As a massage therapist with your own business, it’s sensible to reduce your financial risks by investing in Massage Liability Insurance. This type of insurance covers your business for public, professional and product liabilities and can be customised to your exact needs. It’s important to understand that not all insurance providers cover all massage treatments (lymphatic drainage is often excluded), which is why you need to discuss your needs with your insurance provider.
If you are not convinced that you need to protect your business with Massage Liability Insurance, here are five scenarios that might help you change your mind.
Claims of poor advice
As a qualified and experienced massage therapist, you are expected to have a certain amount of expertise in treating and advising your clients. If one of your clients accuses you of providing incorrect advice or breaching your professional duty, claims can be laid against your business. These claims can be of negligence, malpractice or professional misconduct. To reduce your risks, if these accusations are brought against your business, you need Professional Indemnity Insurance, which covers your legal and court costs, loss of earnings and settlement costs.
Claims of injury or property damage
If a client, guest, visitor or supplier injures themselves in your salon, they can make a claim against your business. Scenarios can include slipping on a wet or oily floor, burns from hot oil spills or bruises from a forceful massage treatment. Your business can also be responsible for property damage, for example if your salon catches fire and damages the next door property or you damage your sprinkler system which then floods next door. To reduce your risks of these types of claims, you need another type of Massage Liability Insurance, namely, Public Liability Insurance, as it covers third party injuries and property damage.
Claims of selling a product that causes injury or property damage
Liability Insurance also covers your business if a client accuses you of selling a product that causes them injury or damages their property. For example, you may sell a massage oil to a client that creates blisters on their skin. To reduce your risk as a reseller of third party products or as a producer of your own products, your business needs Products Liability Insurance. This insurance however, may not cover you if you create your own products and sell them anywhere else but in your salon. If you want to sell your products online or distribute them via a third party, speak to one of the Salonsure insurance specialists for a customised package.
These three insurances - Professional Indemnity, Public Liability and Products Liability - are essential for all massage therapy salon owners. There are also other insurances however, that can help to reduce other types of financial risks. These include Cyber Insurance, Worker’s Compensation (if you employ other staff in your salon), Business Interruption Insurance, and Personal Accident & Illness Insurance.
If you are a massage therapist and you either own your own business or are considering opening your own business, why not get in touch with one of our insurance specialists? We can help you to reduce your financial risks with a tailored insurance package to suit your business needs.
