When I first wrote this post, I wanted to address a trend I’d noticed: people often don’t care about staying home when sick. This was right before COVID-19, and for the first time, we all seemed to agree—stay home when you’re not well. Before the pandemic, it was common for people to push through and go out, even when unwell.
Why People Go Out Sick
It’s still common for people to wonder if they should go to work. Plenty of people go to work ill to avoid losing sick time or earnings. The same goes for public places like massage offices. Many people still push through, not realizing the impact on others. But it is a problem.
When you’re ill, a massage is no longer a relaxing experience. You can’t breathe easily, your nose is running, and coughing is inevitable. In fact, massage is contraindicated for colds, flu, and pneumonia because it can worsen your symptoms. Your body is already working hard to fight off the illness, and massage can overburden it.
The Risks of Going Out Sick
When we go out sick, we’re often on auto-pilot. We’re focused on work, errands, or schedules, not considering the risks. We unintentionally expose others to what we’re going through. The CDC even recommends staying home when sick, yet we ignore this advice, sometimes opting for things like grocery pick-up instead. We tell others to avoid sick people because it’s not enough to tell sick people to stay home. I say “we” because we all still find reasons to go out, unaware that we rarely consider this. Others will get sick if we don’t take the time and space to care for ourselves. As a society, we still rarely think about how our actions affect others. If we don’t take time to care for ourselves, we end up spreading illness.
The Impact of Illness on Massage Therapists
Disease and illness spread through human contact, the air we breathe, through physical contact, or bodily fluids. Though industry standards in the massage business include regularly washing hands, changing out tables, and wiping everything down between clients- a massage therapist is in physical contact with someone for an hour or more. Many massage therapists will refuse to work with clients if they’re sick simply so they don’t catch what their clients have. This affects business as we now have to cancel our schedules until we can get back to work or risk working with other clients and spreading the sickness further. Some therapists have strict policies about this.
The Bottom Line: Rest and Recover
So, if you’re ever debating whether to go to your massage appointment sick, think again. It’s not just harmful to you—it’s harmful to everyone around you. Instead of pushing through, stay home. Rest, hydrate, and take care of your health.
Want more information on our policy for being sick? Click Here