Massage chairs have evolved far beyond their humble beginnings as lounge chairs with built in vibrators. The improvements have made the chairs truly wonderful therapeutic devices. The physical and psychological benefits are very real for anyone of almost any age. But as the complexity of massage chairs has increased so also has the need for the consumer to know what they are getting into when they buy one. So if you plan to buy one here are a few things you should know before hand.
Most modern massage chairs have several different types of massage motions and it is recommended that you try to get one that has the following three massage techniques. The first type of massage is commonly called Shiatsu. This is a massage method that kneads your back muscles horizontally from side to side on either side of your backbone. Real Shiatsu is much more complicated than this but that is the basic idea. There are also several different types of Shiatsu massage so make sure you understand as much as you can about what the Shiatsu mechanism in the chair is doing to your back. The second type of motion is a gentle thumping or tapping up and down your back like little chops or a shower massage. The third motion is a roller motion up and down on either side of your spine. This lengthens and relaxes the spine and back muscles. Most chairs combine these motions into automatic programs. Some automatic programs vary the intensity of the massage and others vary the type of massage so understand the differences between the different programs as best you can.
Many of the best massage chairs now offer leg and foot massage. These generally do an excellent job and are highly recommended. Some have arm massage mechanisms but these have not proven to be as effective as the back, leg and foot massage. Most massage chairs recline to improve the massage. If you can get one that reclines a full 180 degrees you maximize your weight on the massage mechanism and enhance the benefits of the massage.
You may think that the best massage chairs are made with leather but they are actually made of vinyl and other synthetic materials. Many of the top massage chairs have build in heaters and leather simply will dry out and crack if subjected to a lot of temperature changes. In the same manner leather will not stand up to the constant motion of the back rollers. The synthetic material used in a good quality massage chair is designed to handle the constant motion of massage whereas leather would crack and deteriorate. Some companies will promote the leather in their massage chairs as a sales gimmick but the truth is you are better off with a good quality synthetic or vinyl chair.
You will want to make sure you understand the warranty policy on the chair. Modern massage chairs have lots of motors, controls and electronics in them so if your chair breaks for some reason you want to know before you buy it how it will get repaired. Most massage chairs will never break but if the main massage motors stop working after one week you don't want to have to put the chair in a shipping container and pay to send it half way around the world to get it repaired. Ideally it would be nice if someone locally came to your house to fix it if needed but the idea is to know before you buy what you are getting into as far as warranty and repairs are concerned.
