The Role of Chair Massage in the Workplace
Chair massage was easily one of the most popular corporate wellness offerings prior to the pandemic. With the return to the office underway at many companies and levels of uncertainty, stress, and anxiety still running high, this employee favorite is making a well-deserved comeback.
Why do so many employees jump at the opportunity for a chair massage? One reason is that touch is powerful – we all need it to some degree. The lack of touch, or touch deprivation, is actually connected with negative health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, and immune system dysfunction.
During the crisis phase of the pandemic which had us isolating ourselves and social distancing like never before, collectively we learned just how much we need touch. Corporate HR, benefits, and wellness managers should be aware that it is something many of their employees have missed these past few years.
Benefits of Chair Massage at Work
Chair massage is known to reduce stress, decrease anxiety and depression, relieve muscle tension & headaches, increase focus and energy, improve sleep, lower blood pressure, increase immune function and improve range of motion.
Typically offered in 5-to-15-minute micro sessions, chair massage is a portable form of massage in which the therapist has access to the upper body including the head, neck, shoulders, back, arms, and hands. Massaging these areas reduces muscle tension, revives connective tissue, and energizes the individual.
Chair massage is a wonderful corporate wellness service for employers to provide employees who are experiencing chronic stress at work. For years now, scientifically supported studies (here and here, among the many) have shown that massage benefits employees in a multitude of ways, primarily through helping to mitigate the corrosive effects of work stress.
Lastly, though corporate chair massage can be offered as a one-off service, it will always be most beneficial when offered regularly and/or bundled with other holistic wellness services like yoga & movement classes, meditation & breathwork, nutrition talks & cooking demos, and employee wellness webinars.
When and Where to Offer Workplace Chair Massage
The best part of corporate chair massage service for employers is that, with a licensed massage therapist (LMT) coming right to your office, you’re bringing workplace wellbeing to your employees right where they are.
While chair massage can be offered anytime for any reason (trust us, you don’t need a special occasion to offer chair massage at your office – employees love it no matter the circumstances!) this service makes a great add-on to on-site health fairs, back-to-the-office parties, and other employee gatherings. It is a terrific way to say “thank you” to new and veteran employees alike after the many challenges of the past few years.
Scheduling regular, convenient chair massages at work is a wonderful way to eliminate employees’ excuses for self-care and in these present times can help decrease the stress of heading back to the office.
Chair Massage with Urban Balance
We partner with some of the most skilled and experienced professional massage therapists in the Portland metro area. Our LMTs are fully vaccinated and take all the appropriate COVID safety precautions, including wearing masks and sanitizing surfaces between clients.
Contact us today to set up a free consultation or schedule corporate chair massage services for your Portland, Oregon employees!
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Urban Balance is the premier provider of comprehensive on-site corporate wellness services including massage in the Portland, Oregon metro area and offers virtual workplace wellness programming worldwide. We deliver livestream and on-demand classes, webinars, and special events to the workplace environment for happier employees and a healthier bottom line.
Browse our virtual wellness services catalog with offerings including yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, Zumba, HIIT, Barre Sculpt, meditation, nutrition, learning opportunities, and more.
Discover the benefits of the Urban Balance on-demand video library, a workplace wellbeing solution with over 350+ holistic wellness classes. Includes membership options for companies and individuals.
