Last update: 8/12/2018
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, and throughout the site, to heart and book online with confidence, commitment, and an open mind. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
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Hours of Client Reception

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

Booking an Appointment

  • ​Please book with certainty of attendance. Small, private practices, like Paula's Body Shop, cannot easily accommodate cancellations or rescheduling.
  • 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.
  • Book your own appointment, safely and securely. 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 unable to book online, contact Paula by email and be sure to mention your availability and reason for manual booking. If email is not possible, you may leave a voicemail.

Payments

  • Payment is expected in full at time of service or before.
  • If you have a gift voucher, contact Paula with the specifics and book your session bypassing the payment option.
  • New clients are to pre-pay at booking by credit card. New clients who bypass the prepay at booking will receive an email requesting payment by credit card. Non-payment or no-response will result in cancellation of booking.
  • Existing clients in good standing may pay in full by cash or check or credit-card-by-email at time of service or may prepay at booking. Cash or check is preferred, but prepaying accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and some HSA/FSA cards. ​
  • Barters are rarely accepted. If accepted, barter agreements are taken as seriously as any other form of payment and require a signed contract and adherence to 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 some nice shops and cafes around the corner on Amsterdam Avenue should you end up arriving sooner than expected. 
  • Please remove shoes upon entering; it's for sanitary purposes.
  • Arrive fragrance-free. This is a health issue for Paula and possibly you, too: Serious Health Issues Linked to Fragrance Chemicals. 
  • Manual therapists by and large tend to be very sensitive, perceptive professionals who are not accustomed to making assumptions about people or giving commands, so please be honest, up-front, 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 hard 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 BioSyntonie. 
  • Connective tissue and the lymphatic system take 72-hours to fully reset after any manual therapy that is fascia-focused and/or deep. Therefore, 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 did you have a bad experience once and are concerned about trying again? Maybe this will help: What Should I Know Before I Go?​

Consultations, Confidentiality, and Other Minutiae

  • 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. 
  • Some clients would like a post-therapy consult. However, because the connective tissue and lymphatic systems take 72-hours to fully "reset",  no post-therapy consults are given. 
  • Follow-up appointment consultations are about documenting what changed and for how long, so please keep track!
  • No email or phone consultations are given because 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.
  • All sessions are fully customized regardless of frequency or issues being attended to. Consequently, no advance information can ever be given as to what methods Paula might use or how she might approach your particular situation.
  • If you are having surgery, Paula recommends seeing her 1-2 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, keep the following in mind:
  • You may reschedule your own appointment at any time as long as a minimum 48-hours notice is given, although one week's notice is preferred. If you keep your confirmation email or if you create an account at the booking site, rescheduling yourself is easy. Otherwise, contact Paula by email with the details.
  • If less than 48 hours notice is given, please pay 50% of the session rate as the cancellation/rescheduling fee.
  • 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.
  • If no notice (or same-day notice) is given, please understand that the no-show fee is 100%.
  • Unfortunately, clients in the past have repeatedly ignored the no-scent requirement, causing Paula illness and increased hyper-sensitivity to fragrances. Therefore, any presence of scent, such as found in perfumes, aftershaves, colognes, and lotions, may result in both service refusal and fees. Antiperspirant/deodorant is fine. 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 (like at Paula's Body Shop), 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. Combo sessions take more time than Ad Hoc sessions. Below, you can see the ratio of duration/therapy, in minutes, per session type and session within that type:

Calculation of Rates

  • Note: Paula always keeps rates as low as can be afforded, but sometime before the end of 2018, rates will have to go up. 
  • Hands-on bodywork rates are calculated at $35 per quarter-hour.
  • BioSyntonie rates are calculated at $15 per quarter-hour; 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 and Thai massage is a similar, deeply felt experience. Both are available at affordable rates throughout the city. Another alternative is fasciae-and-joint-focused self-care via Sue Hitzmann's The MELT Method, class, book, or training.)

Referral (Incentive) Program

  • Existing clients may earn a free half-hour of (similar) service for each new client they refer who pays and 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 time earned.
  • Be sure your referral mentions you and be sure they book Combo #1, the one recommended for new clients!
  • You can use your free time ½ or 1 hour at a time with minimum purchase of the going rate for Combo #3. In other words, your free time is to be added onto any regular-price COMBO session.
  •  If you have earned a half-hour of free time, you could sign up for Combo #1 (to assure enough time has been booked on the calendar) and pay only for Combo #2.  Or you could sign up for Combo #2 and pay only for Combo #3.
  • If you have earned an hour of free time, you could sign up for Combo #1 and pay only for Combo #3.
  • To claim, just book for the full session length and then contact Paula separately by email on the same day you booked, and inform her that you want to claim earned free time, and how much time is included in that.
  • Refer your MDs to the Reduced Fee program, below, and earn a full hour of free time.
  • 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 whatever free time or discount was being used for that appointment.
  • To all who make referrals, whether you claim your free time or not - Thank you for helping me to help others and for helping to sustain my practice. I am deeply honored and grateful. ~ Paula

Current Free or Reduced Fee Programs

  • Columbia/Barnard students with current student ID may receive 10% off any session. To claim, bypass payment during booking, and contact Paula on the same day by email with your request to receive 10% off and proof of current student status. You may then pay at time of service by cash, check, or credit-card-by-email.
  • Active, registered MDs in good standing (and certain other professionals by invitation only) may claim a 30-minute, complimentary massage session to introduce them to Paula's work, and see how they or their patients might benefit.  Paula can often help physicians identify root problems in patients that modern diagnostics are unable to locate, especially with idiosyncratic and highly sensitive patients. Similarly, some patients respond better to natural therapies when pharmacological medicines or procedures are unsafe or not desired. To claim, bypass booking your own appointment and contact Paula by email with your license number,  degree type, and your request to receive your 30-minute, complimentary massage. Also valid in combination with any other session; physicians, too, are encouraged to receive the recommended new-client session: Combo #1.
  • Any cancellation, reschedule, or no-show will permanently invalidate any free or reduced fee offer.
  • Note: Doctors, please don't let this be you. Paula understands the high-pressures of the medical field. Find out how an annual visit for connective tissue therapy could shore up your mind, body, and practice. Once a year could make a life-saving difference. Please choose the Combo #1 for your annual visit.

Gifting

  • If you want to buy someone a session as a gift, please contact Paula by email with the specifics, including name, phone number, and email address of the recipient. You will be asked to book and purchase the session you want to gift to someone (pick any open date; it does not matter which one.) Once you have your purchase receipt, the booking will be taken off the calendar and reserved for the recipient whose name and information you provided in the specification email. How you decide to announce your gift to your recipient is up to you. A gift confirmation email can also be emailed directly to your recipient on a date you specify. The recipient need only book when they are ready, preferably within 1 year.
  • If you have a prepaid gift voucher, please contact Paula with the specifics and go ahead and book your session, bypassing the payment option.

Insurance and Receipts

  • Regular receipts for payment are available at any time.
  • 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

  • Appointedd.com (online booking software) is used to make booking with Paula easy, and also to send emails of importance. Please check your spam folder, first, should you feel you are missing an important email.
  • 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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