If you have booked an appointment at Mahra (includes massage therapy and mentorship sessions), you agree to abide by the following conditions which are in place to protect both you (the client) and myself (Caroline) as the business owner. In your booking confirmation email for your initial appointment, my cancellation policy is stated very clearly, giving all clients the opportunity to explore this and ask any questions before their first appointment. My cancellation policy is also framed in my therapy space so is an unmissable reminder to all repeat bookers. The policy stands for each and every appointment, regardless of how many times a client has booked with me and applies regardless of your relationship to me - new client, longstanding client, friend, colleague etc.

Cancellation policy and why I have one (all bookings including vouchers)

Although I won’t charge or cancel vouchers if more than 48 hours’ notice (72hrs for Mizan Assessments) is given, the closer it gets to your appointment, the harder it is for me to get replacement business if you need to cancel. Kindly give me as much notice as possible if you need to change or cancel your appointment. Appointments cancelled with 7 days or less notice are very difficult to fill. A charge applies if 48 hours’ notice or less is given and is outlined below.

Please understand that I will charge the full amount/100% (or cancel a voucher) of your booked treatment fee if you cancel your appointment or request to change it with less than 24 hours’ notice or you do not attend.  I charge a 50% fee if less than 48 hours (but more than 24 hours’ notice) is given.

Retaining fees (your hard-earned money) makes me feel pretty terrible but my own bills come out of my account regardless and I have these terms to protect myself.  Short notice cancellations prevent me using the available slots efficiently and over time leads to significant loss of income which is the reason I must charge for this time. I know it’s rubbish to spend money on an appointment you can’t come to because of illness or something’s cropped up- I hear you! However, the following policy is in place to protect me and keep my business viable.

Please remember I am a sole trader and independent small business.

Cancellation policy - free treatments / prize winners

On occasions, I donate massage vouchers to support local charities or I partner with businesses to run incentives to raise the profile of my small business. There is no charge for these bookings (unless a client wishes to top-up to a longer session). As these are using a space where a paid booking could be taken, I do not offer alternative appointment slots if less than 72 hours’ notice of a cancellation is given, this includes illness. This is because it is almost impossible to fill a space with less than a week’s notice and rescheduling means I would forgo another paid client spot, this is something that as a small business I cannot afford to do. Thank you for understanding.

When is payment due?

Payment is required on booking for brand new clients and no later than 48 hours prior to the appointment for all other clients. You will be sent a Monzo link or I can send my bank details if you prefer.  Regular clients may also pay in cash but online payment will apply (by the end of the day of the booked appointment) if the appointment is cancelled at short notice.

If you’re coming for the first time, I will send you a payment link once you have chosen a slot. Your slot is available for others to book until full payment has been received.

If for any reason you have not paid for your appointment (on booking or 48 hours before)* and need to cancel within 48 hours of your appointment, I would ask you kindly to go to your booking email and pay your fee via the payment link on there.  I will not chase this fee, I will rely on your goodwill and the fact that booking with me means that the client respects me and accepts my terms prior to booking.

 *this is often the case for regular clients in which case they may have a Monzo link via WhatsApp.

I’m ill surely I shouldn’t have to pay…

This policy applies to all clients including regulars and applies, regardless of the reason for cancellation (including illness), please use common sense when it comes to choosing whether to attend if you are obviously ill and at risk of making me ill too.  If I am able to fill your slot, I will transfer any monies paid to a new slot. Please be aware that it takes time and effort to re-market a slot and there is no guarantee I will fill it. Active marketing of your slot is not possible if I am seeing clients as I will be busy working but I will always do my best. The more notice you can give me, the more likely I am to fill it. Please note that on the day cancellations are pretty much impossible to fill! If I am successful in filling your slot, your fee will be transferred to a new appointment rather than refunded. I will never ever take your fee if I am able to fill your slot with another client - this is a 100% ethical and trustworthy business!

Can’t my fee / voucher just be transferred to a new date?

No. Unfortunately this would mean that I am still taking two appointments out of my diary but for the price of one, leaving me at a financial loss.

Voucher holders

If you have booked with a massage voucher and cancel within 24 hours of your booking the voucher will be considered spent and future treatments will require payment. If cancelling with 24-48 hours notice you will lose half of the value of your voucher.

Mizan Therapy

It is a 72 hour cancellation policy for Mizan Therapy Assessments as these take 3 slots out of my diary (i.e. half a day’s work). Cancellations with less than 72 hours notice will incur the loss of the whole fee. It is too costly to my business to be flexible on this.

If you are not prepared to pay 48 hours prior to your massage (or cover the cost of a session cancelled without adequate notice), I am not the therapist for you. I will not re-book any client with outstanding fees.

Using vouchers

All vouchers are valid for 6 months. The voucher is clearly marked with an issue or expiry date and this is done to protect me in the event of my circumstances changing i.e. no longer being able to see clients or my hours significantly changing. I will always try and follow up with the buyer if a voucher is coming up to expiry and has not been used (bearing in mind I am unlikely to have the recipient’s contact details).

If you have received a voucher and you do not like massage or facials (what?!) I am happy to convert the value into Neal’s Yard Remedies products which you can select from my shop here. Contact me with your voucher reference and what you would like to order. You can spend over your voucher amount and pay the difference if you wish. There is a delivery charge if your order is under £50 but there is no charge if you wish to collect your products from me. The expiry date on the voucher still applies, even if you wish to use it for product.

If cancelling your voucher treatment with 24-48 hours’ notice you will lose half of the value of your voucher. If cancelling your voucher treatment with less than 24 hours’ notice your voucher will be considered redeemed and future appointments will require payment.

Vouchers are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative.

Consultation forms prior to first appointment

Once we have agreed your appointment date and time (by phone, text or email) and your payment has been received, I will email you a booking confirmation email with my address and directions.  If you are a new client there will be a Consultation Form (CF) attached. Please read the CF carefully and complete it prior to your appointment, you can return it by email up to 24 hours prior to your visit or you can print it and bring on the day of your massage. This is done so that any contraindications can be picked up early which prevents cancelled and postponed appointments.  This is particularly important for pregnant clients. If your consultation form is not completed prior to your arrival, this will impact on your massage time as I will need to complete your appointment in the same timeframe so that I’m not late for my next client.

Drugs and Alcohol

Any client arriving who appears to be under the influence of drugs (illicit or prescribed) or alcohol will not be treated as it is simply not safe to carry out massage. There will be no refund of fees paid.

Arriving at Mahra Massage

Please knock the door if you are on time or less than 5 mins early. If you are more than 5 minutes early I may still be finishing off with another client, getting the room ready for you or taking a break. I do not have a waiting area.

Please get in touch if you have any questions, I look forward to welcoming you here.