How to Give a Good Chair Massage

This may sound familiar to you. You are having an extremely stressful day at work. Fifteen different people want you to have about fifty different things turned into them not at the end of today, but at the end of yesterday. Your phone has been ringing off the hook, and you have a terrible headache. It feels like five o’clock will never come, and even when it does you still will have about six hours to go before you can finally get home. In short, it is one horrible day at the office.

So far, this probably sounds painfully familiar to most people reading it, although hopefully you are not too intimately familiar with the details and this type of day is not your work routine. However, just one day like this is one too many, and when it hits, it is good to have an escape route, even if it only lasts a few minutes. One of the best types of escape that you can have from this terrible scenario is a chair massage. These massages can be performed in the office or even at a desk and can last as few as five minutes or as many as thirty. They are popular with employers and with employees because they relieve stress and improve your ability to focus.

The chair massage has existed for decades, but it did not become truly popular until the inventor of the massage chair made them both famous. Although the two have little in common other than the fact that both require you to remain at least partially upright throughout the massage rather than laying down on a table, the chair massage in particular has changed the face of massage therapy. Chair massage is a portable business and a flexible luxury that does not require the use of leave time or even that one abandon one’s cubicle in order to receive a mini

What this man needs is a good chair massage - pronto!

In order to give a good chair massage, there are several important factors that you must consider. You need to know where you will be giving the massages so that you can have the proper equipment on hand. You also need to know what aids you will be able to use to make your patient or client comfortable, such as music or dimmed lights. A chair massage is, essentially, no different from any other massage that you would learn in masseuse training schools or curricula. However, there are some major differences in performance technique that can make an excellent table masseuse a mediocre chair masseuse if they are not accounted for.

In order to give the best chair massage possible, make sure that you have all the right equipment. You will need a stable, lightweight massage chair that is easy to transport. If you often will be working in a confined space such as a small office or a cubicle, then you may prefer to use a sternum pillow, which enables the client to simply lean forward in their regular chair and prop themselves up on their desk. A massage chair is better because it allows you more mobility and access to the patient, but sternum pillows are immensely popular with clients who do not have time to actually leave their desks or room to spread out for their massage.

A sternum pillow will enable you to give a good chair massage in a space as small as this.

As you may be realizing at this point, the most important part of giving a good chair massage is actually the way that you are helping your client relax more than any given massage technique. While you should always be professionally trained before massaging people on a professional level, anyone can use these tips to give a good chair massage to a friend or loved one even if they know nothing about medical massage. Because comfort is so important, talk to the client briefly as you set up your equipment. Ask them if there is a part of their body you should focus on or avoid – many people do not want scalp massages if they have to go back to work because it messes up their hair. This will give the client a chance to make you aware of any health issues and preferences.

As you begin the massage, be aware of the client’s clothing. This is the main difference between chair and table massage, because a chair massage generally, although not always, does not include the removal of clothing. As a result, you must keep the extra cloth pinned smoothly and tightly while you massage or your techniques will be rendered far less effective because the clothing will get in the way. This may require some practice, so have a friend work with you in a variety of clothes to make sure that you know how to handle different styles and fabrics so that your client will be able to fully enjoy their massage.

Finally, when giving a good chair massage there are certain things that you should avoid in order to give a client the best experience possible. As before, these things have little to do with technique but a lot to do with comfort level. Do not massage the gluteus muscles in public. If you are in an office and the client has indicated that this part of the massage is okay, then you can use your own judgment to elect whether or not to perform this part of the massage. However, if you are in an area where you can be seen, it is best to simply skip this part of the massage because it can make the client or others around you uncomfortable. Secondly, avoid standing in front of the headrest. When you are standing directly in front of the headrest of a massage chair, the person in the chair has no choice but to stare at your pelvic region which can be a bit awkward for all involved.

A good chair massage has everything to do with comfort and relaxation. As long as you keep your client’s mindset at the forefront of your efforts, you will always succeed. Use your massage training and your empathy to make sure that every chair massage you give is a real benefit to the recipient.