Chair Massage (Cont. 1)

A growing and welcome trend among big business employee “perk” benefits is the offering of chair massage. Employees are, from time to time, offered opportunities to receive chair massage during lunch breaks or many companies will hire a group of massage therapists to be on site for an entire day, allowing almost all employees a chance at a ten minute relaxation session.

Techniques

A chair massage therapist has several techniques to offer a client that are slightly different from receiving a massage on a massage table. Since a client will remain fully clothed during a chair massage, no oil or lotion is used and generally a therapist will not massage with the typical massage strokes. Instead, through the clothes, the therapist will apply compression to the back, neck and arms using their forearms, knuckles and heels of their hands. Another technique is squeezing where the therapist squeezes large muscle groups between two contact points. This technique works best on the upper back and upper arms. Circular kneading will be applied during a chair massage as well as percussion and  friction work.

Benefits

The benefits of receiving a chair massage, especially during a work day, include a general lowering of stress, increased circulation which increases an individual’s attention and focus and decreased neck strain and backaches. It has also been reported that a company that offers chair massage to its employees from time to time have a decrease in injury-related absence.

References

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