Massage Chairs for Today's Busy Lifestyle

You work all day. You drive home. You're worried about the economy, the job, your kids, and so on. You need to get rid of some stress…and one of the best tools you can have in your home for stress busting is a massage chair. It's possible to get a complete, automatic massage without having to make an appointment with the massage therapist. These beauties can be put into your parlor and will use electrical motors to rub the kinks out of your back, or your thighs or shoulders to help you calm down and relax.

Most of these shiatsu massage chairs are like high end recliners; they'll have motors that run up and down the lengths of the arms, the back rest and the pelvic area. A few are true recliners, and letting the leg lift up will let them work over your lower extremities.

Now, there are varying prices for these things, just like with anything else you can buy – they range from $400 for the lower end models to $4500 'spa ready' designs. As with anything, you may want to try before you buy; fortunately, this is getting easier. A lot of airports and bus terminals have massage chairs for people to sit in and relax while waiting for a connection, for a small fee. Many shopping malls also have them, and even some corporate workplaces. While a robotic massage chair isn't as personal or as interactive as a full body massage by a trained therapist, they're good for the 'basic maintenance' uses of massage – they'll make you more comfortable, they'll help you relieve tension, and stretch out your body.

There is a growing body of evidence for the benefits of massage, whether delivered by a massage therapist or a device. It helps improve the circulation of fluids, helping your body absorb nutrients and cleanse waste products from the cells. It helps improve the flow of both lymph and blood through your body; this is especially handy for people who sit at a table or desk all day long typing – most people who work office jobs don't get nearly enough full range body motion. For people who do sports, or other physical activities, a massage chair is a great way to overcome aches and sprains, and to help you recover from scrapes and bruises.

For people who are more sedentary, massage relieves stress, and that makes blood pressure drop and helps your pulse rate come down. What's truly impressive is how much the price on these devices has come down in the last couple of years; there are significant advances in manufacturing techniques, largely in making motion sensors (like the ones in the Wii controller) and small, rare earth magnet drivel electrical motors.

As an investment – an ongoing investment – in your health, a massage chair is an excellent purchase. It's seeing it as a health benefit that's the biggest hurdle to many people, especially in down economic times. It's too easy to see it as a frivolous luxury; after all, you've lived this long with myriad aches and pains, a massage chair may get rid of them, but they're not debilitating. Clearly there's something more important you could spend the money on… However, with the Western lifestyle, the biggest contributors to mortality are all tied to stress and obesity; obesity you can deal with by diet and exercise. Stress, on the other hand, is all pervasive, and we tend to not take it seriously enough as a health and wellness factor. Buying a massage chair may be the equivalent of buying two years worth of healthy, normal, functional and happy lifespan.

Think about that the next time you look at one – how much is two years less spent in a nursing home worth? How much is two years of better health worth? When looked at in that light, a massage chair is worth every penny. Don't let "I can take it" machismo stop you from doing something sensible. Look at a massage chair in the full context of cost and benefit ratios, where the health benefits are compared to what it's like to go without one. It's preventive maintenance for your entire musculoskeletal system, and a way to unwind, and reduce the build-up of stress toxins in your body, not a frivolous expenditure.

For best shopping results, be sure to check out some quality massage chairs reviews!