Mobile Chair Massage at Rutgers University: Students Discover Relaxation Through Therapeutic Massage

Rutgers University, New Jersey’s preeminent institution for higher learning and advanced studies, recently featured Mobile Chair Massage by Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy at it’s ‘RU Healthy‘ Fair For Students in the Golden Dome Gymnasium at the Newark campus.  Students attending the fair learned about making healthy choices, through “fun, tasty, and healthful life choices”, in the University’s New Center’s own words.

On Site Chair Massage was offered free of charge, and like always, many students were curious and decided to try Therapeutic Massage for the first time.  A few students stated

that they’ve had massage sessions, but the majority indicated that they’ve only received massage from a family member or friend.  While Event Chair Massage is not quite the same experience as a full-hour table or Shiatsu Mat massage, that is not to say Mobile Chair Massage

is in any way less important or helpful.

There are instances  when a ten, fifteen, or twenty minute massage is in order.  Sometimes there just isn’t the time to set aside and block out for an hour-long Therapeutic Massage.  And of course, aside from clients being fully clothed and oil-less, there is really no difference, save that the client is not supine or prone, but rather seated and leaning forward, as on a racing bike.   Many student who were new

to Chair Massage, like most other clients who have never had the experienced, found the position one must assume in the Massage Chair to be a bit odd, yet surprisingly  comfortable.

One might wonder what good might be accomplished with  the short duration massage of only a few minutes, but a recent study examining a hospital’s program providing nurses with at-work chair massage concluded that even a short session can reduce stress.  Nurses self-reported that even one fifteen minute Chair Massage session per week significantly reduced

perceived stress levels.

We were quite happy seeing students leaving far less stressed than when they arrived.  Besides letting us know this was so, most looked refreshed and less tired afterwards.  As the Health Fair was at the gym, many of the students opting for a Chair Massage were College Athletes, and appreciated the chance to loosen their muscles and limber up, as well as relax their minds and emotions.

Last April, Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy was also privileged with the responsibility of providing On Site Chair Massage to students during Rutgers-Newark’s annual campus-wide weeks- long ‘De-Stress Fest’. The De-Stress Fest featured music

and refreshments, Chair Massage, and other fun and relaxing group activities.

Everyone that we spoke with the  day of the De-Stress Fest Kick-Off outside the Paul Robeson Campus Center was having a great time,

both students and faculty.   On Site Chair Massage was offered at various places on-campus, at different times throughout the day.

This allowed students with diverse schedules and subject majors to have the opportunity for a chair massage session.  Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy provided chair massage on the lawn in front of the Paul Robeson Campus Center, inside the Campus Center itself, in the lounge of Stonsby Commons, as well as in the S.I. Newhouse Law and Justice Center.

Stress is the bane of human existence, creeping up on us daily, slowly overtaking the peace and calm we strive  to build in our lives.  On Site Chair Massage is but one means students can add to their arsenal in fighting the effects of accumulated daily stress and tension.  For some, it’s already known, but for a great many, it’s a great new discovery, a means of relaxing that they had never encountered in their own lives.

It was an honor and a great joy for us to  see students smiling and serene afterwards, explaining that they felt a lot better, and could now go about their studying for finals with a lot more focus.  The De-Stress Fest,  as well as the recent Rutgers-Newark Health Fair, were both a great success, in terms of helping students find new resources for dealing with their life stress, an important skill necessary for navigating life in general, as well as succeeding in their studies.   Massage Therapy is not the only answer, but rather  a great place to begin discovering other healing modalities and activities that help foster inner calm and relaxation.

Rutgers Students with a valid ID card for the semester are entitled to a $35 discount on Mobile Massage services by Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy.  Coupon Code: RUTGERS2012.

© 2012 H. Miller, All Rights Reserved.