Hello Treasured,
I pray this finds you and yours are doing well and staying safe in these current times. Whether you are in a position of being temporarily laid off, telecommuting, isolation, or in a position of working as normal; I know the entire world feels upside down right now.
As you are aware, per Oregon’s Executive Order 20-12, Healing Treasures Massage is currently closed to appointments in order to ethically participate in lessening the curve of this virus. The collateral fall out being that with all of the stress and changes, you are probably feeling that chronic ache and stiffness creep in. It is an unfortunate present circumstance for sure. I care deeply about your health and well being, and personally I greatly miss being part of your wellness and self care journey. To help in that avenue, if you have not subscribed to my business facebook page, may I invite you to do so. You can find me by typing this into the search 
@HealingTreasuresMassageTherapy
 I will be posting helps and tips and checking in every couple of days while we are encouraged to shelter in place. If there is a specific aid or technique that you would like help with, please let me know and I will see what I can do. We all deserve to feel good and as mobile as possible in our bodies.
Some of you have asked about purchasing Healing Treasures Massage gift certificates for future appointments. I know the finances of these days can be weighted, but if you feel you would like to do that now to provide for later, then it would be a huge blessing on your end as well as mine. To that aspect, I have activated a convenient "Gift Certificate" button on my web page. You can access it by going here:
HealingTreasuresMassageTherapy.com 
I also want to share the beautiful information that I have placed below in this letter. A wonderful colleague of mine wrote this out and I think it is a great reminder of the things we need.
Skin hunger is a real thing and can lead to increased feelings of anxiety and depression as well as other health concerns. We produce a hormone called oxytocin that relieves stress and makes us feel good. The easiest way to get oxytocin is from safe skin on skin contact. Even a friendly handshake can create a spike of this hormone, but hugs produce even more. Other ways of creating this feel-good hormone can be:
*Petting and snuggling your pet. Don’t have a pet, but always wanted the free time to train/acclimate one? The Oregon Humane Society, the Pixie Project, and other nonprofits would love for you to contact them!
*Taking a hot shower or bath, then taking the time to put on lotion/cream afterwards.  Not just a luxury, lotions help us maintain a healthy barrier to minimize entrance of pathogens (remember 6th-grade Science class? The biggest organ in the body is the skin).
*Eating a warm meal. Why the focus on warm? From Eastern medicine, we learn that warm foods can dispel the influences of “damp" and “cold" (lots of this in cooped-up stressful times).
*Laughter. Watch your favorite “funnies" with ZERO guilt. It’s now medically necessary!
*Seeing pictures of fond memories. Memory can be stored at the cellular level, releasing pleasant memories can alter our physical experience.
*Giving and sharing of ourselves—financially to a nonprofit, if you can, yet also offering a smile and wave to a stranger as we keep our social distance on walking paths/at the pharmacy/etc., can have a mood-boosting effect for both the recipient *and* you! It’s called the feel-good hormone for a reason. So, even though we cannot touch, we can connect to others and ourselves, to feel a little bit better.
*Fresh air and movement. If pain and disability is not allowing you to “take a hike", put on your favorite music and wiggle your toes, your ankles, wave your hands, shift your hips (even in your seat!). Open a window. Sit on your patio, if you have one. If you do have the ability to move (slowly, quickly, no one’s judging), get out there! While social distancing, of course…
As always, I am here for you. I pray encouraged joy for you and I know we will weather through all of this.  Be safe, be well, and know you are always treasured.

Yours,
Julie Haugen
LMT 24125
Healing Treasures Massage LLC
juliehaugenlmt@gmail.com

March 17, 2020
Concerning COVID19
 
I know you have received many emails and communications in this last week concerning the COVID19 virus and its implications. Please, I ask for your attention a moment in reading thru what I have to share.
 
It is with deep and careful consideration that I have come to the decision to not offer massage appointments, both in office as well as mobile out-call. This goes in effect today, March 17th.  It is a decision that is completely not based in fear but one of careful protection to you.  I provide appointments for many who are immune compromised with chronic conditions. As soon as we are passed this crisis, I will be open again.
Here are the key elements that have brought me to this decision:
 

• We are learning more about COVID19 as each day passes. It is a formidable virus with many implications (this is so much more than a cold or other flu strain) that has the ability to put many types of people in health danger.  
• The CDC advises 6 feet of bubble space in between people because the virus is airborne in the moisture of our breath as well as on surfaces of direct contact. The CDC also advises that much of the population can be carriers without outward symptoms.
• In our state, our governor has mandated that businesses can practice as long as they can minimize interpersonal contact.
• In Washington, the governor has mandated that massage can still happen only if it is of medical necessity.
• California has also mandated that all massage be halted at this time to help slow the curve of exposure.

 
While you and I both know I provide medical therapeutic massage that offers opportunity to shift how you feel both physically and emotionally; it is not a necessity. No matter how careful I am to always clean my office and prepare a perfect place for you, we are sharing air together in breath work. No matter how I strategize, I cannot effectively provide a massage session without breaking that 6 feet of interpersonal space.   You know my heart.  It would be an indescribable tragedy if someone contracted this virus from being in my office.
 
Does this mean that Healing Treasures Massage is going away?
Absolutely not. I am completely here for you and not going anywhere.  As soon as the ban is lifted I will be scheduling appointments again.  Until then, I will be working on other aspects of my business like computer files, creative ideas, looking for different things I can provide as a help to you,  as well as diving in to other ways I can personally help within my community.
 
As the days go on and you think of ways I can offer assistance in your realm, please let me know. Is there a certain stretch you want to know how to make more effective? Or how do you get to that knot building up in an area? Would you like different ideas to de-stress in this temporary world change?   If you have question about it then chances are someone else is wondering the same. Let me know and I will do all I can in videos to help out.
 
Financially the next few months has the potential to be a strain on many. To help you, if you would like to pre-purchase sessions to have on hold for when the ban is lifted, that is available to all of my clients here at Healing Treasures Massage.
 
As I said before, these decisions are not based in fear but are made for your benefit in slowing the curve and keeping you safe. It could completely be that once the virus has fizzled out and we all sit around going “hmmm that wasn’t so bad.” That would truly mean that we got ahead of the curve.
 
I miss you already and I know we will get through all of this together. Stay calm and safe. Hug your loves, because no matter what world we are in – those hugs always matter.
 
Gratefully and prayerfully,
 
Julie Haugen
Healing Treasures Massage LLC
HealingTreasuresMassageTherapy.com
Fb: @HealingTreasuresMassageTherapy