A mask can help protect you from getting COVID-19.

How?

Not only is a mask blocking your droplets from going out, it’s blocking droplets from coming in.

This is big news—really big.

Until recently the COVID-19 jury was out as to whether the wearer of the mask was getting any airborne transmission protection, but now that’s changing.

This is an excerpt from a CNN report:

Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease specialist at University of California, San Francisco, has been working with a team of researchers to understand how more people could go through their infections with minimal or no symptoms. About 40% of people infected with the virus don’t have symptoms, according to an estimate last month by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Gandhi’s team found masks make a difference.

“What the mask does is really reduce the amount of virus that you get in, if you do get infected,” she said. “And by reducing that … you have a lower dose, you’re able to manage it, you’re able to have a calm response and you have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.”

How many masks can I strap around my ears before I can’t breathe, right?

Don’t laugh, I’ve tried. Three cotton layers and a face shield before I turn blue.

Massage Therapist Mask – The Best Ones

But I digress, this is exactly the news that can be a game-changer for us—in the massage room—regarding our safety and our sanity, knowing that if Dr. Ghandi is right, we can reduce potential viral load by wearing mask to the point that if we do get COVID-19 it will more than likely be a mild case.

Which is the best for preventing droplet transmission?

According to a Duke study, the N95.

The N95 is a “respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles.” (Source: FDA).

Also, effective for blocking droplet transmission are 3-ply surgical masks (“a loose-fitting, disposable device that creates a physical barrier between the mouth and nose of the wearer and potential contaminants in the immediate environment”, Source: FDA) and cotton masks.

Not effective and possibly worse than wearing no mask were thin, polyester neck gaiters. You can read more about that here.

Here are some suggestions to test see if your current mask is up to snuff: If you hold the mask up to the light and can see through it, get another mask. Or if you can easily blow threw it, turn the mask into a finger puppet.

My N95 Mask Procedure To Avoid COVID

Personally, in the massage room, I wear a N95 with a disposable medical mask on the outside of the N95. After each massage I change out the disposable medical mask, but keep the same N95 on through the course of the day.

And I don’t throw out the N95 after one use. Instead, I reuse it by rotating it back into my PPE gear after a three day air-out period.

So, that means I have three to four N95s I rotate out throughout the week, depending on how many days I’m working.

I air-out each N95 that I’m going to reuse in a paper bag instead of a plastic bag to cut down on moisture which could be a breeding ground for bacteria.

The N95 is going to be less effective keeping potential COVID out if you don’t have a good seal around your face. So, let’s get that seal right.

I asked one of my clients, Charley Herbick, trained in N95 fitting, to show us how to get a good seal with the N95.

You can see how he does it in the video below (and if you want to see new videos, please subscribe to the Make the Most of Massage YouTube channel):

Where to Find Massage Therapist Masks

N95

So, where can you get N95s?

My advice is do NOT buy them off Amazon.

Why?

Because there are counterfeits circulating on the Amazon website–and, personally, I don’t want to risk having a N95 that is faulty.

So, to find a N95 that is  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) certified as a N95 respirator (filters at least 95% of airborne particles) and/or is FDA cleared as surgical mask (liquid resistant) takes a little  research.

Start your research here: NIOSH – Approved N95 Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators.

In this list you’ll find approved manufacturers and their products.

After you choose a manufacturer/product, you’ll contact them to get in touch with one of their official distributors.

My N95 Search

My research turned up the FDA-approved Makrite 9500-N95 Pre-Formed Cone Particulate Cone Particulate Respirator Mask. It’s both NIOSH certified and FDA cleared as surgical mask (the surgical mask liquid-resistant-clearance is less important for us because we usually don’t slip in a little open heart surgery during our relaxation massage).

Once I found the approved manufacturer I wanted to go with, I googled them and then contacted them through their contact form.

From there, they put me in touch with an official distributor of their products.

Yes, this is more complicated than simply clicking on an Amazon link, but, again, that easy click yields a world of unnecessary risk in my book–and I don’t want that extra worry that comes with that risk with the 2nd wave coming.

