Whether it’s due to work or something in your personal life, stress impacts not just your mental well-being but your physical health as well. One of the best ways to manage stress and relieve some of the physical ailments it fosters is through massage. Massage is known to be a great stress reliever, but it also comes with other health benefits such as relieving headaches, muscle pain, and insomnia. Massage also helps align the spine and can help improve your posture. Not everyone has the time to get regular massages, and some people are uncomfortable with strangers giving them a massage. That’s why massage chairs have become increasingly popular and an important tool for your health and self-care.
Not everyone has the time to get massages, and some people are uncomfortable with strangers giving them a massage.
Here are some of the benefits of a massage chair:
Having access to a massage chair at home can be beneficial because it performs many of the common strokes that a professional masseuse uses and can be used whenever you want. A massage chair reduces pressure on your spine by allowing you to rest horizontally. As muscles supporting your vertebrae become relaxed through massage, your spine is able to lengthen and your vertebrae can get back to their natural alignment. This may help free nerves from pressure and allow nerve impulses to travel easily through the spinal column. Relaxing your back muscles also helps you maintain good posture. Massage chairs correct imbalances in your muscles by targeting specific areas and using various kinds of strokes to reduce pain. Having relaxed muscles will let you move around easier and reduce the amount of undue stress you put on certain parts of your body. After using a massage chair, many people feel an improvement in their posture and balance. Given its benefits, it’s clear why people include regular massages in their daily routines. Because of their convenience, time efficiency, and ultimate money-saving abilities, a massage chair is a great investment in your overall health and well-being.
A Quick Look at Our Top Choices
In a hurry to find the best massage chair for your needs? Don’t have time to read the entire review? Here’s a handy table that’ll give quick look at our top choices!
Types of Massage Chairs
If you want to find the best massage chair to fit your needs, you need to know all of the options available to you. Here are some of the different types of massage chairs.
Full Body
A full body massage chair will have massage options for pretty much every area of your body, including your neck, feet, shoulders, back, and legs. Some of the newer models also have features to massage your hands and arms. These chairs can often be adjusted to meet your needs. The downside to getting a full body massage chair is that it takes up a significant amount of space and they can be costly.
Upper Body
Chairs that are made for the upper body will massage your back and sometimes also massage your neck, arms, and shoulders. Unlike full body chairs, these do not necessarily recline. However, they are typically less expensive than full body chairs.
Air Massage
Air massage chairs use airbags to give a massage instead of the typical roller massage chairs. These chairs provide a soft massage instead of the deep massage you may expect to get from a masseuse. The airbags usually aim for places on your body that aren’t often massaged, such as your arms, hands, legs, and feet.
Too much stress at work? Massage is known to be a great stress reliever, and a massage chair is a convenient option to get your daily massage.
Zero Gravity
While once just a feature, zero gravity chairs have turned into their own type of massage chair. These chairs put your body at an incline that is equal to zero gravity. While you lay back, your vertebra will stretch and realign itself, which gives you inversion therapy on your spine. These chairs are natural and very healthy for your back and allow you to release tension and restore your posture while being massaged.
Heated Chairs
When you apply heat to your muscles and joints, it will alleviate tension, pain, and induce internal healing. This form of massage therapy is often used at massage parlors, and a heat therapy massage chair can give you similar benefits. The rollers in the chair heat up, allowing you to have a warm heat therapy session. These chairs are great for athletes and older users.
Things to Consider When Buying a Massage Chair
If you’re among the many people interested in owning a massage chair, here are a few things to consider before buying one.
Features
There are many different feature options to choose from. Some chairs target pressure points using pressure, swaying, or rolling movements, while some use light intensity kneading techniques. Try out a few different chairs before deciding which you prefer. Different chairs work on different parts of your body, so it is important to know which parts of your body you want to focus on. For example, if you want a good foot massage, you will want to look into chairs that include foot massagers. If you often feel pain in your shoulder area, then go for massage chairs that focus on your shoulders.
Budget
While they save you money in the long run (based on going to a masseuse regularly), buying a massage chair is an investment. The prices of massage chairs range depending on a lot of factors such as its features, the company making the chair, its appearance, and the quality of the materials used. But don’t let high prices deter you. You can forego features that you may not use, leave out the extras like installed music players and USB ports, and settle a bit on the appearance if you want a chair that better fits into your budget. For example, if are only looking for a back-massaging chair, you can buy one that comes without a foot recliner. The important thing is to buy a durable chair that has the functions you need.
Massage comes with other health benefits such as relieving headaches, muscle pain, and insomnia.
