You had an exceptionally long day at the office.
Your muscles are stiff and you can’t wait to get home.
You are looking to take advantage of that new massage chair you just bought.
You don’t need an appointment. Just get in, press a few buttons, and an awesome relaxing massage awaits!
Your massage chair. It is a marvel of technology that provides many health benefits. The purpose is to recreate the sensation of receiving a massage from a therapist.
But have you ever just wondered how do massage chairs work? The basic idea of the robotic massage chair is not that complicated.
So sit back and take a few minutes to read on and find out how massage chairs work.
THE BASICS
A robotic massage chair overall is rather simple.
Most of the massage chairs on the market today consist of motors, gears, rollers, and vibrating mechanisms.
Some add additional features like airbags and heat.
And to add ambience to the massage experience like you would get at a therapist office, some even offer Bluetooth technology for sound, aromatherapy for the smell , and even chromotherapy, or light therapy, to set the mood.
HISTORY
Let’s first take a quick look back into the history of the massage chair.
The first patent application for a robotic-type massage chair was filed in 1948 by Roland A. Labbe.
The simplistic design was nothing more than a stool mounted onto a pedestal with sliding arms to allow you to stretch.
Compared to the massage chairs of today, this chair looked like a medieval torture device.
He also included a therapeutic vibrating pad to allow the user to relieve stress, tension, and pain.
Years later, in 1954, Nobuo Fujimoto collected waste materials, such as softballs, bicycle chains, and pieces of wood.
After trial and error and several modifications, he finally came up with his ideal design, and the first mechanical massage chair was born.
Amazingly, when plugged in today, the original chair still works!
From this simple vibrating massage and the early roller seated chair, massage chairs have quite a history.
Today’s technologically advanced reclining massagers have many options. From Bluetooth technology to heated rollers, and airbags to help improve blood circulation, they have come a long way!
So let’s now take a look and see just how massage chairs work.
VIBRATION
The most basic massage chair function is vibration.
Vibrations can relieve muscle tension, stimulate soft tissue and nerves, and lower your stress levels.
When used at a slower pace, vibrations can actually help you to relax.
To create this sensation, manufacturers use a technology very similar to that used in a cell phone or pager.
Attached to the gear is a counterweight that is mounted off-center on the gear.
The weighted gear is attached to a motor. The motor is what drives the gear.
When a current is applied, the motor spins.
Because the weight is mounted off-center, the spinning action produces a strong vibration.
The massage chair will use several of these to provide a consistent vibration across the surface of the chair and to keep the chair balanced.
Massage chairs also have adjustments that allow you to adjust the speed of the motor. The higher the speed of the motor, the more intense the vibration will be.
MASSAGE ROLLER ASSEMBLY
In addition to airbags, the massage roller assembly is what allows the chair to give a therapist-like massage.
The Roller Track
The roller track runs along the back of the chair and guides the roller arm.
You can think of this like a railroad track that guides the train from point A to point B.
The Roller Arm
Rubberized, usually wheel-shaped, roller balls are attached to roller arms. The roller arms ride up and down the roller track in the back of the massage chair.
Some chairs also have a separate roller system placed inside the leg area to hit the calves and thighs.
The roller arm will guide the roller balls up and down the roller track.
These massage balls provide the various massage techniques to the back.
The roller arm can also move from side to side, allowing it to cover a greater width of the back.
2D, 3D and 4D Rollers
The roller arm itself is also able to pivot back and forth.
This allows for the tapping, or “karate-chop” type of technique.
The further they can pivot back and forth, the greater the intensity.
In addition, the speed at which they pivot back and forth also determines the intensity.
The greater the speed, the more intense it will feel.
Since the roller arm can move in 2 directions, up and down and side to side, massage chairs that use this roller system are know as 2D massage chairs.
A more advanced type of roller system allows the roller arms to move in and out from the roller track.
This third dimension allows the roller balls to penetrate deeper into the tissue.
This will allow for a much more intense massage such as a deep tissue massage
Massage chairs that use this roller system are known as 3D massage chairs.
There are now 4D massage chairs. This additional capability in the 4D massage chairs is just speed adjustment. It is how fast or slow the rollers move.
The rollers can be programmed to imitate different massage techniques.
MASSAGE ROLLER MODES
- Kneading – the massage rollers will move in a circular pattern
- Rolling – just as it sounds, the rollers move up and down the back along the track
- Tapping – giving a karate chop like feel, the rollers will pivot in and out on the roller arm.
- Shiatsu – the rollers will press into certain points on the back to relieve tension and help to breakup knots.
- Gripping – the rollers will move together to grip and hold the tissue before releasing.
AIRBAGS
Rollers can provide a very effective massage to the neck, back and shoulders, utilizing the techniques listed above.
But some areas are not as easy for the rollers to reach.
This is where airbags come into the picture. They are another important part of how massage chairs work.
Airbags are inflatable pouches that can squeeze and release large muscle groups to provide gentle compression therapy.
This is done by having the airbag inflate and deflate through a hose attached to a small air compressor
The arms and legs, two areas the rollers cannot reach, are where airbags are very effective.
Although the mechanical function of the rollers provide most of the massage functions, airbags can also be used as a supplemental massage technique.
With rapid inflation/deflation of the airbags, it is possible to mimic the tapping method the rollers use.
And with a slower inflation rate, it is possible to simulate rolling and kneading.
Some massage chairs will place airbags in the seat, back, and hip areas as well.
By alternating the inflation of the hip airbags, a rocking motion helps relax the muscles in the hip joints and lower back.
The intensity of the airbag can be adjusted by the amount of air that is inflated into the bag. The more air, the more compression and the more intense the massage will be.
HEAT THERAPY
The addition of heat to a massage has many benefits, including:
- Increased Flexibility
- Enhanced Blood Flow
- Induced Relaxation
Massage chairs usually come with one of 3 different types of heat therapy
Heating Pad
Electric heating pads, which usually are located in the lumbar area of many chairs, are the most common source of heat therapy.
They may also be located in the foot ottomans of some chairs.
These can cover large areas of the body at once.
One disadvantage of this type of heat is the level of penetration is not very deep.
However, this is still an effective means of providing heat during the massage.
Heated Rollers
Some massage chairs now come with heated rollers.
The roller ball will heat up, recreating the feeling of the warm hands of the massage therapist.
It has been described as similar to the wonderful sensation of a hot stone massage.
This helps to loosen tense, sore muscles in the neck, shoulder, and back.
Infrared heat
A few massage chairs on the market today come with infrared heat. They can be as a pad or in the rollers.
Infrared heat is an invisible light that emits warmth.
The sun is an example of infrared heat.
Even though the air temperature is the same, you feel cooler in the shade than in the sun when these infrared rays cannot affect your skin.
The main feature of infrared light as it relates to massage therapy is its ability to penetrate the deeper layers of skin.
This enhances the benefits of the addition of heat to the massage.
MICROPROCESSOR
What allows all of these components to work together like a conductor coordinating the individual sections of the orchestra?
That is the role of the microprocessor.
This little technological marvel stores all of the information for every massage setting.
This includes the different massage techniques, the timer settings, and the intensity levels.
Its job is to coordinate these settings and then send out the message to each component when it is their turn to operate.
And although you cannot change the massage patterns, you can adjust the intensity through the remote controls that come with each chair.
The result is a beautiful symphony of coordinated components, providing you with an exceptional and relaxing massage experience.
To Wrap It Up
So there you have it. Now you know how massage chairs work. There are certainly other bells and whistles that you will find, but now you have a good understanding of the basics.