Chair massage keeps illnesses down, productivity up

Employee Benefit News, May, 2004 by Leah Carlson

Eager to show appreciation for workers and diminish their stress, more American companies reportedly are providing chair massages at the workplace.

Masseuses at Miami-based Corporate Body and San Francisco-based Infinite Massage are seeing an increase in corporate clients offering chair massages as an employee benefit. "The past 10 months it's really picked up," notes Ron Schwab, Corporate Massage owner. "The economy has improved a little, and companies are taking the money and reinvesting it in their employees. They see the increased productivity, and it just benefits everybody."

Chair massages can reduce stress, pain and fatigue. They also can alleviate symptoms of depression, improve function of the immune system, and increase workers' ability to concentrate, according to Lee Shulman, Infinite Massage owner.

"Chair massage has been shown to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation while simultaneously enhancing alertness," he states. "Chair massage recipients showed increase speed and accuracy on ...