Sometimes you must perform seated massage without a massage chair!
You may need to get a little creative. Why?

First off, let's say you are somewhere without your massage chair (big mistake!), such as at a friend's house for a dinner party. One of the guests is having a little pain in her shoulder blade and your friend says to you, "Maybe you could help since you are a massage therapist."
You graciously agree to try. (What else could you do in front of everyone?) You look around wondering what you can use in place of your trusty massage chair. You settle on a kitchen chair turned sideways so you can reach her shoulder blade and you have her place her head, turned sideways, on a pillow on the kitchen table. Creative improvisation #1!

You have gone to an office building to talk to a company rep about doing seated massage once a week for the company employees. Since you are there for a meeting, you did not bring your massage chair. The company rep wants to personally feel what you can do for the employees. (Translation--she wants a free massage.)

Of course you are not going to turn down this chance to prove yourself. So you tell her that you would be glad to massage her in her office chair with her head resting on her desk. Hopefully she has a blanket or sweater or something soft to place on her desk for her head.
Then you do your best to prove to her that your seated massage will benefit all of the employees. Creative improvisation #2!

You are giving seated massage at a health fair using your trusty massage chair when someone in a wheelchair comes up and asks you if there is any way that she could have a massage but stay in her wheelchair. Of course you will oblige her! You simply massage whatever you can get to without tipping her out of the chair.

Maybe she can lean forward on a table so you can massage more of her back. If not, massage the portion of her back that is accessible along with her shoulders, neck, arms, and head. You just do your best on what you can comfortably reach. Creative improvisation #3!

You are at a mall doing seated massage when a mother comes over to you with her short 10 year old son. You know your massage chair will not adjust enough to properly fit the boy, but you are willing to give him a massage. Fortunately, you brought a folding chair with you to sit on in between clients (like that ever happens). You have the boy sit on the folding chair for the massage and voila--Creative improvisation #4!

You are working in a health clinic with a physician who has hired you to come in a few days a week to massage some of his clients, freeing up his valuable time so he can see more patients. He refers an overweight patient to you for a back massage. The patient is a little unbalanced and physically cannot climb on your massage table. You know that your massage chair will not safely support the patient. What can you do?

You think for a moment and then remember the large, sturdy wooden chairs in the waiting room. You get one of the staff to help you move one of the chairs into a treatment room, without the patient knowing any of this as you do not want to embarrass him. Problem solved. Creative improvisation #5!

Wheelchair massage is convenient for the client who is in one.  Places that are accessible to a wheelchair are almost everywhere.  Manual and electric chairs and scooters are in the mall, at school, and in the workplace.  You will get clients who are in them. 

Some clients can get in and out easily but prefer not to and some cannot move themselves.  Accomodate your clients in their chairs with seated massage.

If the client can lean forward a little, work as much of the back area as you can comfortably reach.  If the client cannot lean forward, just massage as much of the back area as can be reached.  Of course, the shoulders, arms, neck, and head will also be worked.

If you, as the therapist can comfortably kneel down in front of the seated client or at the side of him/her, you can work the feet and legs as well.  Only do this if you are used to getting into this position and maintain it for just a few minutes.  You do not want to injure yourself while trying to perform seated  massage.

The client will appreciate your efforts and will be surprised at how thoroughly his/her body can be worked while in his/her own seat.  You can be sure the client will tell friends and co-workers how you were able to give a massage without requiring the client to leave his seat.

Chair massage for children is in demand.  Children have pain, too. Maybe your child played too hard in gym class or kicked too many times in taekwondo. 

Maybe they just ran around the playground too much.  The child's muscles are sore and he/she does not understand that it is muscle pain. 

So you take your child to a massage therapist and the massage seat will not adjust enough for the child to fit into it.  Some kids are too short for their faces to comfortably fit in the face cradle of your massage chair.

I understand short--I am 5 feet tall.  My daughter is short also and she loves seated massage.  She is finally tall enough now to comfortably fit into the massage chair. 

Some adults as well as kids may not quite fit which means they will not feel comfortable.

Remember, if the client is not comfortable during the massage, he/she will not relax and feel renewed at the end of the massage.

So you may have to sit the shorter client on a regular kitchen or folding chair, either upright or leaning forward, propping the head on a pillow placed on a table.

Don't make the client feel badly about this.  Just be prepared and have an alternate seat already set up.  After you get enough experience, this will become second nature to you. 

Always be respectful of the client, whether a child, teen, or adult and the good word about you and the work you provide will spread.  Seated massage for children will benefit your youngest clients, no matter what type of seat it is performed in.