Championship category
Chair
Short, clothed work on a purpose-built chair for the neck, shoulders and back: the format that carries massage into offices, airports and events.
This championship does not currently run this category
Practices related to this category
Japan
Anma
あん摩按摩（あんま）
A manual practice carried forward in Japan with historical connections to Chinese anmo. It combines kneading, stroking and pressure, often over clothing. The contributions of practitioners with visual impairments are an important part of its history.
Pressure · Percussion
Traditional massageView →India
Indian Head Massage
インディアンヘッドマッサージचंपी (Champi)
A name connected with head care in India and seated practices developed in Britain and elsewhere. Work may include the scalp, neck and shoulders. Household champi and taught systems such as Champissage should be explored without assuming they are identical.
Head · Pressure · Face
Traditional massageModern bodyworkView →United States
Chair Massage (Seated Massage)
チェアマッサージ（シーテッド・マッサージ）On-site massage
Chair massage treats a clothed receiver seated forward in a purpose-built chair, working neck, shoulders, back, arms and hands in 10 to 30 minutes. David Palmer of San Francisco, drawing on his study of Japanese anma, systematised it as 'on-site massage' in the 1980s and designed the first dedicated chair in 1986. In Japan, short seated anma and shiatsu spread at the same time as 'quick massage', and the two together underpin the championship's chair category.
Pressure · Percussion
Modern bodyworkView →
How it is judged
Competition scoring is separate from the value of a culture or practice. Check the official rules for each edition and category. This encyclopedia does not invent judging criteria or award advantages to particular traditions.