A woman who was turned away from massages at a spa because of her illness has backed calls to tackle the “misinformation” surrounding treatments and their suitability for cancer patients.

Sindy Sidhu, from Warrington, said she now felt too intimate to try other spas after her negative experience.

She has instead been helped by the Made For Life Foundation, a charity campaigning for spas and salons to end policies banning staff from treating cancer patients.

Carden Park Spa in Cheshire has backed the campaign, and director Emma Pridding admitted the industry had “been a bit guarded” when it came to treating those with cancer because of insurance issues and false fears it could cause harm.

Made For Life Foundation founder Amanda Winwood said a large proportion of the women who attend her events have been turned away from certain spas, salons or independent therapists.

She told BBC Radio Manchester that there was a huge lack of awareness about how to care for people with cancer in the spa community.

She said this started at the college level when some spa therapists were educated that massaging cancer patients was harmful.

Winwood added that another factor contributing to this issue was insurance companies.

She said: “Often insurers will refuse to insure spas for welcoming people with cancer, which is an absolute travesty in my view and contravenes the Equality Act 2010.”

According to the Equality Act, cancer is classified as a disability and therefore all anti-discrimination laws apply to people with cancer or those who have had cancer in the past.

Previously, it was believed that massage when you have cancer can make the cancer cells travel to other parts of the body.

But Cancer Research UK has since stated that no research has shown this to be true.

A spokesman for Free Therapies at the Christie Cancer Hospital said “historically there has been some misunderstanding about the safety of offering massage to cancer patients”.

The caution was “understandable when the spa first opened” but research has shown that massage for patients can be “highly beneficial for their physical, psychological and emotional health and well-being”, they added.

“However, deep tissue massage is best avoided, and it is crucial to provide the therapist with your full medical history so they can identify any contraindications and adjust your treatment accordingly.”

Sidhu, 60, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2021 and said “touch is something you need”.

She added that after marking that she had cancer on a form, a spa informed her that she could not have any of the treatments.

Sidhu continued: “Now I’m not asking the question.

“It’s ironic because I have a therapist at the hospice who gives me massages but when it comes to the spa, I don’t ask because I felt quite intimidated, and I don’t want to feel that way again.”

Sidhu instead started going to Tea and Therapy events, a wellness event for people with cancer, where they can socialize, get guidance and get massages.

Tea and Therapy is run across the UK by Amanda Winwood, founder of the Made for Life Foundation and Jamie Edwards, a performance coach from Manchester.

It aims to offer a safe space for women with cancer, and act as a temporary solution to the issues within some parts of the spa industry.

Winwood said: “It’s important to have facilities like this to stop the social isolation that happens when you get a cancer diagnosis.

Edwards added: “Change has to happen. The impact of having these events is going to be down the road and we can only do that by talking about it, having conversations and not avoiding the difficult topics.”

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by cancer, visit BBC Action Line for information on where to access support.