Vending massage chairs in public spaces: convenience or conflict?

Vending massage chairs have become increasingly popular in recent years and have been installed in a variety of public spaces such as train stations, airports, malls and cinemas.

While these chairs are intended to provide comfort and relaxation, their prevalence has also caused annoyance among the public.

According to a recent report, out of over 500 chairs in a train station in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, only 60 are regular ones. All the rest are pay-to-use massage chairs.

They require users to pay for massage by scanning a QR code. The prices vary, with choices of 10, 32 and 45 minutes, costing 8.8 yuan (US$1.2), 15.8 yuan and 30 yuan, respectively.

However, not everyone feels comfortable with these chairs being everywhere in the station.

Passengers argued that regular chairs should outnumber massage chairs as the latter take up more space due to their bigger size.

"It's the public space these chairs occupy," said Xu, a passenger.

Others expressed discomfort, stating that the movement of the massage chairs hurt one's back.

In recent years, vending massage chairs have become more prevalent not just in transportation stations but also in malls, cinemas and parks.

The public has expressed concerns about the chairs' hygienic condition, smell, and wear and tear.

The safety of massage chairs has also raised concerns.

A viral video on August 3 shows a woman's long hair getting stuck in a working massage chair at Chongqing Railway Station. The woman was in great pain and cried for help, but was only saved by helpers who tore the chair open.

Gong Yongshi, a staff member with Jiangsu Consumer Council, has raised concerns that the train station lobbies and airports may have violated the public's rights by replacing regular chairs with massage ones, making customers pay for a place to rest in these locations.