Chair Massage
What
is a chair massage?
A chair massage, also known as a seated massage or an
on-site massage, is a massage that is performed with the patient seated
in a massage chair as opposed to on a massage table. While some massage
therapy locations offer seated massages in their physical building,
the majority of chair massages are performed on-site. This can include
many places of business or other public places, such as malls.
What is the history of a chair massage?
Created in the 1980’s, chair massage is one of
the more recently developed forms of massage. It was formed by David
Palmer who discovered that there were not enough patients to go around
for all the massage therapists at his institute (he had recently taken
over the Amma Institute of Traditional Japanese Massage). He realized
that there were many reasons for this shortage of patients, such as
the following: most people didn’t have the time that it took to
go get a massage, traditional table massages themselves took too long
for many rushed people, and some people found table massages to be a
little too intimate.
With all of this in mind, he went on to create the chair massage, and
later the massage chair (this chair was designed so that, when the patient
sits in it, it relieves much of the stress and strain that can be developed
by sitting for long periods in traditional chairs). The chair massage
was different than traditional forms of massage in three key ways: it
could be done anywhere—at the patient’s office or home,
in a mall, wherever it was necessary; it took less time than a traditional
massage; it was less intimate and personal than a traditional table
massage.
These differences appealed to many people, including large corporation
owners, and the chair massage became fairly popular rather quickly.
Now, many companies have regular on-site chair massages for their employees,
many malls have chair massage stations, and many individuals hire massage
therapists to perform chair massages on a regular basis.
What are the benefits of a chair massage?
It is important to understand that there is a big difference
between the benefits to receiving a chair massage and many other forms
of massage. Unlike many other forms of massage therapy, a chair massage
is focused solely on tension and stress relief. It is not a spiritual
form of massage therapy, and it is appropriate for those patients who
are not looking for a massage treatment that will enable spiritual growth.
While it is not a spiritual form of massage therapy, a chair
massage has many benefits to offer patients:
• Relieves pain and stiffness—this applies
to many different forms of pain, including that in the neck and shoulders,
as well as aching wrists.
• Easily accessible—this is one benefit
that is often hard to find with massage therapy. Since a therapist will
often come to you, it is much easier to find the time to experience
the benefit of a chair massage than any other form of massage.
• Prevention—receiving a chair massage
on a regular basis can help relieve the symptoms of, as well as help
to prevent, recurrent conditions that are associated with repeated stress
on the body, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Healing—while chair massages are not
focused on spirituality, nor are they focused on spiritual forms of
healing, it can promote healing within the body. Just as with all forms
of massage, increased circulation and relaxation helps the body heal
itself and prevent illnesses in the future.
• Mental focus—the reason so many companies
have begun offering chair massages to their employees is because of
the mental benefits that it offers. Once a person’s body has been
relieved of stress and tension, they are able to focus more fully on
their work and, in turn, be more productive.
Not only does a chair massage have many health benefits
to offer, it is one of the quickest and most easily accessible forms
of massage therapy available. If you are in need of a massage, but are
not seeking spiritual growth, and would prefer a shorter, less intimate
form of therapy, a chair massage is the answer.
Call a local chair massage therapist near you and schedule an appointment
to start enjoying the benefits today.
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