Practice policies

At Gentle as a Lamb Massage Practice, we aim to provide quality health care to all our clients in a timely manner. No-shows, late arrivals, and cancellations inconvenience not only the therapist, but other clients as well. Please be aware of our cancellation policy regarding missed appointments.

When you book your appointment, you are holding a space on our calendar that is no longer available to our other clients. In order to be respectful of your fellow clients, please call Gentle as a Lamb Massage Practice as soon as you know you will not be able to make your appointment. We understand that sometimes, unexpected delays can occur that require scheduling adjustments. If cancellation is necessary, we require that you call, text or email at least three (3) days in advance where possible. Appointments are in high demand, and your advanced notice will allow another patient access to that appointment time.

A cancellation is considered late when the appointment is cancelled less than six (6) hours before the appointed time. A no-show is when a client misses an appointment without cancelling or prior contact. All missed appointments will incur a $50 fee. (Note: For new clients’ first appointments, a no show or late cancellation will result in a full charge of the service fee booked.) 

In summary

• Any cancellation or reschedule made less than six (6) hours will result in a cancellation fee. The minimum amount of the fee will be $50.00.
• If you are late for your treatment, the time will be taken off the booked treatment time and you will be charged for the total booking time. If we are not able to treat you within the remaining allotted time, the $50.00 cancellation fee will be applied.
• In the event of a true, unavoidable emergency, all or part of your cancellation fee may be credited to future appointments at the owner’s discretion.
• If Gentle as a Lamb Massage Practice need to cancel your appointment with less than six (6) hours’ notice, a new appointment will be scheduled without penalty to the client, subject to availability.

Gentle as Lamb Massage is committed to the privacy of its clients. Personal information is treated as confidential and is used only for the purpose for which it was collected. Information kept on file will not be released to a third party without the express consent of the client.

Gentle as a Lamb Massage will discuss your presenting condition and options for treatment with you so that you are appropriately informed and can make decisions relating to your treatment. You may choose to consent or refuse any form of treatment for any reason including religious or personal grounds. Once you have given consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

Your therapist may ask personal questions relating to your complaint and how it impacts your daily living. The more information you provide, the more likely it is that they can provide effective treatment. It is your choice as to what information you choose to provide. If you feel uncomfortable with a particular question or group of questions, please let the therapist know and they will cease.

During the examination, assessment and treatment, it will be necessary that the therapist makes physical contact with you. You will always be asked for permission before physical contact is made in any way. Physical contact requires express consent. You may withdraw consent at any time, at which point, all physical contact will cease immediately.

Depending on the particular treatment that is agreed to, you may be asked to undress outer layers of clothing. At no time should your underwear be removed. Let your therapist know if you feel uncomfortable in removing any particular item of clothing prior to the treatment.

During your treatment, your personal space and privacy will be respected. You will be draped with no fewer than two towels at any time and the only body part that will be exposed is the body part being treated. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, or wish to cease the treatment please let the therapist know and treatment will cease immediately.

Consent from a custodial parent is required to treat a minor and must be present during any treatment of a child or minor. Where a person is incapable of understanding the treatment, consent may be provided by another person legally authorised to provide such consent. Evidence of legal authorisation is required in such circumstances.

Dry needling is the treatment of muscle pain using acupuncture needles. Because muscles are almost always involved in the most common physical injuries, Dry Needling can help with conditions such as low back pain, neck pain, tension headaches, shoulder pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, knee pain, ankle sprains, post exercise muscle soreness, plantar fasciitis, muscle tension/strains & joint stiffness.

Dry needling woks by relaxing muscle fibres, reducing pain & restoring normal function. It has wide ranging effects including improving joint mobility, restoring muscle strength, reducing muscle pain & even reducing inflamed soft tissues following acute injuries.

Our therapists are trained to deliver the most effective Dry Needling treatment using the minimum intervention. We have many options to moderate pain arising from Dry Needling; these options include the diameter of the needles, depth of insertion, the delivery method, duration of insertion and the type of needle. All of our acupuncture needles are of the highest quality, sterile & are single use.

Most patients will respond very favourably to Dry Needling therapy. In the same way that you feel a degree of soreness after a manual therapy treatment you may also feel sore after Dry Needling. However the soreness should only last for 12-24 hours. Dry Needling is very safe. In a study (Brady et al. 2013) of 7629 treatments which recorded the possible adverse events related to using Dry Needling, it was found that Dry Needling had a very low percentage of serious outcomes (0.04%) as compared with the possible serious adverse reactions resulting form taking Aspirin (18.7%) & Ibuprofen (13.7%).

Most patients will find benefits from Dry Needling therapy after 3-5 treatment sessions. However, this time period may vary according to your specific presenting factors. Your therapist will discuss the anticipated duration of your treatment with you before proceeding with your recommended management plan.