Yep, THAT’S Why I Joined the Navy

The relaxation room at the VA hospital. Photo taken by and the property of FourWalls.
@FourWalls (69010)
United States
October 6, 2024 9:24pm CST
Navy recruiters are going at it all wrong! “Join the Navy, see the world” (truth: see the inside gray bulkheads of a ship), etc. Nah, they need to tout those massage chairs. I went to the civilian allergist last week. He wrote a prescription, so I went up to the hospital to get it filled. While up there, I ordered new prescription sunglasses…and, since the relaxation room is next to the optical shop, I went over there to wait in luxury for my prescription to be filled. These are relatively new, and I’m not sure many people know about them. They are massage chairs with three types of massage (shiatsu, kneading, or vibration), heat, a bunch of positions (sitting to “lie down”), and other joys to get you in a good mood for 15-30 minutes. While they don’t have “relaxing music” playing, they have the cool video of the dolphins swimming playing if you want to open your eyes and watch it. Yep, that’s why I joined the Navy. Photo is the TV screen showing dolphins, taken from the massage chair (with my feet propped up in the leg massage feature).
11 people like this
10 responses
Jim Bauer
@porwest (92589)
• United States
7 Oct
Somehow, I think I'd feel a bit uncomfortable sitting in a chair in a waiting room getting "vibrated." lol
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
Might be why they require everyone to wipe them down after usage. (I don’t care for vibration settings anymore, so the shiatsu rollers are fine for me.)
2 people like this
Jim Bauer
@porwest (92589)
• United States
8 Oct
@FourWalls That would be funny if they had a towel and a bottle of Windex hanging beside them. lol
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
8 Oct
@porwest - alas, just the Clorox wipes…
1 person likes this
Greg
@xander6464 (44417)
• Wapello, Iowa
7 Oct
All chairs should be massage chairs.
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
I agree. Furthermore, I think the DMV or other places where you’re guaranteed a long wait should have them.
1 person likes this
Greg
@xander6464 (44417)
• Wapello, Iowa
7 Oct
@FourWalls And free drinks. They would help, too.
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
8 Oct
@xander6464 — I’m all for that, especially if the staff gets drunk and forgets to charge you.
1 person likes this
Heather Echola
@GardenGerty (160952)
• United States
8 Oct
If Bob Dole VA has that kind of room we have not heard about it.
2 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (472108)
• Switzerland
7 Oct
Massage chairs must be wonderful, I should consider having one, for my back pain.
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
You can get a shiatsu pad for $100 or so. It’s not as advanced as all the fancy things on a $9,000 massage chair, but it will do the trick.
2 people like this
Anna
@LadyDuck (472108)
• Switzerland
7 Oct
@FourWalls - I have the shiatsu pad and it does not seem to help, but $ 9,000 is NO WAY. I could ask the doctor to prescribe massages and those are covered by the healthcare insurance.
3 people like this
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (108144)
• Marion, Ohio
7 Oct
That's a good reason
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
Wish they’d had them when I joined…would have been nice coming back from KP to a massage chair.
2 people like this
Eva James
@wolfgirl569 (108144)
• Marion, Ohio
7 Oct
@FourWalls That would have been.
2 people like this
RasmaSandra
@RasmaSandra (80748)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
7 Oct
Sounds like they got great massage chairs,
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
8 Oct
Can’t beat the price, either!
2 people like this
luisadannointed
@luisadannointed (6329)
• Philippines
7 Oct
Hi Fourwalls, you might not remember me but I remember you, this is the first time I I have read one of your articles for so long. And you are not talking about music. You joined the navy because of the massage chairs? Lol! Have a great week! God bless.
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
No, it’s a joke. When I joined the Navy there weren’t any such things. Great to see you, thanks for stopping by…and I’m still talking about music, fear not.
1 person likes this
Judy Story
@jstory07 (139965)
• Roseburg, Oregon
7 Oct
Message chairs while waiting who could ask for anything more.
2 people like this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
A private masseur? Nah. That’s too much.
1 person likes this
Jessica
@JESSY3236 (20046)
• United States
8 Oct
Nice way to wait. They need that everywhere you have to wait.
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
9 Oct
They have chairs that gently move (not “rocking chairs” in the traditional sense) in the clinic waiting rooms now.
1 person likes this
LindaOH
@LindaOHio (181642)
• United States
7 Oct
I wanted to join the Navy; but I wanted to be an officer. To be an officer you had to have a college degree. At the time I only had a year and a half of college credits. I still have only 3 years of college. Have a good week.
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
You could have done it the hard way (gone through the enlisted ranks and became an officer), but that meant you’d have to scrub heads.
1 person likes this
LindaOH
@LindaOHio (181642)
• United States
7 Oct
@FourWalls NO WAY. I told myself I would NEVER clean a public restroom....even if I was starving.
1 person likes this
Four Walls
@FourWalls (69010)
• United States
7 Oct
@LindaOHio — truth be told, I found cleaning the coffee mess more offensive….
1 person likes this