FAQs

While each room looks a little bit different and varies in size, they are all similar

  • We use very high quality lotion, we tried many different ones and after serving over 10,200+ clients we have not seen an allergic reaction to the lotion. The lotion feels very nice, some even say it is similar to oil but it is easy to clean off after treatment leaving your clothes spotless whereas with oil it’s easy to have permanent stains on your clothes unless you are very careful or shower after treatment.

  • While we do offer deep tissue and relaxation massages, we are a clinic first (hence the name Clinic Therapy) that focuses on treating pain. We use a very nice feeling lotion that is easy to clean off after treatment making a shower pointless, therefore we do not have showers. Depending on your condition, no lotion may be needed at all. Also, taking clothes off is completely optional, many clients prefer to keep them on. Having clothes on or off does not change the effectiveness of treatment.

  • Deep Tissue RMT Massage for relief, Therapeutic massage to treat body pain, Sports RMT Massage, Pre & Post-Natal RMT Massage for soon to be and new moms, RMT Relaxation Massage (Swedish Massage) (including feet)

  • You may book any therapist. You may look at their are of focus, what languages they speak and their strength for deep tissue massage by visiting our Registered Massage Therapists page.

  • All of our RMT Richmond BC practitioners speak fluent English. Some also speak Mandarin (and Taiwanese Mandarin) as well as Cantonese. Also there is French and Filipino. Please check the page with every single of our registered massage therapist listed that will show which languages they speak and what other specialties they have.

  • All of our receptionists speak English, many speak Mandarin and some speak Cantonese. Currently on weekdays usually (but not always) till 2:30pm reception speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese, after 2:30pm on weekdays only English. Weekends - usually English and Mandarin (but not always Mandarin).

  • If it is your first visit with us - we highly suggest to arrive 20 minutes early (or at least 15 minutes) to find parking and fill out any paperwork if it’s needed (unless you fill it out online - within 1-5 minutes of making the appointment you will receive an email with an intake form that you can easily complete online with your computer or your phone). Please note if you would like us to submit your insurance claim on your behalf, there will be one more form required to give us permission to submit the claim on your behalf.

  • Please read our comprehensive explanation of RMT direct billing massage, it will answer all of your questions. Please note that you are responsible for knowing how much coverage you have, insurance companies do not share that information with us (except ICBC). Usually checking your coverage is as simple as logging in to your online account on your insurance company’s website.

  • Yes, our relaxation massage option and deep tissue massage option - almost every RMT therapist we have does both (strength varies based on the therapist)

  • Many body pains, from very common (back, shoulder, knee, ankle, wrist, neck, etc) to very rare. See all 56 conditions that massage can treat

  • Definitely not. Unfortunately having an invoice not under the person receiving the treatment is insurance fraud.

  • Tipping is never expected.

  • Any ideas for improvement are ALWAYS very welcome! We are always looking for feedback and ways to improve - we always want you to have a 5 star experience. If you have not, please email us at info@clinictherapy.com and we will resolve the situation as soon as possible.

  • Yes, all clients have free 3 hour parking available inside of Pacific Plaza. Simply park anywhere where it doesn’t say “reserved”. There are also a few 1 hour and 30 minute spots. If it is not marked, it means it is a 3 hour spot (which is most of the spots). Usually there are spots available on the ground floor (our clinic is on the ground floor), if you can’t find any spots on the ground floor, there are two more levels upstairs.

  • Absolutely! We are a clinic, we make NO exceptions EVER, each client ALWAYS has a set of clean and fully washed sheets, we use Heavy Duty mode on the washers and choose the longest washing cycle with a very high spin setting to make the sheets ULTRA clean and we use the highest possible amount of detergent to not have a leak (too much detergent will expand itself a lot creating a small leak through the door of the washer). We then dry all of the sheets in a dryer on a very high temperature setting for extra disinfection. On top of all of that, with lysol wipes we disinfect all commonly touched hard surfaces including the massage table and only once the massage table has been disinfected we put on a new set of clean sheets.

  • Registered Massage Therapist or Registered Massage Therapy - Registered Massage Therapists are required to go through 2200 hours of training and practice (which takes 2 - 3 years) and then they have to pass very difficult final board exams, only then a person becomes a registered massage therapist. The school is very hard and demanding and all students are expected to learn the human body very well to be able to provide a clinic massage, not just a relaxation massage or a deep tissue massage. Many people that enroll into a registered massage therapy school quit in the beginning of it as they find it too difficult and too demanding.

  • You can keep your clothes on (this will make the treatment slightly longer) or you may keep them off. Please note that underwear must always be kept on no matter what the treatment is. Women can choose to keep or take their bras on or off when lying face down (the therapist will leave the room until you are ready).

