Partner Article

Benefits of chair massage

Anyone who has ever felt the touch of a trained, professional masseuse will instantly be able to recall the instant feeling of positivity; when the massage was completed, you had probably fallen into a delightful state of relaxed bliss, the mind no longer spinning at a hundred miles an hour and the dull ache in various places – the knotted shoulders, the tense neck for example – were no longer causing you pain.

You may look back and think opulence and luxury and yet, slowly but surely, here in the UK employers are beginning to realise the positive effects and benefits of buying in the service of a company offering their employees chair massage. And, when you see the long list of benefits for you, your employees and your business, you will wonder why you never opted for it before…

Chair massage – what is it?

Unlike some other forms of massage, there are no oils and no need for employees to undress. The recipients sits into a chair that is specifically designed to hold their weight, so that their neck, should and arms can relax. This massage is given over the clothes, focusing on the back, neck and shoulders, all of which are points of the body under stress from sitting at the desk, typing at PCs and other repetitive type postures.

The beauty of this type of massage is that it takes only a short amount of time to set up, with the massage lasting 15 to 20 minutes per recipient (but, if the phenomenon of chair massage is anything to go by, there’ll be a long queue of recipients!)

[I Am Relaxed] The benefits

For the individual:

Chair massage undoubtedly has an immediate and beneficial impact on the mind, body and soul; we leave the massage session feeling much happier, with less aches and pains, if any at all…

Physical and emotional stress is lessened, if not relieved completely; this allows for clearer thinking

Anxiety is lowered; operating in an anxious state compromises effectiveness Circulation is increased, something which can become sluggish maintaining or sitting in the same position for long periods of time

Muscle fatigue and tension is dissipated

Immunity and resistance to illnesses are known to be long term effects of regular massage Awareness and alertness if also increased

Energy and stamina, sometimes lacking and dipping during certain times of the day, are also negated

Blood pressure is lowered

Repetitive stress injuries or symptoms are common in people performing the same movement, time and time again; chair massage can help decrease the likelihood of this happening

Sleep is improved, becoming more restful

Posture us also improved, along with flexibility

Relaxation is also promoted, making for better productivity

If everyone in your team had a chair massage, the benefits collectively are (including the above!):

Absenteeism is something that not only costs the company money, but the British economy too; regular chair massage is known to help in keeping absenteeism rates low As a team, people will function better as they will be less emotionally and physically stressed, as well as more relaxed and cooperative with each other People feel acknowledged in the work they do, and appreciated too Job satisfaction is increased too

For your business or company, there are also additional benefits that make chair massage an almost must-have corporate package:

When people feel positive about working for your company, feel looked after and valued, they feel proud regarding working for the company or business too Stress costs companies hundreds if not thousands of pounds per year; instead of spending cash on buying in agency staff to cover those off ill, investing money in preventative measures such as chair massage is one way of saving your company money This type of programme also reinforces the message that as a business you value the health and wellbeing of your employees

Chair massage can help foster a sense of camaraderie, trust and loyalty too People also feel rewarded with something as tangible as a chair massage too Many businesses also feel that productivity increases, along with effectiveness and accuracy; psychological studies have also shown that people’s ability to be creative in their solutions to problems is also increased when after and during a programme that includes chair massage

But, don’t just take our word for it! Take a look at some of the huge global companies that offer this cost-effective measure to their employees and the benefits they enjoy as a result; to find these companies, just check the Forbes ‘best 100 companies to work for list’ list…

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by James Trotter .