No special preparations are necessary for a massage session in a massage chair, but it’s always worth tweaking and improving something to make it even more enjoyable and to make the massage even more effective and relaxing. Below, Paweł suggests what to pay attention to and what little details should be considered in order to make the massage even more comfortable and to make the most of the time spent in the massage chair.
The surroundings and massage
Although we often don’t realise it, the person being massaged is affected by a multitude of different external stimuli. The noise from outside the window, a conversation from the other room, the ringing phone or last night’s game on TV. It makes it hard to relax, to focus on your body and to unwind. To make it more effective and enjoyable, it’s a good idea to start by placing the massage chair somewhere quiet. With your favourite music coming through the speakers, simply close your eyes, relax and let the massaging arms do their work.
Music for relaxation in the massage chair
The tremendous effect of music on our mood and body makes it inherently associated with relaxation. And when we talk about relaxation, we must mention the massage chair. The pleasant and precise movements of the massaging arms combined with the soothing music calms you down, reduces the feeling of fatigue and controls heart function and blood circulation. Enjoyable, peaceful music during massage improves your well-being and allows you to turn off your racing thoughts for at least a moment, contributing to the deep relaxation of not only your body, but also your mind. In our personal experience, movie soundtracks works best: Hans Zimmer, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, Thomas Newman… but this is of course a matter of taste.
In order to combine massage with music therapy, many massage chair models come equipped with built-in Bluetooth speakers, ready to connect to your device with, for example, your phone. This function is available for an example in the Massaggio chairs such as compact Bello 2, as well as more advanced model such as Massaggio Stravagante 2.
What to wear for massage in the massage chair?
Comfortably, that’s for sure! Another thing to keep in mind in order to feel comfortable in the massage chair is actually the right kind of clothing. Clothes must not restrict movement or cause discomfort. If your chair massages your forearms, be sure to remove your watch and jewellery. Trousers should be without a belt – when the massaging arms are working, their pressure through the edge of the belt will certainly not be pleasant nor effective. You don’t need any particular clothes to enjoy massage in the massage chair, what’s most important is that you feel comfortable – whether you’re in sweatpants or a shirt :)
And here’s a little tip: it’s a good idea to wear long-legged trousers and something with long sleeves for the massage, especially on hot days. This way we’re wearing our favourite fabric, thus preventing sweat stains on the lining of our arm and leg massagers, which can be difficult to remove later on. It will be more pleasant for us and the chair will stay fresh and pristine longer.
Food and drink vs. massage in a massage chair
Regular massage should be supported by drinking at least two litres of water a day. Healthy and adequately hydrated muscles are more flexible, also often referred to as spongy, and therefore better prepared to accept the pressure of the massaging arms. The elimination of muscle tension and stiffness is then much easier, more effective and brings sensational relief and relaxation.
On the other hand, lack of sufficient hydration of the body can cause the muscle tissue to become harder and more tense, making it difficult to perform massage. Not only does the massage itself then become less pleasant, but also the blood flow and the necessary elimination of toxins decreases.
Unlike drinking, eating doesn’t affect the massage as much. The only recommendations involve eating right before the massage. It is best to eat your last meal about an hour before the massage. If you eat too much or too heavy, it may affect your mood negatively or lead to discomfort.
It’s also worth remembering that you should be extra careful when eating or drinking close to the massage chair. Spilling water over parts or crumbs of food in the mechanism can cause damage to the massage chair.
A few additional tips
What else is worth bearing in mind when enjoying massage in the massage chair? During massage, just like during a nap, the body cools down gently. It’s therefore a good idea to cover yourself with a specially prepared blanket to maintain the right body temperature. The blanket is of a suitable size so that it wraps the body nicely but also doesn’t get caught between the moving parts of your massage chair.
