For stress and tension relief a good massage chair may be the next best thing to having your own personal masseuse
Before considering a massage chair there is some basic, but important, information you need to know. Massage chairs are expensive so you want to be sure your getting a quality one. A good chair massage should relieve tension and stress instead of creating more tension and stress! To help guide you we have listed the essential considerations you need to evaluate when choosing an excellent chair massager.
- What are your needs and what kind of relief are you expecting? Do you have occasional muscular pains due to stress, tension or exercising (or lack of exercising). Or do you have back, neck or shoulder pains? Don't expect miracles if your problems are severe or chronic. A premier massage chair can help ease the pain but it won't necessarily eliminate it.
- There are three basic kinds of massage. Each having a unique purpose:
- A rolling massage helps to elongate back muscles and thus stretch the spine. Rollers in the back of the chair roll up and down the entire contour of the spine relieving muscle tension and pressure on the nerves.
- Shiatsu (kneading) massage. A kneading massage relieves pressure by targeting pressure points along the body. This kind of massage is intended to leave you relaxed and is probably the most popular kind of massage.
- Tapping massage. Think of this as the karate chop massage. It involves quick and short taps to the body with the intended effect of increased blood circulation and reduced stiffness and lactic buildup in the muscles. This is the perfect massage after a strenuous workout at the gym. Some chairs allow hundreds of taps a minute to various parts of the body.
Depending on your needs you may want your chair to have the ability to perform one, two or all three different types of massage as outlined above. Will this be used as a corporate massage chair or for the home? Most chairs are good at delivering one or two types of massage and there are some that perform all three. However, keep in mind that if a robotic massage chair performs all three kinds of massage it also becomes more complex and expensive. Added complexity usually means there's a greater chance of mechanical failure than a less sophisticated chair. Be realistic and consider what you really need instead of what you think you want.
- How is the chair manufacturer reputation and warranty? Stay with well know brand names. They may cost a little more but are well known for a reason and they have a reputation to protect. Some very good names in the massage therapy chair business include Human Touch, Humanscale, Herman Miller and Interactive Health to name a few. Once you've settled on answers to the above you can begin to evaluate various brand name massage chairs. Here's where a little bit of research on your own can pay off.
Massage chairs have motors and numerous moving parts. Anything that moves eventually wears out. You want a chair that should last as long as 10 years. That's about the average life span of a decent dishwasher, refrigerator or other durable household product. Think of a good chair as being an investment - which is what it really is. Find out what the warranty covers and for how long. The longer the warranty on parts and labor and the more parts it covers, chances are its a pretty good chair.
Deal with a merchant that doesn't mind answering a lot of questions. This can be a substantial investment for most of us and you need to have some valuable guidance and questions answered along the way. At least now you'll know what some of the important questions are that need to be asked.
Also find out if the merchant you're dealing with has a generous exchange policy. At the very least try to get a 30 day free trial. So if that leather massage chair you ordered doesn't quite measure up to your expectations you'll at least have the option of sending it back within the trial period. Remember, you want a discount massage chair but not necessarily a cheap one.
[Orthopedic Office Chair]
[Human Touch Massage Chair]
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