Category Archives: Chair Massage

How Massage Became Therapy

Posted on November 28, 2011 by David

The year was 1983 and the oldest national association of massage practitioners was about to change the face of an industry by turning “massage” into “massage therapy.” This is the story of what led up to that moment. The association … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 11 Comments

How Steve Jobs Revolutionized the Massage Industry

Posted on November 9, 2011 by David

The first time we nervously walked into Apple Computer’s Macintosh division in 1984 to provide seated massage with our matching grey slacks, white polo shirts and blue blazers, we felt overdressed. At a time when the largest computer company in … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage, History | 13 Comments

584 People Receive Seated Massage on Thai Beach

Posted on August 21, 2011 by David

Last week Phuket, Thailand, featured two of its most famous tourist attractions–beaches and massage–as the Ministry of Health hosted one of five preliminary events leading up to an official attempt in November to break the Guinness World Record for most simultaneous … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage, In the News | Leave a comment

Quality Control Through Katas

Posted on August 1, 2011 by David

When I first began developing chair massage sequences in 1982, one of my students was also a student of Haruyoshi Ito, who had introduced a Japanese movement form called Shintaido to the United States and Europe during the mid 1970s. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bodywork, Business, Chair Massage, Education | 11 Comments

Why I Do Chair Massage – Part Two

Posted on July 27, 2011 by David

When I was a kid, my Mom and I used to lie at opposite ends of the couch with our legs entwined. When I was a kid my Dad used to kiss me goodnight. Then, somewhere around ten or eleven, … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage, Touch | 3 Comments

The Story of the First Massage Chair

Posted on May 23, 2011 by David

My love affair with chair massage began in 1982, four years before the first professional massage chair came on the market. This is the story of what it took to get that first massage chair built. The problem The team … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage, History | 28 Comments

The Best Technique for Chair Massage

Posted on May 23, 2011 by David

Oils and lotions were out. That seemed obvious back in 1982 when I first began exploring the idea of massaging people in a seated position. Fortunately, because I had been trained in traditional Japanese massage (Amma), that was not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage | 7 Comments

Why I do Chair Massage – Part One

Posted on May 22, 2011 by David

“You can’t call that massage!” The year was 1984 and the irritated voice on the other end of the phone was the owner of a well known massage school in New York objecting to my description of chair massage. “A … Continue reading →

Posted in Chair Massage | 9 Comments