Fall 2026 MassageBook Client Information & Policies
PLEASE READ ALL SECTIONS IN THEIR ENTIRETY BEFORE BOOKING
Welcome to SUNY Niagara's Student Massage Therapy Clinic. We're excited to welcome you back and invite new clients into our newly relocated clinic space for the Fall 2026 semester! Appointments are now open for Fall 2026, with our first clinic day being Friday, September 4, 2026. We look forward to serving our community while providing valuable hands-on learning opportunities for our massage therapy students.
Our clinic suite is now located in Room C-122 on the first floor of the C-Building (Science Building) at the Sanborn Campus. (Updated photos with directions coming soon).
Clinic clients may park in Lot 5 on the back side of campus. There is no charge for parking, and you do not need a parking permit. Handicap parking is available in Lot 7.
The parking and building entrance remain the same. After entering from the back of the building, continue straight down the hallway to the left. When you reach the end of the hallway, turn left. The clinic will be located on the left-hand side.
SCHEDULING
Massage therapy appointments for the Fall 2026 semester are available from 10:15am-1:15pm on Mondays and Fridays only. Please note that we cannot deviate from these times as all clinic sessions are held during the students' scheduled class time. We cannot provide earlier or later appointment times and we can only accommodate a limited number of appointments each day.
ALL APPOINTMENTS MUST BE BOOKED AT 15 MINUTES PAST THE HOUR, REGARDLESS OF WHAT TIMES ARE SHOWING ON THE CALENDAR (example: 10:15am or 11:15am)! Appointments booked to start at any other time will be adjusted to begin at :15 past the hour to maximize the students' schedules.
All massage therapy sessions are by appointment only. All appointments must be made online. Walk-ins are not accepted. Same-day appointments are not guaranteed, so please schedule in advance.
Returning clients MUST schedule their own appointments online. Clinic staff and students cannot make appointments on behalf of returning clients.
If you are a new client and are unable to schedule online, please call the clinic at (716) 614-6857 and a staff member will assist you with scheduling your initial appointment.
Due to the overwhelming response and demand for clinic appointments, all clients are currently limited to ONE appointment per month. This policy allows us to accommodate as many members of our community as possible while providing our students with a diverse clinical experience. We will continue to evaluate clinic demand and appointment availability and will provide updates if this policy changes in the future.
Clients are not permitted to schedule appointments under their name for another individual. Each appointment must be booked using the name and information of the person who will be receiving the massage. Accurate client information is required for scheduling, intake documentation, health histories, and clinic records.
PLEASE NOTE:
If more than one appointment is scheduled per client within a calendar month, or if an appointment is booked under one person's name for another individual, the clinical staff reserves the right to cancel any additional appointments without notice, as necessary.
We have a 30-day booking window in place. Appointments may only be scheduled up to 30 days in advance from today's date.
When booking, please note the following:
- If you do not receive a confirmation email from MassageBook, your appointment did not go through.
- All clients can book online, whether new or returning.
- If you receive a notification that new clients need to call to schedule, this generally means someone else was attempting to book the same time slot and it is no longer available. This is an issue on MassageBook's end, not ours. Please try another time slot. If the problem persists, please call (716) 614-6857.
Please review our list of safety restrictions at the end of this page before booking. Also, please see our Cancellation/No-Show Policy below for more information on what to do if you cannot make your appointment.
THE DAY OF YOUR APPOINTMENT
Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment time in order to check in with our clinic instructor and complete any necessary paperwork or updates. Please provide your student therapist with as much relevant information as possible. Cell phones should be silenced or turned off.
Please note: Intake forms, health histories, consent forms, client policy acknowledgements, and other required clinic documents are now completed online through MassageBook. Please complete all required documentation prior to your appointment so your student therapist has an opportunity to review your information before your session. If you are unable to complete the documents online prior to your appointment, please notify the clinical staff upon arrival so we can assist you.
The student therapist will bring you back into the clinic, conduct their pre-treatment interview, and provide any instructions. Once they leave the room so you can prepare, please get on the table as quickly as possible. During the massage, the clinic instructor may enter briefly to observe the student therapist's work. Please be sure to communicate with your student therapist. After the session, please re-dress as quickly as possible so they may conduct their post-treatment interview.
Please note that, with the exception of the first appointment of the day, your appointment start time maybe a few minutes later than what is scheduled. Our students require at least 5 minutes between clients to turn their room over. Please be patient as our students become accustomed to the process.
Clinic sessions provide approximately 50 minutes of hands-on massage time, allowing students adequate time for intake, treatment planning, room turnover, documentation, and educational requirements.
Late arrivals or clients requiring additional time to get on or off the table will have time deducted from their hands-on session because we cannot extend appointments due to scheduling constraints.
CLINIC CLOSURES
The clinic will be closed on all days that the college is closed. This includes observed holidays as well as winter, spring, and summer breaks. In the event of inclement weather, please check the SUNY Niagara website and/or local media closure announcements before heading to your appointment. If classes are cancelled, the clinic is also closed.
