POLICIES

To help you enjoy your visit with Ariana Vincent, we've put together this list of policies and explanations which describe how we foster a comfortable and relaxed therapeutic environment. Here, you will find descriptions of traditional practice, conventions, and considerations which are intended to enhance your experience.

Reservations
Advanced booking prior to your arrival is recommended to secure your preferred date and time of treatment. A credit card number is required at the time of booking.

Standard Treatment Hours
Seven days a week from 9 am to 9 pm.

Cancellation Policy
I ask that you give 24-hours notice if you need to cancel your appointment.  If this is not possible due to an emergency, please contact my office as soon as you know that you cannot make your appointment. A missed appointment without 24 hours notice will result in your being charged for your appointment fee. 

Session Check-In
For new clients, it is appropriate to check-in 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the scheduled session start. For repeat clients, 5 minutes is usually adequate to insure a full treatment time. For repeat clients, 10 minutes is usually adequate to insure a full treatment time. During this time, you can expect to be sharing information necessary for us to make sure we provide a complete and effective session, as well as relaxing and settling into a frame of mind appropriate for the treatment.

Health Considerations
It is important that you inform your therapist if you are pregnant, have serious heart ailments, diabetes, high blood pressure, skin disorders, or any other medical conditions. If you have any of the conditions listed above, we recommend you consult your physician before scheduling any massage treatments.
Please insure there is enough time to discuss all health considerations with your therapist prior to the beginning of the appointment. This allows us to provide you with a full session, tailored to your specific needs.

We highly discourage alcohol consumption prior to or immediately following massage and spa treatments. Please avoid immediate sun exposure prior to spa treatments, skin care therapy, and hot and cold stone therapy.

The Tailored Experience
The process of sharing your reasons for getting a massage with the therapist is important to allow us to devise a tailored session strategy which will help you reach your health care goals, meet your expectations, and maximize the potential of the massage therapy session.

Some of the reasons why people receive a massage include:
• Relaxes the whole body and reduces mental stress
• Relieves specific pain due to injury or trauma
• Diminishes chronic pain
• Assists in facilitating the healing process after injury, surgery, childbirth, and psychological trauma
• Assists in the prevention of adhesions, fibrosis, contracture
• Increases circulation of the blood and lymphatic system
• Complements other healing modalities (acupuncture, chiropractic, counseling)
• Relieves the "Touch Deficit" and other emotional issues

We encourage you to ask any questions you might have before the session commences so we can allow you to be completely aware of your choices before we begin.

Exclusions
The treatments offered by Ariana Vincent specifically exclude diagnosis, prescription, manipulation or adjustments of the human skeletal structure, or any other therapy, service or procedure which requires a license to practice physical therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, psychotherapy, or any other profession or branch of medicine.

Hair & Makeup
Face, scalp and neck massage will probably disturb the appearance of your hair and makeup. If this is a concern, please advise us before we begin. We can simply choose to avoid this area or, modify our selection in techniques to prevent a disheveled appearance after the session.

Conversation
Many people prefer silence during their sessions to enhance the deep sense of relaxation that is such a compelling aspect of a massage. People frequently go to sleep on the table.

If you are inclined however, please feel free to talk at any time throughout your session. Indeed, we always encourage feedback during the session so that we can best achieve a comfortable and effective treatment.

Pain
Simply put, the purpose of massage is not to induce pain, rather to relieve it. In cases where there may be muscle and tissue damage or where there is persistent soreness, there may be some discomfort as the area is manipulated during the session. In those instances, it is important to work closely with the therapist so that we can derive the most benefit from the session without approaching a client's pain threshold.
On occasions where there is the delayed soreness following a session, we recommend a warm bath or shower and, as always, drinking plenty of water to help the body in processing waste products.

Healing Crisis
Occasionally, on the day following a massage, a client may experience mild aches or flu-like symptoms. This condition is seldom severe and usually passes quite rapidly. We always recommend drinking plenty of water after your session to reduce the possibility of this occurring. If you experience these symptoms and they persist for more than one day, please advise your therapist.

Emotions
Very frequently people discover that massage therapy brings emotions to the surface. We strive to achieve total relaxation during each session. A normal, natural part of this process is to let loose of the constraints on emotions and feelings and begin to experience them at their fullest. Pent-up emotions ranging from peace and joy to sadness and anger are often experienced in degrees of intensity that can be surprising and disorienting. We understand that feeling and releasing these emotions is a significant facet of the benefits of massage therapy. Again, we encourage you to discuss concerns you might have about this with your therapist.

Modesty
In all cases, your modesty will be respected. All of our licensed therapists utilize proper draping techniques. During the bodywork session, you are required to be draped with a soft sheet or towel at all times. As each respective section of the body is massaged, it is uncovered and then recovered as the session progresses. The genitals will remain covered at all times during the session and, while most people prefer to remove all clothing, you can elect to wear underpants as you deem fit. We strive to tailor each massage session to meet your specific needs. If you prefer to remain fully clothed, alternate modalities, such as Reiki or CranioSacral Therapy, can be utilized in place of the traditional Swedish-based session.

Sexuality
Therapeutic massage is not designed to be a sexual experience. It is not intended to stimulate or indulge sexual desires for either the client or the therapist. If you have appropriate concerns or questions about your experience and feelings, please address this with your therapist. Inappropriate sexual remarks, requests, or actions will result in immediate termination of the session.

Session Length
A session will normally last from one to two hours. Shorter or longer sessions may be requested to meet your needs. An optimal level of relaxation can be maintained with a session received once a week, twice a month or once a month. Many people find it most advantageous to arrange a regularly scheduled, periodic appointment time.

Cash, Checks and Credit Card Payments Accepted
To charge massage therapy services, massage class tuition, and massage gift certificates click on the "Buy Now" button and fill in the item and dollar amount.  To pay by check or to pay in cash, contact Ariana at ariana@arianavincent.com or at 512.921.9319.