Massage therapy has long been a popular therapeutic treatment to help tired humans unwind from relieving stress to releasing those pesky knots. The types of massage styles cover everything from Swedish to shiatsu, hot stone to deep tissue. However, one factor that remains consistent across the massage therapy industry is the need for businesses to protect themselves against potential claims from clients.
While every massage therapist will aim to leave their clients feeling better and not worse than when they walked in, any number of unpredictable scenarios can mean clients are subject to injury or suffer damage to their property through the services provided to them.
Without insurance, a business may not be able to pay damages, let alone cover any associated legal fees. But, for just a relatively small cost per month, insurance can help ensure the future trading ability of a business should legal action be brought against it.
How To Get Insurance As A Massage Therapist
A quick Google search for ‘Massage insurance UK‘ brings up everything from in-depth guides to average cost information and quote comparison.
First and foremost, businesses need to hone in on the specific areas of cover needed to protect the business’s activities. For example, with massage therapy, the core focus will be on the treatments provided, seen as this is the area that has the biggest risk of potential claims.
An insurer will require details relating to:
- The treatments carried out
- Qualifications held by those performing treatments
- Any policies the business has in place to minimise the risk of injury to clients
- The venue and its suitability for massage therapy
- The cost of equipment (such as massage beds, sound systems, treatment oils, towels, etc.).
From there, an insurer will be able to calculate the quote based on the information provided, weighing up the likelihood the business will need to make a claim. As with any type of insurance policy, insurers will look favourably on businesses that have taken the utmost care to provide an excellent experience for their clients, also minimising the risk of injury, theft or damage.
If the business owns the building, it will also require building insurance, which the landlord would otherwise cover if renting the space.
Mobile massage therapists will also require vehicle insurance and insurance that protects them while working in clients’ homes.
What Is Professional Indemnity Insurance For Massage Therapists?
Within a beauty or massage therapy capacity, professional indemnity insurance is also known as treatment insurance. As the name suggests, treatment insurance covers any potential legal costs arising from treatments or advice given by a business. This includes any associated compensation or legal costs owed by the business.
Examples of how professional indemnity (or treatment insurance) could protect a massage therapy business include:
- A massage therapist makes an existing injury worse by overworking the area. As a result, their client is left in significant pain and has to undergo further medical treatment as a result.
- The massage table is not set up correctly and collapses when a client goes to lay flat on it, crushing their hand in the process.
- The massage oil used causes a severe skin reaction that the client has to seek hospital treatment for.
- The temperature of the lava shells or hot stones exceeded safe levels and burned the client’s skin upon contact
- Incorrect advice given on how to perform neck stretches results in the client developing a herniated disk.
In truth, there are an endless amount of ways even the most attentive massage therapist may cause injury to their clients. Therefore, professional indemnity insurance is designed to offer peace of mind to massage therapists, especially given any legal action can have huge implications to the finances of the business, not to mention its reputation.
Does A Massage Therapist Need Insurance?
While it can be argued that every industry should be insured for the products and services that it provides, massage therapy involves direct bodily contact with clients, who may have a range of ailments and undiagnosed issues, which have the potential to be made worse with the wrong approach or technique. Therefore, the business must be covered against potential claims since treatments are the lifeblood of any massage therapy business.
In addition, clients may injure themselves on the business premises, or the business itself may suffer a financial loss or damage that it would struggle to cover without insurance.
It is also a legal requirement that any massage therapy business that employs others must have employers’ liability insurance.
Although other types of insurance may be optional from a legal standpoint, given the high probability a business will need to claim some point, all businesses should ensure that they are covered for any eventuality that could negatively impact them financially.
To Sum Up
One of the best ways to reduce the stress associated with running a business is to ensure it is fully covered by insurance. Doing so can help future-proof businesses against any number of potentially damaging scenarios.
The main type of insurance massage therapists should take out is known as either professional indemnity insurance or treatment insurance. It will cover a massage therapist against any damages brought against them by a client due to negligence in their work or improper advice given.
For just a small cost each month, professional indemnity insurance can payout up to millions of pounds if required, which will significantly increase the likelihood a business can still trade should legal action be brought against it.
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