As of Friday, 13 November 2020, I am officially a Certified Nutrition Coach!  I completed the self-study program through Precision Nutrition and am excited to be able to offer this service to my clients.  My goal has always been to "change the world one person at a time through healing and health," as it says in both my bio and on my personal and business Facebook pages, and by adding nutrition coaching to my offerings I can continue to help my clients in an ever-expanding lens of holistic care.  A la carte services and packages will be added to the website shortly, so keep an eye out for that!

According to the business guidance of NY Executive Order 202.68, "medically necessary massage therapy" is now considered an essential health care operation and may continue to be practiced in both orange and red zones.  This was further expounded upon by the American Massage Therapy Association-NY Chapter in an emailed statement that can be read here.
This brings such joy to my heart, because it seems that my profession is finally starting to be recognized by the medical field as a legitimate health service and not just a "froufrou" leisure expense.  My passion has always been to work through a holistic lens, primarily with clients who are living with chronic pain and seeking pain management and reduction; recovering from accidents, injuries, or surgeries; or ready to release their traumas and experience true healing.  During this uncertain time, I have been presented with an opportunity to pivot - to refocus my business, to rebrand, to reach my target demographic in an even better way.  Even though 2020 has admittedly been a dumpster fire of a year for most of us, I am grateful for this inspiration and opportunity to grow.
With all the above being said, general relaxation massage sessions - namely Full-Body Swedish Massages and Hot Stone Massages - and in-person energy healing sessions (not including add-ons) are temporarily suspended until Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.  My in-person therapeutic massage and myofascial release offerings are still available, as well as energy healing and kineseology taping add-ons.  For clients who are uncomfortable receiving in-person treatment at this time, I do have distance healing and myofascial stretch sessions available.
Any Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday relaxation session purchases will be loaded onto the client's account to be redeemed after Covid restrictions have been lifted.

 I am elated to announce that I will be reopening on Sunday, August 2nd!  It has been a long and hard 4+ months of being closed and not being able to work on you, my beloved clients, but upon receiving the shipping notification of my very last back-ordered PPE today, I can finally schedule the reopening of my doors!

With that being said, there are of course new COVID-19 Policies and Procedures in place.  Please review those here before scheduling an appointment.

For anyone who is uneasy about hands-on, in-person work during this difficult time, I am offering Remote Myofascial Stretch and Distance Energy Healing sessions.

I can't wait to see you all back on my table!

After much tough deliberation, I have made the decision to temporarily close my doors. Those of you that know me well know that this was an incredibly hard decision, though I feel a necessary one to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Helping others on their healing journeys is my passion, and being a hands-on agent of healing who can’t do hands-on healing right now is devastating.

The temporary closure will be re-evaluated at the end of March, at which time I will decide - based off what’s going on locally with the pandemic - whether reopening my doors would be safe. The absolute last thing I want to do is unknowingly spread the virus to my clients; I care about you all too much.
If you would still like to support me during this time, I do offer Distance Energy Healing sessions. I also have gift certificates, massage packages, and MFR packages that can be purchased now for use at a later time.

Please stay safe and as healthy as you can, everyone. Stay hydrated. Wash your hands. Reach out to your family, friends, neighbors, acquaintances. I’ll be posting live videos from my personal and business Facebook pages to help lighten the mood a little, to do what I can to bring you another type of healing. If I can’t figure out how to screen share in Facebook Like videos, I may start hosting Zoom meetings so we can all still be social while at the same time practicing social distancing and being in various levels of isolation and quarantine.

I love you. Stay safe.

Kristina N. Murray, LMT, and Ouroboros Massage want to respect the health and well-being of all clients and guests. As a healthcare professional, I am following strict CDC guidelines for the Coronavirus outbreak and ask for you to keep in mind this series of questions that are Health Care Industry standards before coming into your appointment:

1) In the last 14 days, have you or anyone you have been in contact with felt ill, are currently sick, or been sick with any of the following:

• Flu like symptoms
• Sneezing
• Coughing
• Stomach ache/pain/stomach flu
• Fever

2) Have you used any public transportation; i.e. airplane, taxi, bus, subway, ride share (Uber, Lyft) etc. in the last 2 weeks?
3) Have you or anyone close to you, i.e. within your household, been out of the country or state in the last 2 weeks?

If any of the above questions resonate with you, I ask that you kindly reschedule your appointment for a minimum of 21 days (incubation period) after your currently scheduled appointment.

