Chair Massage

I love Indy Hall! Every week something new happens, usually from members just doing things. They call it JFDI. Today, the good people of Healing Hands Massage gave chair massages to members. A ten-minute session cost $12.50, so I signed up for two. I had never had a chair massage before, or for that matter any kind of massage.

I had no idea what to expect. I imagined sitting in an office chair while someone massaged my shoulders. I really didn’t know. I made my way to the conference room. Rachel showed me inside and introduced me to Denise, who would give me my massage. Rachel asked if I ever had a massage and I said no. “Then you’re in for a treat. They’re addictive.”

Rachel showed me the special chair Denise would use. Forget the office chair. This chair had a raised seat to sit, arm rests and a place to rest your head with an open space for your face. It felt very plush, and reminded me of a pool toy, albeit better constructed. The relaxed atmosphere and Indian music probably also contributed to this impression. I knew I would have a fun time.

The massage went pretty much as I expected, but words really don’t convey the benefit. She asked where I carry stress and I said my shoulders so she started there. She massaged the muscles in my neck and back. She worked on each arm, letting it hang down as she massaged all the muscles and even the reflexology points on my hand. It felt great. I felt some strain in my wrist I didn’t even know I had just go away. She massaged the back of my head, my occipital lobe which has received so much work. That felt so awesome. She also spent some time on my hips. I didn’t even realize I had tension there, probably from sitting a lot, and it felt good to have that removed.

The twenty minutes passed quickly. It felt like the perfect length. I stood up and oriented myself and could feel the change. I had some brief conversation about their work.. Healing Hands reminds me of Reiki, which they also do. I asked if they’d do this again, and they said as long as we have an interest. Hallers take note.

I stepped outside to enjoy a smoke in this unseasonably warm sixty-degree day. I felt right with my place in the world. I walked back inside, and smelled the ubiquitous scent of fresh coffee. I gave in and had a cup of La Colombe, apparently quite a good brand. As I sipped it Adam said: “Be careful, it’s addictive.” Kind of like a chair massage.

Epilog: As I wrote this article, Dropbox synced the directory and the entire article vanished! I silently cursed Dropbox and wrote a testy tweet. Good coffee! And I still feel so relaxed from the massage, even after this incident. All computer people should try a chair massage. It compliments a sedentary job so perfectly. And to cap it off, while finishing up this article I got accepted to speak at the RubyMotion conference in Belgium! I feel fantastic!