• What can I expect?
• Is this difficult to set up in my company?
• Are the employees really going to use it?
• What techniques do you use?
• Won't my employees get sleepy?
• Should this massage hurt?
• Can someone get hurt getting this massage?
• Are your practitioners registered, licensed, certified or insured?
• Is it expensive?
• Will On-Site Massage work for my company?

What can I expect?

For starters, we can come in and do a 'Needs Assessment' to determine your personal organizational needs. This will also offer a baseline to work from. Once we've designed a customized wellness program for you, you can expect to see both immediate and cumulative benefits. These typically include; happier and healthier employees, increased productivity and performance, improved employee morale, less absenteeism, better staff retention and decreased work-related injuries to name just a few.

Is this difficult to set up in my company?

Nothing could be easier. After you decide how you want to use us, we'll send you checklists to ensure things run smoothly and nothing is forgotten. You'll also get sign up sheets and sample memos and flyers that you can use as templates to inform employees. Simply assign us a contact person, provide us with space for the time we're in, and encourage the employees to use it.

Are the employees really going to use it?

Employees love it! Utilization rates for seated on-site massage will be higher than any other program you can implement. However, there is one factor above all others that is going to determine the success of the massage program: the employees must feel that the program has management support. Use the massage yourself and encourage your managers to do the same.

What techniques do you use?

Some of the techniques are Swedish style techniques, others are Shiatsu style, and some were specifically designed for use in the chair. All the techniques have gone through rigorous testing to ensure that they are comfortable and effective.

The massage is more than just a back rub! It's a powerful sequence of techniques that have been tested and proven to create profound changes in your body and mind. In creating the Relax to the Max's unique massage, we started with a clean slate. We used a group of 80 people to test hundreds of techniques from different traditions, Eastern techniques like Shiatsu and Western ones like Swedish massage. We carefully observed the subjects' responses and asked them what they liked most. By the end of the process we had an arsenal of techniques that have universal appeal.

Then we spent years on the laborious task of developing the proper pacing and sequencing of these techniques for maximum effectiveness. What we created was the Energy Sequence or 'Power Massage'. The Energy Sequence is a 13 ½ minute routine designed specifically to both relax employees and increase their energy and alertness. The Energy Sequence has been tested on thousands of employees in almost every industry and has proven to be a powerful tool in destroying workplace stress and improving employee performance.

If your massage practitioners are not using Relax to the Max's techniques or our specially designed Energy Sequence, then they're not getting the most effective massage possible.

Won't my employees get sleepy?

The routine not only relaxes and de-stresses employees but it also refreshes and recharges them. As they are receiving the massage they may have the sense that they might fall asleep, but the massage is actually changing brainwave activity. Beta waves become alpha waves which provide better concentration and clearer focus. It's no coincidence that researchers have found that people who receive regular massage can do computation tests more quickly and with fewer errors.

In fact, our surveys indicate that 90% actually feel more energized after the massage and recent study done by the Touch Research Institutes' University of Miami's School of Medicine shows that two 15-minute massage sessions a week for five weeks allowed workers to complete math problems in half the time and with 50 percent fewer errors. Anxiety levels were also lower at the end of the period. Wouldn't those kinds of performance benefits be great in your office?

Should this massage hurt?

The massage should feel very comfortable and you should be able to relax fully as the techniques are being performed. Your seated massage practitioner will ask for feedback on the pressure throughout the massage. You may feel a little tenderness if your muscles are tight and tense, but it should still feel good. If you feel pain at any time let your practitioner know. You can ask the practitioner to adjust the pressure any time. Alternatively, just use a thumb up for more pressure and a thumb down for less pressure.

Can someone get hurt getting this massage?

It's next to impossible to be injured with this massage. There are some conditions like a recent injury for example that can be aggravated by massage. Your practitioner will take you through a short screening process to ensure that it is perfectly safe for you to receive this massage. If you have very tense muscles you could possibly feel some tenderness in your muscles the next day -- like a little post-exercise soreness. We estimate that about one in 1,000 people receiving the massage will faint due to a drop in blood pressure caused by the massage.

Are your practitioners registered, licensed, certified or insured?

Our practitioners have been intensively trained and specialize in seated relaxation massage. They are all certified, licensed and insured as well as members of the Canadian Massage Therapists and Wholistic Practitioners Association. We have Registered Massage Therapists on staff as well should you require them. Our practitioners will refer any employee with an injury to a qualified health professional if the employee wishes specific treatment.

Is it expensive?

Seated massage is an investment since it will help improve employee errors and reduce absenteeism and it doesn't have to cost a lot. We typically have a three hour minimum and charge $65/per hour per practitioner (which works out to just over a $1/minute or as little as $5 per employee!) and $80/per hour per therapist. We can massage anywhere from 2-8 employees (in 5, 10, 15-minute, etc. increments) depending on your needs and budget.

We also offer volume discounts for large and/or ongoing jobs and have many examples of arrangements with companies where our services are brought in on a weekly, bi-monthly or monthly basis and are either partially subsidized or paid for entirely by the staff who are simply grateful for the convenience at their workplace.

Compared to flowers, chocolates, movie tickets or other employee gifts this is one of the most unique and least expensive ways to make your employees feel appreciated. It is more meaningful and less expensive than cash awards or bonuses. Lastly, underperformance, absenteeism and retraining costs for lost employees is often a lot more expensive.

Will On-Site Massage work for my company?

As a company that specializes in relaxation, we don't want you to suffer anxiety over making the right decision for your company. So use us as consultants. We have more experience in on-site massage than any other organization in Canada. We've been working with companies in all types of industry sectors to help them find solutions for their individual needs. Over the years we've discovered what works and what doesn't and we continue to learn from each new experience. We can find solutions for you regardless your size or budget.

If you are considering having on-site massage in your organization on a regular basis, let us do a Needs Assessment for you. We will come in and massage a sample of employees. At no additional charge, we will survey them to determine the incidence of stress and various pain complaints experienced by your employees. We can measure their responses to the massage. We will compile the results and present them to you in an easy to understand format. This will help you determine the most cost effective way to bring the service into your company and will allow you to make an intelligent and informed decision.

Also, instead of implementing your massage program on a long term basis, we also suggest that you bring it in on a short term trial basis. We can then decide what you want to accomplish with on-site massage and compare that to actual results one month, three months, or six months later. There's no long term commitment and you continue with the program only if it gets you the results you want.