Please give as much notice as possible if you need to reschedule, but as stated in the previous post I have suspended my late cancellation policy for the time being so as to not penalize clients who have suddenly found that they are ill or uncomfortable traveling in the current atmosphere.

I will also be asking all clients to wash their hands upon arrival, for both their safety and mine.  Failure to comply may result in cancellation of the scheduled appointment.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Ouroboros Massage is committed to keeping clients healthy and happy during their healing journeys, and I wanted to share what I’m doing in response to any concerns my clients may have about the Coronavirus and my healing studio. Aside from normal healthcare profession protocols (hand washing, fresh sheets for each client, etc.), the following cleaning and sanitizing precautions have been instituted:

• All door handles and light switches that clients may come into contact with will be wiped down between each client. This includes the front door, bathroom door and switch, and massage studio door and switch, and the stairway railing.
• The bathroom counter and toilet, and the massage studio chairs and countertop will be wiped down between each client.
• As always, clean sheets are used for each client. The table covers and living room chairs will also be sprayed down and cleaned with an alcohol mixture between clients.
• Thieves essential oil, which was already being used for cold/flu season, will continue to be used in the diffuser until further notice/while supply lasts.
• There are six different types of soap in the bathroom for clients to use (I know, a little overkill), as well as a roll of paper towels to dry hands with. Clients are still welcome to dry their hands with the hand towel, but I thought giving the option of one-use paper towels would also be a good idea during this time. An extra trash can is now available in the bathroom in front of the sink to throw away used paper towels.
  

For the time being, I am suspending my White Glove Luxury Service and Chair Massage services. As I can only guarantee cleaning and sanitizing protocols within my home studio, I believe it is within my clients’ and my best interest not to travel to client locations so that we can all stay healthy and stop the potential spread of germs/coronavirus before it starts.

I am also suspending my late cancellation policy for the time being. It is not my desire to penalize clients who may have to cancel or reschedule appointments due to finding out they are ill. Please help me keep my space and all my clients as healthy as possible by rescheduling or canceling your appointment if you have any symptoms of illness, COVID-19 or otherwise.

I am committed to doing my part in keeping my clients as healthy as possible during this time, and I am continually honored to be your chosen and trusted massage and Myofascial Release therapist.

If you are worried about going out but would still like to support me and my small business, gift certificates are available! Purchase one for yourself or for others by calling (716) 396-0060 or emailing [email protected]. I can make up a PDF version and email it to you for you to use at a future date.

Please, stay as healthy as you can. Wash your hands, hydrate, and get plenty of rest. Practice social distancing if necessary.  We can get through this together.

Many of you know that I fully approve of consenting “alternative” lifestyles, and that my space is one of acceptance, non-judgment, and healing.  As of today, I am officially listed in the NCSF’s Kink and Poly Aware Professionals Directory.  This is a “service offered by NCSF dedicated to providing the community with a listing of psychotherapeutic, medical, legal and other professionals who have stated that they are knowledgeable about and sensitive to diverse expressions of sexuality.”

NCSF Mission Statement
“The NCSF is committed to creating a political, legal and social environment in the US that advances equal rights for consenting adults who engage in alternative sexual and relationship expressions.  The NCSF aims to advance the rights of, and advocate for consenting adults in the BDSM-Leather-Fetish, Swing, and Polyamory Communities.  We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach, in conjunction with our partners, to directly benefit these communities.”

I believe, and thus my business also believes, that everyone has the right to live, love, and express themselves as they see fit, as long as all parties are consenting and of legal age.  Consent is my #1 rule, after all.  If you live an “alternative” lifestyle and have been wary about visiting a massage therapist or bodyworker because you don’t want to explain that those marks/scratches/bruises/etc. were from a fun and consensual evening, because you’re in the middle of transitioning, or because you want to gab about all your partners, you can rest easy knowing that I am Kink-, Poly-, and Alternative-Aware, and will not judge you.

Does this change anything about the services I offer or how I interact with my current and new clients?  Not at all!  This is simply a public proclamation that I am accepting of all walks of life, and that you can feel comfortable and safe coming to me for professional healing work.

Though this should go without saying: my services are still and always will be strictly professional and performed within the scope of practice for the health and medical field. Making the above announcement does not change that fact, and requesting “extra” services will get you banned and blocked. Thank you in advance for respecting me as both an individual and a healthcare professional.