The Body Refinery Terms and Conditions

Guidelines for a Safe and Harmonious Studio

The Body Refinery has always been and will continue to be, an enjoyable and safe venue for its clients and staff, and our guidelines provide a framework that allows us to maintain this environment.

Training – Health and Safety

Your safety and wellbeing are our priority. Our Team, using their professional training, will determine a level of training that is suitable for you. We recommend that all new clients to the Studio participate in at least one private session to help our Team most accurately establish a suitable level for you. Our Team is not medically trained. They are not qualified to assess if you are in good physical condition and can exercise without risking your health, safety, or comfort. If you have any doubts or concerns, you must seek expert advice before starting an exercise program.

Exercise during pregnancy is recommended but also needs to be assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure that each Client is safe and comfortable.

To ensure your health and wellbeing needs are met, please disclose your pregnancy status to your physio or instructor.

There is an inherent risk of injury with any exercise. If you feel unwell, or have an injury (diagnosed or otherwise), please inform the Studio of this in writing, and also communicate with your instructor or physiotherapist each time you attend. If you have an injury or don’t feel confident exercising, then group sessions are not the right option for you, and you should take private sessions until you are confident and pain-free.

Hygiene and Attire Policy

Zippers and other sharp components on clothing must not come into contact with the Pilates equipment. Our equipment is handmade, and components such as zippers can tear the upholstery.

Please wear comfortable, clean, and fitted clothing that allows your instructor to provide technical feedback.
Socks (preferably incorporating gripping elements on the soles) must be worn on all Pilates equipment, to ensure that we maintain the hygiene of our equipment.

Class

Please arrive 5-10 minutes before the start time of your class, so that your class or session has a full complement of attendees at the scheduled start time.

A 6 monthly review is mandatory when attending a Clinical Rehab class with a Physiotherapist.

Latecomers (arriving after the scheduled start time) may risk injury and/or disruption, and in certain circumstances may not be admitted to join group classes and will be charged a late cancellation fee. Arriving late or leaving early may also limit your progress.

Your instructor will lead the class and provide instruction to help you exercise safely and to get the most out of your body, and your time.

Private sessions provide more tailored feedback than is typically received in a class/group environment, and this can be beneficial if you are new to Pilates.  Clients who have been attending for a long time will also benefit from occasional private sessions. All feedback to the student is constructive by way of offering safe and effective technical guidance and sharing years of industry expertise.

Phones should be set to “silent” mode and without vibrate function.  No phone calls should be taken by Clients on the Premises.

Class Schedule

We make every possible effort to deliver our services in accordance with our Class Schedule. Class Schedules are subject to change; we provide you with notice for permanent schedule changes, though may not be able to provide advance notice in certain circumstances. We are not liable to provide a refund, credit, transfer, or to offer compensation of any kind, for Classes/Sessions that are not held in accordance with the Class Schedule, including without limitation, any Classes/Sessions that are changed or canceled.

Administration

Please update our Administration Staff with any changes to your contact details, including phone number and email address.  We send a monthly newsletter to ensure you are kept up-to-date with relevant news at the Studio.

Cancellation Policy

We are a family-owned business that provides our Clients with the highest quality Physiotherapy, Exercise Physiology, Remedial Massage, Myotherapy and Pilates. We aim for our Clients to be passionate about improving their health, and to be given the best chance of doing this at times that suit them.

Late cancellations of booked appointments and classes make it difficult to achieve this goal.

Adherence to our Cancellation Policy provides our Team with the best chance of meeting the requirements of all Clients of the Studio.

Our Cancellation Policy is in place to ensure our business remains viable and able to continue employing an amazing team that delivers the best service and outcomes for our clients.

A Late Cancellation means any cancellation that occurs outside the notification window (Notice Required) for a booking, including not showing up for a booking (no-show), as outlined in the tables below.

When a Client makes a booking, we reserve for them:

• a space in our studio; and
• a practitioner’s or instructor’s time.

Many bookings are made weeks in advance, and when a booking is cancelled with short notice, there is a high likelihood the vacated booking will remain vacant, during which time our business doesn’t receive the whole booked revenue, but still incurs the associated expenses (predominantly wages). When a client doesn’t arrive for an appointment (no-show), we have no opportunity to fill the vacated booking. Late Cancellation Fees intend to minimise our losses, to help our business remain viable; they are not a revenue-generating exercise.

If a Client needs to cancel/reschedule a booked appointment or class, they must provide the required amount of notice to avoid being charged a Late Cancellation Fee, as outlined in the following tables by emailing us at info@thebodyrefinery.com.au, through the App or online system.

Standard types of bookings:

Other appointment and class types:

^also includes Unlimited Pricing options such as Challenges and Offers that include access to classes for a defined period of time for a fixed price.

