Best Massage Chairs Reviews & Comparison

Massage chairs are available in every price range. However, you might still need to do a lot of background work on what features you get at what price. We tried our best to cut short that tedious selection process.

We reviewed the best massage chairs from each price segment, compared them against each other on every feature. Additionally, there are links that shall lead you to detailed reviews on each one of these massage chairs. All the best!!

Medical Breakthrough 6 Massage Chair Recliner

This means you can adjust the massage functionality (rollers, airbags and feet/calf massage parameters) and save them as your desired massage settings.

Next time, just at the touch of a button, the massage initiates to your favorite parameters.

Air Bags and Intensity Levels

Built with the latest air massage technology, Medical Breakthrough chair employs minimum 18 bags covering entire of your arms, upper and lower body.

Air masssage too is adjustable and there are three intensity levels to choose from (high, medium and low).

Calf and Foot Massage

Along with air massage and roller massage, there is foot scraping for heals and arches plus papillae pairs for finger rotating massage as well.

Heat Therapy

In most other chairs, heat therapy is focussed just around lower back. But the unique heat therapy in Medical Breakthrough chair, distributes heat across the entire back instead of just limiting to lumbar area.

Zero-Gravity

In case you wish to enjoy the comfort of resting in a zero-gravity position yet have a space constraint at home, then Medical Breakthrough shall be the right choice. It’s design makes consume less space even in zero-gravity positions.

Conclusion

The only chair on the market designed by both engineers and doctors together. Around 25 doctors from various fields put in their expertise in designing this chair.

Comfort with cure, Medical Breakthrough 6 chair offers exemplary comfort plus relaxation on one hand and on the other, it serves as a precautionary measure that helps avoid chronic pains to build-up in your body in the long run.

Kahuna Superior SM7300 Massage Chair Review

Massage Techniques

All standard techniques are embedded in Kahuna Superior SM7300 along with combinations

• Shiatsu
• Kneading
• Tapping
• Knocking
• Knocking + Tapping

Zero-Gravity

Very similar to Medical Breakthrough chair, even Kahuna SM7300 offers only one zero-gravity position.

It’s a space saving design and that could be the reason why there is only one zero-gravity position that is incorporated. However, the best part is that the distance from the wall even while in this zero-gravity position is just 3 inches.

Massage Adjustability

Adjustability is the most exceptional part of Kahuna Superior. It offers both roller massage adjustability and air massage adjustability as distinct options.

Roller massage can be adjusted between full, partial or fixed. In full mode, it covers all of your back, in partial you can adjust the rollers to your needed width and in fixed mode, the massage focuses only on the selected precise point.

In air massage too there are 4 different options,

• Upper body – Neck and shoulders
• Lower body – Legs, calves and feet
• Midriff – waist and lower back
• Full body

Massage Intensity Levels

There are different intensity speeds/levels for roller massage and air massage. Air massage has 5 intensity levels and roller massage has 3 speed levels.

Heat Therapy

As heating elements are fixed in lumbar area, heat therapy is simply focused to lower back. It’s the same in all massage chair except Medical Breakthrough where the heat somehow spreads all across the back.

Air Massage

Kahuna Superior SM7300 too adopted the latest technology in air massage. As such the design needs just 18 airbags and comes with 5 different intensity levels.

Lower Body Massage

Just like in Medical Breakthrough 4 chair, Kahuna SM7300 too has several options for feet massage.

While there is roller kneading for feet soul, the top and heal arches have scraping techniques. Medical Breakthrough has finger rotating papillae as well which is the only option missing in Kahuna Superior.

Kahuna LM6800 Massage Chair Review

As such Kahuna has incorporate Yoga kind of stretching program in its LM6800 massage chair. This is definitely a big takeaway.

Foot and Calves Massage 

While the lower legs beneath the knee has airbags and offers air massage to calves there are dual rollers included in the foot massage unit.

The foot massage again has both foot roller massage and air massage. Along with quad rollers, there are additionally airbags too included in the roller section for offering air massage.

Zero-Gravity & Space Saving Design

This is one major area where Kahuna LM6800 scores far better than others. It offers as many as 3 zero-gravity positions while others in this segment offer only one.