By the way, the price I paid for N95s through an official distributor of an FDA-approved manufacturer was within the price range of the unofficial distributors on Amazon, which was about $4/mask. (Remember, that a box of 20 for $80-ish will last you a two to three months if you reuse them on a rotating basis.)

I’m going to tell you the N95 manufacturer I went with, but before I do that I want to let you know that I am NOT an affiliate marketer of their products and or receive any compenstation from them.

So, after searching for a NIOSH certified and FDA-approved N95 mask, I went with the  9500-N95 made by Makerite. The manufacturing company, Makerite, was very responsive.

They put me in touch with this distributor: SPH Medical Supplies.

Tony from SPH got back to me and was very informative and helpful. Ultimately, I purchased the Makerite 9500 N95 and the Sekura N95 also made by Makerite.

The 9500 N95 is both a surgical mask (resistant to fluids) and a respirator.

The Sekura N95 is not a surgical mask, but is a respirator. Again, respirator meets our working requirements–surgical mask is above and beyond.

I ordered the Sekura N95 because it’s supposed to be more comfortable than the 9500 N95.

I’ll let you know what I think about the two when I have a chance to use them.

One more thing to say about getting your N95s: If you hate dealing with the research and have a client or know someone in the medical field, contact that person. She/he may let you order PPE through her/his organization.

Onto surgical masks.

* Below are Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

3 Layer Surgical  and Cloth Masks

If you don’t have the budget for N95s, you still have options. Three-ply surgical masks and certain cloth masks did well in the Duke Study.

3-Layer Surgical Face Masks

Cloth Masks

Here are plain, old standard 2-ply cotton masks:

This is the top 6 on the Duke Study list if you wanted to do a search for each type:

1. Fitted N95, no valve
2. 3-layer surgical mask
3. Cotton-polypropylene-cotton mask
4. 2-layer polypropylene apron mask
5. 2-layer cotton, pleated style mask
6. 2-layer cotton, pleated style mask

Lastly, I can’t talk about masks and not talk about my favorite TV doctor, Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

All through this pandemic he has said to stop the spread of the virus, act as if you have the virus and don’t want to transmit it.

I have something to add to that: With this new information about masks protecting the wearer, we (massage therapists) should also act as if our clients have the virus and we don’t want to get it.

We have an important tool to help protect us from a client who is unknowingly COVID-19 positive.

It’s a mask.

Wear it during the massage.

Wear it when you’re disinfecting the room after the massage.

And take it off like a surgeon so that you don’t contaminate yourself with any potential virus on the mask by using the straps to remove the mask without touching the mask itself. By the way, wearing a disposable mask over the N95 should protect the N95 from getting contaminated with the virus.

Now that you’re masked up, it’s time to talk about face shields: Wear a Face Shield.

If you want to continue to stay safe as possible while making money doing massage, sign up below and I’ll let you know when my next post is out.

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Do you need a face shield when doing massage during COVID-19?

To be as safe as possible, yes.

Wait, we already covered the mouth and nose to reduce the possible transmission of COVID-19 through droplets via coughing or sneezing. Why the eyes now?

From an article in Managed Healthcare Executive:

“The eyes are an important part of the body to protect because, like the nose and mouth, they are mucous membranes where germs can infect the body,” Ruchman says. “The virus spreads when infected droplets from a sick person’s mouth or nose come in contact with another person’s face, often when they cough, sneeze or talk. Although it’s more likely to be infected by inhaling these droplets through your mouth or nose, they can also enter through your eyes, especially if you touch something that has viral particles on it and then rub your eyes.”

Still not ready to look like a chem lab tech or a HAZMAT 1^st responder?

According to an NPR article, Dr. Joseph Fair, virologist and epidemiologist, believes that he caught coronavirus through the eyes. On a crowded flight he wore a mask and gloves, but no eye protection. Two weeks later he had COVID-19.

The CDC also acknowledges that transmission could happen through the eyes.

Dr. Abraar Karan at Harvard Medical School says, “it’s hard to quantify exactly what the risk is in terms [of] through the eye specifically.” (NPR article.)

