A massage chair is a smart investment in self-care and wellness. The right chair can help you relax and alleviate tension – all from the comfort of home. Making the decision to buy a massage chair is a simple one, but how do you find the right one?
There are several things to consider when choosing the right massage chair, from your use to your budget and space.
How To Choose a Massage Chair
Finding the right massage chair for your needs and home doesn’t have to be complicated. However, here are a few things to keep in mind.
1. Consider Your Purpose and Goals for Your Massage Chair
Before you start comparing models, consider your goals and the purpose of the chair. For example, do you want to use the chair to:
- Treat pain?
- Improve circulation?
- Alleviate stress?
- Improve sleep?
- Help you recover from workouts?
- Support your overall wellness?
Determining your purpose and goals can help you find a chair that offers the right features for your needs. For example, if you want to improve back pain, you may want a chair with massagers that cover the entire length of your spine. Heat and the ability to move into zero gravity may also help with pain or discomfort.
Once you understand your purpose and goals, you can start looking for chairs that support your needs.
2. Determine Which Position is Best for You
When looking at massage chairs, positioning may not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, it can make a big difference in your massage experience.
Maybe you want a chair that reclines, or perhaps you want a zero gravity massage chair, like the Sana from Human Touch.
The zero gravity position moves the body into a neutral position so that the feet are aligned above the heart. When you’re in this position, you can feel weightless and relaxed. That weightless feeling is because zero gravity helps take pressure off of your spine, legs and hips. As a result, the zero gravity position alone can help alleviate pain, discomfort and soreness.
Zero gravity can help:
- Take the pressure off the spine
- Improve circulation
- Reduce the strain on your heart
- Alleviate muscle tension
- Make you feel relaxed
With your purpose and goals in mind, consider whether a zero gravity chair or a reclining massage chair is the right choice for you.
3. Where Will You Use Your Chair?
Knowing your purpose and the right position is important when choosing a massage chair. However, it’s also important to consider where and how you will be using the chair.
Will you be using the massage chair:
- At home?
- At the office?
- Across different locations?
The location will play a role not only in the type of chair you choose but also in style. For example, if you’re buying a chair for the office, you may want something sleek and more compact. Many massage chairs look just like any other office chair, so they fit right into a workplace setting.
If you’re using the chair at home, you may not care as much about appearance, or perhaps you want something that matches the rest of the furniture in your home.
If your goal is to use the chair across different locations, you will need a more compact model, lighter weight, and a bit more portable. Unfortunately, portability isn’t a feature you will find with most massage chairs, but you can find models that are lighter and more compact for easier transport.
4. Consider the Size of Your Space
To find the perfect massage chair, you’ll need to consider the size of your space.
- If you have plenty of space, you may want a larger chair with more features. Having more space also means choosing a zero gravity chair without worry. Reclining and zero gravity chairs require more overall space.
- If you’re short on space, you will need a chair with a more compact footprint. Consider not only the height and width of the chair but also the length when reclining or in the zero gravity position (if applicable).
Size is arguably one of the most important things to consider because you don’t have much flexibility here. Knowing how much space you have for your chair can also help narrow down your options, making it easier to choose a model that meets your needs.
5. Consider Your Budget
Naturally, your budget will come into play when choosing a massage chair. While important, cost shouldn’t be the primary concern. When the price of the chair is your only concern, you may miss out on:
- Features you need or want
- Quality and durability
Instead, buy the best massage chair that you can afford. A cheap chair may not offer the durability and quality you expect, which may lead to you spending more money on a new chair or accessories to improve its function.
6. Research Reviews
Now that you have a clearer picture of the massage chair you want, it’s time to start comparing models and researching reviews.
Customer reviews can provide insight into the quality of the chair and the user experience. However, if a chair has many negative reviews, it may be best to move on and find another one that meets your needs.
A few important things to look for and consider when researching reviews are:
- Ease of use: Is the chair easy to use? Do people complain about it being difficult to change programs or adjust the settings?
- Setup: Is the chair easy to set up? Can it be delivered with in-home assembly?
- Experience: Do people enjoy using the chair? Does it help them feel more relaxed or ease the pain?
While you shouldn’t necessarily base your purchasing decision on reviews alone, they can be helpful in narrowing down your options or choosing between one model or the other.
These are the most important things to consider when choosing a massage chair. Start by finding your purpose, and then find a chair that meets those needs while fitting into your space and lifestyle.
If you’re still having trouble finding a model that meets your needs, Human Touch’s helpful tool can help you pick the right massage chair based on your needs.
