How many of you have noticed the growing trend in malls, airports, train stations, department and specialty stores and maybe even your best friends home of the Massage Chair? They seem to be everywhere now days and are almost always in use. People of all ages are feeding the plush vending chair dollar bills like a pleasure giving video game.

This new health trend is sweeping Japan, Europe and has now infiltrated the U.S. with dozens of models and price ranges from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. A recent LA Times article describes them as "not your fathers La-z-boy" and that, is an understatement for sure.

Websites like www.massagechairoutlet.com are popping up all over the internet touting massage strength, air compression, rolling, kneading, tapping and "shiatsu style" massage.

If any of you have had a "shiatsu style" massage it's similar to getting rolled in a dark ally by a couple of bullies taking out their frustrations on your back. But man do you feel better the next day.

Not surprisingly massage as a health practice has been around for thousands of years. It was actually massage that lead to the advent of acupressure and acupuncture in the Far East as early as 6000 BC and has been continually refined ever since.

Medical professionals have pointed out that there exists a particular type of cell under the skin. This cell normally sits dormant, however when kneaded or massaged, this cell becomes stimulated. Once awakened, this cell enters the bloodstream and develops into a reticular cell, which can remarkably strengthen the body's immune functions and boost the disease-resisting abilities of the human body.

Today's massage chairs, through computer technology, can actually "sense" the size and shape of each individuals back and apply varying degrees and types of massage to acupressure points on the users back, neck, legs and even foot to produce an amazingly human like massage.

Stimulation of these acupressure points has been shown to help with: Digestion, Insomnia, Headaches, Circulation, Fatigue, Muscle Cramping, Fibromyaligia and may even effect endorphin levels producing an elevated emotional state, which is what usually happens when I get a massage, even a poor one.

Having tried several of the massage chairs found on the above internet site I can say that this new massage chair trend is probably here to stay. It's much like the TV, microwave and now cell phones. Once you have one, it's hard to imagine life without it.