Legal
Privacy & Cookie Policy
Last updated: 30 September 2026
Bloom Chiropractic is the practice of Dr. Melissa Crestani, chiropractor, at 27 Derry Street, Vredehoek, Cape Town, 8001. This policy explains what personal information we collect through this website, how we use it, and your rights under the Protection of Personal Information Act, 2013 (POPIA).
Who is responsible
Dr. Melissa Crestani is responsible for your personal information and is the practice's Information Officer. You can contact her about anything in this policy at admin@bloomchiro.co.za.
What we collect through this website
- Online bookings. Bookings are handled by our booking provider, Bookem. When you book, the details you enter (such as your name, contact details and appointment information) are collected by Bookem and shared with us so we can manage your appointment. Where a payment is taken through the booking system, it is processed by Stripe; we never see or store your card details. Bookem's own privacy policy also applies.
- When you contact us. If you email, call or WhatsApp us, we receive the details you share, such as your name, number, email address and message, and use them only to reply to you and manage your care.
- Website usage. We use Google Analytics, through Google Tag Manager, to understand how visitors use the site: for example which pages are visited, the type of device and browser, and approximate location. We look at this information in aggregate and do not use it to identify you. We rely on our legitimate interest in understanding and improving our website for this, and you can opt out at any time (see Cookies below).
- Technical information. Like any website, our hosting provider (GitHub Pages) and font provider (Google Fonts) receive your IP address and browser details when your browser loads the site, so that it can be delivered securely.
Health information
This website does not ask for any health information. Clinical information you share during a consultation is special personal information under POPIA. We keep it confidential, use it only for your care, and store it securely in line with POPIA and our professional obligations.
How we use your information
We use personal information to book and manage appointments, respond to your questions, provide your treatment, improve this website and meet our legal obligations. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for marketing without your consent.
Cookies
Cookies are small files stored in your browser. We use Google Analytics cookies from your first visit to understand how the site is used. If you click Decline on our cookie notice, we remove these cookies and Google Analytics stops using cookies for your visits, receiving only basic, cookieless signals.
| Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
bloom-consent | This website | Remembers your cookie choice (stored in your browser's local storage) | Until you clear it |
_ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Distinguishes visitors to produce usage statistics. Removed if you decline. | Up to 2 years |
| Booking cookies | Bookem, Stripe | Make the booking and payment system work and help prevent fraud | Varies |
You can change your choice at any time using , or by clearing cookies in your browser.
Sharing and transfers outside South Africa
We share personal information only with service providers who help us run the practice and this website: Bookem, Stripe, Google and GitHub. Some of them store information outside South Africa, for example in the United States. We only use providers that protect personal information to a standard comparable to POPIA.
How long we keep it
We keep personal information only for as long as we need it for the purposes above. Patient records are kept for the periods required by law and our professional rules.
Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information. This website is served over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection.
Your information, your choice
You're always welcome to ask what information we hold about you, to have it updated or removed, or to let us know if you'd rather we didn't use it in a certain way. Just get in touch using the details above and we'll gladly help.
If you ever feel we haven't handled your information properly, please let us know first so we can put it right. You can also contact the Information Regulator at inforegulator.org.za.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top shows when it was last changed.