Massage Chairs: Fad, Fixture, or Therapeutic Tool?

The debate goes on.....

 Some people still consider massage chairs, and the work performed on them, a form of ‘fluff and buff’ massage, not true therapeutic massage. Some would offer that Seated Massage is a good marketing tool to get people into the office or clinic to get some ‘real’ massage.

  My original introduction to the use of a massage chair was during a time when my practice was located within a Physical Therapy Rehab center in Monterey, California. So my frame of reference to the use of a massage chair was for people who were so physically uncomfortable that it was not possible for them to lie down on a table. In some instances my initial work was done with them on a stool. Certain types of dysfunction such as whiplash, rotator cuff injury rehab and low back discomfort seemed to present instances where the positioning on a massage chair made the massage work easier to perform and less of a energy drain on my body.

  The original massage chairs in this country, and all chairs since, save for a couple of exceptions, have been designed on the concept of the Back-saver Chair that became popular in the early 1980’s. You remember the design, a chair with no back and a slanted seat with slanted kneepads for the legs. The design was the brainchild of a Danish Orthopedist, with the thought being in this position you could not ‘slouch’ and your vertebrae were ‘stacked’ in a fairly straight column. The chair was done for people who were spending many hours sitting at a desk doing repetitive motions with their hands above their waists, and developing the compensatory low back discomfort and cervical immobility that is associated with that type of position.

  The Danish Orthopedist theorized that the position in the Back-saver chair relieved about 70% of the pressure at  L-5, S-1. Although the Back-saver chairs never became a large market, home versions were developed, and high tech ‘Sharper Image ‘ versions exist today, but research never could verify the stated hypothesis. 

  But my experience has been that it is an effective position for individuals with low back pain. At just about every show that I have ever done over the last 17 years, I have had at least one individual, who was complaining of low back discomfort, tell me that the discomfort had significantly subsided after they had sat down on the chair, many times before I had even had them lean forward into the chest pad and headrest. 

  In the Rehab setting the chair was very significant, in that I could get the chair to fit each individual according to his or her body size and type. I could put them into a supported position with the weight and pressure off of L-5,S-1. A two-fold advantage exists due to the seat and leg position design of the chair and the effect on the lumbar area; and the weight and pressure release on the cervical area, due to the position and support of the head in the adjustable headrest. When the client is properly positioned, the spine, is in this supported position, allowing the muscles of the client’s back and neck to relax, releasing biomechanical tension. The spine is ideally reasonably straight, after you adjust the client in the chair, with a line drawn along the lateral body from the center of the ear through the greater trochanter. The pressure on the cervical area and the lumbar region is reduced dramatically. Actually, in this position you can usually detect hypertonic tissue like a ‘speed bump’! Plus, I think that if you just left them in the chair for 10-15 minutes, in this position, they would experience a certain level of release without even putting your hands on their bodies. When we do begin to use our hands the position in the chair has helped them to become relaxed and has already relieved some of the existing tension in the cervical area and the lumbar region. In effect the chair has already done some of the work for us.

  I have found that most upper body work can be performed in a massage chair more efficiently, with about 1/4 to 1/2 the energy expenditure, on my part, needed for table work. For some of the work, hand, arm and shoulders, I can actually sit down while being incredibly effective.

 It has been said “You can’t build a house with just hammer”; I am assuming this would include ‘remodeling’, too. For myself, after 34 years of doing bodywork, I know I need tools to assist me in continued proficiency and longevity in this profession. Perhaps it is time for you to take another look at the massage chair in a different light.

Side Note: The Business of Touch   Opportunity for Seated Massage events are bountiful.  We have done shows all over Europe. When I say we can do business everywhere, what about other countries and customs related to Touch? 

 Take a look at this link to a web site called the Business of Touch: www.businessoftouch.com

Seated Massage Manners and Etiquette

There are many factors that are important to creating success in your practice. It has been said many times, in many places, that your technical proficiency is only a portion of the things you must be good at to be successful...manners and etiquette are another.

I’d like to generate a discussion on the importance of Seated Massage Manners and Etiquette to make us aware of our responsibility when working in the public eye.

Dr. Leo Buscalgia, the wonderful educator, well known for his Guinness Book of World Records for hugging more people than any one else in history, used to say that “ My job is not so much enlightening you all the time, as it is reminding you of what you all ready know, and have, for one reason or another, chosen to ignore.”

First, we must realize that when a person is in a massage chair, that just because they cannot see you, that they do know what you are doing. It is similar to the truth that when a person or animal, looses one sense such as eyesight, the other senses become much more acute to accommodate this imbalance. So a person who has their head in a face cradle on a massage chair is experiencing this phenomena, because their hearing becomes more acute. All of the conversations going on around them are like being the proverbial “fly on the wall” for the client. Often times they may not know where, or who is the source, or party to the conversations that are going on around them, but they are getting all of the “juicy details”. I think therapists forget about the client being there when they engage in conversations with each other.Limit conversation to things pertinent to the massage session. We learn more by listening than by talking.

 The only time to talk about money around your clients is in reference to the immediate charges prior to the service, or the subtle suggestion to make a donation after the service if we are conducting a fundraiser.

 Please do not talk about your personal life

When we work out in the open in public it gives us the huge advantage of people being able to observe us as we administer the “Power of Touch”. I believe a prospective client gets a favorable impression by watching us work, they like what they see, then act upon that decision to receive, often times and it is their very first massage.

