Each profession has its own particularities in terms of practice, posture, or equipment used. For this reason, a massage table perfect for a wellness practitioner may not be suitable for a beautician or physiotherapist.

To help you better determine the essential characteristics of the ideal treatment table for your profession, we list below some recurring criteria that we have been able to isolate thanks to our many years of advising our clients.

The dimensions

Width

A perfect massage table must allow the person receiving the treatment to feel comfortable, while ensuring optimal accessibility for the practitioner, particularly avoiding back pain.

Width of 60 cm

This width, which may seem very narrow at first glance, is nevertheless perfectly suited to the practice of physiotherapy, osteopathy, or even physiotherapy.

In these professions, manipulation of the patient is frequent and the practitioner must be able to move the treated limbs easily and without effort. With this in mind, the narrower the working surface, the less manipulation effort is required for the therapist.

The ideal width for tables dedicated to these professions is therefore 60 cm, or even 50 cm when it comes to specific practices or tables to be installed in restricted spaces.

This table can be found on folding tables as well as on fixed tables , or even on electric massage tables .

Width of 70 cm

This width is often considered the standard because it is versatile and adapts to the needs of many professions.

It can be suitable for therapies such as those mentioned above, but also for aesthetic treatments such as hair removal, or even for medical consultations during which the people received do not need to move a lot during the procedure. exam.

Practical when it comes to a folding table , this width has the advantage of its small footprint. It is easy to find in all categories of tables .

Width of 80 cm

Less common than the 70 cm width, this is mainly intended for wellness treatments. It is ideal for wellness massages offered by a practitioner who is tall enough to ensure that they do not suffer from back pain when accessing the opposite side of the table. It is also perfect for massage dedicated to pregnant women or even for Thai massage.

The notion of size must be taken into consideration when you opt for a table of this width, both in terms of the space you will have to bring the table into your cabin when it is delivered, and in terms of space which you will have in the cabin itself.

More rare, this width is rarely offered on folding massage tables and is therefore more often found among fixed and electric tables .

Width of 90 or 100 cm

Quite unusual, these widths are intended for fairly specific therapies such asbobath , or even Thai massage.

Bobath therapy requires a large work space so that the patient feels safe, which is why a treatment table with a width of 100 cm is ideal.

In Thai massage, it is common for the practitioner to also need to get on the table during the massage, which is why a larger space is ideal so that the person being massaged feels perfectly at ease.

This extra-large dimension requires a robust structure adapted to the often significant load exerted there during treatments and is therefore only offered on fixed massage tables and, rarely, on a few models of electric massage tables .

Length

Compact format

If you are looking for a folding massage table that is easy to transport, you will undoubtedly appreciate that it can be compact. To do this, a limited width and length are ideal, even if it means compensating for them by adding accessories to occasionally increase these dimensions.

You can therefore direct your choice towards a table with a length of 160 to 170 cm for example, often lighter thanks to its limited dimensions.

Standard format

The standard is the measurement most frequently offered on all types of tables and corresponds to a length varying between 180 and 190 cm.

Practical, this dimension allows most of your clients or patients to lie down at full length and, therefore, comfortably.

Extra-long format

Choosing a massage table with a length greater than 190 cm is ideal when you have enough space in your treatment room.

If the majority of your patients are, for example, athletes with an imposing build, you will have the assurance of being able to place them on the table without their feet protruding from it.

Height

Depending on your size, the fact that you are the only one using the table, or even depending on the mobility of the people you will receive, it is important to consider the height of the table as a main selection criterion.

If you are looking for a simple table, intended for occasional use for hair removal , or for consultations in a medical office , the height rarely needs to be adjusted. In this case, you can opt for a massage table with a fixed height, often offered at 75 cm in this case.

If, on the contrary, your table is intended to be used by several people of different sizes, or if you regularly receive people with reduced mobility, being able to adjust its height is essential.

You can therefore make your choice according to your budget as well as your tastes, by opting for a fixed treatment table with manually adjustable height , or a treatment table with electrically adjustable height .