  • Please ask your registered massage therapist for specific recommendations. Generally people come back weekly, once every two weeks or monthly. If you are suffering from a recent injury, some people come back as often as daily (especially after a car accident involving ICBC insurance, they give unlimited sessions that you can use once a day until you are fully recovered).

  • We provide invoices for every treatment, you are welcome to submit the invoices to MSP or WCB by yourself (you would have to pay for the full price upfront). Unfortunately MSP and WCB (Work Safe BC) coverage is extremely low (often only about 20% of the treatment price is covered), we had people upset how come their coverage is so low (about which we cannot do anything), so to avoid any potential conflict a decision has been made to not do any direct billing to MSP or Work Safe BC. But again, you are welcome to pay out of pocket and submit the invoices yourself (expect your coverage to be low).

  • All of our therapists (except Elana Wu where you will have to submit the invoices yourself) offer Pacific Blue Cross direct billing massage (the most popular option), Canada Life direct billing massage (also very popular), Sun Life Direct Billing massage (quite popular - occasionally some plans require a medical prescription), Manulife direct billing massage (very good coverage usually), Green Shield Canada direct billing massage. We also offer RMT direct billing massage to many other companies, see the full list here and read everything you need to know about direct billing here.

  • Most companies, generally we only do not directly bill to MSP and WCB, please see our full list of direct billing companies here and read all that is important to know about direct billing here.

I have extended health benefits with two different insurance companies, can you submit both of them for me or only one?

Unfortunately we can only submit to one company per client (except if both policies are Pacific Blue Cross - read more about Blue Cross Direct Billing). 

We can submit to one company and provide an invoice which then you can submit to your second insurer.

The reason for this is, they almost never give us an immediate clear response, because many of them have to be reviewed manually by an insurance company making it difficult to correctly charge the client.

What is your cancellation policy?

Generally at least a 24 hour notice is required or a full treatment price will be charged for missed appointments (please see our booking page for the latest most up to date cancellation policies for each appointment type). All of our therapists generally are fully booked and a cancellation creates a hole in their schedule which is very difficult to fill with less than a 24 hour notice, because most clients book weeks in advance and plan ahead when they want to come.

What is your pricing?

For the most up to date pricing, please visit our RMT Richmond BC Online Booking page. 

Is Registered Massage Therapy covered by extended health benefits?

Yes, most extended health benefit plans include Registered Massage Therapy. Please read our guide to RMT Massage Direct billing for more complete information

What are your work hours?

Please note we may not always pick up the phone during our work hours as during some of the hours we work without reception, email is usually the best way to contact us. You can generally book appointments between 9am to 9pm, some of the days appointments are available as early as 8am. We are usually open on statutory holidays except Christmas and New Year. It’s best to email us instead of leaving a voicemail, as emails are checked more often.

What is the best way to contact the clinic?

Email at info@clinictherapy.com is the best way to contact us. Calling is also a good way, voice mail would be the worst (please email instead of leaving a voicemail, because on the days we work without reception voice mails will be checked the next day we have reception while email is usually checked multiple times per day even when we have no reception).

Are rooms ventilated with fresh air?

Yes! We invested in an HRV system which takes stuffy inside air to outside and then takes fresh air from outside to inside while making it the same temperature as that of the inside air through a complex very efficient heat exchange system. Our room air quality usually feels really great after the system has been installed. Without such a system the rooms would get stuffy and the air would feel as bad as in many gyms, but no more! The air is great now.

Will I be disturbed by noise from other rooms? How soundproof are the rooms?

During our 2021 renovation we invested tens of thousands of dollars to make the rooms soundproof. If you are in a middle in between two other treatment rooms, if you really listen and pay attention, you might hear insignificant mumbling without being able to make out the words, none of our therapists said that they can make out conversations in rooms next to them, it would only be the case if someone is loud. Each room also has music, which makes the room feel more private and cozy.

Do you have air conditioning & massage table warmers?

Yes! During summers we use air conditioning to keep the rooms cool and when it gets cold every massage table is equipped with a massage table warmer to keep you very cosy and warm.

Are the lights in the treatment rooms dimmable? Will they shine into my eyes?

All treatment room lights are dimmable and turned AWAY from the client, it feels very comfortable, you never see the lights directly. During our 2021 renovation we redesigned light placement to make the treatments much more comfortable.

Is music played in the treatment rooms?

Yes! While some therapists use the default clinic playlist, some play their own choice of music.

Can music be turned off during treatment?

Yes, simply ask your therapist

Can I play my own music during treatment?

We have found that this sometimes can significantly shorten the session time, due to taking too much time selecting ideal music. Because we are a clinic first and NOT A SPA, we do not offer such an option to keep the treatment quality high.

What is the positioning of the air vents, will the air blow straight into my body during treatment?

The air will never blow straight into you. We redesigned air vent placement during our 2021 renovation to make sure air vents are placed away from the massage table providing full comfort during treatment.