Ampersand is Reopening August 3rd

We are thrilled to be returning to serve you as a whole, beginning August 3rd.

Dearest Ampersand Clients,

As you know, in order to foster safety and care, we are implementing many changes in our procedures and will need your help to have the smoothest transition possible!

Before you arrive for any of your appointments, we will need each one of you to answer a series of COVID specific screening questions. To ensure there is no confusion, we are including these questions in this email for you to look over ahead of time. In the event you cannot answer ‘NO’ to each question, please let your practitioner know ahead of time so we can respect everyone’s time and reschedule your appointment.

As per our new protocol, you will receive a phone call from the office 24-48 hours ahead of your scheduled appointment, where you can answer these questions right over the phone. In the event that you do not answer, we will email you this list of questions to answer and send back to us. If we do not receive your responses before your appointment, we will need you to fill out these questions before entering the building. In the event that you cannot be permitted into the facility, you will be expected to pay for your service, so please take the time to look over these questions so you can be responsible for your answers.

So, what happens next? What is the new flow?

Upon arriving for your service with a complete screening:

• If you are receiving services from Gabby, Ariana, or Elizabeth, please park closest to the entrance door near their service rooms. For Brooke, Ashley, and Whitney, please park closest to the main entrance.
• Please text your practitioner that you have arrived along with the make and model of your car. We also suggest that on hot days to sit with your AC on to get the most accurate temperature reading.
• We will meet you at your car and take your temperature with a touchless thermometer – as long as it reads less than 100.4 you may enter. (If we get a high reading we can wait 5 minutes and take a second read for greater accuracy.)
• For your first appointment back, each practitioner will also ask you to sign our liability waiver. It is included in this email for you to look over ahead of time. In the event that you do not wish to sign this waiver, please let your practitioner know immediately so they can reschedule another client in your place. If you do not read this ahead of time and refuse to sign this at the time of your appointment, you will be responsible to pay for your service. To save time, you may also print and sign a copy and bring it along with you to your appointment.

Upon entering the building:

• If you are wearing gloves, please remove them.
• Use sanitizer or wash hands.
• If you are not wearing a mask, one will be provided for you by your practitioner. As these are all additional expenses, please do your best to bring your own, truly, every little bit helps us right now!
• Follow your practitioner back to the service room.
• Partake in your practitioner-specific service.
• Sanitize hands or wash hands after service.
• Your practitioner will walk you out of the building.
• Practitioners deep clean their rooms and bathrooms between sessions.
• Practitioners ventilate between sessions.

What else is important for you to know?

In addition to what you have read above, here are the steps we have taken to be sure we can all enjoy a safe and healthy experience every time you visit with us:

Ampersand Specific Changes:

• The entire building will be deep cleaned prior to opening.
• Our HVAC system has been COVID cleaned and cleared.
• All rooms will be stocked with hand sanitizer, surgical masks, gloves, tissues, and paper towels.
• All rooms will be deep-cleaned in between every session.
• We will be engaged in active hand washing throughout the day and post-session.
• All practitioners will be wearing masks when with you.
• All clients will be asked to wear masks as well. Some mask-wearing varies, please talk with your practitioner directly with any questions you may have.
• All common spaces will be cleaned throughout the day.
• All Amp team members will be taking 2 temperature readings a day.
• Sessions will be spaced out in increments of 15 minutes in order to allow for cleaning and ventilation. (No more back to back sessions)
• We will be engaged in social distancing when possible, all hugging or non-service contact is prohibited for the time being.
• All floors will be cleaned nightly.
• Our building will be professionally cleaned weekly.
• We have decluttered the entire building, limiting what clients can touch as well as potential spread.
• We will be using windows and fans for better open-air ventilation, and have upgraded our air filters.
• We have chosen EPA approved green products, killing the virus and NOT your gut lining!

Massage Specific Changes:

• All treatment tables, face cradles, and pillows come equipped with COVID barriers and we have replenished our blanket supply.
• Bodyworkers will wear cleanable polyurethane aprons, cleaned after every session. In the event that it is needed, we are also prepared to change our clothing.
• We have upgraded our storage system to protect all linens, blankets, and massage supplies.
• During the prone (facedown) portion of the massage, there will be 2 options: you may remove your mask and we can create a pillowcase funnel underneath your face OR you must wear your mask.
• If your current schedule will need to be amended, your therapist will contact you directly.

Personal Training Specific Changes:

• Most small equipment has been moved out of the gym space to diminish surface spread.
• You will still have access to the bathroom, however, the shower will be unavailable until further restrictions are lifted.
• Trainers will wear cleanable, polyurethane aprons as needed. They will be sanitized after each use. In the event that it is warranted, trainers are also prepared to change clothing.
• We encourage mask-wearing as much as possible as it cuts the risk of COVID transmission tremendously, protecting both the clients and trainers. And also understand that prolonged mask-wearing while sweating bears its own bacterial health issues as well. With this in mind, masks will be OPTIONAL only in the gym and cardio room during intensive activity and trust that both trainers and clients will make the most responsible choice per situation.

In closing:
In addition to these new protocols, all Ampersand practitioners continue to tend to their own health and wellness, committed to boosting their immunities in a variety of ways. We know it is not just enough to take caution through these times of uncertainty as we continue to gain more knowledge about this virus. Rather it is vital more than ever to focus our efforts congruently to boosting our immune systems to be the strongest we can be. We know that our combined services promote this endeavor and ache to return to this fight!

Lastly, we implore you, will you extend us your patience and support as we return to you and these new protocols? We feel their weight, understand their importance, and feel our hearts aching to stay open and in practice as long as possible. It is our goal to remain informed, that as threats mitigate and policies can change, we will change with them.

Will you also remember that we all have open lines of communication? So, as we go, will you please offer us your feedback, suggestions, or questions?

To close, we find it important to share that we labored over many choices designed to promote safety, health, and comfort to the best of our abilities. We take the responsibility of these choices seriously and hope they land, offering peace to your hearts and security to your minds!

In Love,
Team Ampersand