Start the New Year off Right | Benefits of Massage Chairs

If you’ve ever booked a professional massage before it’s probably because you were trying to get pain relief, help manage stress, anxiety, or other health concerns. It is the New Year, and many people put their mental and physical health as something they want to work on and improve in the year before them. Whether you have thought about it or not, a massage chair may help. We are going to review the benefits of massage chairs, so you can decide if one will help you achieve your New Year’s resolutions this year.

What is a Massage Chair?

Massage chairs were first introduced to the consumer market in the late 1980’s. They were intended to emulate the motions and techniques of an actual masseuse, with the goal of the massage chair being to relieve stress, tension, and alleviate back pain. Massage chairs can use different massage therapy techniques to be suited for each person and their specific needs.

The idea behind the massage chair is pretty simple. A device on or inside the chair, provides the person sitting in it, the sensation of receiving an actual massage. Some chairs only have simple vibrating elements, while others contain complex machinery designed to mimic a human massage therapist’s techniques. All of them are designed to provide comfort and relief (howstuffworks).

While we could go on and on about the mechanics of massage chairs, we know that’s not what is important to you right now, you are wondering if one is right for you and would like understand the benefits of massage chairs. We can help with that.

What are Some of the Benefits of Massage Chairs?

A good hands-on massage can play a critical role in alleviating back and neck pain. Similarly, a good massage chair is designed to provide some measure of pain relief and relaxation; however, without the need for person-to-person interaction. Getting a massage in the privacy of your home, along with the convenience and time efficiency, are some of the major reasons why people decide massage chairs are right for them.

Let’s dig in deeper to some of the benefits of massage chairs.

  • Reduce Stress and Anxiety: Many studies and research have proven that massage therapy is effective stress relief. Massage therapy can reduce stress significantly on physical and psychological levels including decreased blood pressure and heart rate and improvements in mood and emotional state. Massage therapy has been proven to boost levels of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, while at the same time lowering levels of the “stress-hormone” cortisol.  Massage is also proven to effectively help relieve anxiety and tension headaches.​
  • Alleviate Pain: Using a massage chair has been shown to be effective in reducing conditions such as headache, muscle aches, neck, shoulder and back pain. Studies show that massage therapy reduces stress levels of the cerebral cortex and increases serotonin, on average, by 28%. Massage can decrease low-back pain, one of the most common ailments among Americans, especially during snow shoveling season in Northeast Ohio and Erie, PA. Massage therapy can also ease symptoms of arthritis and fibromyalgia, which tend to flare up when the cold weather hits.
  • Strengthen Immune System:  Lymphocytes are white blood cells that help protect the body against disease, and are responsible for the body’s immune response to harmful agents. Studies have found that a massage for 30 minutes a day can increase the number of lymphocytes in the body and help improve your immune system. According to experts, just one massage is enough to produce significant changes in the amount of immune hormones needed by the body.
  • Decrease Inflammation: Research, through the Buck Institute for Research on Aging and McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, indicates that massage therapy reduces inflammation of acutely damaged skeletal muscle. The study found evidence at the cellular level that massage therapy may affect inflammation in a way similar to anti-inflammatory medications. Massage improves venous and lymphatic flow, manipulating muscles and increasing blood flow. Increasing blood flow facilitates the circulation and absorption of nutritional elements into the muscles and tissues. Increasing lymphatic circulation clears toxins out of these areas. Together, this revitalizes the massaged area and helps to reduce inflammation.

Massage therapy is able to help reduce stress and anxiety and alleviate pain, and there are many other benefits of massage chairs that happen as a result. Massage can help reduce depression by increasing endorphin levels, improve flexibility and mobility, decrease tension and relax and loosen sore muscles, improve blood flow and cardiovascular health, regulate blood pressure, improve sleep quality, amongst many other uses.

If you are wondering if a massage chair is right for you and your family this year, you have come to the right place. At Litehouse Pools & Spas we have massage chair options. Our massage chairs can help relieve pain and anxiety and provide other many health benefits that you’ll get from the comfort of your home.

Visit us or shop online today to start your New Year off right by rewarding yourself with the many benefits of massage chairs.