Clean environment: Therapists massaging customers at a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya. — AZHAR MAHFOF/The Star
PETALING JAYA: As the spa and wellness industry gradually rebounds following an extended closure due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is now faced with another concern – monkeypox.
Despite there being no confirmed cases in Malaysia to date, industry players are not letting up on their vigilance against any potential outbreak due to the physical nature of their work.
Apart from retaining Covid-19 protocols, they say turning away customers with cuts or rashes is also a possibility to minimise the risk of contracting monkeypox for both staff and potential clients.
Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spa (Mawspa) president Dorothea Justin Moduying said that centres registered with the association still used appointment-based systems and did not accept walk-in customers.
“Upon receiving their booking request, we will then issue an assessment form they are required to fill in and declare their health status prior to coming,” she said.
She added that some customers who have rashes on their bodies would be advised by therapists to receive medical treatment first.
Moduying said all therapists working at Mawspa-registered wellness centres were required to wear gloves and face masks when providing treatment.
“We still perform temperature checks for customers, which has been our norm even before the pandemic, to ensure they are not feverish.
“Towels are also changed for each customer, with the used ones being soaked in high-temperature water before being rinsed with a special detergent,” she said.
She also advised patrons intending to receive wellness treatment to only do so at centres authorised by the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
“Our centres similarly have staff who have undergone a 16-month training programme under the Skills Development Department of the Human Resources Ministry.
“This ensures patrons are handled by professionals,” she said.
Malaysian Association of Therapists Industrial Development president Baskaran Kosthi said precautionary measures such as wearing of masks and gloves would be maintained.
“Customers who come in with cuts or scabs will unfortunately be turned away, no matter how adamant they are about getting our services.
“We cannot compromise on safety,” he said.
Baskaran added that even staff members with flesh wounds would be asked to take a minimum of three days’ leave to ensure the wound was fully healed before returning to work.
“We will issue these directives to ensure everyone within the industry is aware of best practices amid the monkeypox situation,” he said.
Physiotherapists are also taking steps to minimise any risk of spreading the disease.
Precise Rehab co-founder Ong Lip Qin said their measures would be akin to Covid-19 protocols, such as wearing a full suit of personal protective equipment (PPE) when providing treatment.
“Given that we provide exclusively manual therapy here, the practise of wearing PPE while providing treatment is not something out of the norm,” he said.