And even though Karan and other experts feel that eye transmission is less likely than nose or mouth, Karan goes on to say in the article that “…in health care settings, eye coverings are immensely important. ‘We definitely don’t go into [coronavirus patients’] rooms without eye coverings.’ He says other jobs that require people to work face-to-face, like a barber, might also choose to wear a full-face clear plastic shield.”

More Reasons To Wear a Face Shield

And let’s add this to our particular mix: In order to do our job, we break almost every COVID-19 no-no.

We are in a enclosed area with a person for a protracted period of time where we can’t social distance.

In fact, even though the client is wearing a mask (if you client is not wearing a mask, go here now), we are often within feet of the client’s nose or mouth.

Guess what? I’m wearing a face shield.

Massage Therapist Face Shield Challenges

If you choose to wear a face shield, I’m not going to lie, it comes with some challenges.

1. Mask + face shield can equal hot IF your room is not cool enough.

If you have limited or no control over the temperature in your room, strategically adjust how far the shield comes down.

Normal wear means your face shield bottom should be in line with your chin or lower.

If you’re getting hot behind your face shield you can flip up the face shield a little to allow for more air exchange.

If I need more air exchange I do this when I’m working away from the client’s head, like on her legs or feet. Then when I go back to the upper-body, I pull the shield down all the way.

Talking will also heat up the face shield. With high-talk clients I keep the room a touch cooler and that does the trick.

If you can’t control your climate and your room is warm and you have a high-talk client, try goggles instead of a shield. (I’m still looking for the goggles that will work best on the bridge of my nose when I’m wearing a N95.)

I want to take a moment now and talk about air flow. Specifically, I want to focus on air conditioning and air flow. Remember the Chinese study with the restaurant patrons? It concluded that the AC air-current spread COVID-19 from the infected patron to other patrons.

In our office, we have wall-unit, blower ACs. So, the way our tables are laid out, the AC air-flow goes from the client’s feet to his face.

If I’m doing neck and head work on the client and the AC is on, then I’m in the direct flow of the AC, and the client’s exhalation is coming my way.

I don’t want that. So, if it’s getting too warm in the room, I turn on the AC when I’m working on the client’s legs and turn it off when I’m around the client’s face.

Am I being overly paranoid?

Probably.

In the restaurant case study the patrons weren’t wearing masks. On my table, clients are—and that should reduce droplet airborne activity.

In a restaurant, patrons are projecting their voices and talking loud to be heard over the competing conversations—so that means droplets with more velocity than during a normal conversation.

On my table, most of my clients are quiet.

There’s another big difference between my massage room and a restaurant room. I can facilitate better air exchange in my room.

We know that being outside is better than being inside for reducing the transmission of COVID-19. So, I want my “inside” to be like “outside” as much as I can. In other words, I want lots of non-room air in my room to dissipate any droplet or aerosolized COVID-19.

How do I do this?

I now have all windows in the massage room open.

I also work with the massage door open (it opens into our waiting room which we don’t use anymore). Our office door, which leads to a hallway, is open, too. Since I schedule clients with plenty of in-between time, I know that no one is going to walk in on a client.

Lastly, we have a HEPA air filtering unit in each massage room.

It’s not “outside”,  but it’s closer to being outside than if I were to do nothing to promote air exchange.

On to challenge #2 with wearing a face shield.

2. Mask and face shield look more like intubation than relaxation.

Yes, you can turn off a massage client by looking like you’re geared up for brain surgery.

This one is an easy fix.

Put your massage mask and shield on while the client’s getting on the table.

When I first see the client I have a happy cotton mask on.

As she’s getting on the table, I switch out to a N95 with a surgical mask over-top that. I put my face shield on, but keep it up because I will need to talk to the client for the first minute or two of the massage, especially if it’s a new client.

When the mask is all the way down, it can sound like you’re talking into a can. When the shield is down and you’re talking, you just need to project your voice or lift the shield up slightly.

After the massage is over and I’m getting ready to leave the room, I flip the face shield up to let the client know that the massage is over.

The last challenge with a face shield has to do with scaring the client again.

3. Face shield hair.

I’m just going to say look in the mirror after you take your face shield off.

