Massage Chairs - Which Chair

Choosing a Massage therapy chair

There are many different types of massage chair available today and they all seem to come with an array of options. So how do you decide which one to buy?

We have been looking for a suitable massage chair for some time now. My mother not only has cancer of the spine but it has spread to her hip and to top it all she has cervical spondilitis in her neck and shoulder. As a family we thought we would buy her a massage therapy chair (they are not cheap!), in the hope that it would relieve some of the pain. When we came to look for one that would suit her, however, we found that there were all sorts of different options available.

A brief history of massage chairs

Massage chairs were first introduced in the late 1980?s. They were developed to recreate the motions and techniques used by an actual masseuse. The purpose was to relieve stress, tension and help improve back pain. The expense of producing the chairs, which had to be passed on to the customer, meant that they were usually beyond the means of most people. The cost of producing massage chairs has reduced and more and more people are benefiting from the effects.

How massage chairs work

Massage chairs try to recreate two types of massage therapy techniques ? Shiatsu and Swedish. These are quite different. Shiatsu tends to use pressing, sweeping, patting and rotating movements. It focuses on releasing tension in specific locations of the body to restore blood circulation, muscle structure and benefit internal organs too. Swedish massage uses long gliding strokes and kneading motions and has the most benefit on restoring the circulation and helping to allow muscles to relax too.

Massage chair options

There are a number of options available when looking to purchase a massage chair. At the luxury end of the market, the chairs have at least 2 rollers each in the back, legs and arms (some have 4). The chairs adjust to the size of the person sitting in the chair and automatically detect acupressure points that will be specifically worked on. These very expensive massage chairs memorise the shape of the person sitting in the chair and develop programs of massage for specific areas of the body. It will memorise these programs so that they can be reproduced whenever that person sits in the chair again. The downside of these very expensive, leather covered chairs, is that they are HUGE and not for the normal sized lounge.

Other things to look out for in a massage chair:

Air bags in the leg area: These are not beneficial unless there are motors to roll and knead the legs. All they do is squeeze the legs, just like when someone has their blood pressure taken.

Arm massagers, claws or air cuffs: Not only do these make the chair look bulky, there is no proof that they do anything other than squeeze the forearm!

Be careful because a massage chair isn?t necessarily going to be a benefit to you. Make sure that you read Massage Chairs ? the Pros and Cons before making any decisions.

Want to know what we chose? We bought a chair that just had wooden arms and could recline electronically. The programmer was easy to read and use. In the upright position it also helped my mother to get out of the chair. That way she can relax completely, feet up, in the chair to maximise the benefits of the massage. The massage chair is not too bulky and fitted in with the d?cor of her home.

More free information about massage chairs and massage therapy Free Articles: Massage Chairs at www.massage-chair.thegrandfatherclock.com

Effective Massage In A Massage Chair

Most people have never used a massage chair and have no idea how they function. They have been around for years and are very sophisticated machines in the form and shape of an arm chair. Many of them are produced in Japan. It is really great to just sit in the chair and get the massaging.

Inside the chair there are a number of motors, often 4-6, and a computer program that runs the program you choose. The whole body can be massaged within 20 minutes, sometimes less and sometimes more.

What kind of massage can you get? Let me give you some examples.

Air arm massage is a feature on some massage chairs. This is especially great to relieve weariness from the arms which are working restlessly for operation of a personal computer or a cellular phone, during works, domestic chores, leisure and so forth. The air massage mechanism is provided on the armrest and it will move naturally with the change of the body angle caused by the reclining movement. In this way the stiffness and strains in the wrists and back of hands will be relaxed thoroughly.

Depending on how the backrest is set, the function of the arm massage will work differently. The backrest can be in an upright position, slightly reclined and completely collapsed.

The air massage option is also available for the lower part of your legs. It massages with repeating cycles of compression of the muscles in an oblique direction and releasing. This stimulation assist an important function, to return the blood to the heart.

As the shape and form of our bodies differ it is vital for a good massage chair to have the option the adjust for that. Now there are chairs that automatically scans the persons body and use the data collected to change the tools, often small wheels that role and push, inside the massage chair.

Movements of hands and whole arms are reproduced to realize complicated and stereoscopic kneading up and kneading down massage. There are even more complex functions added in some programs of a massage chair. For example a function that combines the stretch massage, which resembles pressing with hands to push up first and then down, with the simultaneous application of the kneed, tapping and wavelet.

The most common functions of massage chairs are vibrations in the seat and backrest. Pleasant intermittent vibrations can be enjoyed simultaneously with the massaging. It promotes blood circulation and relieves strain from muscles.

What is the price of a massage chair? As always it depends on the functionality you want but prices range from just over $1,000 USD up to $8,000 USD. Many companies buy or rent a chair and have it for the personal. This is appreciated as a very efficient way to help the staff to stay healthy. There are studies showing that the number of sick-days will go down considerably when the massage chair has been installed.

An usual effect when a new chair is installed is that people will line up and try the massage. A schedule is almost always required and many use it frequently to get rid of the problems a stressful work situation sometimes creates.

Keith George always writes about valuable news & reviews. A related resource is Massage Chairs Further information can be found at Tips & News.