Being respectful - discriminations in spas and salons

We are all familiar with the concept of the spa industry discriminating against cancer patients. We therapists are all taught not to touch those affected by cancer, insurers refused to insure spas and therapists carrying out touch therapies on those affected by cancer, all driven by good intention and a large degree of ignorance. We also know that our accredited oncology touch therapy training allow spas, therapists, salons and clinics to welcome those affected by cancer.

Cancer patients are offered a full spa menu and discrimination against cancer patients is now a choice. Job done – or is it? It appears that my well intentioned attempt to end discrimination has merely shifted the target group. I ran a session for the call centre booking team at one of our lovely spa groups (there are a few so don’t even try to guess).

My discovery? When someone calls to book ‘a JY’, they get asked if they have ever been diagnosed with cancer. The booking teams do this as demand for JY oncology therapy treatments outweighs supply – they have more requests than they have availability. As a result, they turn away those who want a JY massage because they just do, only those who have the relevant medical history are booked. This gives a whole new meaning to the need for medical consent. 

 We have a fantastic set of webinars on discrimination with our expert panel - take a look.