University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty, staff, and students now have a new option for health and wellness on campus. 

The Campus Wellness Program is now offering the campus the use of a massage chair. Employees and students can book free 15-minute sessions with the massage chair at this online link from 8:20 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The chair is located in the Employee Wellness Center on the second floor of the Donaghey Student Center in room 201J.

The massage chair offers zero-gravity, heated, full-body massages with eight preprogrammed options featuring shiatsu, Swedish, clap, tap, knead, and roll massage techniques.

“I thought the massage chair would be beneficial to the campus and would be a great addition to the wellness program,” said Karl Lenser, campus wellness coordinator. “The massage chair helps people destress and puts a positive note on their day. I’ve had about 50 employees try the chair so far, and they’ve all been impressed when they finished the massage.”

Ben Bloodworth, who works on the mechanical maintenance team in the Facilities Management department, said the massage chair is a positive addition to campus that has boosted his health.

“I feel like it is an overall excellent body massage experience,” Bloodworth said. “I’ve had numerous professional massages in high-end salons and spas, and this exceeds the experience I’ve had in many of those places. The massage chair boosts productivity by increasing your health with a positive experience.”

Lenser got the idea to bring the massage chair to campus after seeing the success of bringing chair massages to the annual Employee Wellness Fair for the past two years.

“At the Employee Wellness Fair, the chair massages are very popular and well-received,” Lenser said. “The response to the chair massages helped fuel the desire to obtain a massage chair.”  

UA Little Rock employees and students also have the option of using a table with massage rollers and heat action. The table is gentler than the massage chair and is great for the spinal column and back, Lenser said.