How To Care For Your Massage Table

Your massage table is a vital part of your practice — it’s the backbone of every treatment.

You spent plenty of time wondering "which massage table is right for me?”, and logged the hours researching all the massage tables on the market to make sure you picked a good one.

After all the time and money you invested, you’ll want to make sure your table stays in excellent condition for as long as possible.

Here are a few tips on how to care for your massage table so it lasts for years on end.

Looking after the upholstery:

To begin with, make sure you use good-quality sheets. Ideally, your sheets will be made of brushed cotton — not only is it comfortable for your client, but brushed cotton is durable, washable, and should prevent massage oil and natural body oils from seeping into the leather or vinyl upholstery.

Always make sure you use fitted sheets on your massage table. This ensures that massage oil and body oils do not come into direct contact with the upholstery. The fibres in leather and vinyl begin to degrade when in regular contact with oil, which can shorten the life of your massage table significantly.

If you are using sharp objects during your practice, such as acupuncture needles, make sure you have a protective layer over the table. Lay a towel or blanket beneath your fitted sheet to prevent any scratching or puncturing of the upholstery.

Finally, avoid cleaning your massage table with heavy-duty industrial cleaners. These will wear the upholstery out with their heavy chemical load (and you’re better off not touching them either!).

These heavy cleaning agents will harden the upholstery, and can cause cracking and wrinkling. Wash your massage table with warm water and a mild soap, then wipe it off with soap-free warm water and pat it dry.

Maintaining the legs and base:

If you have analuminium table, there’s very little you need to do to maintain your massage table’s frame. The sheer strength and durability of aluminium will protect your practice for years.

However, if you have a wooden table, it’s important to take good care of the wood. You don’t want it to crack in a few years’ time.

Firstly, make sure you check the screws every couple of months, particularly if you don’t adjust the height very often. The screws should always be firmly tightened, so that there is no risk of the leg buckling as a client gets on the table.

When you do this, it’s wise to check that all the joints and leg supports are also still in good working condition.

If you notice that your table has unsightly scuffs or scratches from being lugged all over town, you can fix this up very easily. Simply take a walnut and rub it into the affected area. The fats in the walnut will smooth over the damage and return it to its previous glossy appearance.

Maintaining the foam:

Keeping the foam in your massage table from thinning out or getting indents in it will help extend the use you get from the table, as well as providing your customers with a more comfortable experience.

In the past, many massage tables were non-adjustable — the headrest or breath hole was fixed at one end, leading to faster wear on the foam.

These days, however, many massage tables have thicker foam and allow the headrest to be attached to both ends. This lets you switch ends between treatments, slowing the rate of wear on the foam.