Massage therapy is one of the oldest and most effective practices to relax both your body and your mind. Massages prevent and relieve back, shoulder, and neck pain, soothe anxiety and depression, help maintain proper posture, and improve circulation. Among other things, massage therapy is especially helpful for desk workers.
Although it might not seem like it, desk workers have a very physically taxing job. All the stress, pain, and imbalance accumulated through long hours of sitting in a chair can manifest as neck, shoulder, and back pain.
Regular exercises, frequent stretching during work, sitting in an ergonomic and comfortable chair with proper neck and foot rests, and maintaining a proper position are all necessary when it comes to avoiding such ailments. However, nothing relaxes and soothes all the stress and muscular pain in your body quite like massage therapy.
Given its benefits, it should come as no surprise that more people have started including regular massages in their fitness regimen. Although massages are usually performed by massage therapists, massage chairs are becoming immensely popular due to their convenience, mobility, and time efficiency.
If you’re among those interested in enjoying the benefits of massage therapy and have wondered about the prospect of owning a massage chair, here are 5 things that you must consider before buying one:
1. Features
Massage chairs come with different features to choose from. Shiatsu massage chairs target pressure points all over the body with pressing, swaying, and rolling movements. Some offer Swedish massages that use light intensity kneading movements. Then there are zero-gravity chairs that recline to a zero-gravity position before providing the massage. Try out different chairs to find out which provides the best experience to you.
Massage chairs cater to different areas of your body. You’re probably not going to use all of the features of your massage chair so it is important to figure out which part(s) of your body requires special attention and buy a chair that caters to those areas. If you want a good foot massage, buy chairs that incorporate foot massagers. If you feel excessive pain in your neck and shoulder area, then go for massage chairs that focus on alleviating pain in your neck and shoulder.
2. Budget
Buying a massage chair is a hefty investment. The cost of a massage chair ranges from few hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars depending on a lot of factors including, but not limited to, its features, appearance, the manufacturing company, and the type and quality of materials used in the chair.
High-end massage chairs with several features, expanding air bags, aesthetically-pleasing appearance, top quality leather, USB ports, and music players can cost you well above $5,000.
But don’t let those prices scare you away from your investment. You can cut out features that you are least likely to use, sacrifice the luxury of in-built music players and USB ports, and compromise a little on the appearance to get a chair for a price that fits your budget more.
For example, if you only need to massage your back, you can buy a chair that does not have a foot recliner. Similarly, if you only need to massage your feet, buy a foot massager instead of an entire chair. The important thing is not to buy a chair outside of your means, but instead to buy a durable chair with the right functions that you can use frequently.
3. Location
Most massage chairs are huge, bulky furniture that you can’t just tuck anywhere. The living room is not generally where you keep the chairs because, despite the efforts of manufacturers to develop aesthetically pleasing chairs, they can disrupt the overall décor of your room.
Because they are for personal use, placing massage chairs in your home, office, or bedroom makes the most sense. However, your bedroom/home office has to have enough room to house a massage chair.
In addition to its bulky shape and size, the chair might also include head and foot recliners so you can’t necessarily put them in a corner or near walls. Make sure that you measure your room properly and calculate how much space you’re going to need for a chair before getting one.
Some massage chairs come with wheels so they can easily be moved around. With these chairs, you can keep them at a place while not in use and move them to a spacious area when you want to have a massage.
4. Durability And Ease Of Repair
Massage chairs consist of several moving parts, computer components, and wiring, so it is possible that things can go wrong. Considering how much money you might have to spend on the chair, you will definitely want a durable chair.
You are probably going to use your chair frequently so make sure that you get a resilient, heavy duty chair. Even if you may have to pay more for a durable chair, consider it as a quality investment. It is always better to buy a reliable and solid chair the first time than to regret buying a cheap and passable one that quickly needs to be replaced. This is especially true in the case of massage chairs.
Due to their size and weight, repairing a massage chair can be a formidable and expensive ordeal. As a result, you may end up paying more for the chair in the long run. Look for massage chairs with modular designs. This makes any repair work that might need to be done a lot easier. If a part of chair with a modular design is broken, then you can just remove that part and send it in for repair instead of paying to ship an entire chair.
5. Warranty And Customer Care
Before making a purchase, find out how long the warranty lasts and what it covers. At the very minimum, make sure they cover labor and parts. Also ensure that they offer a minimum of one month unconditional cash back guarantee. These warranties and cash back opportunities indicate that companies believe in the performance and durability of their products.
In addition, make sure that there is someone in the company that you can talk to regarding any problems that might arise. It always helps to have someone trustworthy to answer your queries if you have any questions or concerns about your chair. Companies manufacturing and selling quality products always have a chat service or a toll-free numbers for resolving customer concerns.
Featured photo credit: Flickr via c2.staticflickr.com
