Massage Chair Buying Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide

(Article last updated on July 2022)

You probably already know that massage benefits your health and well being by decreasing stress, healing sore muscles, relieving pain, improving circulation, treating lower back pain. Many people purchase a massage chair so you can enjoy it anytime from the comfort of your own home.

How can you choose the best massage chair for you? It can be overwhelming with so many options. After working with many happy customers, we’ve put together a few simple questions to help you make the best decision. Plus, we have massage chair reviews

1. How much should I spend?

Massage chair price is obviously important. A simple rule of thumb is to decide how much you want to invest on improving your health and level of relaxation. You probably don’t want the cheapest option, and you also many not need to overspend on features that aren’t important to you.

Buying a very cheap option will almost certainly not get you a reliable machine that provides a quality massage for years to come. Chairs from brands that do not have a solid reputation are known to break down more frequently, and sometimes the manufacturer will no longer be around if you ever need service.

Easy Massage Chair is very selective with which manufacturers we choose to distribute. There are a number of brands that we have chosen to stop working with due to their unreliable customer support. So every chair we offer can be relied on for a quality holisitc massage because it comes from a prestigious manufacturer. We work only with top brands including Luraco, Osaki, Titan, Daiwa, Ogawa, Infinity and Human Touch, to name a few.

They say that natural health is your greatest wealth. So massage chairs can turn out to be a very worthwhile investment. If you don’t have an effective way to soothe your muscles, to relieve pressure off your spine and joints, or alleviate stress at the end of each day, it can end up costing you in the long run.

Many customers buy one as a substitute for their massage therapist. You could end up saving a lot of money in the long run. A typical masseuse treatment can run $100 or more. If you go once every 2 weeks, that’s $2600 a year, which is already enough to purchase a great model.

The chart below shows how even if you bought a $5000 unit, it will have paid for itself in less than 2 years.

In general, chairs priced around $3,000 and under will be a good option at an affordable budget. It’s important to know that the quality and smoothness of the massage will be noticeably inferior to a $4,000-$5,000 chair though. Higher priced models from reputable manufacturers will provide you with a much better quality of massage, additional benefits and features, and a reliable warranty just in case you ever need service.

We make it easy by showing you chairs in your price range of $2500 and under, $2500 to $5000, and $5000 and up for those who don’t want to have the best of the best.

Although it can be a great investment in your health and wellbeing, we don’t want you to overspend on one with features you won’t get much use out of. That’s why our other questions below can help narrow down which benefits are important for you and which ones you can do without.

2. Will this massage chair fit me comfortably?

Great question! Here’s a simple way to answer it. First, who will be using the chair? Are you buying it as a present for a loved one? Or will you be using it in your home along with your spouse or other family members? Determining who will be using it is important because some models are designed for people of different sizes.

Most units we carry are a great fit for users from 5 feet 1 inch, up to about 6 feet 5 inches. The recommended weight limit is generally 250 lbs to 275 lbs.

The specifications table on each product page will show you the exact height range and weight limit for that particular model. For example, on the very popular Infinity 8500x3, the specifications are:

7

Recommended height range: 5'1" - 6'6" | Weight limit: 265lbs.

For our more petite users, you should consider this popular chair. It's designed for folks 5 feet tall or shorter, with narrower shoulders:

• JPMedics Kawa Massage Chair: Recommended height range of 5 feet up to 6 feet 3 inches, and a weight limit of 320 lbs

If you are under 5 feet tall, it is important that you buy a chair that is intended for your body type. This ensures that the shoulder massage airbags, and the foot massage apply enough pressure to soothe your muscles.

Finally, there are a couple of models designed to comfortably fit both short and tall users. These are popular in households where there is a wide height range of users, or in physical therapy clinics where multiple clients will be using it. These chairs adjust to provide a custom massage for a wide range of users.

• Luraco i9 Medical Massage Chair. Recommended height range from 4 feet 10 inches up to 6 feet 10 inches, and a recommended weight limit of 300lbs
• A more comfortable option is the Kyota E330 Massage Chair which comfotably fits user from 4 feet 8 inches up to 6 feet 2 inchesand offers a recommended weight limit of up to 305lbs

3. What is 3D & 4D massage and do I need it?

It’s common sense that health and well being is an area you don’t want to shortchange yourself on. You also may not need to overspend on a chair with features that you won’t get much use out of. Almost every product we carry will already provide you with:

• full body massage including your neck, shoulders, your back, your forearms, feet and calves
• zero gravity recline
• back heat therapy
• multiple types of roller movement such as kneading massage, tapping, thai massage, shiatsu and rolling to name some of the most popular

There are 2 optional features we’ll go over now which may be an opportunity to save you some money. First, do you need 3D or 4D massage?

Quick and easy way to decide: You should consider 3D and 4D massage if you or someone who will be using the chair prefers a very intense massage, or a very gentle massage.

