Corporate Chair Massage: The What & Why

Corporate Chair Massages - What are they, and why are they good for my company?

We’ve heard the question often, and the answer is one that could both improve your company’s bottom line and make you the hero of the office, if you decide to bring the idea to the table.

What Is A Corporate Chair Massage Event?

To understand that, first we must assume that you know what a "normal" massage is.

If not, here’s the basics: You go in to a location, you get taken back into a room, you get undressed and hop under the sheets on a bed, and then a Massage Therapist comes back into the room and therapeutically kneads and works the muscles of your body, usually using lotion, for about an hour or more. It’s relaxing, it’s great.

A “chair massage” is essentially the same thing... only quite different.

Corporate Chair Massages are massages, but they are short sessions. They are typically 10-15 minutes in length, per participant, and the massage is done completely clothed.

Being clothed makes it possible for the therapists to work on several people in an hour’s time, since no undressing is necessary, and it takes little time to get on and off the chair and change participants. Since several therapists can share a space if everyone is clothed, working on any size group is possible with multiple therapists, if needed.

Staying dressed also makes it possible for the massages to be done in an open or public setting, which makes it ideal for getting bodywork in a work or office space.

Same effects as going to the spa, less to worry about, and more chances for your team to get the help they need-without even leaving the office!

Workplace massages are performed in a special massage chair designed to be comfortable to sit in while still leaving the participant’s entire back and neck open to be massaged. This chair is lightweight, can be brought on-site, and takes up about the same space as a normal office chair - so no matter what size space you have available, a chair massage can probably be set up in it.

To start setting up a chair massage event, you would only need to know how many people are in your group or office, and the rest of the details can be worked out from there.

Once contacted, a representative from Seated Serenity LLC will ask a couple questions of you and get a better picture of your group’s exact needs for your event, figure out a date and time that works for you, then make an online sign up and send it over to be printed or distributed via email. Some events won’t need a sign up sheet at all, it all depends on your needs!

Then a Massage Therapist shows up at your location at the agreed-upon time and gives everyone on-site chair massages. Simple as that!

The beauty is that no two chair events are the same, and oftentimes the amount of expected interest fluctuates as the date approaches. No need to feel apprehensive at all about asking for a couple different quotes and to figure out the best fit for your group. The plan and times often change as the event closes in, we’ve done this enough times to know that, so don’t sweat it if you don’t yet know EXACTLY how much interest there ACTUALLY is. You can’t read minds - and no one should expect you to!

Why Should We Have A Corporate Chair Massage Event At Our Company?

If the question is “why” a group of productive employees would benefit from regular workplace massage events, (besides you becoming a rock star for bringing it in for them), the answer boils down to one thing: the company’s bottom line.

As a company considering Corporate Chair Massage Events, the event should be viewed as an "investment" toward your bottom line for several reasons, but mostly because it makes everyone on your team happy and relaxed.

Stress is responsible for 19% of employee absenteeism and 40% of employee turnover. Research shows that 60-90% of doctor visits are ultimately stress-related. (American Institute of Stress and Chrysalis Performance Strategies)

Employees, no matter what the industry, are stressed. Whether it is good or bad, or dealt with in a healthy way or not, it is still universal: work creates stress. Stress causes tension. Tension then perpetuates more stress, and over time has a negative effect on an employee’s state of health. In fact, it’s been found that the healthcare expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers reporting high levels of stress. (Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine)

As a business, focusing on keeping your employees relaxed and relieved of stress should be one of your top priorities. Happy employees are productive employees, and the ability to produce is what makes and keeps teams together, as well as quality employees around, in the long term.

It even shows in the numbers; companies with health and wellness programs, like workplace massage, report an average of 28% less sick leave, 26% less direct health care costs, and 30% reduction in workers’ comp and disability costs. (Ceridian Report)

The U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Reports also shows that businesses that have invested in activity-based workplace wellness programs have reported a $3-$5.82 return on every $1 invested in the form of decreased healthcare costs, decreased absenteeism, increased productivity, decreased employee turnover, and reduced insurance costs.

Basically, and in summary, it truly pays to invest in both your employee’s mental and physical health!

For today’s business that cares about the bottom line, it could be hurting you to NOT invest in your team’s health and happiness through a corporate chair massage program.

The best part, though? (We hear this one a lot) When you offer your employees or coworkers free massages... they tend to love you FOREVER!