Chair Massage is Making a Huge Comeback & Here’s Why!
By Jessica Lollino - October 9, 2020
Lately, it seems we can't schedule chair massages fast enough here at LoDo! As we all get more comfortable with social distancing protocols and returning to work in this new COVID age, employers are bringing back employee health benefits in a big way – and that means more chair massage. So, why are all these employers bringing back massage? It’s as simple as science.
Paul Zak, a professor of economics, psychology, and management at Claremont Graduate University, talks about how important touch is in our daily life. He says, “When we’re touched [in a positive way], a cascade of events happens in the brain and one of the important ones is the release of a neurochemical called oxytocin,†he says, reiterating that this process reduces stress and improves immunity. “That’s super valuable in a time of pandemic.â€Â
Chair massage is a safe way to get through the pandemic and here’s why.
How Touch Deprivation Affects Humans
Physical touch is a major way in which we connect with others. Without it, or at least, with a lot less of it, we can experience loneliness and feelings of isolation. This is in turn can affect our mental and physical health. While social distancing is critical to the health of ourselves, our community, and our world in general, it can be really hard to feel good all the time without it.
Dacher Keltner, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkley explains just why social distancing can impact us so much, "Big parts of our brains are devoted to making sense of touch and our skin has billions of cells that process information about it," he says. "The right type of friendly touch—like hugging your partner or linking arms with a dear friend—calms your stress response down. [Positive] touch activates a big bundle of nerves in your body that improves your immune system, regulates digestion, and helps you sleep well. It also activates parts of your brain that help you empathize." Without touch, we see the converse – sickness, sluggishness, insomnia, depression, and the list goes on.
Thankfully, chair massage is a safe way to get the benefits of physical touch.
Benefits of Chair Massage
Chair massage is back in businesses because it provides some key benefits during this stressful time, potentially even more than it did pre-March. Chair massage is also a safe, pandemic-friendly way to get the benefits of both massage in general as well as physical touch in a short session.
Here are just a few benefits of chair massage:
- Physical touch stimulates the release of oxytocin, the “feel very good†hormone.
- Mental health improvement – less depression, loneliness, and feelings of isolation
- Increased immunity
- Relief from hunched positions and back and neck pain from sedentary work
- A feeling of connectedness
Safety First: The New In-Office Chair Massage Protocols
Finally, let’s talk about how chair massage is safe during the pandemic. Here are some of the ways we are concentrating on key aspects of the precautions, social distancing, and safety measures we are taking to ensure safety and health for all parties.
Therapists will:
- Wear a mask at all times
- Thoroughly wash hands between massage appointments
- Thoroughly sanitize the chair after each massage, including a new face covering
- Five minutes have been added in between services to facilitate this as well as to maximize the success of social distancing measures
- Not be allowed to work if they fell sick, have been recently sick, have potentially been exposed to COVID-19, or have traveled outside of their home state since April 2020
- Have the right to refuse service to any person that does not comply with participant standards
Participants will:
- Wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth unless they have a medical condition that prevents them from doing so
- Wash their hands before their service
- Complete a COVID-19 release form (please email us for a copy of the waiver)
- Be instructed to wash their hands immediately after service
- Not be eligible for service if they have traveled outside of their home state since April 2020 at this time or feel or have been ill recently.
You can contact us to discuss our COVID compliance measures in more detail at any time. We want all of our clients to feel confident and safe bringing chair massage back to their very grateful employees. We look forward to serving you soon!
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