Sole Shine was created on a foundation of caring for your well-being and creating accountability for you. Just like you may need a gym buddy, you may need a relaxation-buddy. We’re that buddy for you! Our partnership was designed to keep you dedicated to feeling your best. We see that your body starts to remember what it’s like to be relaxed and less stressed, when you receive massages closer in proximity to one another. Creating structure and expectations for your relaxation allows you to easily plan and ultimately have one less thing to worry about.
Many places offer a 24 hour cancellation policy for appointments held. There are special situations that prevent a 24 or 48 hour notice and as long as we are aware and discuss in advance, we are accommodating. We are an understanding institution. We have increased this to 48 hours because we were finding an increase in people abusing the 24 hour policy.
We’re never going to charge someone who is sick. NEVER.
We ask you not to come in if you’re not feeling well. Illness or emergencies are treated differently.
There are a few reasons we’ve extended our cancelation policy to 48 hours. Here are some:
- Our therapists take time and energy to properly prepare both mentally and physically for each person who walks through the door.
- Our appointment times start at 60 minutes but preparation and recovery time is build into that appointment. You’re receiving massage for 60 minutes but it takes more time than that to make the Sole Shine magic happen. When you cancel a 60 minute appointment, that cuts into a lot of time of our day.
- Other clients are diligently planning time for their appointments. When you reserve a time, you prevent someone else from scheduling.
- This business is our livelihood. It’s how we pay for our food and keep our lights on at home. When appointments move around, it effects our ability to contribute to society in a big way.
- Physically, we are only capable of seeing a certain amount of clients per day and per week. We diligently plan for that amount to maximize how we plan for our own self-care. When someone cancels and we’re unable to fill that appointment quickly, we see a disruption in our balance that is already difficult to attain.
- We’re often unable to fill the appointment quickly because the majority of our clients know we’re highly sought after thus they plan for their appointment.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons we require a 48 hour notice of cancellation or movement of appointment.
It should also be noted that we’re understanding people. We’re always going to look into why you’re rescheduling or cancelling your appointment. If there’s a further way we can help you stick to your agreement to #LiveYourBest, we’re going attempt to do that.
The 3 Strike Rule
I’ve heard a few people confused by the 3 strike rule. Honestly, I don’t like the word strike but it’s a blanket communication that most people understand. We created this because we are dedicated to your own dedication. We are explicit in being your accountability partner. At some point, if a client continues to abuse our cancellation policy, we need another layer of conversation to have. Sure, you can continue to pay cancellation fees and some people are ok with that. But that’s not fulfilling on our mission as your accountability partner. I want to be very clear. I don’t intend to use this 3 strike rule very often.
Emergencies and sickness are not considered strike-worthy. We’re really not trying to be punitive. We’re simply trying to create clear structure and boundaries for everyone to follow. We will always return to our mission when creating new policies.
Sending someone in your place
If for some reason, you decide to send someone else in your place for your appointment, it’s important for us to know in advance that is happening. If they have never been in, we need to ensure they are a proper candidate for barefoot massage. If they have been in, we want to have all paperwork and proper planning prepared when they walk in the door. We state this request in all of our confirmation emails. Our therapists have plans in place for what they will execute during your session. Some sessions are more difficult and more complex. Others are more common. If you decide to send someone else in your place, that creates a completely different arrangement that cuts into the preparation and recovery time. This is not your standard, run of the mill massage therapy place.
Again, for the people in the back!
This is not your standard, massage therapy place!!
We’re paying attention to other places. We’re even going in to receive massage and experience what we like and don’t like about other massage businesses. This is how we know we’re different. Our owner, Sara, is well immersed in the massage community in St. Louis and has been for 10 years. We’re taking what we believe to be the best practices and making them mainstream. More and more businesses are doing what we’re doing because we are dedicated to creating quality work. We’ll never be in the same lane as other businesses like corporate chain places but that’s ok. There’s a place for every client and every therapist. We’re just paving our own path. If you get down with innovation, we’re the place for you! If you want a place to hold you and it’s staff to the highest integrity, we’re the place for you!
Our mission is to create a safe environment for the therapist and the client to thrive. In order to do that, we must create clear structure that’s easy to follow. We’ve listed our policies clearly. If you don’t agree with them or they don’t jive with your lifestyle, we’re happy to help you find another place that works best for you. Read more about our manifesto or how we support you in your self-care journey. More about our partnership.
Join the party, we’re growing and learning together, book an appointment now.
