Commercial massage chairs are mechanical chairs that offer the user a massage for a fee. Commercial massage chairs usually charge per minute of massage, so the user can choose the price or the massage time he or she desires. Commercial massage chairs are a type of vending machine and work much like other more familiar types, accepting coins or bills through a mechanized system. The owner of the chair can typically choose how much to charge for each minute of massage. Commercial massage chairs are popular anywhere people may feel like a quick massage, such as shopping centers, airports, waiting rooms, or nearly any other public venue you can think of.
Commercial massage chairs are much like the top-end massage chairs sold for home use at specialty stores such as Brookstone. They are usually quite sophisticated and may use a number of techniques, such as vibration, heating, air compression, and rollers or rubber knobs to massage the back, neck, and legs. Different massage styles, such as Swedish and shiatsu massage, may be available in the same chair, and the user may be able to customize his or her massage experience by choosing preferences for areas massaged, type of massage, and intensity. Some commercial massage chairs even use sensors to determine the optimal massage settings for each user, or can adapt massages to different people based on shoulder and back measurements.
Commercial massage chairs can provide much needed relief to people who have been on their feet all day or who need to relax before a flight, and the cost is much lower than a professional massage at a spa. Commercial massage chairs also offer a significant money-making opportunity for the operator, and they are an unusual and attractive addition to vending machine areas. Unlike many other vending machines, commercial massage chairs do not require the owner to maintain inventory, so there besides the initial purchase, cleaning and occasional repair are the only associated expenses.