 First experience of any kind puts a certain level of responsibility on the practitioner; all experiences for a very long time will be predicated on that initial experience. Whether or not they decide to do it again is based on that initial experience. Research shows that if someone has a favorable experience 70% of the time they will participate in that experience again. So you and I as the facilitator for their Seated Massage ExperienceTM, have a responsibility to make it a “good one”.

In addition to the importance of the protocols for a variety of body types and imbalances we learn to do with Seated Massage, how we appear to the general public is of paramount importance in creating a good first impression, first impressions are critical.

To make a good first impression follow these simple guidelines: 

• Always, in all ways have your massage booth, or area where you are performing Seated Massage clean, orderly and professional in appearance.
• Always dress in a professional manner. A collared shirt, such as a polo shirt, always looks a bit better and more professional in my opinion. In business it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. It is much easier to remedy the former, than the latter, at the last minute.
• Always be polite. Treating your client like they are a guest in your home is my personal policy.

Everything worth having, doing, or creating takes a bit more energy to create above average outcomes. I have always said, “Excellence takes a bit more energy”, and the outcome is a good investment of your time and energy, and it pays dividends in increased income and good will for your business and profession. So:

• Be polite
• Be a good listener (practice “Active Listening”)
• Keep your private affairs to yourself
• Limit conversations when you are working as necessary to the session
• Be, Look, and Act the Role of a Professional in your personal demeanor, your work area and your actions.
• Finally, when you are in session turn off your cell phone

Clients are our guests, treat them accordingly and you will reap the benefits.

Raymond Blaylock is the Official Trainer, Coordinator and Cultural Ambassador for the FSMTA Seated Massage Teams Training Program. He can be reached at 813.340.8502 or fsmtaseatedmsg@mac.com

ONSITE, CHAIR, OR SEATED MASSAGE

What do you call it?

You would think that after 15 years something as successful and efficient as a delivery system for massage therapy would have a definitive name. But, not this particular form of bodywork. Using an adjustable chair to give a massage in a seated position, using little or no oils, in an abbreviated time frame has revolutionized the massage therapy profession. I would be willing to wager that more people have received massages since the mid 80's introduction of the massage chair than have received massages in the period of the 1900s prior to that beginning of the massage chair!

We know it is a great marketing tool, the above statistics bear out the relevance. We have discovered through research that the stress factor, which is one of the threads that runs through all major health disorders, can be seriously abated by use of a massage chair. We are discovering the clinical and rehabilitation applications of using a massage chair, and finding out, at the same time, that the emergence of Day Spas, Spas and Medical Spas offers even more opportunities and applications.

Yet, alas, confusion seems to prevail around what this service is actually called. I see some therapists of the chair persuasion trying to cover all bases with the listing on the business card "Onsite Seated Chair Massage"., or maybe “Onsite Chair Massage’, or “ Seated Chair Massage”. I bet you have seen this too.

Here is my take. We must strive not to confuse consumers with several different names. Most people, especially the ones who have not experienced the health benefits of Massage Therapy, are still trying to figure out what does the word massage mean? What is included in a massage, what is not. Those folks who are not clear about the difference between Nurturing Touch and sexual touch are certainly conflicted. They are already stressed-out and in denial about their stress levels and the detrimental effects it inflicts on them and their lifestyles. Those of you out there... "You Know Who You Are"! 

Let's take a closer look here. If you are on-site you are there. From a consumer’s point of view you have to be present (hopefully in mind and body) to create this Amazing Experience for that massage client ....to quote a cult movie called Buckaroo Bonzai in the Eighth Dimension, "Where Ever You Go, There You Are." 

For the term chair massage, go to Google,com on the Internet and type in chair massage and see what kind of responses you will receive. I got 10, 300,000 entries. I have a hint for you... 85-95% of your responses will be for Panasonic -type massage chairs. 

I really believe Seated Massage is the name that gives the client, especially that first time client who has never experienced the wonders of Massage, and may be reluctant to disrobe for massage on a table, a clearer picture of what it is we are offering in the realm of therapy.

The term Seated Massage creates a visual picture in their minds of the experience you are going to create for them that is less threatening. My experience has been that once you have your chair set-up all you have to do is ask the potential client, "Have you ever had a Seated Massage?” Or better yet, putting someone in the chair and working on them is guaranteed to create an audience of people. An audience that will want to participate after you educate them to the benefits of Seated Massage.

Don't overlook this effective approach to creating more satisfied clients. Remember a large part of our job as therapists is educating the population to the benefits of Massage Therapy. The power of Nurturing Touch is not something that is taught in our public schools, or parochial school systems. You are an educator, too. A massage chair and Seated Massage are very effective tools for educating people how the efficacy of Massage Therapy should be part of their health care system!

Raymond Blaylock is enjoying a massage career that spans four decades. He is one of the originators and “true pioneers of the Seated Massage approach” (Massage Today, Sept ’05), and is the producer of the number #1 selling Seated Massage video in the world The Seated Massage Technique Video , The Seated Stone Experience Video and the Integrative Health Care Video Series. He brought SeatedMassage into the Salon and Spa market with the AVEDA Corporation. He is the Director of Education for My Touch Resources.com in Tampa, Florida.

e-mail: rrb@mytouchresources.com Ph: 813.340.8502