Whether sitting at desks or in an operational role, the demand for a massage service is high on employees’ lists of things that would improve their wellbeing. In fact, we’ve found that one of the most common requests for workplace wellbeing activities from staff is for massages.
The challenges many organisations face when considering massages for their workforce can vary from money and space, to ensuring the benefits are making a difference. And even before that, finding the right service can be tricky. Some offer massages at desks or sessions in dedicated spaces, and then there are some that offer that something more.
Taking massages to the next level
We know that massages have great physical benefits from “relieving the physical discomfort created by an overtight muscle, to increasing the flow of blood and lymph to the brain and other organs”, but now companies are beginning to create services that really can tap into the full sensory experience. One such company, Spa From Ordinary, has created bespoke experiences which can be tailored to any office or event.
“It’s our mission to invite everyone to enjoy the benefits of massage by allowing each guest to customise their own immersive experience” say Kensey and Natalie from the company. They explain that their effective massage experiences have been designed to create mini escapes, which allows “employees to completely switch off from distractions and become totally immersed in their experience before returning to work relaxed and rejuvenated. The positive effects will be carried throughout the day, which also helps to increase productivity.”
As two spa therapists travelling the world, they met each other whilst working on Richard Branson’s Necker Island in 2014. Inspired by their experiences on the paradise island they started discovering fun and unique experiences incorporating VR headsets, playing with sound, smells and sights whilst offering massage.
“We saw that there had been no new trends in the industry, and that many people still only viewed massage as a luxury, without understanding any of the benefits. We decided to create Spa from Ordinary so we could step outside the spa and shake things up, spreading our creativity into events, retreats and offices.”
What does it mean for the workplace?
With more and more employers recognising the need to introduce wellbeing programmes and improve initiatives within the workplace, this style of pop up experiences work really well.
These additional elements tap into not only our physical wellbeing, but into our mental wellbeing too. One client describes the experience:
“I was able to escape the office environment to find myself in a forest, free from my surrounding visual and audible distractions allowing me to enjoy a head, neck, shoulders, arms and hand massage. It was the perfect balance of experience and benefits I could take into the rest of my day.”
The immersive experience is bringing a new level of massage to the office and can be worked into the working day, or during any event.
Of course, there are now others offering new innovative services too, like BackHug, and companies providing special massage chairs or enhanced massages at your chair. But with clever use of technology, and getting creative with our minds and our senses is really helping get the most out of a massage service, and now reaching staff in new ways. It also means tracking of usage and measuring staff engagement is becoming that much easier. This is great news for workplaces, and makes improving the provision of wellbeing for employees all the more exciting.