Some people may enjoy doing massage at home or are perhaps considering joining the ranks of those who call themselves professional massage therapists. They might be thinking about buying a massage table, but don’t know why it would be necessary- why not just use the bed, or a couch? There are many reasons portable massage tables are the ideal work surface for massages and are preferable to an improvised surface. For anyone who does or would like to do massage on at least a semi-regular basis, it is a wise investment.
The first and most important reason to use massage tables is that they are designed to make life easier when giving and getting massages! That’s obvious, but it means that the client will generally be better supported and more comfortable on the table. Especially in the prone position, the use of a face cradle is a huge improvement over laying facedown on a flat surface.
But the greatest difference will be for the therapist- the massage table is scaled to allow easy access to all parts of the client’s body. Table height is usually adjustable, which allows the therapist to customize the table to their own preferences. This is not just about comfort- it can and has saved many a therapist from back problems and other physical problems associated with improper body mechanics. It eliminates the awkward reaching you often have to do if massaging someone on a bed or the floor, for example. The table can also be adjusted higher or lower depending on the work the therapist is doing. When using deeper pressure, for instance, the therapist may wish to lower to table to more effectively use his/her body weight to apply pressure. When doing more energetically oriented treatments, the therapist can raise the table to allow for a more relaxed posture.
For the reason that it allows a massage therapist to do his/her work , the massage table is truly a massage therapist’s greatest helper.