Last update: 5/8/2019
Paula is a joyful, problem-solving licensed massage therapist in a professional home office, not a spa or spa service, and her work is not like any other. To allow Paula to focus on client care, while being free of administrative worries, please take the information on this page to heart and book online with confidence, commitment, and an open mind. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated by your therapist and your body!
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Hours

  • By appointment only
  • OPEN: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday (and holidays if they fall on these days)
  • HOURS: 12-3 PM and 5-8 PM

Appointments

  • ​Please book online and with certainty of attendance. Small, private practices, like Paula's Body Shop, cannot easily accommodate cancellations or rescheduling.
  • A credit card is required to reserve your appointment time.
  • Please book Combo #1 if you are a new client or it has been at least one year since Paula has seen you. 
  • The online booking system is Paula's digital secretary and is a safe, trusted, and secure site, and there is no risk of spam or fraud.
  • Online booking is strongly requested, but if you are physically unable to book online, contact Paula by email and be sure to mention your availability within the Shop's open hours. If email is not possible, you may leave a voicemail with your number and a good time for Paula to call you back.
  • Last minute appointments are not accepted for any reason. If you are hurting and cannot wait at least 48 hours to be seen, please go to your nearest emergency facility for help.

Payments

  • Payment is now taken at time of service, only (Credit card information taken during booking is for reservations.)
  • Cash, Check, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, JCB, UnionPay, some HSA/FSA cards, and valid gift vouchers accepted. ​
  • Barters are rarely accepted. If accepted, they are negotiated in advance. Barter agreements are taken as seriously as any other form of payment and require adherence to an agreed upon schedule.
  • Payments are nonrefundable.

What to Expect When You Visit Paula

  • Please arrive on time, but not early, for there is no waiting room - but there are nice shops and cafes around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue should you end up arriving sooner than expected. 
  • Please remove shoes after entering; it's for sanitary purposes.
  • Arrive fragrance-free, whether from lotions, oils, or perfumes. This is an allergy and health issue for Paula, many clients, and possibly you, too: Serious Health Issues Linked to Fragrance Chemicals. 
  • Manual therapists tend to be honest, sensitive, and perceptive professionals who are not accustomed to making assumptions about people or making demands, so please be up-front, honest, and gentle with your approach to your therapist, and respect that information is often received and processed very differently from the status quo, but always for your best benefit. This means we'll work to find the often hidden, true root of the issues in your tissues. Most importantly, your trust and understanding will be greatly appreciated by your body! 
  • Paula also participates in research and communicates her findings as she goes along.
  • Occasionally, clients need more than Paula can give them. If this happens, you will be referred out. 
  • A person who has difficulty trusting will have a body that will have difficulty letting go, so please do your best for your sake! If you need help with this, it's okay to let your therapist know.
  • As sacred and serious as this work is to Paula, she enjoys being friendly to everyone and creating a joyful environment. However, as with all massage therapists, boundaries must be respected, especially due to the personal nature of bodywork and the trust involved. Any disrespect or inappropriate behavior will be greeted with unfriendliness and possibly an immediate end to the session.
  • Unless medically prescribed, do not attempt to receive bodywork of any kind while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Also, alcohol consumption is not recommended for 24 hours after a bodywork session, particularly if receiving any Combo or BioSyntonie. 
  • Connective tissue is interconnected with the lymphatic system and therefore therapeutic-grade bodywork can take 72-hours to fully 'reset.' All clients will be given simple but important instructions regarding the 72-hours after every appointment that is vital to ensuring the best healing experience possible. Clients who do not follow these instructions do so at their own risk.
  • Most clients feel spaced out after their session, this is normal and natural and good! You will not be rushed, but do make an attempt to leave the office once dressed. You may finish recovering, if need be, at a nearby cafe, like The Hungarian Pastry Shop across from the peaceful and world renowned grounds of St. John's Cathedral.
  • If any of the above makes you feel uncomfortable, Paula may not be the right therapist for you.
  • Is this your first time getting therapeutic massage or bodywork? Or did you have a bad experience once and are concerned about trying again? Maybe this will help: What Should I Know Before I Go?​ or FAQ.

Consultations, Confidentiality, and Other Minutiae

  • All sessions are fully customized regardless of frequency or issues being attended. 
  • Every appointment, from first to last, begins with a free, 15-minute consultation for discussing therapeutic progress and revisiting goals. Consultations that go beyond 15-minutes may intrude into your therapy time.
  • No post-therapy consults are given. Please keep track of your changes and save your questions for your followup appointment consultation.
  • Follow-up appointment consultations are about documenting what changed and for how long, so please keep track!
  • To serve everyone honestly and competently: 
    • No advance consults are given;
    • No advance information will be given as to what methods Paula might use or how she might approach your particular situation;
    • Medical history is taken at time of appointment not before;
    • Almost all conditions can be improved through connective tissue (fasciae) therapy under skilled hands - except for blood clots. If you are high risk for blood clots, get permission from your medical professional for bodywork of any kind.
  • If you are having surgery, Paula recommends seeing her 2 weeks beforehand, and as immediately after as reasonably possible. Most people have easier surgeries and recover faster using this timeline. (The post-surgery session is BioSyntonie, only, for most situations, and it is extremely effective in speeding recovery and reducing pain for most people.)
  • Your confidentiality and privacy is guaranteed. Paula is passionate about sharing information, and may share stories about similar conditions, but only to highlight a lesson learned, current research, or to bring comfort. No identifying or overly specific information will ever be shared. For the most-shared stories, permission has been asked for and received.
  • Little Extras: If you bring a bottle of water with you, you can have it 'charged' with BioSyntonie for free during your session for take-home. Non-metal containers preferred. If you would like your empty bottle filled, there is a $5 cash fee for this extra service.

