Effective date: 14/06/2026 Last updated: 14/06/2026

This Privacy Policy explains how Meraki Massage & Intuitive Healing Studio (“Meraki”, “we”, “us”) collects, uses, shares and protects your personal information, and your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”).

By using our website or booking a treatment with us, you agree to the practices described here.

1. Who we are

Meraki Massage & Intuitive Healing Studio is a private massage and intuitive healing practice in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, led by Julia.

Contact for privacy matters:

Email: julia@merakitherapy.co.za
Phone / WhatsApp: 076 731 9535
Address: Office 9, 42 Green Point Avenue, Plettenberg Bay

2. What information we collect

When you visit our website

Your IP address, browser type, device and operating system
Pages you visit and time spent on each
Referrer (the link or search that brought you here)
Cookies (see section 6 below)

When you contact us or make a booking enquiry

Name and surname
Email address
Phone number
The content of your message or enquiry

When you become a client

All of the above, plus:
Any health, wellbeing or treatment-relevant information you choose to share with us so that we can provide a safe and appropriate treatment (for example, injuries, pregnancy, allergies, or conditions that affect bodywork)

Health information is sensitive. We only collect what you choose to tell us, we use it solely to provide your treatment safely, we keep it confidential, and we do not share it with anyone else except where the law requires.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 without parental or guardian consent.

3. Why we collect it — and the lawful basis

Purpose	Lawful basis under POPIA
To respond to your enquiry or booking request	Your consent (you initiated the contact)
To provide your treatment safely and appropriately	Performance of a service / your explicit consent (for health information)
To arrange and confirm appointments	Performance of a service
To send you appointment reminders	Performance of a service
To send occasional news or offers (existing clients)	Our legitimate interest (opt out anytime)

We will always ask for your explicit consent before collecting health-related information, and you can decline — though some treatments may not be advisable without it.

4. Who we share information with

We share personal information only where necessary, with parties bound by appropriate confidentiality terms.

Payment processor — Yoco — where you pay online.

We do not share your health information with third parties for any marketing or commercial purpose.

Authorities

We will disclose personal information to a lawful authority only if legally required to do so.

We do not sell your personal information.

5. International transfers

Some third-party services we use (such as website hosting, email delivery and analytics) may be operated from outside South Africa, including the European Union or the United States. Where this happens, we only use providers offering protections equivalent to those required under POPIA.

6. Cookies and tracking

Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — for the following purposes:

Essential cookies — required for the site to function. These cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies — to understand how visitors use the site, so we can improve it. We use Microsoft Clarity, a privacy-friendly analytics tool that helps us see how visitors navigate the site (such as which pages are popular and where people click) through anonymised, aggregated data and session insights. Clarity does not collect information that personally identifies you, and we do not use it for advertising. You can read more in Microsoft’s privacy statement.

We do not use advertising or third-party marketing cookies.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings at any time.

7. How we protect your information

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, including:

HTTPS (TLS) encryption on all pages of our website
Keeping any health or client notes confidential and access-restricted
Strong passwords on accounts and devices
Secure payment processing via certified third-party providers (we do not store full card numbers)

If a data breach occurs that could put your personal information at material risk, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, as required by POPIA.

8. How long we keep your information

Type of data	Retention period
Booking enquiries where you did not become a client	12 months
Client records and treatment notes	For the duration of our relationship and a reasonable period afterward, as good practice requires
Marketing contact list	Until you unsubscribe

After the relevant period, your information is deleted or anonymised.

9. Your rights under POPIA

You have the right to: know what we hold about you; access a copy; correct inaccurate information; delete information we no longer have a legal reason to keep; object to how we use it (including for marketing); withdraw consent; and complain to the Information Regulator.

To exercise any of these rights, email julia@merakitherapy.co.za. We will respond within a reasonable time, normally within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa):

Website: https://inforegulator.org.za
Email: complaints.IR@justice.gov.za
Address: JD House, 27 Stiemens Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2001

10. Marketing communications

If you are an existing client, we may occasionally send you news or offers. Every message includes a clear way to opt out, and you can opt out anytime by emailing julia@merakitherapy.co.za.

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

12. Contact us

Meraki Massage & Intuitive Healing Studio Office 9, 42 Green Point Avenue, Plettenberg Bay Email: julia@merakitherapy.co.za Phone / WhatsApp: 076 731 9535

Privacy Policy