Our Cancellation Policy is enforced regardless of the reason for a late cancellation.  The impact that late cancellations have on our business is the same whether it is due to illness, disorganisation, traffic, altered plans, or other reasons.

Notice of cancellation can be provided at any time via:

• our app – Download from the App Store or Google Play
• our online booking system – https://www.thebodyrefinery.com.au/client-info/booking/
• email* – info@thebodyrefinery.com.au
• phone – 07 3358 3915

Cancellations via SMS or social media will not be accepted.

Late cancellations for appointments aren’t ideal for any party involved: the Client pays for 50% of a service they didn’t receive; and the Business incurs a 50% reduction in revenue for the appointment time and room/space that was reserved for the late-cancelling client.

It is the responsibility of each client to arrive for any booked appointment, so clients are encouraged to take necessary measures to reduce the likeliness of a late cancellation occurring.

Clients receive a number of confirmations and reminders regarding their appointments and classes to ensure they experience the full benefit of their appointment or class and are aware of our Cancellation Policy. We do this through:

New Client Forms: Reference to our Cancellation Policy is included in New Client Forms that are completed by Clients on their first visit to the Studio.

Signage: Signs relating to our Cancellation Policy are displayed in the Studio.

Online Bookings: Reference to our Cancellation Policy is included on the online booking page.

Automatic Appointment Confirmations: Text messages and/or emails are sent to clients shortly after the appointment or session has been booked. The email includes details of our Cancellation Policy.  Clients are encouraged to keep email and text message notifications turned on in the Contact section of their account details.

Automatic Appointment Reminders: Clients receive reminders of appointments 2 days before their appointment via email and/or text message. Reminders include a reference to our Cancellation Policy. Clients are encouraged to keep email and text message notifications turned on in the Contact section of their account details.

When Clients receive reminders via text message, they may confirm their appointment by replying “C”.  When clients receive reminders via email, they may confirm their appointment by clicking on the “Confirm Appointment” link within the email. However, please note that:

• not replying to an email or text message does not mean that the appointment has been cancelled.
• replying “No” or similar will not cancel an appointment, as the text message reply system only recognises “C” (for confirm) as a response.
• to cancel an appointment, a client must either: cancel online via the MindBody app; call us and cancel over the phone; cancel via email; or visit the studio and cancel in person.

Appointment Reminder Calls: where possible, when a client hasn’t confirmed an appointment via text message or email, our friendly front desk team will attempt to call Clients the day/night before an appointment to confirm attendance**

Late Cancellation Fees that aren’t paid at the time of notification, either via phone or in person at the studio, will be placed on the client’s account and must be paid before further appointments can be booked.

If a Client regularly “late cancels” or does not arrive for appointments, they will be advised that for future bookings to be made, a credit card will need to be retained on file and that the full appointment price will be charged for future late cancellations or no-shows, noting that Health Fund benefits are not available for services that were not provided due to no-shows or late cancellations.

If a Client feels the application of a Late Cancellation Fee is unjust for any reason, they may speak to our Practice Manager.  We ask that Clients treat all our team members with respect and courtesy. The use of abusive/aggressive language when talking to our team will not be tolerated.

Department of Veterans’ Affairs clients will pay a flat fee of $25 for late cancellations, which is not claimable through the DVA.

NDIS clients will be charged late cancellation fees in accordance with the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

*Please refer to the Automatic Appointment Reminders section of this policy.
**Depending on when our team is available to make confirmation phone calls, these calls are likely to be less than 24 hours before bookings.  Cancellations made during these calls are still late cancellations if they are made less than 24 hours before an appointment.  The purpose of these calls is to ensure attendance, not to prompt a cancellation.

Illness

Accounts and Membership Policies

For any class packages, the date of activation of the package will occur from the date of the first attendance to a Class using the Online Booking System or otherwise attending a Class.

No refunds, transfers, suspensions, or extensions are offered due to illness, injury, change of address, or other reasons.

Expiry Periods

Packs of 5 classes expire 7 weeks after the first class in the pack is attended.

Packs of 10 classes expire 12 weeks after the first class in the pack is attended.

In extenuating circumstances, expiry periods may be extended, or funds remaining on the account may be transferred for use on other services.  This will only occur in extenuating circumstances, and only when the Administration Team is advised as early as possible, and approves this to occur.

For Memberships, unused classes or visits do not roll into the next calendar month.

Privacy

We use third-party client management software, “Mindbody Online”. In order to create a client profile, your personal information will be provided to the proprietor of Mindbody Online. The collection and use of personal information by Mindbody Online are governed by Mindbody Online’s privacy policy, which can be viewed at: https://www.mindbodyonline.com/privacy-policy

Price Changes

Pricing will generally increase biannually and will take effect on all direct debits, with a notice period of approximately two weeks provided to all Clients and Members.

Sales and Special Offers

From time to time the Studio will have sales and special offers, which will have their own terms and conditions.

