How to make your massage chair more comfortable

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 in the Massaggio chairs – compact models such as Piccolo and Bello 2, as well as more advanced models such as Massaggio Esclusivo 2 or 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.