MacLevy Leg Massager

Image source: Time magazine - April 19, 1948

Displayed at a Beauty Shop trade convention in Manhattan's Grand Central Palace, April 1948.

The machine (the MacLevy Leg Massager) was marketed to beauty shop owners. The introduction of home permanent wave kits in the mid-1940s had caused a steep decline in business for beauty shops, so the inventors of machines such as the leg massager were promising the shop owners that they could lure customers back by installing gadgets such as this, which would allow them to offer new services without having to hire trained masseuses.

The leg massager was invented by Monte MacLevy, who filed a patent application for it in July 1939. From the patent:

[It is] the contemplation of my invention to provide mechanical means for massaging a persons legs and thighs in a manner that has heretofore been possible only by a well-executed manual massage. And in this aspect of my invention it is a further objective to effect a simultaneous massage of the calf and thigh so as to produce most efiective results in a minimum of time. It is also within the contemplation of my invention to enable the massaging operation to be effectuated while the legs are relieved of practically all strain, an objective that I attain by providing such supporting means for the subject as to enable him to recline in a position where the legs and thighs are conveniently supported in natural angular relation with respect to each other so that they may be completely relaxed during the massaging operation. And in this aspect of my invention it is a further object to provide mechanical massaging implements simultaneously and operably movable in different directions so as to be engageable with various portions of both legs and thighs.

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Posted By: Alex - Mon Sep 21, 2015
Category: Inventions | Patents | 1940s

Comments

Depending on the patronage of any given shop they could have gotten any number of the wounded vets to do the job for free though I suspect there'd have to be some charges made in some cases.

Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 09/21/15 at 09:57 AM

She looks like she's having too much fun.

Posted by KDP on 09/21/15 at 09:58 AM

First thought - Barbarella.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UoHkiBRxBo

Posted by BMN on 09/21/15 at 10:13 AM

Looks like it would feel good just so long as it never malfunctioned. Can you imagine having your legs in that contraption and it went crazy? Snap Crunch AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Patty in Ohio, USA on 09/21/15 at 03:17 PM

She looks very, very happy with visions of buff, well endowed men or women dancing through her head. About a year ago saw the uncut version of Barbarella on Net Flick, pretty cool. The name of the S&M machine Jane burned up was the orgasmatron I believe. That was the Jane Fonda I liked, prior to her posing on a commie 37mm AA cannon surrounded by lusting North Vietnamese soldiers.

Posted by Gator Guy on 09/21/15 at 06:09 PM

Looks as though it might have the side effect of being a very effective hair remover. Those ARE springs, are they not?

Posted by Puptentacle on 09/21/15 at 09:55 PM

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