Tense, aching muscles are an all too common side-effect of the daily grind. A soothing, relaxing massage sounds like just the thing to smooth away those pent-up tensions.

Yet for most people in busy offices and other workplaces, a conventional, full body massage is too time-consuming, impractical and expensive as a regular stress-busting therapy. The answer – coming soon to a desk near you – is the chair massage.

More than 1,000 masseurs are now thought to be visiting workplaces throughout the UK – from high street stores to call centres, local authorities to hospitals – offering chair massage to busy office staff and other workers. A typical session takes just 15-20 minutes – so it can easily be fitted into a lunch hour or tea-break. The cost is relatively inexpensive and is subsidised by some employers. There are no messy oils or lotions. And you don’t even need to take your clothes off.

Many chair masseurs use acupressure, a Japanese style of massage using the same pressure points as in acupuncture. This is very different to traditional couch massage, which is often known as ‘Swedish massage’. Acupressure, sometimes dubbed ‘coffee break massage’, originated in the US, where it was devised as a quick stress-reliever for high-powered professionals too busy even to leave their desks.

Acupressure focuses on muscles in the back, arms, hands, shoulders, neck and head, where tension and pain often build up in desk-bound staff working under pressure. According to the UK training organisation, the Academy of On-Site Massage, acupressure uses more than 100 different stress release points on the head, neck, shoulders, arms and back. This is intended not only to relax tense and aching muscles, but to release energy and invigorate both mind and body.

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Blue Soul have experienced on site massage therapists throughout the UK available for corporate and workplace therapies.  Visit www.bluesoulfeeling.co.uk for more info.