What massage techniques can a massage chair offer? There are two primary modalities used in massage chairs.

The first is airbags, which compress, rub, and move different parts of the body. That is the function of massage chair airbags.

The second modality is the roller mechanism, which travels from the neck down to beneath the seat. These rollers are capable of several massage techniques.

One technique is kneading, which involves rhythmic rubbing in and out and up and down through the muscles.

Another technique is tapping, where the rollers move forward and backward in a tapping motion. In most massage chairs, tapping can be adjusted widthwise, allowing the rollers to work closer to the spine or farther out toward the sides of the back.

There is also rolling, which occurs when the rollers move slowly up and down the back using gentle, sustained pressure.

Most massage chairs—if not all—include a shiatsu program. By definition, shiatsu is slow, sustained pressure applied directly into the muscle. Some chairs perform shiatsu by applying pressure, retracting, moving to the next muscle group, and repeating this motion up and down the spine. Other chairs define shiatsu as a slow rolling motion up and down the spine, which is also commonly accepted as shiatsu.

Some chairs also list compression as a massage technique. Compression is similar to shiatsu and involves sustained pressure applied for a few moments before releasing and moving to another area.

Another modality that some chairs include—though it’s becoming less common—is vibration. Vibration usually comes from a separate vibration pad located in the backrest of the chair and provides continuous vibration rather than adjustable roller movement. While not found in many modern chairs, it does still appear occasionally.

As mentioned earlier, techniques like kneading and tapping can usually be adjusted for speed and intensity through the chair’s remote control. Vibration, however, is typically a fixed, sustained feature.

These are the most common massage modalities used in massage chairs to deliver therapeutic benefits to the muscles throughout the body.

I’m Dr. Alan Weidner from Massage Chair Relief. I hope you found this video helpful, and I’ll see you in the next video. Bye-bye.