Chair massage is a great way to relief tension quickly and is ideal for the workplace or anytime you need a quick way to relax.

Chair Massage (or on-site massage) is a brief bodywork session carried out in a special chair and typically lasts 10 to 15 minutes.

A therapist will attend you ‘on-site’ perhaps in your workplace with a specially designed massage chair where you sit upright facing towards the cushion.

Chair massage focuses on the scalp, shoulders, neck, arms, back and hips.

What is On Site Chair Massage?

On site chair massage was first introduced into the workplace by David Palmer, who in 1986 developed the first specialized massage chair.

Since it’s initiation in the workplace, on-site chair massage is now a common feature at exhibitions, sporting events, health food stores, shopping centers, airports and many other locations.

Because there is no need to remove clothing, and sessions take approximately 15 minutes, chair massage has proved to be a popular and less expensive alternative to a traditional couch or table massage.

These two factors, time and cost, make chair massage an attractive and popular benefit for the workplace. How is it practiced?

Generally, employers will contract the services of a massage therapist. One or more therapists will attend your place of work and set up the massage chair in a designated area.

The chair massage can be carried out at your workstation, in the boardroom or anywhere you choose as it does not require a private room.

Therapists schedule appointments with employees during breaks.

The specially designed chair allows the therapist to work on the most common problem areas for workers today – the back, neck, shoulders and arms.

No oil is used and no clothing is removed and the session lasts no longer than the time it takes to have a coffee beak.

Chair Massage – What are the Benefits?

More and more businesses are providing massage as part of their employee wellness programs. With stress being so prevalent in the workplace employers recognize that healthy employees translate into increased competitieness in the marketplace.

Workers that are happy, healthy and well contribute to a company’s productivity — and this means profits. On site chair massage is a safe, convenient, cost-effective program that provides many benefits for both the employer and employee.

From an employer’s perspective it:

• Energizes employees and motivates them to return to work

• Increases employee performance and productivity

• Reduces employee absenteeism

• Increases staff loyalty and retention For the employee there are many valuable health benefits. These include:

• Helps balance the effects of stress in our lives

• Reduces anxiety and tension

• Restores a calm mind and feeling of well-being

• Relieves tension and tired muscles

• Reduces adverse effects associated with repetitive work tasks and prolonged sitting positions

• Has an immediate positive effects – you feel better right away

Chair Massage – Why implement a Massage Program?

It is widely recognized that the workplace is the main contributor to the stress that people experience. Work related stress accounts for one third of all new incidences of ill health and is the number one cause of disability.

More and more employers are realizing that a stressful work environment in an unproductive work environment and it makes sense to provide a means of stress relief directly at the point where it is needed most.

On site chair massage is short, relatively inexpensive, and requires no set up time or overheads. Once an on site chair massage program is implemented, everybody can begin enjoying the benefits of on site chair massage immediately.

Chair massage is perhaps the ultimate quick de stress and more and more people are using it as a quick an easy way to alleviate the stress we all feel when stressed by work.

By Kelly Price

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