Another best feature of Kahuna LM6800 is the space saving design which takes as less as just 5 inches extra space in all 3 zero-gravity positions.

Airbags

The number of airbags in Kahuna LM6800 are as less as 36. In fact, LM6800 is the very first model that pioneered the technology of using less number of airbags yet offer the best air massage experience.

Warranty

Kahuna LM6800 comes with 3 years warranty on frame, parts and labor.

Relaxonchair Mk-II Plus Review

Massage Intensity Adjustment

On the up side, there are wide range of adjustment options embedded on Relaxonchair Mk-II’s remote control.

Roller speeds and air bags intensity are both adjustable. Additionally, the roller width can also be adjusted between narrow, regular and wide as per your exact body width.

To achieve precise targeted massage, 1. Roller position adjustment and 2. Fixed spot massage options are also provided.

Each of these options are reviewed in this detailed review on Relaxonchair MK-II.

Massage Timers

This is one area where Kahuna LM6800 lags behind Relaxon MK-II. Relaxon has options to time your massage programs between 5 minutes to 30 minutes.

Airbags and Air Massage Experience

The number of airbags in Relaxon MK-II are limited to only 20 and they are spread across

• Upper and lower arms
• Hips and waist
• Calves and feet

ideal massage Full Featured Shiatsu Chair Review

Zero-Gravity

Although, price-wise it is significantly lower than both Kahuna 6800 and Relonchair MK-II but ideal shiatsu massage chair too comes with 3 zero-gravity positions.

Auto Massage Programs and Massage Techniques

One of the most notable features of ideal shiatsu massage chair is the number of manual massage technique combinations it has to offer.

While the number of auto massage programs and manual massage techniques are 4 each but the massage combinations are 14. This is the highest number of combinations that no other chair, even high-end massage chairs have to offer.

Air Massage

Leaving out the backrest, airbags are spread across the entire body area.

• Upper and lower Arms
• Neck and shoulders
• Hips and waistline
• Around Thighs and calves including in feet rest.

Just like roller massage, air massage too comes with different speeds. You can adjust the intensity to your desired comfort levels.

Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is a must for any massage chair and Ideal shiatsu massage chair comes with heating pad placed in the lumber area of the backrest. This heat pretty much covers all of your lower back and upper back.

Electric Full Body Shiatsu Massage Chair Recliner EC-06 Review

Air Massage

There are as many as 30 airbags that are placed across

• Arms, neck, shoulders in upper body
• Around Hips and waistline in lower back
• Thighs, Calves and feet sections

Note: The feet massage is limited to air massage and there are no separate feet rollers for kneading feet souls.

Massage Adjustability

For both roller massage in the backrest and air massage across upper and lower body there are three intensity levels – Strong, medium and gentle.

Zero-Gravity

Even though, you can recline both the head and feet section to your desired angle but it does not come with zero-gravity option on its control panel.

It means you have to manually fine-tune both the head and feet section to achieve your desired zero-gravity posture.

Basic Massage Chairs with Fixed Point Massagers

Alongside massage chairs that have rollers in the backrest, there are again another category of chairs that have fixed point shiatsu massagers in the backrest.

And in this category the leading ones are Mr Direct and Real Relax Massage chairs. Cost-wise these are the most affordable of all massage chairs.

The massage experience, I would say might not be as superior as roller based massage chairs yet it is pretty much satisfactory.

Mr Direct Massage Chair Review​

Air Massage

Leaving out the backrest, the remaining portion of the chair is embedded with as many as 50 airbags. These cover

• Upper and lower arms
• Neck and shoulders
• Waistline
• Seating pad
• Lower legs including calves and feet

Feet Rollers

Including feet rollers in this price range is definitely a big takeaway. Other companies mostly offer feet rollers disparately owing to price concerns.

However, Mr Direct Massage chair has not just included feet rollers at this price but also included airbags as well. The feet massager offers both roller massage and air massage.

Massage Intensity Adjustment

Both roller massage and air massage come with three speeds – strong, gentle and light.

Zero-Gravity Positions

Mr Direct massage chair comes with single zero-gravity position. Remember that if a chair offers zero-gravity position means it is also a space saver. The reason being that this zero-gravity posture consumes extra space and unless a chair has that space saver design, this position is not included.