Placement of Chair
Most massage chairs are bulky, and you can’t put them just anywhere. You probably won’t want to keep it in the living room because they can detract from your decor. Because the chairs are for personal use, putting one in your office or bedroom is probably your best bet. However, your bedroom or home office has to have sufficient room to hold the chair. Many massage chairs have a head and foot recliner, so they probably won’t fit in a corner or near a wall. Be sure to take measurements of your room and figure out how much space you will need for your chair before buying one. Some massage chairs have wheels, allowing you to move them around. These chairs can be kept stored away when not in use.
Durability
Massage chairs have many moving parts, computer systems, and wiring, so they can run into some technical troubles. Because of this, you want to make sure to have a durable chair. If you are planning to use your chair frequently, make sure that you get a resilient chair, even if it is a bit more expensive. It is better to spend more money up front than to purchase a cheap chair that will need to be replaced. You will also want to find out how long the warranty lasts on your chair and what it covers before you buy one. You want to have a warranty that covers at least labor and parts. Also, look for guarantees that offer a minimum of one-month unconditional return. These types of warranties show that companies have faith in their product.
Top 5 Reviews Of The Best Massage Chairs
If you are looking for the best massage chair for your needs, you have come to the right place. Here are the specifications of five of the best massage chairs on the market today.
1. Kahuna Massage Chair Space-Saving Zero-Gravity Full-Body Recliner LM6800 with yoga & heating therapy
This chair has a specially designed frame structure, four rollers, and an air-cell massage system that provides a quality message to your entire body. The L-track system is a roller trail shape designed to support your body in a way to decompress your spine and increase the impact of the massage. This chair offers zero gravity positions and is designed to save space. It comes with three positions and requires only three inches of room to transition to zero gravity. It also comes with body scan technology that scans your body size automatically to let you have a custom fit body massage. This chair comes with five manual techniques for massage and six programs that are automatically included with the chair. The roller speed can be adjusted up to three levels for ultimate customization.
2. Medical Breakthrough 4 Massage Chair Recliner – Zero Gravity, Built-in Heat, Deep Tissue Shiatsu Massage, and Back Stretch
This massage chair comes with an L-Track design with vertically moving massage hands. The shape of this chair fits the curves of the human body and can recline into a zero-gravity position. It has a smart body scan system that detects the user’s body position and adjusts itself to give you a targeted, therapeutic massage. This chair comes programmed with common techniques used by professionals and has six automatic programs. It also comes with two memory functions, allowing you to store your personalized chair positions and settings for different users. Manual modes have three technique options and five levels of speed. The width between the kneading balls can be adjusted to fit your body as well. It also comes with an air pressure massage function that has three modes to best suit your needs, as well as a foot and calf massager with a roller massage function. With infrared heat, your body will be warmed from the inside out.
3. Top Performance Kahuna Superior Massage Chair with New SL-Track with 6 Rollers
This chair has more seating area and a wider shoulder width than typical massage chairs, so it is great for people who are bigger. It comes with air-cell massage for hips and thighs that provides compression to help reduce the pain in aching hips and correct spinal alignment. It also has a wrap-around foot massager that extends to your calves and the tops of your feet to give full coverage. The acupressure points that are added to the arm air-cells increase the massage effect and promote improved circulation in your hands and arms. This chair also has LED lights to add to its visual appeal on the sides of the chair, that give a cool and relaxed tone of colors, creating a relaxing atmosphere while you get your massage.
4. Electric Full Body Shiatsu Brown Massage Chair Recliner Stretched Foot Rest 06C
This chair comes with an updated design as well as new functions and features. It has an ultra-long range massage that moves from high up in your neck to low down into your back. It also comes with an air massage with 20 airbags in the lower part of the chair to massage the legs, thighs, and feet. This chair is great at promoting improved blood circulation and comes with multiple levels of intensity to make the user comfortable. It has a control panel that is easy to use if you want to switch your massage up in the middle of your session. This chair is fully automatic and raises and reclines easily. It also comes with a high power vibration motor to relieve the tension in your muscles as well as an air pressure massage. It also has rollers that move up and down, mimicking the fixed-point of a professional massage. It comes with a kneading feature that reduces muscle pain and works out knots.
5. Zero Gravity Full Body Real Relax Massage Chair, Stretched Electric Shiatsu Heating Massage Recliner with Foot Rollers
This chair comes with four preset automatic massage programs and an option for zero-gravity to give you a professional massage experience. It includes eight massage points inside of the backrest that all work together to give you a full body massage from head to toe. With 50 airbags located around the chair, this product is sure to hit wherever you are hurting. This chair comes with an exclusive armrest linkage system, a foot massage function, and a heater to help promote circulation. The seat massager has a vibrate setting, a heat setting, and an option for air squeeze. Depending on your massage needs, one of these five options is sure to fit the bill. They are all at the top of the list when it comes to items that are currently on the market today. Try a few out to see which ones work for you.
