Good massage table - how to choose a massage table?

How to choose a good massage table? What should I pay attention to when choosing a massage table?

Every beginner masseur wonders how to choose the right massage table for him, from a wide range of companies producing rehabilitation equipment. This is an important decision, because the chosen table will be our working tool and is to provide us with comfort and safety.

How to choose a massage table?

The first step

The first step is to determine our needs - whether the massage table is to be stationary or we want to have a folding version (if you plan to perform a massage e.g. at the patient's home).

Material

Then we choose the material of which the table is made. Massage tables are made of wood or aluminium. Each of these materials has its own followers. Wood is associated with classic décor and relaxation. Aluminium is a modern style, giving the impression of greater stability (although it does not matter - both materials are equally durable).

Colour and type of upholstery is a matter fully dependent on our taste (and the manufacturer's offer of course).

Dimensions

Once we have determined what kind of table we want, we can consider its dimensions. It is important to choose one that will allow you to adapt the equipment to your height and size of the patient. The width chosen by masseurs varies between 60-70cm.

Quality

It is important to work with patients on high-end equipment. Currently, the market is flooded with massage tables from China, although the price of these tables is attractive, the quality often differ from the rehabilitation equipment produced in Europe or the United States.

Let's try to choose the equipment that will improve our work comfort and our patients comfort massage. Currently available on the market are Polish companies that offer a slightly cheaper massage tables for beginners, which do not differ from the quality of more advanced models.

Massage table accessories

Manufacturers of massage equipment offer a full range of accessories (armrests, headrests, face cut-outs, shoulder shelves, table tops, rollers, covers). Their selection is an individual matter, depending on our needs.

Over time, we will be able to determine your preferences and everyone will be able to configure their massage equipment so that it perfectly meets its requirements.

How to perform a relaxing back massage?

One of the most effective methods of relaxation, one that allows you to free yourself from the vast majority of problems, is the classic relaxation massage. Done well, it makes a person feel decidedly better, rested, as if all the weight they feel has been lifted off their shoulders.

That is why people who care like to do just such gifts as a back massage, which of course requires commitment. Not everyone can do such a massage well either. Which does not change the fact that when he makes an effort he can find out how to do such a massage and through practice learn it. 

All he needs to do is to reach for such an online source, where he can find relevant advice on the issue of organising and performing a massage himself. Once a person has convinced himself that back massage is not so difficult to learn, he will begin to enjoy developing in the art of massage.

Massage is divided into several phases, none of which should be omitted by the masseur so that the planned relaxation is actually achieved.

The first phase of any massage is stroking, along and across the body axis. Depending on the purpose of the massage, whether stimulation or relaxation, the stroking should be respectively stronger or very gentle (but not ticklish).

The back massage itself is best carried out in circular movements with the hands, a small circle on each massaged point at least 3 times. During these, graded pressure is applied, i.e. from the gentlest to the strongest.

When performing a back massage, it is also worth bearing in mind the direction of the massage itself, i.e. where it begins and where it ends. It is best to start massaging at the lower back and move consistently upwards to the shoulder line.

There are quite a few massage techniques; of course, a person who does amateur massage does not need to learn them all in detail. All he or she needs to do is to use a website that offers massage tips to remember a few basics.

First of all, anyone getting into massage should remember that you should use more than just your fingers. If one massages involving only the fingers, the massager can quickly feel the pain in the hand muscles. Therefore, when massaging, the whole hand should be used when applying various techniques such as kneading or rolling.

When giving a massage, no-one should be afraid of hurting the person being massaged, damaging the muscles or in some other way contributing to a problem. As long as back massage is performed correctly and with thought, there is no reason why side effects should occur.

Probably one of the most well-known massage techniques is the caudate, i.e. rapid vigorous striking of the surface of the back with open palms. However, this is not recommended at the end of a massage. Here all the advice sounds the same, that the back massage ends with a relaxing stroking. There is no point in stimulating a body that has just been 'put to sleep' by a well-executed massage.

Massage can be 'learned' by reading a range of information but nothing can replace the practical testing of the knowledge you have.