Tips on how to best use a massage chair

Choosing to have a massage chair in the comfort of your own home is move towards improving your health and wellbeing. A massage chair can help with relaxation, mediation and can even invigorate your body. Coming home after a long day, back or neck pain, or just a generally feeling tired; a massage chair can help you to feel refreshed and relaxed and can soothe away those body aches. There are some tips that can help you choose the right massage chair and get the most out of it.

1. Which massage chair?

Massage chairs come in a range of quality, shapes, sizes and with different functions. The better massage chairs have more options and controls and help you to tailor your experience to your needs and wants. Consider massage chairs that will allow you to recline to a more relaxing position, have built-in heaters for soothing muscles, and are built with strong vibration motors that provide a better experience. Finally, always look for a good warranty so you can be confident in your investment. Check out Cathy Wong’s article on VeryWellHealth for further advice on choosing a massage chair.

2. Before you start

Your chair has arrived and you are keen to try it out. First you need to consider the chair’s settings and postitioning. If they are not right you may cause harm to your machine or worse, yourself. Be sure to allow for room around the chair when it reclines. Most chairs fit heights between 165cm and 188cm and when you sit in the chair you should be snug without crushing any elements.  Before you begin slip off your shoes, take off your jacket, and make yourself as comfortable as possible in the chair. The back of your body should be pressed firmly againsty the seat cushions and your muscles should be relaxed. Avoid eating and drinking in the chair and we would even recommend you avoid moving and talking and turn off any other distractions around you to get the most out of the massage.  Before you turn on the chair check to see where your controls are and that you can access them easily when sitting in the chair.

3. Using your chair

If you are intending to use your massage chair for pain relief we recommend you do some research and consult your doctor to get the most benefit from your new chair. Articles from websites like Spine-Health can provide some advice and information. When using your massage chair for the first time, you might want to go crazy with the different settings and controls so that you can experience everything that it can do. For best results, though, try starting out slowly and with a low intensity. As you get used to this, you can adjust the intensity more. As you play around with the controls on your massage chair, you can get a better feel for what works well for you. You may even be a bit sore after your first go as the massage chair may be working some muscles that are not use to being worked over. If you are concerned about any pain please check with your doctor. It is recommended that you use the massage programs in a massage chair for only up to 15 minutes at a time and that when finished it is best to get up and move around to get the most benefit from the massage chair. It doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the comfort of your new chair for longer, but if you do sit without the massage programs running.