I teach at a massage school at home in Knoxville, TN. In bodywork, we start our students out learning chair massage (before they move to tables). Once the students get to the table, someone always says, “I hate chair massage.”

I have to admit; I have a sort of love/hate relationship with chair massage myself. I love what it can do for my business, but sometimes I hate the limitations of chair massage. I find that I can do so much more for a client when I have them on the table, when I can use a product so I get better glide, when I have more time to really work a certain trigger point. But I go back to this…I love what chair massage can do for my business.

David Palmer, the inventor of the modern portable massage chair, had a vision. His goal is to make touch therapy a positive experience in our country and our culture. Bringing a massage chair to a public space does just that! The more people that we, as therapists, can expose not just to touch therapy, but specifically to our touch, the more potential clients we reach.

Several of my best table clients came to me first by chair massage, at an event or from an office where I have a regular gig. Chair massage is such a great way for someone to experience your touch, without the time or financial commitment that an hour service requires. Chair massage, in many ways, is also a more comfortable situation for someone who has never experienced massage before. The uninitiated always ask “What if I don’t like massage?” or “What if I don’t like the therapist?” With chair massage, a therapist can take the guessing game out of massage for these skeptics.

Try to set up a weekly or semi-weekly engagement with an office space or organization near you. This is one of the best ways to let many potential clients experience massage. It probably won’t be the highest paying job you will ever have as a massage therapist, but it can pay huge dividends by allowing you to show these clients your expertise. And, best of all, I’ve yet to see an unhappy face saying, ”The massage therapist is here!!”