There is an often bewildering array of massages available, each of which provides a different form of relief targeted towards different muscle groups, lifestyles and types of sessions.
A Thai yoga massage, for example, focuses on the energy lines in your body and takes a holistic full-body approach to relaxation, relieving pain and releasing tension throughout a relaxing, meditative session.
By contrast, a shiatsu chair massage is typically more targeted at relieving tired and aching joints, particularly those that are commonly subject to more tension than usual due to the nature of a job.
This includes the back, shoulders, neck, and arms, although it can sometimes include the head and legs depending on the needs of the person.
The former are the primary muscle groups that are subject to strain as the result of working in an office and tensely sitting for several hours at a time.
Sometimes this pain can be such that it is easier to relieve pain from a special massage chair than by lying down on a massage table or yoga mat.
It is often a relatively short session, with typical routines taking between ten minutes and half an hour depending on what body parts are massaged and which techniques are used.
It is also done without any lotions and through clothing, which has made it popular amongst corporate staff as it can be undertaken during a lunch break or during a time when relaxation and focus are needed the most in a day.
It helps to relieve stress, tension and the pain that can come from this pressure, and can as a side effect help with blood circulation, focus and alertness, in no small part due to the lack of pain to provide a distraction.
It is so popular as a treatment that massage chairs often base their routines on shiatsu, although lacking the efficacy that comes from a trained practitioner.