What Insurance Do Toronto Registered Massage Therapists Need

What Insurance Do Toronto Registered Massage Therapists Need?

May 16, 2024 / 5 mins read

As a Toronto registered massage therapist, you can face claims of professional negligence that have resulted in bodily injury, damage, or loss to your clients. Registered massage therapy insurance coverage can help protect you financially should you be sued.

Registered massage therapists and holistic health professionals need to protect themselves with a package of insurance coverages specifically designed for their work with their clients.

If you are a registered massage therapist or holistic health professional located in Toronto, Greater Toronto Area (GTA) or anywhere in Ontario, your Western Financial Group business insurance expert will give you top-notch commercial insurance advice and ways to save on the insurance you need.

What is registered massage therapist (RMT) insurance for Toronto professionals?

Massage therapy insurance is an insurance package specifically for registered massage therapists, holistic health care professionals, and their clinics that provides financial protection against lawsuits alleging negligence that resulted in damages, losses, or bodily injury to their clients.

Who needs this type of insurance?

  • Registered massage therapists and their clinics
  • Osteopathy practitioners
  • Reflexologists
  • Kinesiologists
  • Physiotherapists
  • Naturopaths
  • Wellness specialists

How much does insurance cost for Toronto registered massage therapists/holistic health professionals?

There isn’t a set insurance price for registered massage therapists or holistic health professionals. These factors are usually considered when calculating the cost of your insurance:

  • Are you an individual registered massage therapist or do you have a clinic?
  • Experience, including certifications and designations
  • Your location
  • Any past claims
  • Number of employees

As a Toronto registered massage therapist, here’s how you are protected from the risks and costs associated with third-party claims or lawsuits.

Here are 3 examples:

  1. A thief breaks into your Toronto massage therapy clinic and vandalizes it. Commercial property insurance helps cover the cost of repairing the damage.
  2. After a massage therapy appointment, a client claimed that your services made their injured back worse and sued you for malpractice. Professional liability insurance policy could help cover the lawsuit against you.
  3. A client slipped on a wet floor at your clinic and broke her wrist and sued you. Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policy could cover the medical and legal fees.

A registered massage therapist insurance package typically includes these insurance coverages:

Professional liability insurance

It is also known as errors and omissions (E&O) insurance or massage malpractice insurance and it protects Toronto registered massage therapists from professional negligence claims.

The following types of negligence claims are typically covered:

  • Failure to attend to a patient
  • Failure in referral or consultation
  • Failure in diagnosis
  • Substandard treatment
  • Failure to protect or warn third parties

Registered massage therapists would need professional liability insurance coverage of at least $2 million per claim or per occurrence.

Commercial general liability (CGL) insurance

(CGL) provides financial protection against legal claims of third-party injuries and property damage caused by accidents not directly from the service provided. If one of your patients gets injured (i.e., slip and fall) on your business premises and sues, a CGL policy may cover any legal defence and settlement fees (up to policy limits) of the lawsuit. If you operate a clinic at a physical location and provide virtual services, CGL is essential coverage to have for your business.

It wouldn’t be uncommon to have $2 million in CGL insurance for your business as a Toronto registered massage therapist.

Commercial property insurance: Commercial property insurance protects your Toronto registered massage therapist business or clinic and the contents in from insured risks that occur, such as a fire, theft, if vandalism, or storms. For example, if your clinic is vandalized with spray paint, commercial property damage could help cover the costs of cleaning off the graffiti.

You should consider adding a sewer backup coverage extension, which standard business insurance policies typically don’t cover, to protect your Toronto massage therapy clinic.

Business interruption insurance: This type of insurance supports you when your Toronto clinic or registered massage therapy business can’t operate due to a covered loss.

There are a number of losses that can force your massage therapy business to shut down. Some examples are:

  • Damage to your equipment from fire or vandalism
  • A major reduction in revenue due to a client/supplier facing losses of their own
  • A disruption in your supply chain

Business interruption insurance can help with these expenses:

  • Payroll
  • Rent
  • Utilities
  • Property taxes
  • Alarm monitoring
  • Relocation of your business

Cyber insurance: Cyber liability insurance helps protect you as a registered massage therapist in Toronto if you electronically store financial data like the credit card numbers of clients. Depending on the size of the breach and the information that was taken, the customers who are affected can hold your Toronto business liable and sue for damages.

Commercial auto insurance

If you’re driving your car to appointments for your work as a registered massage therapist, your personal car insurance typically would not provide coverage in the case of an accident. Commercial auto insurance protects you if you are driving your car to appointments as a registered massage therapist in Toronto.

What do I do if I have a claim against me as a Toronto registered massage therapist?

  • Contact your broker immediately after any business-related mishap. Waiting to file a claim can confuse insurers about the severity of the damages to your business.
  • Know your policy so that when you contact your broker you are familiar with what will be covered or not.
  • Document the damage. Take photos right away and write down what happened.
  • Do not throw away damaged goods after taking photos. Keep the physical evidence so that your adjustor can see it.
  • Do not invite lawsuits. Don’t say anything that could be used against you, especially if you aren’t sure what happened.
  • Be honest about what your damaged property is worth. Damaged commercial property is generally valued according to its actual cash value or replacement value.

Here’s an insurance checklist:

  • Do you have the best Toronto business insurance rate that suits your work?
  • Do you have the right amount for your deductible and regularly review it to make sure it’s the right amount for you?
  • Are you or your employees using personal vehicles for work?

Western Financial Group has licensed BUSINESS INSURANCE EXPERTS to get you the right insurance coverage as a Toronto registered massage therapist. Our experts are available now to help you navigate the business insurance journey to protect your Toronto or Ontario business.

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