What Are Some of the Things I Should Ask About When Buying a Massage Chair?

A massage chair is a big investment to make. And just like any other, you must do quite a bit of research before you can decide on the one that fits you best. Moreover, the numerous options available leaves one baffled rather than being optimistic about finding the best chair.

Buying the best massage chair demands research and doing serious soul searching about your needs. Every person has specific needs, requirements, expectations, and most importantly, budget. It is, therefore, prudent to ask yourself some questions before you settle on a massage chair. The answers to those questions will provide you with your ideal chair.

Contents

1. What Do You Want the Massage Chair to Do for You?
2. What Features Are Best for You?
3. How Much Are You Willing to Pay?
4. Do You Have the Space to Accommodate It?
5. How User-Friendly is the Chair?
6. How Easy Is it to Care for The Chair and How Durable Is It?
7. How Impressed Are You with the Warranty?

1. What Do You Want the Massage Chair to Do for You?

The first question that I often ask myself before buying anything is what I want it for. Massage chairs are no exception. You need to examine the reasons why you need it in the first place. It could be for sheer relaxation or to address specific psychological or physical conditions.

The answer to this question then determines the features you would then have to look for in any massage chair that you would want to buy. First, take stock of the problems you have been experiencing and then look for a product that will address them.

For instance, if you develop muscle tension on your leg area and foot, then a chair with expanding airbags would be a great option. Generally, look for a product with thorough massaging features. Other muscles that develop tension are the buttocks and hips.

For those who usually go for a deep tissue massage, then a high-intensity massage chair would give you the ultimate satisfaction. Swedish massage lovers would be well off with a low-intensity one. Otherwise, a chair with variable pressure is the ultimate choice for you.

A surer way of ensuring the massage chair would work for you is to try it out yourself. Getting a first-hand feel of the pressure intensity for about 15 minutes is appropriate. It helps you figure out if the chair is what ticks for you.

I think you also need to ask yourself what type of massage you would be interested in. There is Swedish, rolling, percussion, and kneading. If you are unsure about any of these, have a chat with the massage chair expert so that you make an informed choice.

2. What Features Are Best for You?

Once you have identified what problems you want to be sorted or you want to relax, now look at the features in detail. Every chair has a variety of massage functions pre-programmed into them.

Some of these include and are not limited to vibration, shiatsu, kneading, tapping, rolling, and reflexology. Some high-end chairs have zero gravity or inversion therapy capabilities.

Alongside the massaging functions, a chair with different massage positions is a great choice. At times you need a whole body massage. A recline function is another feature in high-end options for lining your spine in its natural position.

At times, your specific massage function or strokes may not be already programmed. So you would want an option that allows you to save the sequences. You would then not have to reprogram the equipment every time you want to use the function.

Do you love an ottoman or extendable leg rest as some of you call it? Well, look for such a feature for a more relaxed session as you sit with your legs elevated.

3. How Much Are You Willing to Pay?

A massage chair is a pricey investment. That’s why some of you consider them as luxury pieces of equipment. The prices range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending primarily on the features that come with it. Pricing also depends on the model and quality of construction.

A high-end massage chair, with top-notch features, would cost you an upwards of $10,000, while the most basic ones cost around $500. As with any other investment, these prices shouldn’t scare you off.

The high end models have certain features that I think you won’t need. Some of these are USB ports, built-in music players and many more. Consider the features you want most then see if there is a chair that meets them. I think such a chair would give you a better value for the price.

4. Do You Have the Space to Accommodate It?

A massage chair is a big investment quite literally. It’s often bulkier than your average living room chairs so that space would be an issue. Depending on where you intend on having it, in your living room, office, bedroom or any other place, there must be sufficient space.

If you intend on buying a reclining chair, then you would need adequate clearance from the walls. Look at the space footprint of the chair then designate the most spacious room for it. And since it is heavy, be sure as you would not easily move it about if space isn’t enough.

However, there are certain models with wheels on them for portability. These are great for those who wouldn’t mind the chair in their living room but would then be able to move it when with the company.

5. How User-Friendly is the Chair?

As a prospective buyer, you need to be sure that you can comfortably use the massage chair. You should be able to handle the tech-savvy aspects of programming the massage sequences/strokes and using basic functions.

There is no point in having a high-end product, yet you only use a handful of the provided features. Therefore, look for one with simple to use controllers or those that you understand if you wish to benefit from your investment fully.

6. How Easy Is it to Care for The Chair and How Durable Is It?

The massage chair you intend on buying is a complicated electronics equipment. It has motors, moving parts, electrical wiring, as well as computer components. Since you are planning on spending a fortune on one, be sure that all these will not fail after a couple of uses.

The material of construction matters a lot in this respect. While you might not be able to tell how durable the chair is from face-value, it’s not impossible. Do a quick research on the product, especially how it fares durability wise.

When it does break, the chair needs to be easy to repair. Modular chair designs would be great as they allow for easy repairs. You wouldn’t have to ship the whole chair for repair on a modular part. Cleaning the chair should be easy too, more so if you have pets, and kids around the house.

7. How Impressed Are You with the Warranty?

How long a warranty is always to some extent tells you how a manufacturer is confident of their product quality. Is it a pro-rated or a comprehensive warranty? Consider how long the warranty is and what the warranty covers.

At the very least, ensure it covers parts and labor. Otherwise, repairing your chair would be very costly. Then compare this warranty with the ones offered by a different company as you figure out which terms are superior.

There should also be a minimum of about a month for unconditional cash back guarantee. This will come in handy if the product develops complex issues before you even use it.

Conclusion

I always tell people to treat buying a massage chair like buying a new car. It all depends on the specifications you want, how much you are willing to spend on it, and having multiple opinions from different retailers.

Piece together what they say about different chairs, then talk to those who already own massage chairs. I believe their opinions would give you invaluable insight. Another way would be to read consumer reports about massage chairs and see their ratings.

Finally, the better research you do, the likelier it is you would end up with the best value for your money.