areas of the body worked on, general comfort etc.
Right of refusal
- Every moment of a massage therapy session requires continuous consent of both client and therapist.
- Either client or therapist have the right to refuse / terminate a session at any time for any reason.
- Once a session is terminated, the therapist will step out and the client will promptly get dressed and leave the premises.
Sexual impropriety
- Massage therapy can be an intimate practice, but not a sexual one.
- Any inappropriate behavior, by either therapist or client, is grounds for immediate termination of the session.
- Any such inappropriate behavior is grounds for a massage therapist losing their license. If you encounter any such behavior from any massage therapist in Pennsylvania, please notify the Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy.
- If I encounter any such behavior from a client, I will immediately cease working with them, and may take other actions as needed to keep myself and my colleagues safe.
Adverse effects / Limit of liability
- The practice of massage therapy involves contact with and manipulation of the body and all of the innate risks inherent therein.
- My first goal in all of our sessions is to do no harm.
- Massage may sometimes result in adverse effects (nausea, dizziness, etc.)
- By consenting to a massage session you agree to hold me harmless and not liable for any accidental injury or adverse effects that you might experience during the course of the session including transmission of covid-19 or any other disease and you agree not to sue me for any reason.
Background
Services
Guidelines & FAQ
Policies
Rates
Covid-19
Reviews
Scheduling:
If you’d like to work together after having reviewed rates, policies & FAQ, get in touch via email: jj@jjtiziou.net or text message to 267-251-5464. When reaching out, please let me know a few times when I might be able to catch you for a quick ~5 minute introductory call before a first session working together.