When it comes to mainly welcoming people with reduced mobility, a minimum height of 50 cm is ideal to ensure secure access to the table without requiring the addition of a step.

Weight

This parameter is often essential for practitioners working at home, or even therapists who frequently accompany sports teams during their training. It is therefore mainly with the category of folding tables that it will be associated as a determining criterion of choice.

The more compact the dimensions of the folding massage table chosen, the lighter it will be and, therefore, easier to transport. Likewise, if your folding massage table has more than one section and for example has a lifting backrest , its weight will automatically be affected.

If you are looking for a very light folding massage table , the choice of aluminum for its structure is essential. This often allows a gain of 1 to 3 kg, which is significant when it comes to daily climbing stairs or taking public transport. You will thus obtain a table with a weight that can vary from 10 to 13 kg, an asset which will truly lighten your daily life.

The weight of a folding massage table that could be described as " standard " often varies from 14 to 17 kg, depending on the number of its sections or the material used for its structure. This weight is normally transportable on a daily basis without too much difficulty as long as you equip yourself with a good quality transport bag allowing easy handling.

Finally, if you favor the generous dimensions of your folding massage table over its weight, you can safely opt for a table with a weight varying from 20 to 30 kg. This type of table is ideal for practitioners who share their workspace and only need to regularly fold their treatment table for storage, without having to transport it regularly.

The accessories

Once the choice of dimensions has been made, the choice of additional accessories arises to perfectly complete your treatment table.

Side armrests

Often confused with "arm rests", the side armrests have the sole function of widening the table occasionally. They are perfect as a complement to a narrow massage table , when you receive larger people, allowing them to have more space to rest their arms comfortably.

The armrests can be offered directly delivered with the table, or added as an option. If this is an option, it is essential to order it at the same time as the table to ensure you have the necessary mounting brackets for their use, which will be installed upon manufacture.

The facial cavity

The facial cavity , also called a "facial hole", is a cavity in the back of your massage table that allows you to place your clients lying on their stomachs. With their faces resting in the cavity, they can breathe freely, relax both the neck and the cervical spine, and thus receive care in perfect conditions.

When not in use, the facial cavity can be closed using the cavity plug provided for this purpose, often supplied with the table at no extra charge. On certain models, it can also be offered as an option and it is therefore preferable to order it at the same time in order to receive it in a color coordinated with that of the mattress on your treatment table.

The facial cavity itself can be offered as standard or as an option depending on the table model chosen. In any case, it cannot be added to a table once its production is complete.

The external headrest

In the same way as the facial cavity, the external headrest allows your client to sit comfortably in a lying position on their stomach, while perfectly relaxing their neck and releasing their shoulders.

External to the table, the headrest is placed at the end of it, often on the head side and more rarely, on the foot side.

Always removable, the external headrest can be removed when not in use to save space. Installed on a small table , it allows you to easily increase its length by almost 30 cm without significantly impacting its weight.

Often used with an arm rest under the headrest, the external headrest can be delivered directly with the table, or offered as an option. When this is an option, it is important to order it at the same time as the table to ensure you have the necessary supports for its attachment, installed during manufacturing.

The arm rest under the headrest

This arm rest, not to be confused with an armrest which is placed sideways, can only be installed under an external headrest.

Made of a soft or rigid material, it often attaches via nylon straps and Velcro to the headrest support and cushion.

It can be delivered with the table when an external headrest is provided or, more rarely, offered as an option.

The reiki panel

Mainly intended, as its name indicates, for the practice of reiki, the reiki panel more generally allows all practitioners to easily pass their legs under the table during the treatment.

Designed in a U shape, this accessory replaces the standard panel with a crossbar when offered as an option on a folding massage table. It can also be systematically offered on certain models of tables and is, in any case, only installed on folding massage tables.

As for fixed massage tables, the stability of their structure is often conditioned by the presence of a storage shelf whose crossbar prevents the passage of legs, while solidifying the whole. It may be proposed to remove or modify this shelf on certain custom-designed models but this remains quite rare.

Electric treatment tables are not affected by this type of modification as their structure generally allows them to move around the table without difficulty.