A Massage Table Brings Comfort To Your Experience

We all have our tools of the trade; a chef with his spatula, a doctor with her stethoscope, a teacher with a black board, and a massage therapist with a massage table. A massage table allows the client to lie down – either face down or on their back – while the massage therapist performs whatever style of massage the client has requested. For both safety and comfort reasons, this table remains an integral tool of a massage therapist.

For anyone who has had a massage – you know the drill; you step into a dimly lit, warm room where there is often soft music playing and perhaps aromatherapy candles lit throughout the space. The massage therapist will speak to you about the type of massage that you would like and your preference regarding light or firm touch. They will then ask you to remove your clothes and lie face down on the massage table underneath a warmed blanket; they step out of the room to allow you to do this.

After you have had time to disrobe, the massage therapist will reenter the room and your massage will begin. Through this process our muscles are soothed, stress is relieved, and we receive an overall feeling of warmth, calm, and overall wellbeing. It is no wonder that we often give little thought to the table that lies beneath us.

The massage table is simply that – a table on which you lie in order for a professional massage to be performed. However, such tables come in a number of different categories that allows the therapist to meet their own particular needs in regard to working arrangements, logistics, and price.

Stationary tables are often the ones found in spas, as they are solidly constructed pieces of furniture that are not required to move from place to place. The portable tables can be folded and moved from place to place – a convenience for a therapist who books private appointments in the homes of their clients. These portable tables come in a variety of materials depending on the level of portability needed; some are of lighter weight than others.

They are often covered with a soft vinyl – in a variety of colors - that can easily be cleaned. Normally, the table is covered with different layers of warm blankets or sheets to make the client as comfortable as possible. And regardless of the type of table, they all have one thing in common – the face cradle. A face cradle is a donut shaped appendage at the top of the massage table that allows you to rest your face inside it; it cushions around your face and there is a hole through which you can see and breathe. This allows the therapist to access the back of your head and neck – something that would be impossible if you had to turn your head to the side to lie on your stomach.

For maternity massages, there is often a similar feature to cradle the pregnant woman's belly. This gives the therapist accessibility to the client’s back and the woman a rare opportunity to lie on her stomach for a few moments.

When the face cradle is no longer needed – as when a client turns on their back – it is able to be removed or collapsed so the client can turn over.

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