How a Vacation Changed Our Professional Lives

… and why we sell massage chairs today

Expert consultation and professional sales of massage chairs—if someone had told me not too long ago that, after 25 years in the IT field, I would decide—together with my partner—to take this step and build a new business in a completely different field, I probably would have shaken my head in disbelief. As a true-blue IT professional, my heart has beaten—and continues to beat—for database performance and test automation for decades. So my move into the world of massage chairs can certainly be described as quite extraordinary. After all, until just a few years ago, my experience with massage chairs was limited to a few rare situations: they were confined to waiting times at the airport or made my time at the gym bearable. Massage chairs also made my time at the mall more enjoyable when my partner, Manuela, once again talked me into a long shopping spree. Speaking of Manuela: In the end, it was her former boss—and now a good friend of ours—who finally set the ball rolling…

Until a few years ago, Manuela—who was still living in France at the time—worked at the renowned Parisian massage chair specialty store “Detentation - Fauteuil Massant” www.detentation.com, advising clients seeking relaxation and health-conscious customers. Last summer, we spent our family vacation in Provence in southern France—together with Manuela’s former boss, Jonathan. Since our youngest child was approaching preschool age, Manuela began to wonder what career path she wanted to pursue in the future. In addition to considering a return to her trained profession as a medical assistant, her former boss ultimately provided the decisive impetus: to launch the sale of top-quality massage chairs in Germany. Manuela’s many years of experience and her in-depth expertise opened up a world of potential for us.

 

 

Even after we’d left the sunshine of southern France behind, our friend’s suggestion kept coming back to us. Lost in thought, I recalled a personal experience that had taken place over 20 years ago: My father had been medically advised to use a massage chair due to severe diabetes and a lack of physical activity. Not only did it stimulate his circulation, but it also effectively provided a way for him to get daily exercise without having to leave the house. When the massage intensity became too strong for my father, I inherited the chair while he was still alive. It found a home in my study at the time, and I enjoyed its relaxing effects. After some back-and-forth deliberation, doubts, and calculations, we decided to give the project a try. What we’d still considered a pipe dream while on vacation became a tangible possibility after a thorough market survey: Surprisingly, neither the internet nor the Stuttgart area was flooded with suppliers. We set out to find a wide range of brands—both online and locally—but to no avail!—which, of course, worked out perfectly for us. Without further ado, we seized this opportunity and launched our project with two weeks of intensive training and visits to potential suppliers. Shortly thereafter, our showroom was already being hailed as the most diverse in the wider Stuttgart area. This laid the foundation for Massagesessel Welt www.massagesesselwelt.de. Since then, we’ve consistently been there to offer advice and support to anyone seeking relaxation: whether it’s massage chairs for pain and tension relief in the home, or simply to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation after a day at the office or working from home. Of course, we’re also happy to provide consulting services for the commercial sector to help advance health management and employee retention through the feel-good factor. 

We would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt thanks to our good friend and mentor, Jonathan Cohen. Thanks to his inspiration, combined with 13 years of experience in the massage chair business, he paved the way for us to reach the top within just a few months. His expertise helped us make the right choices regarding manufacturers and models, and ultimately—after many nights of training and test-sitting—enabled me to become a massage chair expert outside of my usual IT field.

Unfortunately, however, not every risk can be foreseen: Like countless other business owners, 2020 presented us with an unexpected challenge. COVID-19 deprived us of the opportunity to test out the chairs in our showroom. To help you find the massage chair that’s best suited to your individual needs, we’ve been working on an online massage chair finder. Based on your physical characteristics and specific massage preferences, it determines which chair is the ideal fit. We wouldn’t be us if we didn’t come up with something suitable—you’ll be hearing from us!