I haven’t scared off a client with face-shield-hair yet, but I’ve gotten some looks.

Pretty easy stuff to handle, right?

And face shields are inexpensive.

Mine is cheap and easy to clean. Experts recommend soapy warm water so that you don’t destroy the anti-fogging coating if it has one. I use disinfectant wipes because my shield is cheap and it’s more convenient for me to clean that way.

At this point, you may be ready to ditch your mask in lieu of a   shield. But that is not what the experts want you to do.

They are saying add the shield as a supplement to the mask.

Why?

There is not enough research to determine if shields alone are as effective as masks for protecting against COVID-19 transmission.

Wear A Massage Therapist Face Shield

To me, wearing a face shield along with a mask is a no-brainer.

Protect all entry points: mouth, nose and eyes.

Face-shield hair is fixable.

Heating up behind a face shield can be eliminated.

And you don’t have to scare the client if you wait to put your face shield on after the client gets on the table.

Remember that when using a face shield to make sure the bottom of the face shield is at your chin line or below.

Also, the face shield should wrap around to almost touching your ears.

And there should be no space between your forehead and the shield.

That’s it—mouth, nose and ear protected. You’re doing everything you can to protect yourself and your client.

For more about staying safe as possible (and making money)  doing massage during COVID-19 and beyond, sign up for my email group. I’ll send you my weekly articles. It’s free:-)

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Can you find recession-proof massage clients during a pandemic?

Yes, and I’m going to show you how to in a minute, but first I want to talk explain what a recession-proof client looks like.

I used to think that recession-proof clients were scarce because they were only the super-wealthy, like Warren Buffet. But I was wrong.

Recession-proof clients are simply people who will still have disposable income during a recession; specifically, now, I’m talking about the Covid-19 recession to come.

So, what’s the difference between your plain old recession and a Covid-19 recession?

Recession-Proof Versus Covid-19- Recession-Proof

Well, not all recessions/depressions affect industries in the same way. Sure, there are a group of typical industries that in general may tend to do well during any recession/depression, like food and sanitation.

But then there are some that will be up or down depending on what’s causing the economic crisis.

So, for us now, we want to know which industries are stable or are up during this specific crisis of Covid-19 so that we can find the people who have secure jobs.

And who would that be right now?

One industry that’s doing just fine is Pharma, especially the companies directly or indirectly involved with a Covid-19 vaccine or therapeutic treatments for Covid-19.

But before you start spamming Merck or J&J employees to find the Covid-19-recession-proof clients I have a more practical way of ferreting them out.

Ready?

Tyshea, a new client, walks in your door.

You tell her your price.

She says okay.

You work on her.

She likes your work.

Her credit card is accepted.

She asks if she can schedule the next week.

You say yes and schedule.

She comes in next week, likes your massage, pays and reschedules.

Do you want to punch me now or later?

But here’s the thing, I’m not being facetious. This is a true way to see if a person can afford and/or is willing to pay for your massage during a pandemic.

You don’t need to pull up Tyshea’s intake to see if she works in Pharma or sneak out to the parking lot to see if she’s drives away in a Mercedes or a Tesla.

She already proved that she qualifies as recession-proof by paying for your massage twice and by setting up a third appointment.

I’ll admit that proof is the easy part of getting Covid-19-recession-proof clients.

The more challenging work is actually getting one of them to walk through your door during the middle of a pandemic.

How to Find Recession-Proof Massage Clients

So here’s what you’re going to do: You’re going to run a Google ad.

Get a pencil out, I’ve got the copy. Ready?  

Wanted people who can afford massage as the economy goes into the sh**ter?

Okay, this time I was joking. Skip the Google ad and get your marketing message out there through free advertising.

Here are some free marketing platforms: Your website, Facebook page, Google My Business page and Yelp page.

What you say, how you present yourself (and your massage) on these platforms is what pulls the client in. By the way, safety sells massage for me now (and by emphasizing that in my messaging it raises my safety bar, which is only a good thing).

The potential client will see your price on these platforms and that will act to some extent as a self-selecting process. People who can’t afford your massage will move on.

