Hardware

Chinese complain: Too many massage chairs in public spaces

Image: Adobe Stock.

August 15, 2023

Massage chairs are expanding in Chinese public places, and not everyone is happy about it, according to a shine.cn report.

Some consumers object to the dominance of massage chairs in some locations, such as a train station in Tai'an City, Shandong Province, where only 60 of 500 chairs are not pay-to-use massage chairs.

The prevalence of massage chairs has forced people to rest in areas with no chairs.

Users pay by scanning a QR code, with prices ranging from 8.8 yuan ($1.20) to 30 yuan, for massages ranging from 10 to 45 minutes.

Some consumers find the chairs uncomfortable and/or painful and/or unhygienic.

One video on Aug. 3 showed a woman's hair getting stuck in a massage chair at Chongqing Railway Station.

A spokesperson for the Jiangsu Consumer Council said the chairs may violate public rights by forcing people to pay to sit down.