Mr Direct offers single zero-gravity position, takes minimal extra space and keeps the head section right next to the wall.

Heat Therapy

Heat therapy is a must while treating acute lower back pain. It is most effective and offers immediate results.

Instead of just one heating pad, Mr Direct massage chair has two heating pads strategically placed in the lumbar area so as to offer heating across the entire of your back as well as around waistline.

Warranty

Mr Direct massage chair comes with just 1 year warranty.

Real Relax Massage Chair Review

Massage Intensity Adjustment

Both the roller massage and air massage can be adjusted between high, medium and low.

Feet Rollers

The chair comes with dual feet rollers. It has both rollers as well as airbags placed inside the feet rollers.

Heat Therapy

Real Relax chair comes with single heating pad placed in the lumbar lower back region. This when combined with shiatsu fixed massagers and air massage around waistline offers quick pain relief.

Massage Chair Features

Zero-Gravity Position

When physically tired, all we want is to either sit or sleep for sometime so as to relax our body and muscles. Apart from sitting or sleeping, Zero-Gravity is another position that provides ultimate relaxation and at the same time rejuvenates our strained muscles in quick time.

This zero-gravity option comes with adjustable beds and massage chairs

• When you want relax in your living room while watching TV or spending time leisurely then massage chairs are the best option
• And if you wish to experience zero-gravity position while in your bed, then adjustable beds will do the job

What is Zero-Gravity position in first place?

Zero-gravity is a posture in which both your head and feet section are lifted slightly upwards while your lower back remains in flat position.

Although there are around 3 different zero-gravity positions, the most common and essential position is where the angle between head section and lower back is at 120 degrees and the angle between your lower back and legs is 30 degrees.

Adjustable beds offer only single zero-gravity position while massage chairs can have as many as 3 different zero-gravity positions.

Is Zero-Gravity position important or a just nice to have feature?

It is neither an add-on feature nor a nice to have feature but I would rather say it is a must have feature. I will give you my reason as well.

Massage is one option that is primarily focused at relaxing strained muscles or to cure chronic pains. And now add zero-gravity to massage feature, it’s double the experience and the fastest way to relieving pressure and relaxing your body.

Just imagine your body is being massaged while you are lying in a floating in the air like posture. That’s heaven like relaxation, isn’t it?

What is the difference between roller massage and air massage?

Every massage chair offers two types of massaging, 1. Roller massage and 2. Air massage.

Roller Massage 

Rollers are primarily embedded in the backrest of massage chairs. They move up, down and sideways massaging all your back along the spine curvature.

• S-track design: In S-track design, rollers are present only in the backrest. Hence, the massage is restricted between your shoulders and your lower back.
  • Rollers move along spine curvature starting from shoulders and ending at top of lower back. It covers only your back.
• L-track design: Whereas, in L-track design, the rollers move all the way from your shoulders, lower back, glutes and thighs.
  • Meaning, the length of the rollers track is stretched beyond lower back and extends all the way up to your glutes and thighs.
• Feet rollers: In some massage chairs, rollers are also included in feet section that massage your feet souls as well.

Air Massage

However, it is difficult to implant these rollers around neck, shoulders, lower arms and top of the feet. In such areas, air bags are embedded that squeeze and release muscles thus relieving pressure accumulated in these areas.

It’s similar to the band seen in portable blood pressure machines that is wrapped around your upper arm while measuring your blood pressure.

No. of Airbags:

In first generation massage chairs, the more the number of airbags, the better was the air massage experience.

However, with advancement of technology, the airbags number is irrelevant. Instead, less number of airbags are now used while the overall massage experience has enhanced.

Body Scan

Body scan is a must have feature and is a part of almost all massage chairs irrespective of their price range.

The only thing that varies is how accurately this body scan feature works? Some massage chairs come with regular 2D scan while advanced massage chairs have 3D body scan.

What exactly is this body scan feature all about?

The moment you sit on a massage chair the scanner first measures your body stats, primarily your height and body width. Accordingly, the back rollers adjust and massage your back as per these stats.

However, 3D body scan is more effective and measures every inch of your back. This exact information is then fed to rollers which precisely target every nook in your back and follow the spinal curvature as per your height. The rollers also adjust their width so as to cover all your back.