Corporate Massage Gaining Popularity Amongst Philly Companies

Whether companies use it to support their wellness program or as a perk to boost employee morale, massage is finding it’s way into more Philadelphia office settings.

Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Business Journal published “Best Places To Work 2012.”  In the article, you can discover what types of benefits and perks top-rated Philadelphia area companies are offering their employees.

According to editor, Sonja Sherwood, “Valet dry cleaning service. Discounted movie tickets. Chair massages. On-site car wash. Game room. Company outings to ski resorts, beaches or to drive NASCAR stock cars” were just some of the unique perks companies made available to employees.

So, what companies reported ‘regular massage’ as one of their employee-prized perks?

• Mobile device management provider, Fiberlink (Blue Bell, PA)
• Staffing company, Staffing Plus Inc. (Haverford, PA)
• Law firm, Martin Banks (Philadelphia, PA)

Want to bring chair massage to your office? ‘Like’ this post and receive 20% off your first corporate chair massage with Relax ‘N Go Massage. (Philadelphia area companies only, please.)

Related articles

• Employee Explains Why Massage Makes Her More Productive (relaxngomassage.wordpress.com)
• Employee Wellness (dhmsblog.wordpress.com)
• Get Paid to Stay Healthy (marketwatch.com)

Not a Fan of Massage? This Will Change Your Mind

Survey found 18% aren’t crazy about massage

Nearly 60% of respondents to a massagetherapy.com survey have never had a massage.  Of this group, 26% said massage was not necessary; 18% dislike massage or have no interest in it.

Ok, so not everyone is a fan of massage.  I get it.  The thought of getting naked in front of a total stranger and getting slathered with smelly oils may not be high on your must-do list.  Combine that with the sexually explicit massage parlors advertised on line and in print, you’ve pretty much made up your mind that massage is “not your thing.”

Before you rule it out completely, consider these points…

Why Stress Can Actually Kill You

Infographic from Stress.org “Stress Is Killing You”

Chronic stress is serious business.  According to stress.org, “Stress is the basic cause of 60% of all human illness and disease.”  For some, prolonged, elevated levels of stress may even prove life threatening.

When our body senses danger, real or imagined, it sends out various elevated levels of hormones that make the heart beat faster, increase blood pressure, slow down the digestive system, etc, to “protect” itself.  While in the short term, our bodies can typically handle the onslaught of “stress hormones,” over time it can damage any of the body’s delicate systems.

Research has suggested that when the heart is continually “under stress,” it can cause inflammation in the coronary arteries, which, some believe, can lead to a heart attack.

Stress increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke by an average of 38%.[Source: http://www.stress.org]

Can Chair Massage Make You Smarter?

English: Albert Einstein Français : portrait d’Albert Einstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

While it may not turn you into a regular Einstein, research shows chair massage may improve brain function.

There’s no doubt that workplace demands on employees are greater than ever.  One survey shows that “eight out of 10 respondents report that managers’ and employees’ workloads have increased, along with employee stress. At the same time, half of respondents report that employee motivation, energy, and endurance have all decreased.”

It turns out that increased levels in stress hormones – such as cortisol – adversely affect specific tasks involved in memory processing (Howe, 1998). In large amounts, cortisol can actually slow neuron growth, development and function (McEwen, 1999; Lombroso, 1998).

Research suggests that massage not only relaxes and calms the mind, but actually improves performance.

Top 5 Ways To Get The Most Out Of Your Chair Massage

If you’re new to chair massage, you may wonder “what can I do to get the most benefits out of this massage.” While chair massages may lack the privacy most are familiar with when getting a full body table massage, there are still ways to “tune out” the outside world and get “into the zone.”

Before you buy a portable massage chair, read my reviews

Not to toot my own horn, but I’ve given over 10,000 chair massages.  If you’re in the market for purchasing a portable massage chair, I have a few recommendations worth considering.

Before you purchase a chair, make sure you know what you will be using it for.  Will you be carting this thing around to weekly corporate events? Do you want to set it up in a more permanant location (like inside your office or retail space)? Unsure you’ll even like doing chair massage?  Maybe you just want to try?

Where to find the cheapest massage providers in Philadelphia

It’s Friday morning.  That pinching pain in your neck has NOT gone away.  You tried aspirin, bribing your

Penny pincher’s short list on where to find the cheapest massages in Philly

partner, adjusting your seat height up, down, forwards, and backwards, and nothing will work out that kink.  There’s no way you can go into the weekend, head cocked to the side, wincing in pain.

Unless…

The Cost Of Corporate Chair Massage In Philadelphia

Philadelphia skyline. (Photo credit: Flodigrip’s world)

More and more companies are hiring professional massage therapists to come into their office to provide chair massages for their employees.

If you are the person in charge of coordinating the company’s annual health fair or employee appreciation event, and, you’ve never hired massage therapists before, you probably have no idea how much it will cost.