Treatment of a Minor

[LadyNiko]

I had an issue come up Wednesday at the spa I work at where the "manager" who is not a massage therapist, has no massage background, blew a gasket when I wanted to change to where I was going to work on a minor client.

The mother was paying for her 12-13 yr old daughter to get like an hour session and wasn't going to stay for the session after she filled out the paperwork and signed off on it for her.

We have a "group room" which is where we do pedicures mainly with these really comfy recliner chairs that are great for pedicures, not so great for doing head, neck, shoulders & upper arms work and that's where the manager wanted me to do the work (for like an hour with this girl fully clothed.) However, two of my co-workers had reset the room to do waxings on this whole party of girls that were coming in from a local high school. I explained to the manager girl that I wanted to take the client back to Room 3 where I would work on her.

This is where the manager girl blew up. She was trying to tell me that it was illegal to work on the client without the parent present. I've never heard this before - I was under the impression that on minor clients, as long as the parent understood the treatment and signed off on it. they didn't need to be present for the massage. They have done waxings and spray tans on minors in the past there without the parent being in the room, so I am just confused as to where the “illegality” came into play.

I explained to her that I would leave the door to the room open if it was that big of an issue but it wasn't illegal from what I had learned in school. I told the mother what the plan was and she agreed to it – even giving me a thumbs up before she left on her merry way to go do whatever while I was working on her daughter.

The owner (again, a person with no massage background) even tried to tell me it was illegal and all I could do was just nod and explain to her what I had done – leaving the door to the room open and she finally relented saying that she would talk to the manager and get her to calm down. She's been extra "special" the last few days according to my co-workers.

Anyone could have walked in on us at any time and saw that nothing but gentle massage work was going on because the door was open.

So, could anyone tell me if they've had this problem before? I would like to be able to tell both the manager girl and owner that it's not illegal and to really trust us to know our work. (I've been at this four years now and don't intend on quitting the industry - I want to have my own spa someday in the not too distant future that's not so pink as where I work now and to take care of the staff better than where I currently work.)

[athletica]

In Canada, as far as I know it is illegal to perform treatment on a minor without guardian in the treatment room. My clinic is an open concept, so I let parents hang out in the reception area if they choose, and will keep the door open.

[JasonE]

I had an issue come up Wednesday at the spa I work at where the "manager" who is not a massage therapist, has no massage background, blew a gasket when I wanted to change to where I was going to work on a minor client.

The mother was paying for her 12-13 yr old daughter to get like an hour session and wasn't going to stay for the session after she filled out the paperwork and signed off on it for her.

We have a "group room" which is where we do pedicures mainly with these really comfy recliner chairs that are great for pedicures, not so great for doing head, neck, shoulders & upper arms work and that's where the manager wanted me to do the work (for like an hour with this girl fully clothed.) However, two of my co-workers had reset the room to do waxings on this whole party of girls that were coming in from a local high school. I explained to the manager girl that I wanted to take the client back to Room 3 where I would work on her.

This is where the manager girl blew up. She was trying to tell me that it was illegal to work on the client without the parent present. I've never heard this before - I was under the impression that on minor clients, as long as the parent understood the treatment and signed off on it. they didn't need to be present for the massage. They have done waxings and spray tans on minors in the past there without the parent being in the room, so I am just confused as to where the “illegality” came into play.

I explained to her that I would leave the door to the room open if it was that big of an issue but it wasn't illegal from what I had learned in school. I told the mother what the plan was and she agreed to it – even giving me a thumbs up before she left on her merry way to go do whatever while I was working on her daughter.

The owner (again, a person with no massage background) even tried to tell me it was illegal and all I could do was just nod and explain to her what I had done – leaving the door to the room open and she finally relented saying that she would talk to the manager and get her to calm down. She's been extra "special" the last few days according to my co-workers.

Anyone could have walked in on us at any time and saw that nothing but gentle massage work was going on because the door was open.

So, could anyone tell me if they've had this problem before? I would like to be able to tell both the manager girl and owner that it's not illegal and to really trust us to know our work. (I've been at this four years now and don't intend on quitting the industry - I want to have my own spa someday in the not too distant future that's not so pink as where I work now and to take care of the staff better than where I currently work.)

It depends on the state and local laws that apply to regulation of massage therapy in your area. Since I don't know where you are from, you'll need to find the answers yourself by researching those laws. When you find the text of the regulations, give a printed copy to the owner and the manager so they can see what actually is/isn't illegal. That way, you'll all be informed.

In my area, there are no laws governing treatment of a minor. We leave it up to the parents whether they will be in the room during the massage or not, though we do expect them to be a part of the intake discussion. The room doors are closed.

[pueppi]

I can't say anything about the legality in your city/state. But, I do not work on anyone who is a minor without a parent or guardian present for all sessions.



As a side note, my website states: "However, we do not perform massage on minors or pregnant women and ask that you please locate a specifically trained therapist for these two categories."

But, I do make exceptions to current clients/friends of current clients who become pregnant & children/grandchildren of clients as I deem appropriate. Which is to say, I may not make an exception for everyone in these mentioned categories.

[tranquilspirit2006]

Jason is right, it depends on your state regulations. We have minors that come in from time to time with parents - one boy has been getting massages since he was 10 years old, while his mom gets hers, he's now 16 and still comes in. We have always had the parent sign a consent form and gave them the option of staying in the room but usually that's the young kids whose parents do, the teens' parents are usually getting their own massage at the same time and don't want to spend 2 hours there, one getting their own while their kid has to wait and then sitting in the room with their 16 year old while she gets a massage. Currently there is nothing in the state regulations regarding minors but that will be changing soon, requiring signed parental consent and they'll also need to sign off that they're aware they have the choice to stay in the room with their child.