Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1384577
78 m a s s a g e & b o d y wo r k j u l y/a u g u s t 2 0 2 1 say you need to step out to blow your nose and wash your hands. Whatever you need to do, get out of the room and take the appropriate action (run, get help, call the police, whatever you deem appropriate and necessary to that specific situation). As soon as you identify a dangerous or inappropriate situation unfolding, immediately remove yourself from the source of the danger. 8 BE NEIGHBORLY If you ever need help, having relationships with your neighbors will make any interaction smoother. Make sure the businesses and/ or homeowners near your office know you. Introduce yourself, exchange phone numbers, greet them when you arrive to work, and say goodbye when you leave. That way, if there is an emergency and you have to run out of your office, you will have somewhere to run to. Be active in your local massage community. Know the other therapists work in the surrounding area. That way, you can form a local network of therapists who can warn the others if someone in your area is soliciting and/ or dangerous. Also, you will have the additional benefit of knowing other massage therapists to bounce ideas off, practice new techniques on, or to go to continuing education classes with. Respect Massage Policy Massage therapists who are members of Respect Massage hold themselves to the highest standards of an ethical, boundary-driven practice. Respect Massage members have a zero- tolerance policy for solicitations of any kind. Jokes, innuendo, and inappropriate requests are taken seriously and will result in the swift termination of the session. When choosing a practice displaying the Respect Massage logo, you can have confidence in the safety and professionalism you will experience as a client. and could quickly call for help without having to leave your client's side. 6 HAVE AN ESCAPE ROUTE Make sure you have a clear path out of your office that you plan before you have an emergency situation. Do not pile laundry or have décor in the way of you getting out of the building safely if you have to run away. Consider all doors and windows fair game. 7 KNOW WHAT TO SAY Prepare excuses to end a massage ahead of time. A concern I hear from massage therapists who are faced with a client who is being inappropriate is they do not know how to end it. Or they are afraid if they call a client out on inappropriate behavior, the client will get mad and possibly become violent. If your intuition is telling you you're in danger, trust it. Do not suffer through uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situations for longer than you have to just because you do not know how to end the session early. Get out as soon as you realize there is a problem. Have excuses prepared beforehand. This allows you to easily access them in a stressful situation. You might say you are not feeling well and leave the room. You could sniffle and