COST / TIPS / GRATUITIES / GIFTS
All massages are free and tips are not permitted. While we appreciate your generosity, New York State law prohibits massage therapy students from accepting gratuities or gifts of any kind. This includes cash, gift cards, food items, candy, and other gifts.
Gratuities left for students will be confiscated by the supervising instructor and returned to the client at their next visit or via USPS mail. Students may also be dismissed from the Massage Therapy Program if they are found to have accepted gifts or gratuities.
If you had an excellent session, please feel free to show your appreciation with a positive review for your student therapist.
CAMPUS FOOD PANTRY DONATIONS
As part of SUNY Niagara's commitment to giving back to our local community, we would also like to support members of our campus community.
While all massage therapy sessions remain free of charge, we invite clients to consider bringing a non-perishable food item(s) for the SUNY Niagara Food Pantry.
Many SUNY Niagara students live on campus and rely on the food pantry for assistance during their academic journey. Donations are completely voluntary but greatly appreciated and directly benefit fellow members of the SUNY Niagara community.
STUDENT FEEDBACK
At the conclusion of your session, you will be provided with a feedback form. We encourage you to provide honest and constructive feedback regarding your experience. Your feedback is an important component of the educational process and helps our students continue to develop their clinical skills, professionalism, communication, and client-care abilities.
Please provide truthful feedback so that our students can learn, grow, and better serve future clients. Thank you for supporting their educational journey and helping them become the next generation of massage therapists.
CLINIC RULES AND SAFETY RESTRICTIONS
For your safety, please note the following restrictions:
1. PREGNANCY
Massage is generally considered safe during all trimesters when performed by a properly trained therapist. Because our students have not received advanced prenatal training, we cannot currently accept clients during their first trimester (weeks 0-13). Clients in the second or third trimester may be seen; however, a physician's clearance may be required for any high-risk pregnancy. Massage is contraindicated in cases of pre-eclampsia.
2. MOBILITY ISSUES
Clients with mobility issues must be able to maneuver themselves on and off the massage table. We do not have access to Hoyer lifts and students are not trained to perform transfers. Positioning adaptations may be available when appropriate.
3. DIAGNOSES REQUIRING MD CLEARANCE
Clients diagnosed with cancer (current or within 12 months of treatment), blood clotting disorders, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, uncontrolled hypertension, recent surgery, neuropathy, pitting edema, joint replacement, or similar conditions must provide a physician's note stating massage therapy is safe before their first appointment. If unsure, please call (716) 614-6857.
4. INJECTIONS
Clients receiving injections of any kind may not receive massage therapy within 72 hours of the injection due to potential circulatory effects. Please schedule accordingly.
5. ACUTE ILLNESS OR INFECTION
If you are sick, have a fever, or have an active infection, please cancel and reschedule. Clients must be fever-free for 24 hours without medication and on antibiotics for at least 24 hours before receiving massage. If you attempt to come in sick, we will cancel your appointment and send you home.
6. ACUTE INJURY
Clients who have experienced a major injury within 30 days of their appointment must provide a physician's note stating that massage therapy is safe. Without documentation, your appointment will be cancelled.
7. ANIMAL BITES
Any animal bite that breaks the skin requires physician clearance before treatment.
8. MEDICATION OR SUBSTANCE USE
Clients who are unable to provide informed consent due to medications, alcohol, recreational substances, or any impairing condition will have their appointment cancelled and will not be treated.
9. INFORMED CONSENT
Failure to complete required paperwork and signatures constitutes failure to provide informed consent and may result in cancellation of your appointment.
10. PERSONAL HYGIENE
Please observe good personal hygiene practices prior to your massage. Significant hygiene concerns may require appointment rescheduling.
NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
Our clinic does not discriminate in providing massage therapy services based on race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender identity, religion, personal beliefs, or sexual orientation.
ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY
Our clinic maintains a zero-tolerance policy regarding bullying, harassment, inappropriate conduct, and abusive behavior. Violations will result in immediate termination of the session and discharge from the clinic.
RIGHT OF REFUSAL POLICY
SUNY Niagara student therapists are afforded the Right of Refusal and may terminate a session at any time with just and reasonable cause, including violations of clinic policies, contraindications under New York State law, or conditions deemed unsafe for massage therapy without appropriate medical clearance.
CANCELLATION / LATE ARRIVAL / NO-SHOW POLICY
Our students are required by New York State law to complete 150 hours of clinical practicum work to be eligible to sit for the state licensing examination. Hours are only awarded when students are working directly with clients.
Last-minute cancellations, no-call/no-shows, and late arrivals negatively affect students' ability to complete educational requirements and graduate on time. We understand emergencies happen; however, if you cannot attend your appointment, please cancel online as soon as possible so we may offer the appointment to another client.
Clients who repeatedly cancel with less than 24 hours notice, are frequently late by 10 minute or more, or no-show for their appointments will be discharged from the clinic and prohibited from scheduling future appointments after three offenses.
If you are unable to cancel online, please send us a message through MassageBook or call (716) 614-6857 and we will be happy to assist you.
We are excited to welcome you to our Fall 2026 clinic season and our new clinic space. We look forward to working with you and thank you for supporting our students as they develop their skills and prepare for successful careers in massage therapy!