HWC Policies & Procedures Updated October 2023
CANCELLATION POLICY: HWC will now require a credit card to secure an appointment. You will not be charged anything until the completion of your service. (unless you don’t show up or call) Like everyone who is in the service industry, we have been affected by the massive uptick in no-shows and last minute cancelations. We have always required 24 hours notice to cancel or change an appointment. Our Practitioners are hard working professionals who rely on this income. Last minute openings are not always able to be filled. If you neglect to cancel, you will be charged for the service. If you “noshow”, you will be asked to prepay for any future service.
PUNCTUALITY Please call us if you think you are going to be late. If you are going to be more than 15 minutes late we cannot guarantee your service. Often our Practitioners have appointments back to back, with just a little time to clean and change out their room. While there is usually a little bit of wiggle room – it is limited. Please plan on arriving a few minutes early, and that should help with unexpected conditions (like traffic). If you are late, we will do our very best to accommodate you. You are still responsible for the full service charge even if you are late.
GRATUITIES: HWC strongly prefers cash or VENMO for gratuities. We do understand that occasionally this may not be possible. To help clients who “forget”, we will accept tips on credit cards with a $2.50 fee to cover the credit card fees that we are charged by our processor.
CELL PHONES: You will get the best experience if you shut your phone OFF. (That’s why you’re here, right?) If you must have your phone on please turn the ringer off, or set to vibrate. If you need to take a call, please take it outside. It can be super disruptive to our staff and clients who are at HWC to RELAX.
RIGHT OF REFUSAL: HWC reserves to right to refuse treatment to anyone who is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, or who exhibits behavior that is threatening or inappropriate in accordance with the Massachusetts statutes regarding Massage. HWC reserves the right to move appointments as needed for schedule conflicts or instances where a practitioner is not comfortable with a particular client.
INTAKE FORM: HWC requires a completed health history intake form, including an emergency contact person.
MASSAGE AFTER A CAR ACCIDENT: One situation that has come up recently; treatment after a car accident (or another significant accident). While you may “feel fine” after a car accident, it can take up to 72 hours for injury symptoms to manifest so that you actually feel them. We know our services help you feel better, and nothing brings us more joy than seeing a client start to progress after serious injury. There are conditions that can make massage contra-indicated and can make conditions WORSE. We require clients to wait at least 72 hours before getting a massage, and we may ask you to get medical clearance from a physician. This is for YOUR PROTECTION. We’re in the business of helping, not making things worse. Please understand, we will be delighted to see you as soon as it makes sense. The one exception to that rule is Acupuncture which can be super helpful. Acupuncturists receive training that is the equivalent of a 3 year post graduate degree and includes many of the same medical systems that MD’s track, and are actually covered by the Medical Board here in MA.
TREATING MINORS: HWC is happy to treat friends and family under 18 years of age – we do it all the time! Many of our younger clients report amazing results after treatments at HWC! We treat everything from sports injuries to stress and anxiety. We do have a couple of rules in place to make sure everyone has a positive experience. All clients under 18
need parental consent for treatment. A parent must accompany the client to sign the health intake form at first session.
Clients under 12 – Parent must accompany client in to session. Clients between 12-15 years of age – Parent must remain ONSITE for duration of treatment. Clients 16-18 must have Parent accompany them for first session, and and must stay in area for subsequent sessions.
MASKS: Masks are optional for shoppers at HWC, but required in treatment rooms. There’s a big difference between shopping in our open well ventilated front area, and getting a service in a small closed space. Please bear with us and be NICE. Many of our Practitioners are either immune compromised or have loved ones who are. Hopefully, we’ll be able to move away from all of this soon!
INSURANCE “Do you take Insurance?” The short answer is no. Unfortunately, we do not have the staff breadth to deal directly with insurance companies and the incredible amount time required to process claims. What we can do is provide you with an invoice that you can submit to your Provider for reimbursement. We strongly recommend if this a concern for you, that you contact your insurance provider directly and ask if your benefits include our type of services and what they require for your services to be covered.
LOYALTY PACKAGES: HWC offers Loyalty Packages to clients who find themselves getting treatments on a regular basis. HWC Packages work this way; Purchase a minimum of 4 Treatments* (Mix& match types and length if you wish) and take 10% off! We’ll even keep track for you – no cards to lose! ****New! Acupuncture is now included!
WEATHER: We live in New England, bad weather happens. HWC will close if the Owners feel that choice is the safest for
our Practitioners, Staff and Clients. Many of our Practitioners travel a distance. We will do our best to notify clients as soon as the decision to close is made. (why we need a good contact number from you)
GIFT CERTIFICATES: Gift Cards MUST BE PRESENT to be redeemed for purchase of services or merchandise. We offer gift certificates for any value you request. To avoid potential discrepancies, we require that all gift certificate transactions be made via telephone or in-person. We are happy to send out a gift certificate via mail or email, to the gift certificate recipient, on your behalf. Please note: Gift Certificates can only be redeemed for products or services. They are non-refundable and cannot be combined with any discounts or promotions.
REFUNDS AND RETURNS:
▪ Merchandise returns, unless the item is defective, for store credit only.
▪ No refunds for Classes, Treatments or Gift certificates.
DISCOUNT POLICY:
▪ Only ONE discount per day per client – Discounts can not be combined or “stacked’.
▪ Discounts are only good for the day of service and can not be “saved” for later.
▪ No discounts on treatments that are less than ONE hour.
▪ Packages are already discounted – so no additional discounts can be applied.
▪ Getting a free/complimentary service, (i.e. such as free foot massage) is a discounted service – so no additional discounts can be applied.
▪ Some additional restrictions may apply – such as days and times for discounts. The store owners maintain the right to control when and how discounts are accepted and applied