...Vines, who runs Escape On-Site Massage, and other massage specialists say they have serious hopes that massage will become part of the daily vocabulary of workplace perks.
"Therapeutic massage reduces stress and makes employees happier and more effective," Vines said. "If it's done regularly it can even improve productivity." He added that massage also can reduce physical ailments that bring workers compensation claims.
Now masseurs have a new weapon in their efforts to make massage mainstream: the massage chair. The lightweight, portable chair is a padded contraption that cradles massage recipients as they're worked over. It allows Vines and others in his business to take their work into offices and workplaces. Unlike traditional massage, chair massage doesn't require nudity or use oils.
"It's a lot more portable than a massage table," Vines said. "Plus, it's less intimidating to some people than the table. A lot of people are uncomfortable with traditional massage. This is easier for them."
..."There is a lot of stress in the workplace today," said Roger E. Herman, chief executive officer of The Herman Group, a business trend-spotting company in Greensboro, N.C. "Companies are cut to the limit, so they have fewer people to do the work and everybody's pushed.
"We're seeing a lot of physical manifestations of that stress - muscle tightness, emotional explosions. So a lot of companies are responding with something to relieve that stress, and we're seeing more and more uses of massage in the office. . . . People really appreciate it, and it's a fun type of thing. It's noninvasive and nondiscriminatory. It provides a good, work-centered benefit people can enjoy."
..."It's really a passive form of exercise" for the massage recipient, Vines said. "But a lot of companies don't understand how good it is, how it can be cost-effective. [Companies'] cost will be offset a lot of times by reduced rates for health care. A lot of companies don't understand that."
Still, though Vines has contracts with a few businesses for weekly visits, most of his clients hire him as a reward for their employees.
...Nancy Ring, operations manager for Chasen's Business Interiors, an office furnishings company, hired Vines to help defuse tension during a difficult office move.
"A move is quite stressful for everybody," Ring said. "It's quite an ordeal." By offering 20-minute massages to about two dozen employees, Vines helped relax and reward workers during a difficult time, she added.
"It was received very positively," Ring said. "But every company deals with a certain amount of stress. . . . I'm sure this could be helpful for a lot of them."
Ring, in fact, gave Vines her highest endorsement - she got two massages.
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