mmmm
Im 19 stone and 5ft 6 so very overweight. I often fear that I will break chairs so sometimes wont sit on one I feel is not sturdy enough and make an excuse to stand up. We have a massage couch which we use in our body piercing studio (soon to become complementary therapy studio as well). Its a pretty cheap affair and I sit on it with no problem - but I would not allow a customer to do this unless I was sure it was ok. With the couches - isnt the weight given for the table a working weight - so also has to include the force given by the therapist. So the weight it can take would also depend on the treatment given.
Incidentally the overweight do not all lack agility - it depends on your fitness which can apply to slimmer people too. Personally I ski and snowboard - have just returned from skiing in Austra in fact and Im not a spring chicken either at 51.
An awful lot of overweight people are very sensitive to the stereotypical image given to them by the media and it is easy to offend without realising it. This thread has not offended me and Im sure its intention was not to offend, but it is important to be aware that some people are very distressed about their weight and society's views and assumptions.
I know this is an older thread and I hope it is ok to reply to it.
ive had a few lets say larger clients on my couch and have had no problem, my couch is an over sized one which can be laid flat on the floor, so i always give my clients the option on having the couch set up normally or laid flat on the floor.
ask the client on the day what she is expecting from you regarding type of massage, you should have a chair ready if she only wants her feet and lower legs massaging.
unfortunately the world is becoming a larger place so i would look at getting yourself a better couch, like i said mine is larger than the average, has a think bed and can hold a lot of weight, plus has the added bonus on being able to be laid flat on the floor, which is good if you provide other types of therapies, my couch was only around £150 and ive had it about 5 years and still looks brand new, im mobile so it gets folded a lot.
talk to your client and go from there
I would let her sit on a chair and use a foot stool. I wouldn't want to risk using the couch - I'd be worrying all the way through the massage in case it collapsed.
I provide a foot and lower leg massage to people and have both used a couch and one of those reclining reflexology chairs for it but I'm not sure if the reflexology chair would be any better or not (probably not!).
I have several clients who are on the larger side and they find it difficult laying on their back flat not just from a comfort point of view but because they find it difficult to breath when flat or because they have high blood pressure.
I agree with fleurs' comments about receiving a chair massage - if i had asked to sit up I would expect to sit up and not be on the floor!
You don't need to massage the backs of her legs but if you do want to, you can bend her leg at the knees and you can perch on the edge of the couch and massage the underside of her legs - this is something I was taught for pregnant women who cannot lay on their front - might be an option for you if you really want to massage the backs of her legs.