3D and 4D massage are an advanced feature that allows the intensity of the massage rollers to be much stronger because the rollers push out significantly further. It can also be adjusted to be very gentle. You can easily change the strength of the massage very gentle or all the way up to high intensity. Here is a video that shows how the 3D roller system operates:

Because of the wide range of intensity level, this is also very popular in households where more than 1 person will use the chair, and in physical therapy clinics because everyone can find a comfortable intensity level.

4D offers a subtle improvement over 3D. With 4D, when the back rollers sense a tight area of your muscles, they are designed to slow down, focusing more time to your muscles that need it the most. This is similar to how a human masseuse will spend more time on the most tense muscles. 4D is not a very important upgrade over 3D.

Here is a link to the best 3D massage chairs as well as 4D massage chairs.

4. What is L-Track massage and do I need it?

A simple way to decide is to ask yourself if you would strongly prefer having a roller massage on your glutes and under your thighs. If not, then you do not need L-track. This can save you a bit of money, and you’ll generally get a better stretch massage as well.

L track means that the rollers continue down past your lower back to massage your buttocks muscles and also under your thigh muscles. The name L-track comes from the way the roller track is shaped a bit like a capital letter “L”.

L-track does have a drawback. Because of the “L” shape bend at your hips, you cannot lay flat as if you were in a bed. Your hips remain bent, so the stretch massage will have a more limited range of movement.

Some massage chairs are famous for providing you the best stretch massages, made possible by the fact that they are not L-track chairs. Instead, they fully recline your body, then gently pull your feet down while arching your shoulders back. If you’ve experienced it before, you know how amazing it feels. These models provide an incredible stretch of your lower extremities including your quadriceps, hips and legs:

• Infinity 8500 massage chair
• Infinity 8500x3 (this is an upgraded version of the 8500 that has 3D massage)
• Luraco iRobotics 7

In short, L-track provides a robust roller massage for your glutes and under your thigh muscles. However, the stretch massage on chairs without L-track is generally better because there is an improved range of motion.

Click here to see L-track massage chairs

5. Why should we buy from Easy Massage Chair?

We’ve worked with many satisfied customers since 2005 and we’re happy to give you a free personalized recommendation. Click the chat below or call us 888-612-8862. Below are few of the top reasons why Easy Massage Chair is such a popular choice.

• High Customer Satisfaction Ratings
  We are honored by the reviews our customers have posted on trusted third party rating sites. Click these links to read some

• 30 Day Money Back Guarantee
  With our industry leading trial period, you can feel free to try out for 30 days. If you're not totally satisfied, return it to us for a refund minus the actual original shipping costs (generally about $250). There are no restocking fees and we will even pay for the return shipping. Most of our competitors charge you the original shipping, the return shipping, plus a 15%-25% restocking fee.
  
  
• We understand that you do not want to buy a chair and then return it. That’s why our customers love to chat with us before deciding on a chair. Within 1-2 minutes, we can recommend the ideal massage chair for your needs, with the highest satisfaction rating. We ask a couple of questions like your budget, and if there are any particular areas of your body you want to focus on.
  
  

Since we represent all of the leading brands, we can provide our objective opinion. Approximately 97% of our customers are very happy with our personalized recommendations. In case you're not, you can return it during the trial period.

Click here for the full return policy

• Best Deal Guaranteed
  We are committed to offering you the best deal on your purchase. So if you find a better offer elsewhere, let us know and we'll do our best to match it or beat it. We can do this because we are official distributors who work directly with the manufacturers so we have access to the best deals.

• No Sales Tax
  You won't have to pay sales tax on purchases with us. We are only required to charge sales tax for deliveries to our NJ customers since our office is located in NJ. And for our NJ customers, we will pay the sales tax for you.

• A+ BBB
  Customer satisfaction has been our top priority since we were founded in 2005. We feel that our A+ Accredited Rating with the Better Business Bureau reflects our commitment to serving our customers.

• Official distributor of the top reputable brands
  Easy Massage Chair is a proud partner of most respected brands in the industry including: Osaki/Titan, Luraco, Infinity, Daiwa, Human Touch, Ogawa, JPMedics, Synca, Inada, and truMedic.

• Helping the homeless
  Your purchase will help the homeless. When you purchase from Easy Massage Chair, we donate a portion of the proceeds to the Salvation Army, a charity organization that operates shelters for the homeless and disaster relief to developing countries. Your support of this important cause is greatly appreciated and there is no additional cost to you.

Captain Paul Valverde of The Salvation Army in Morristown, NJ accepting a donation from Easy Massage Chair in Dec 2016

Yes, there are a lot of choices out there. But rest assured because these 5 questions have helped many customers make a great choice that they’re very happy with. And we are here to help before your purchase, as well as afterwards if you have any questions about how to use the chair. Please reach out to us via the chat window or call 888-612-8862. Thanks for reading!