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Massage Techniques Offered By Massage Chairs

July 14th, 2009 No comments

Massage chairs are built to perform a wide variety of massage techniques. More expensive chairs will offer a greater range of massage techniques as well as speeds and intensities whereas basic massage chairs will offer fewer options in terms of massage functions. Still, kneading, rolling, and percussion or tapping are some basic functions that are most important and come standard with most chairs.

The rolling technique is a basic way to stretch your back and spine. This loosens up the area for deeper massages to follow. This massage is performed by a large roller in the back rest of the massage chair and works a large area of the back to increase circulation.

Kneading relaxes and invigorates the body by gently applying pressure to an acupoint and holding it until the tension is transferred from the body to the roller. Then the roller retracts at the same time the tension pressure is released. The kneading motion feels like two thumbs pressing firmly in a circular motion on both sides of the spine to lift and stretch the muscles deeper than the roller.

Popular in sports medicine, percussions or tapping is the rapid tapping of the back muscles. It feels like fists or the edge of hands and this motion flexes spinal joints to relieve pressure and invigorate the entire back. Some chairs refer to the technique as percussion while others use the term tapping.

Shiatsu massage refers to the style of massage that works to use pressure on acupoints to stimulate energy flow and overall health of the body. It is based on the science that different acupoints correlate directly to certain organs of the body and stimulating those points will in turn stimulate those organs or glands. It is a deep tissue massage that feels like fingers applying pressure to points all over the body.

Acupressure is a technique that squeezes the muscles along the spine inward toward each other. It feels like the heel of a person’s hand pressing and releasing alongside the spine. This has a loosening effect that warms up the muscles and loosens the back. Depending on the massage chair manufacturer, acupressure is also referred to as compression.

The Swedish technique is a very relaxing technique of pressuring muscles and rubbing them in the direction of blood flow to the heart. It is a combination of other techniques to produce the loosening and relaxing other muscles as well as increasing blood flood. It is what most people would consider a normal massage and has become the standard massage.

One function that massage chairs offer that can’t be duplicated by any human massage therapist is the air massage. This is a feature of some high end chairs that use the inflating and deflating of air bags to squeeze parts of the back, arms, and legs of the user.

Each technique offered by the massage chair serves its own specific purpose and it is up to the consumer to decide what functions are most important. There is a huge selection of brands and models to choose from and pretty much any combination of functions are available.

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Massage Chair Online Shopping

June 29th, 2009 No comments

There are many advantages to shopping for a massage chair online. The vast quantity of information available to you at your finger tips is incomparable to what you would find at a traditional retailer. The best part is not having to deal with a salesperson. Not that they are bad, salespeople can be very informative and helpful, but it is nice to be able to do preliminary research before hitting the showroom floor, which is physically limited in the variety it can display at any given time.

With the availability of information online for each model, there is hardly a shortage of reviews or product and feature descriptions. While there are numerous benefits to buying online it is recommended that you use all the available resources when shopping for a massage chair.

A massage chair is considered a large purchase by many people, but it is a fair price for the promise of relaxation and the perfect way to unwind at the end of the day. With all large purchases there will be some one that will try to sell you more than you wanted to buy.

You don’t need pressure when trying to make a clear headed decision concerning hundreds, even thousands of dollars. And even though well intended salespeople may be trying to help you pick out the best chair, sometimes it just isn’t the best chair for you.

What is great about being online when shopping for a massage chair is that the information is not only horizontally expansive, but vertically as well. Sites will teach you everything from massage techniques to product feature descriptions and reviews. You can learn to recognize massage functions offered by different models.

Some of the nifty features that online retailers offer on their website include calculators that can help narrow the search down to whatever specifications you choose. There are all sorts of tools that allow you to pull up multiple chairs at one time to compare and contrast the features, options, and pricing of the various models. And because you have unlimited access to information online, what is available to you on the internet is really much more diverse than what one store may have in stock or on the showroom floor the day you visit.

There is no doubt the value of buying a massage chair from a physical store. The most important step in researching the right massage chair to take home is actually trying out the chair for its comfort. Some basic chairs are less adjustable and may not accommodate your height or specific body contours.

So use all your resources both online and off. Learn about massage chairs, the terminology and standard features. Once you have picked out a handful of chairs you would like to actually sit in, go to the stores that are known to carry your model or brand and try it out.

Many places are really eager to sell so they may offer negotiable discounts you cannot get online without speaking with a representative. Remember to take shipping cost as well as taxes and fees into consideration. It’s the final price that matters. So besides shopping online to learn before you buy a massage chair, use it as a bargaining chip to get the best price as well.

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