I need to mention one thing here about free marketing, you need to respond quickly if someone contacts you. The person who found your website is not going to wait around for you to get back to her, whereas a referral will.

Speaking of referrals, referral sources are another great way to find Covid-19-recession-proof clients.

Referral Sources Sending Recession-Proof Massage Clients

Here’s how it works for me. A running store is one of my referral sources and will continue to be during this pandemic.

How do I know that?

Running does require some money. You need good shoes, as you increase your mileage you may need some coaching, travelling to run marathons is not cheap, and conditions and injuries can come with added out-of-the-pocket expenses. Of course that doesn’t mean that all runners will have disposable income during a pandemic.

However, an avid runner is like an AFOL (Adult Fan Of Lego), and they will spend money on the thing they love—even during an economic downturn.

Another ongoing referral source for me during this pandemic is a local personal training business. If their clients can still afford personal training, their clients can still afford me. I don’t need another litmus test.

Here’s a referral source that still produces for me and should continue to produce for me even if the economic situation gets dire: physical therapists.

Now, I know this seems wrong. PTs see people who are paying through insurance. However, the PTs and PTAs who send me referrals understand that massage is an out-of-pocket expense, and they take that into consideration when they recommend massage to their patients. In essence, they screen out the ones who can’t afford me.

Okay, that’s some of what I have going on with current referral sources. How about new referral sources on my radar?

Here’s one. I’m looking in the boutique wellness realm for a concierge doctor, a wholistic doctor, a wellness coach, or a chiropractor whose price point is higher than most in the area.

How will I find this referral source?

Easy, a recession-proof client will tell me.

Leslie, a new client, came back to see me. She had passed the recession-proof test by scheduling multiple weeks in a row.

As we were talking about her massage treatment she mentioned how she was going to get platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) for her knee.

Hmm… that might be a doctor that I’d want to introduce myself to for coordinating care and as a potential referral source.

Leslie was also starting up with a naturopath for nutritional challenges she was having. I’m thinking the naturopath is covered by insurance, like me, and that within her practice are Covid-19-recession-proof clients. I will reach out to her in the near future, too.

If you don’t have an intro via a client, do the cold-call email.

It’s a number’s game. Here’s the generic email that I sent out to build referral sources in our Phoenixville office.

Hi Lou,

My name is Mark Liskey. My wife and I own PressurePerfect(TM) Massage (www.pressureperfectmassage.com) in Phoenixville. A good chunk of our work is with athletes and people trying to get in shape who have all sorts of preexisting conditions. 

Recently, we’ve done free demo massages at Stellar Chiropractic (Dr. Bernard Stern) in Phoenixville. It’s working out really well. Dr. Stern’s patients get a nice perk after their adjustments and we get the opportunity to demonstrate our massage.

I was wondering if you’d be interested in talking about setting up free demo massages for your clients? We could do it right there on the premises like we do at Stellar Chiropractic. Also, I would like to offer you and your trainers a free 30 min massage. 

Lastly, I would love to know more about your personal training business and how we might be able to help you. Thanks for your time, Lou.

All the best,

Mark Liskey, BS, LMT, CNMT

www.pressureperfectmassage.com

www.themassageinstitute.net

Now Is The Time

Am I sounding very business-y?

There’s a good reason.

We don’t know what the economy is going to be like in a month, 6 months or a year. We need to be business-y.

Don’t wait for things to get better.

There are Covid-19-recession-proof clients out there. Make them your clients.

Some are wealthy. Most are not wealthy, but will have disposable income during and after this pandemic because they have jobs that are untouched or their industries are benefitting from the pandemic.  

Find them directly through your free marketing platforms (website, Facebook, GMB page, Yelp page), and find them indirectly through referral sources.

Clients can lead you to good referral sources like a wellness center or a concierge doctor.

Don’t be above cold calling or emailing potential referral sources with a special so that you can build a relationship with them.  

You can do this.

In fact, you’re doing it.

Just dig a little deeper and land those Covid-19-recession-proof clients.

By the way, if you like what you’re reading you can get my latest weekly post by signing up for my email group. It’s free:’)

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