How To Pick Your Massage Chair
We got you covered.
After being in the business for 26 years, we’ve learned the ins and outs of buying massage chairs.
There are some incredible benefits of massage chairs and you can read about some of them here:
12 Surprising Benefits Of Massage Chairs
Now that you’re considered which chair is right for you, we’ll break down some key points to consider.
This will make it simple for you.
Sound good?
Let’s get started.
Top 15 benefits of owning a massage chair
There are 5 main things to think about when buying a massage chair:
1. Type of massage rollers
- S-track vs. L (or SL track)
- Firmness of massage
- Advanced features
- Warranty
We’ll break them down one by one.
1. Types of massage rollers.
This is where we get into the discussion of 2D vs. 3D. vs. 4D.
Read: 2D vs. 3D vs. 4D buying guides
We have a detailed video breakdown of this that you can watch here.
2D
When the rollers in your chair can move up and down and side to side, without any other movements, the chair is a 2D chair. This is because the rollers can move, as we have seen, in two dimensions: up and down your spine, possibly as far as your legs, and side to side.
3D
As wonderful as 2D chairs can be, there is something more. While 2D chairs go up/down and side to side, 3D chairs add to this an in-out motion, creating a truly three-dimensional space of movement.
3D also allows you to start to adjust the intensity of the massage
4D
Quick, what’s beyond 3D? If you’ve heard references to a 4th dimension before, you’ve probably heard it described as time.
While we’ve yet to see a time-traveling massage chair, a 4D massage chair is a 3D massage chair with rollers that have adjustable speeds that can be controlled independently of each other, producing fast and slow motions in different rollers at different times.
As we go from 3D to 4D, we are going to see a larger jump in price.
Most 3D chairs are priced in the 3K to 6K range. Where high quality 4D typically starts around 5K unless there are good deals which happen from time to time.
- S-track vs. L (or SL track)
This is much less of an issue today as more and more chairs integrate SL track or extended L track.
SL track is the most advanced roller out there.
The S track is the roller that does deeper massage on the neck and the lower back.
It follows the curvature of the spine (hence the name S-track).
Older chairs used to go straight up and down.
A good S track will follow your spine curvature and provide a customized massage.
L track – L stands for length.
A L track will go farther down your legs to your glutes and hamstrings.
Here's an important note though:
L track covers the exact same parts of your body that an S-track covers as well as some additional coverage.
This is why more and more chairs are listed as “SL track”.
It is basically the same as an “L” track. So if you find a chair that is only “L” track, usually it’s just how the manufacturer lists the chair.
3. Firmness of massage
This one can’t be understated how important it is!
Most of the time if someone doesn’t like their chair, it’s because the massage is too rough/firm.
There is a big difference between a strong massage and a rough massage.
A strong massage can be deep but softer.
Where a rougher massage is much more like a deep tissue massage.
4. Advanced features
Now we get into preferences and what’s important to you.
Manufacturers are constantly adding in new and exciting advanced features for chairs.
It's hard to keep up with them!
Something to think about with advanced features is price.
The most advanced chairs are going to be in the $7,000 - $12,000 price range.
Chairs in the $3,000 to $5,000 price range are going to have less features, but still give a high-quality massage.
One of the best things you can do here is decide on your budget and what features are important to you.
Once you are down to features, this is a great time to engage with someone who is knowledgeable so they can create the most value for you and not spend extra money on features you don’t care about.
5. Warranty
Most massage chairs on the market will last for 10 years or more.
We just had someone the other day buy their second chair with us…. Their first one was ordered 16 years before.
The chair didn’t break – but they wanted some of the new features that were available.
Most of the time, people buy another chair because they want new features which is GREAT.That said, peace of mind is important when you’re spending this kind of money on a massage chair.
We list every company’s warranty under the chair.
One of the key differences in warranties are whether parts and service are free.
Extended warranties are typically in the $249 to $599 range depending on the manufacturer.
Some of the higher end chairs have the extended parts/labor warranty already build in.
About 20% of our customers purchase an extended warranty on their chairs.
Something to think about is this: Are you going to be moving the chair around a lot?
Or will the chair be in one spot?
The less moving, the less chance the chair will have an issue.
Hope you enjoyed the guide on what’s the most important to think about when buying a message chair.
Still have more questions?
Click the button on the right of the page to chat with someone on our team or call us at: 1-855-494-1133