For massage
therapists and bodyworkers, the concept of liability insurance might seem
to be of no concern, or at least not of any relevance to these hands on healing
professionals. However, as professional massage therapists and bodyworkers work
with members of the public, exchanging their services for a profit, massage
therapy liability insurance does indeed need to come into the equation.
Think of your massage therapy or bodywork practice as any
other business where goods or services are exchanged for money. In such a
business, especially when clients or customers are actually coming on to the
property of the business to pick up the goods or receive the services,
liability insurance is of the utmost importance.
Even though the chances of an accident occurring that could
affect a client or customer and prompt him or her to sue the business might be
quite rare, it is key to protect against even the slimmest chance of such a
scenario unfolding. After all, if the unexpected did all of a sudden become
reality, it could mean the loss of all assets if the business is not protected
by liability insurance.
With massage
therapy liability insurance, massage therapists and bodyworkers can have a
policy in place to provide a safety net of sorts, protecting the practice in
case a scenario occurs in which the massage therapist or bodywork might be held
liable. Again, these scenarios are rare, but they are not non-existent.
Imagine, for example, if one of your new clients had an
allergic reaction to the nut based massage oil you used during an appointment.
If the reaction was severe enough that the client felt he or she deserved
payment for the damages, then you might find yourself facing a liability suit.
With massage therapy liability insurance, you would be
covered in the above scenario, by the product liability portion of your
insurance policy. Product liability is there to provide coverage to massage
therapists or bodyworkers in the case of a client claiming damage or injury due
to a product used by the practitioner.
Another example of the rare, but possible, situations that
call for massage therapy liability insurance would be a client slipping and
falling on the property of your practice. If such an accident results in an
injury, and the client feels he or she deserves to be paid for the damages,
then you might find yourself involved in a lawsuit.
If something along these lines did indeed happen, then you
would need the general liability portion of your massage therapy liability
insurance policy to provide the necessary protection. Often called “slip and
fall” insurance, general liability insurance is there to cover you in case one
of your clients has an accident on the property of your practice.
Of course, there are other components of coverage that come
with a solid insurance policy as well. These range from professional liability
insurance, massage
insurance or malpractice insurance, to reimbursement for your lost or
stolen work property.
Bring massage therapy liability insurance on board at your
business, and breathe a sigh of relief that your safety net is in place.