Closing: 5.00 pm on Friday 20 December 2024.
Reopening: 9.00 am on Monday 6 January 2025.
We wish you all a merry and safe Christmas and New Year.
When was the last time you asked your practitioner when they cleaned the therapy bed? And do you know what you’re really exposing yourself to when you step into the massage parlour, beautician, physiotherapist, chiropractor or even hospital?
Various studies have shown that there are numerous types of infectious bacteria present in most (if not all) shared healthcare and beauty settings. Multi-resistant Staphylococcus Aureaus (MRSA), or Staph, is the one of the most common types of bacteria found around shared facilities.1 Not only is it highly contagious, multiple strands of the bacterium are resistant to antibiotics making it difficult to treat once acquired.
Staph (pictured above) is spread through contact and a lapse in hygiene protocol; so if you come into contact with an open staph wound or something that has been touched by it, you’re at risk of acquiring staph, just like this young woman who went for false lashes and ended up with an infection. Studies have shown that the risk of a patient developing an infection increased by 73% if the patient previously occupying the room had the disease.1 This is why hygiene in any shared facility is so important.
The face hole of the massage bed is the most vulnerable area and the least protected, where clients breathe, cough and speak through their treatment. Thus, if the client before you has any infectious diseases such as the common cold, influenza, or even staph, and the bed is not properly sterilised or protected, you are now exposed and at risk of becoming ill. And you're paying for it.
Currently, there is no standard of protection for the face hole across sectors that use a massage bed, meaning your health is literally in the hands of the practitioner you choose. Perhaps asking a simple question about how clean the practice is, is the difference between feeling fine or feverish.
Simple protective measures mean that even if the practitioner is back to back and doesn’t have time to sterilise the bed between each client, you’re still protected. Whilst most sheets cover the top surface of the bed, only one protects all contact surfaces in and around the face hole – the Purifas FaceShield. So next time you hear coughing and sneezing coming from the treatment room, and you walk in to find that the FaceShield isn't there, ask yourself, should you pay for a service which puts your health at risk?
1 -Intensive care unit environmental surfaces are contaminated by multidrug-resistant bacteria in biofilms: combined results of conventional culture, pyrosequencing, scanning electron microscopy, and confocal laser microscopy H. Hu a , K. Johani a,b , I.B. Gosbell c,d , A.S.W. Jacombs a , A. Almatroudi a,e , G.S. Whiteley f , A.K. Deva a , S. Jensen c , K. Vickery
Ensuring top-notch hygiene in therapy and allied health settings is vital for client safety. Shared equipment can easily lead to cross-contamination without strict hygiene protocols. Towels, frequently used in these environments, can harbour bacteria even after washing, posing risks to both clients and therapists. This guide will help you understand these risks, avoid common mistakes and implement the best hygiene practices, all while being environmentally conscious.