Children in the Studio

The Body Refinery understands that there are times when you may need to bring children to the studio. Children are not permitted in the Reformer Room. If children do need to attend the Studio with you, they must not be left unattended.  The Administration Team is not trained to supervise children, cannot undertake the administration role effectively if asked to supervise children, and is not insured to supervise children.

Food and Drink in the Studio

No food or drink may be consumed by Clients in the Studio, with the exception of water.

Animals in the Studio

Dogs and other animals are not permitted at The Body Refinery, as they may pose a risk to clients who are unsteady on their feet, have allergies, or are afraid of dogs. Accredited Assistance Dogs are an exception to this rule. 

Lost Property Policy 

Membership and direct debit information

Find the Terms and Conditions for each of our Memberships below:

• Reformer Membership
• Refined Plus Membership
• The Body Refinery Online Membership

The current guidelines on exercise during pregnancy recommend doing physical activity throughout the pregnancy. However, there are many modifications that might be important as the pregnancy progresses.

These modifications need to be implemented from week 12. Therefore, The Body Refinery reserves the right to ask pregnant women to move from general fitness group classes to a specific pregnancy group class that is led by either a trained physiotherapist or exercise physiologist with an interest in women’s health.

Cut off 

In Queensland, the first ultrasound is done between 11-13 weeks into the pregnancy. In this first ultrasound, not only the likelihood of chromosomal abnormalities is checked, but also the anatomical structures are checked in case there are abnormalities. Some places might check as well the risk of preeclampsia during the pregnancy. Therefore, from week 12 into the pregnancy it is recommended that pregnant woman ceases the regular fitness classes and moves into the specific pregnancy classes offered at The Body Refinery.

Pre-Class Assessment 

It is mandatory for all pregnant women joining our pregnancy classes to have an initial women’s health assessment prior to starting the classes.

During this assessment, there would be questions about any condition or abnormalities that had been identified during the first-trimester scan in addition to other pelvic health questions.

The reason for making this pre-class assessment mandatory is based, not only on the national and international recommendations but also on the prevalence of specific pains and aches and other pelvic floor dysfunctions that may arise during the pregnancy. For instance, Pregnancy Related Pelvic Girdle Pain (PRPGP) affects 44% of Australian pregnant women. Also, urinary incontinence can start during the pregnancy and there is good evidence showing that starting pelvic floor muscle exercises during pregnancy can decrease the risk of having urinary incontinence during the pregnancy and early postnatally. Hence, part of this initial assessment will include checking the motor control of the pelvic floor muscles and ensuring that everyone who joins our pregnancy classes is aware of how to exercise these muscles correctly.

In the case that the pregnant client has already had an assessment of their pelvic floor muscles by another women’s health physiotherapist elsewhere, the person will need to bring a copy of this for us to have in their folders. TBR will not request this document on behalf of the pregnant woman, it is the client who will get a copy and facilitate it to us.

Finally, for those who are planning to claim these classes under their private health insurance, these companies require an initial assessment as a condition to claim the pregnancy classes.

Notice of any changes in conditions 

While the pregnant client is attending the classes, should their health conditions change throughout the pregnancy, they must notify their healthcare practitioner of such changes. For instance, the diagnosis of gestational diabetes or high blood pressure should be discussed so the healthcare practitioner can assess accordingly prior to and during the classes to avoid any adverse events during these classes.

Safety concerns 

If the pregnant client and/or the healthcare practitioner have any safety concerns about that pregnant client attending the pregnancy classes, TBR reserves the right to ask the client to cease attending the classes and to attend a 1:1 session when indicated.

References 

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/children/pregnancy/antenatal-information/your-care-during-pregnancy/ultrasounds-durin g-pregnancy

https://brochures.mater.org.au/brochures/mater-mothers-hospital/ultrasound-scan-your-18-to-20-week-scan https://qufw.com.au/patient-services/

Ceprnja D, Chipchase L, Fahey P, Liamputtong P, Gupta A. Prevalence and Factors Associated with Pelvic Girdle Pain During Pregnancy in Australian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2021 Jul 15;46(14):944-949. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000003954. PMID: 33492087; PMCID: PMC8221721. 

https://www.continence.org.au/about-us/our-work/key-statistics-incontinence#:~:text=Urinary%20incontinence%20aff ects%20up%20to,38%25%20of%20Australian%20women1.

https://australian.physio/sites/default/files/APA_PHI-reforms_A4flyer_vF.PDF

Woodley SJ, Lawrenson P, Boyle R, Cody JD, Mørkved S, Kernohan A, Hay-Smith EJC. Pelvic floor muscle training for preventing and treating urinary and faecal incontinence in antenatal and postnatal women. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020 May 6;5(5):CD007471. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007471.pub4. PMID: 32378735; PMCID: PMC7203602.

https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0022/950503/g-gdm.pdf