Many people go through their daily routines in the home and office without rest. They are so focused on their work trying to accomplish their tasks and meet deadlines as soon as possible and this may go on for weeks, months or even years. What they're forgetting is that all work and no leisure will result in aching bodies.

So the best way to pamper one's self these days is through a body massage. Old as it may seem, massage is still considered an effective form of medical care with lots of health benefits. No need to spend so much money on medicines, all you have to do is go to a spa and get yourself massaged.

The origin of massage dates back in the ancient times. It was widely used then by the Egyptians, Chinese, Greeks, Romans and Indians. A Chinese book on internal medicine described massage of skin and flesh as well as breathing exercises as suited for treating paralysis, chills and fever while Greeks and Roman physicians used the method in relieving pain. In India, their traditional system of medicine called Ayurveda involved therapeutic massage using aromatic oils and spices. The Swedish massage emerged only in the 19th century and used techniques similar to that of China, Egypt, Greece and Rome.

Today, intensive care units use massage in treating children, elderly people, babies being incubated and patients suffering from heart attacks, strokes, AIDS and cancer. Also, several kinds of massage techniques have been combined with other therapies like aromatherapy, reflexology, osteopathy, Rolfing and Hellerwork.

Massage indeed provides great health benefits to the body. It relaxes the nervous system, eases tension and anxiety thereby relieving stress, enhances blood circulation, prevents muscle cramps and spasms, relieves pain especially for people with arthritis and sciatica, helps speed up recovery from injuries encountered at work, accidents or sports, strengthens the immune system, relieves skeletal problems and improves posture and promotes body awareness.

If, however, you are not used to having somebody massage your body, there is a good alternative nowadays and that is to use a massage chair. With this device, you can get a body massage right in the comfort of your home or office. Chair massage is growing rapidly in the U.S. and Britain as well as other parts of Europe are starting to utilize it too. In fact, this can even be experienced these days in shopping malls and airports.

Introduced in the late 1980's, the massage chair is designed to follow the motions and techniques of a real masseuse to relieve body aches and pains. With advancements in technology, they have also been improved through the years and many models now can do the Shiatsu and Swedish massage.

Basically, massage chairs have three major parts ? motors, preset patterns and programs and nodes and rollers. These essential components all contribute to giving the user a good body massage notably for the neck and back part depending on his or her needs. The chair can automatically adjust for the weight, height and width of the user and it can be programmed to specific levels of massaging such as the tapping, rolling or kneading motions.

Investing in a massage chair is ideal for people who frequently experience body aches. And if maintained well, users can even hand it over in the future to their children.