Occasionally, the first massages in the massage chair may cause mild discomfort. Why? The muscles are tense and unaccustomed to the pressure of the massaging arms, whose job is, after all, to massage and relax them. It’s therefore worth bearing in mind from the very beginning that massages should be applied in doses. Start slowly; get your body become accustomed to the massage first. Then, with each passing day, you can increase its scope and frequency. We realise that it is sometimes difficult to keep away from the new piece of equipment at home, but in this case moderation is most advisable. Excessively long massage in the massage chair can have the opposite effect – you might just be sore ;-)
Undoubtedly, after you’ve tried the massage chair for the first time and tested most of the functionalities, you’ll choose the programmes you like best. Once you’re familiar with how the massage chair works, it’s a good idea to keep your massage session to as few programmes as possible. Too frequent use, or even playing with the chair’s remote control, requires you to lift your head and neck, and this can lead to increased tension in the muscles of the neck.
Pro tip for advanced users – individual programmes
Certain massage chairs, especially the higher-end models, have the ability to save their own automatic programmes. These can be created from scratch, but not necessarily. Sometimes it is worth slightly modifying our favourite programme manually, e.g. by adjusting the strength of the airbags or the intensity of the massage arms, the inclination of the seat and footrest, the heating, etc. Once adjusted in this way, our own automatic massage programme will be ideal for our body, “tailor-made”. Comfort and benefits need no further explanation here :-)
Now you know what to keep in mind to make your massage in the massage chair even more effective and much more enjoyable. And if you have any further questions while reading, feel free to contact us.
Transcript
Paweł, massage tends to be quite pleasant in itself, but can it get any better?
Listen, you can always do better and it’s not only with massage chairs… driving a car, taking a bath can be made more enjoyable and so can a massage session in a chair. I’m not talking about buying additional features or even better chairs, but creating such an atmosphere and arranging the massage in such a way that it brings even more joy.
We need to break this down into several stages. The first is the setting. You need to keep the room quiet, and preferably turn off the TV, although we are often asked “Can you watch TV during the massage?”. Of course you can, as this equipment is there for us, not the other way round. However, if we want to achieve the effect of actual relaxation, rest, it’s better to switch off the TV, cell phone, and just listen to some relaxing music – pleasant, soothing sounds, so that we can unwind during the massage, free from any distractions. The setting is very important. And these 15-20 minutes that we have available, will be spent efficiently then.
The second thing is our apparel. We should make sure that we’re dressed comfortably. Certainly not leather belts, they won’t do. Some sweatpants, t-shirt, something casual, comfy, which will make us feel at ease in this massage chair and all the parts that will be performing the massage, won’t hit the elements of our clothing, such as a belt, a watch, and shoes need to be avoided in the leg massager, so we’re going in there in socks only. There’s also the question of food, of course. As with everything, it’s best not to eat too much before the massage. It should be pointed out that it’ll be much more comfortable for us then.
There are also items such as a blanket, as well as heating, because here we should note that our body behaves like during sleep when it’s getting massaged in a massage chair, so it can get a little bit cooler, especially upper parts, which are being exposed. So it’s good to cover yourself with a blanket during massage, just as you would during a nap. We also have blankets available that are specially tailored to cover more or less the entire width of the chair, but they’re not too wide so they don’t get caught in the leg massager or here, somewhere in the side parts.
We can cover ourselves with a blanket and that too will definitely make the massage more comfortable and enjoyable. It can either be ours or it can be your own. What matters is that it simply fits here, more or less, within the frame and widths that the chair provides. Our sets also include cushions that you can put under your head or, if the massage is too intensive, under your back. We offer cushions in two thicknesses in our sets and you can use them as well. You need to find your ideal position, whether you prefer lying down or sitting up, and find your own massage comfort based on the functions of the chair.
Remember: setting, peace and quiet, clothing, food, background music, of course you can think about color therapy, scent, but these are all add-ons. In fact, if we put on some nice music, close our eyes, cover ourselves with a blanket and calm down for 15-20 minutes, we’ll experience a power nap… that’s it. And if we fall asleep, it’ll prove that we’ve achieved the ultimate comfort.
