Rubbing shoulders with big wigs

Photo: Sabrina Usher

Employees at Hearst are already gloating about the company’s new tower, near completion on West 57th Street—especially over its 14th floor wellness and fitness center, which will host an in-house masseuse. Before you get tense thinking about how good everyone else always seems to have it, consider petitioning your company’s own human resources department for the occasional back rub. On-site massage is a growing feature of corporate health programs. Companies like Time Inc., Clear Channel and PricewaterhouseCoopers have all periodically treated employees to 15–20 minute chair treatments provided by licensed massage therapists who come to the office. Studies show that this practice can relieve fatigue and decrease job stress, in addition to increasing alertness, strengthening immunity and enhancing thinking skills. “Employees are more productive, healthier and happier,” says Michael Wald of Namaste New York, which provides on-site services to offices in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. This, of course, makes for more satisfied and happy employers. “They are steadily increasing their budgets for such services and getting a huge return on investment,” Wald says of his corporate clients. Oasis Day Spa also provides desk-side kneading to the New York City area, as does Infinite Massage, a San Francisco–based company which offers services nationwide. So if you find yourself complaining that your job is sucking the life out of you, remember that you could actually find rejuvenation there too.—Laura Neilson

• Namaste New York (212-535-5535, www.namastenewyork.com)
• Oasis Day Spa (212-254-7722, www.oasisdayspanyc.com)
• Infinite Massage (1-866-RELAX88, www.infinitemassage.com).