manufacturer. “A higher-quality massage table is typically composed of higher-grade materials, providing a more durable piece of equipment,” she said. “We have many customers who have had their tables for 20-plus years and are still going strong.” Suber said the foam in a quality piece of massage equipment tends to provide greater comfort to clients and by Brandi Schlossberg High-Quality Tables & Chairs Support Your Massage Invest in the Custom Craftworks’ Melody massage chair adjusts at every point to ensure your client’s maximum comfort. Weighing only 18 pounds, it sets up in seconds and folds for portability. Custom Craftworks’ Athena massage table has a fully customizable design, featuring a solid birch frame and dual-end accessory ports, and can withstand up to 650 pounds of pressure. | www.massagemag.com | September 2015 | MASSAGE Magazine | 31 resists breaking down over time, and another hallmark of quality is a massage table that does not convey any lack of stability to the client. “When a client walks in and leans on a table and it moves, it might make them insecure that the table won’t hold them,” she said. “When they walk in and see a solid-built table that does not move of its own accord, they can have ease of mind that the table will hold them and they are in quality hands.” According to Brian Paris, vice president of Earthlite, one of the hidden secrets to determining the quality of a massage table or chair is to look at its underside. He said you should be able to get a visual sense of how stable and well-made the equipment is when you inspect it from this angle. “Get down and peek under the table, inspecting the quality of the wood and any support structure. A well-designed table will look clean, joints will be tight, and the table will look like a complete product,” Paris said. “Poor-quality tables and chairs may have weak or sloppy connection points, including the wood joints, clumpy welding marks or a lack of conformity in the finishes—all leading to a weaker table.” Along with stability and durability, another aspect of a high-quality massage table or chair may be its “bells and whistles,” such as arm bolsters, Best Stronglite’s newly redesigned Ergo Pro II™ was ergonomically designed with thicker, improved cushioning, replaceable pads and a sleek new endplate. Its new physique is more comfortable—and more functional—than ever. Earthlite’s DemiFit™ is designed for offering extra care to your clients, and comes equipped with our unique comfort cutout, providing additional breast comfort to clients who require it. Oakworks’ PortalPro® weighs 19 pounds, has built-in wheels, and features the patented QuickLock™ Face Rest. A carry case is included, making this chair super-portable and storable. Oakworks’ ProLuxe with ABC System features the Adjustable Breast Comfort (ABC) System, the only design that allows therapists to discreetly customize the comfort level via a powered system without disturbing the client. 32 | MASSAGE Magazine | September 2015 | www.massagemag.com | upgraded face cradle, electronic height adjustment and more. These added features can allow the equipment to adapt to the body types of different clients, as well as the positioning needs of the practitioner when it comes to applying specific techniques. Client comfort A relaxed body is a cornerstone of massage therapy, and a high-quality massage table or chair may be able to help each client reach a relaxed state before the massage even begins. On the other hand, a piece of equipment that’s uncomfortable in any way can work against the efforts of the massage therapist. “There are many issues that will affect a client’s massage experience, the biggest being comfort and support of the client,” Paris said. “A poor-quality foam system will not contain multiple layers and densities, eventually failing to provide enough give to allow a client to relax; not have a bounce-back layer a therapist can use to work under the body; and will lack recovery to restore itself time and again after use.” In addition to high-quality padding for optimal client comfort, the actual design of the massage chair or table may be able to effect greater relaxation as well. According to Jim Craft, founder and president of Comfort Craft, a basic, flat massage table will not allow the lower back to fully relax when a client is supine, as the natural arch of the back is unsupported. “We have a mid-split in all our tables, and the mid-split is what’s made us so famous,” Craft said. “The way the table works is, when you’re lying faceup, we raise it up nine or 10 degrees in the low-back area, where the arch is, and what happens is the arch will let go and rest—it no longer has to hold itself up.” A piece of equipment that’s uncomfortable in any way can work against the efforts of the massage therapist. The NRG® VedaLux Massage Table provides a degree of luxury. Its 3.5-inch triple density foam and curved face rest with 3-inch memory foam pad allow a high level of comfort. Made with highquality, aircraft-grade aluminum and a simple design, the NRG® Grasshopper Massage Chair offers professional massage therapists a light, strong, easy-to-setup solution for on-site massage. The Comfort Craft Model 800’s mid-split bend puts clients in a relaxed position so therapists can open the back area with less effort. The smooth, electricpowered design improves