Cancellation, Rescheduling, Perfume Policy, and Fees

Please book with certainty of attendance. Small, private practices, like Paula's Body Shop, cannot easily accommodate cancellations or rescheduling. Should you need to cancel, regardless of reason, keep the following in mind:
  • You may reschedule your own appointment at any time with at least 48-hours, although one week's notice is more helpful. 
  • If less than 48 hours but more than 24 hours notice is given, 50% of the session rate will be considered the cancellation/rescheduling fee, and must be paid prior to any future booking.
  • If no notice or 24-hours or less notice is given, this is a no-show with 100% of session rate as the fee, and must be paid prior to any future booking.
  • Any cancellation, reschedule, or no-show of any reduced price session will result in the loss of whatever free time or discount was being used for that appointment.
  • Unfortunately, clients in the past repeatedly ignored the no-scent requirement, causing Paula illness and increased hyper-sensitivity to fragrances. Therefore, any presence of synthetic scent (or even organic scent), such as found in perfumes, aftershaves, colognes, and lotions, may result in both service refusal and fees. Antiperspirant/deodorant is fine, except for Axe. Your understanding and acceptance of this policy is greatly appreciated. In general, whenever you have a doctor appointment, visit a hospital, or receive complementary or integrative care, you are both wise and considerate when you arrive fragrance-free.

Therapy Times

To give every client the most value, rates are based on guaranteed therapy time, not duration of session. In the past, clients booked based on therapy times and were surprised to discover they were in the office often an hour longer. To reduce unexpected surprises to your schedule, sessions are now booked based on the duration you can expect to be in the office, but you still only pay for the guaranteed therapy times. Extra time generally is used for non-therapy related items like, consultations, customizations, table setup changes, and special circumstances. 

Calculation of Rates

Note: Paula always keeps rates as low as can be afforded: 
  • Hands-on bodywork rates are calculated at approximately $2.75 per minute.
  • BioSyntonie rates are calculated at approximately $1.00 per minute; it is not less valuable, but more affordably distributed.
  • As a sole proprietor, Paula is unable to offer free or discounted services aside from what may be stated or marketed as a special. For free or discounted services, please contact larger, more funded operations. (While not at all the same, Tui Na is the Chinese Medicine version of connective tissue therapy as well as Thai massage. Both are available at affordable rates throughout the city. 

Referral (Incentive) Program

  • Existing clients may earn $50 off any Combo session for each new client they refer who completes a regularly priced COMBO #1 session - the session that is recommended for all new clients.
  • For each qualified referral, you will receive an email stating the cumulative amount earned.
  • There are no time restrictions, but only one $50 credit may be applied per Combo session booked.
  • Be sure your referral mentions you and be sure they book Combo #1, the one recommended for new clients!
  • To claim, just book your preferred Combo, and then mention you would like to claim your $50 credit.
  • Refer your active, licensed MDs, and earn $100 in credit!
  • Due to professional licensing laws related to conflict of interest, massage therapists, acupuncturists, doctors, chiropractors, and other licensed healthcare workers are excluded from receiving incentives for referrals of their own patients.
  • Any cancellation, reschedule, or no-show will result in the loss of any discount being used for that appointment.
  • Note: The previous "half-hour" discount has been impossible to manage in various booking and payment systems, so Paula must return to the original, $50 off any Combo session. Current clients with a referral balance, will have their balance changed accordingly.
  • To all who make referrals, whether you claim your discount or not - Thank you for helping me to help others and for helping to sustain my practice. I am deeply honored and grateful. ~ Paula

Gifting

  • To give a loved one a session with Paula:
    • Contact Paula with your name, the session you would like to purchase, and the name and email address of your recipient. If you want the email to go out at a specific date or time, or if you want to gift a person anonymously, be sure to mention it along with the other information.
    • You will receive an invoice via email that can be paid directly.
    • Once payment is received, your recipient will receive an email from Paula's Body Shop with a bcc to you.
  • If you already have a prepaid gift voucher, please leave a note about your gift voucher during booking.

Insurance and Receipts

  • Digital receipts for payment are automatic. You have the choice of sms or email.
  • Receipts with added insurance information are available, upon request, for submission to insurance and/or flexible/health spending account plans, and are usually emailed within 48-hours after your appointment.
  • Contact your insurance company to see if and under what conditions massage therapy is covered.
  • Unfortunately New York State insurers offer little to no coverage for this valuable therapy.
  • In Washington state, massage is covered 100%, because the head of the insurance industry there knows the health benefits of massage. So, please feel free to contact your State Representative and demand access to this remedial and preventive care.

Mail

  • Square is used to make booking with Paula easy, and also to send transactional emails of importance. Please check your spam folder, first, should you feel you are missing an important email.
  • Please white list emails from...
    • @squareup.com
    • @messaging.squareup.com
    • @communications.squareup.com
  • Paula doesn't like spam any more than you do. Therefore, only a few marketing emails per year will be sent from Paula's Body Shop to advise you of important information or changes, or just to honor your entrance into the world. 
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