That women almost always outlive men has been a basic fact of life. Most experts attribute a lot of the cause for that to stress-related conditions. As women have moved into traditionally male occupations, they have been subjected to the same stressors. Massage has been proven to be an effective means of releasing the build up of stress and tension and more and more women are seeking the benefits that it provides.

While any number of massage techniques offer significant stress reduction, massage has not proven as effective for women as for men because of how uncomfortable it can be for many women to lie face down on massage tables. Traditional tables have been designed with a padded but firm surface to enable the massage therapist to be able to apply the amount of pressure required to work the areas of the body where muscles and connective tissue have become tight or knotted. Lying in this position coupled with the pressure of the massage can cause moderate to extreme discomfort for many women and often prevents them from returning for future treatments.

The exciting news is that there has been a revolutionary breakthrough in massage table technology. Designed by a woman personally acquainted with how uncomfortable a massage can be for women with larger breasts, this new table is called the ABC Massage Table. ABC means adjustable breast comfort. The table has an area that can be lowered by the practitioner with a powerful foot pump and release valve.

The ABC system not only provides the means for anyone to comfortably experience the many benefits of massage, it also affords superior support. As more massage centers become equipped with the ABC Massage Table and other similar innovations, at least in the area of stress reduction, women now have the same opportunities as men.

What I like about Earthlite is its innovation, commitment to environmental stewardship, and last but not least, the quality of its products. And the environmentalism is important- they use water based lacquers which are far less toxic than traditional ones, and recycle much of their building material. I would expect Earthlite to be a company which embraces sustainability more and more as such possibilities emerge.

What Earthlite offers massage therapists is a product you can rely on in your practice. You can count on its durability, quality, and comfort for clients as well as ease of use. Properly cared for, an Earthlite massage table should last many, many years. If it is more expensive than some other brands, it’s because you get what you pay for. I looked at my purchase of an Earthlite product as somewhat of an investment after trying a slightly cheaper generic model from one of the big warehouse stores which shall remain unnamed. I could tell, getting it out of the box, that this generic model was several tiers lower than the models we were using in our massage school. I made sure to return it right away. The Earthlite, on the other hand, actually was an improvement on the tables we had at school. The support structure seemed similar, but the Earthlite had padding which was both thicker and denser, and the design of the face cradle made it so much more comfortable it was hard to believe.