Are massage chairs worth it? It depends on what you are considering about a spa massage chairs vs human massage therapist. With many chair massage benefits including physical benefits, aid in sporting ability, injury rehabilitation, and rejuvenating feel in us, it just depends on what every individual wants to gain from massaging. Most people look at value of chair massage in terms of investment. Even a budget-priced massage chair still cost over a thousand dollars. However, we are not going to just consider the amount of money you have to pay for it, we will also look at the functional benefits it would deliver where humans hand massage fails.
Many people with back pains, and those who work long hours in offices, including medical experts advocate massage because of its huge benefits. Both human touch, and professionally trained massage therapists has widely known to incomparably ease, treat and relief pressure and stress.
Just considering how much a self-employed massage therapist would charge you for a few massage sessions, you will see they aren’t affordable for everyone, and not readily available every time and everywhere. How and Where would you get a relaxation massage therapist during bedtime?
Because not everyone can budget for a traditional Western doctors or celebrity-status massage therapists, massage machines have become a pure substitute for a qualified masseuse. A mid-range massage chair can help you in managing lower back pain. considering the cost vs benefits, with little expectation of human touch, feeling and companionship, are massage chairs worth it?
related: Best affordable massage chairs
Related – Best massage chairs under $2000
Are Massage Chair Worth It – The Cost?
upfront cost is always the leading cause of doubt that most people have concerning the value of massage chairs. Yes, a spa chair payment cost, is the biggest issue for most people and they are priced from $1000 to over $30,000. Except you have had a sudden wind-fall of cash, paying for even a mid-range($5000) chiropractic massager is a very big investment, almost like ordering a car.
The unfortunate fact to here about some fitness machines is that they may start collecting dust around your house when there’s no broken parts and no good maintenance. It isn’t going to be worth the money if you spend thousands of dollars of a Bowflex home weight machine, or a Stairmaster, or a hydrow rowing machine, only to let it seat idling in the basement.
It goes same if you purchase a spa chairs that costs lot more expensive, abandons it in the basement or does not regularly use it, and it finally collects up dust. The massage chair isn’t a home fitness equipment though, but it won’t be worth it, if you are never gonna regularly used and fully reap the benefit out of the chair. The best value comes in how more often and regularly you use it, and make the massage chair pay back for itself.
Related; best massage chairs under $1000
Are massage chairs worth it Financially – Buying vs Subscription
How much is a massage chair? You know, massage chairs are terribly expensive, with quality ones just over 2000 dollars and ranging up to $30,000. Many people may not afford a high-end massage chair but Luckily, many massage chair brands recently are producing best budget massage chairs which costs under $3000.
Even some of them with the L-Track scanning technology, full body stretching, and Zero Gravity Massage Chair like the Kahuna LM6800 massage chair come in the sub-$2000 category. This is very cheap when considering a one year use because you would have been spending $5 in every massage you enjoy. Project this massage chair cost estimate for over 3 years and you would have been spending $1.7 per massage session, per user, every day.
Alternatively, if you are going to be paying subscription of $100 per massage, on a high quality massage therapy, that means in 5 years, you would have paid whole cost of a new luxury massager. This is true if you are only doing massaging 3 times a month continuously for 5 years. If you choose to subscribe, the worse feeling is that after the 5 years, you will still continue to pay for it, perhaps, without stopping.
Your yearly subscription even depends on how many massages you need each month. If you double your number of massages, from 3 to 6 sessions per month, in 2.5 years, you are paying for a new luxury massage chair, without owning one. this sounds like losing your entire life saving in 3-5 years.
Things will get pretty tough where you are paying an hour of massage, because you are going to end up broke and the buying the massage chair would have been the best financially savvy and less expensive decision, over a course of 3 to 5 years.
Are Massage worth it Economically?
To guide your decision to the best value massage chair, Let us consider the economics over time.
If you invest as much as $8000 to purchase a high end massage chair like Panasonic EP-MA73 massage chair with good warranty, you will be spending $7 a day for 3 years and about $4 per day in 5 years. However, there are many massage chairs with life expectancy of 10 to 20 years.
A multi-user massaging on the same chair will even be more economical than one person paying for subscription or self-employed massage therapist. When you and the family or wife make use of the chair at home, a 3 years usage simply means that each one of you spends $3.6 per day for 3 years and $2 per day for 5 years.
How economically worth, is the best affordable massage chairs in long term, depends if it serves a multi-user massaging or one person massage. More importantly, if you are suffering from chronic disease, of stress and fatigue from jobs, you would need more frequent massages, and that is going to be good financial planning if you order a new massage chair.
For massage chairs that cost over $15,000, it may be financially and economically wise to consider taking a typical chiropractic visit or paying a massage subscriptions rate. In the long term, people with Chronic back and leg pain and two other members of the family, making regular visits at least once a week, to a local chiropractor, may get financially hard-pressed.
So, according to you, are massage chairs worth your money. How economical is the best affordable massage chairs in long term?
Related; professional massage chairs
Is it worth it to buy a massage chair – Consider Human vs machine Massage
If the purpose is to have a total feel of human touch massage, from a talented massage therapist, then massage chairs aren’t worth your investment. Machine can’t replace humans and there’s absolutely no need as to how good a chair-based massage feels, because they will never offer the same human hands body massage experience.
Diagnosis / Treatment
Not even the high-end, luxury massage chair can detect problem areas on a your body, and do a quick, and effective massage on that spot. They just follow some sort of programmed settings.
If you need a diagnostic massage around the part of your body where it hurts, your massage chair can’t surpass human experience at addressing the problem. Sometimes, they make just fail to make you feel a better treatment, or offer you a proper neck adjustment the way a chiropractor would.
Related; Best massage chairs under 500 dollars
Are massage chairs worth the cost placed on it?
Despite all the downsides of chair massages, that we have given above, massage chairs are valuable, and worth every cent, where human massage therapist or chiropractor, is absent. If you suddenly take a hard fall and need some immediate relief from pains and shocks, the quick alternative is a massage chair.
1. Availability and convenience
Since the spa is always available at home, you can creep closer and sit up to get a cure. The great advantage from human chiropractors is that chair massage are good and available any time, anywhere, even when you come home late, tired and stressed out.
Unlike with human therapeutic massaging, a chair relaxation massage does not need you to make appointment, place a call, or stand in a waiting room. You decide on your massage schedule, and i wonder if someone, can be able to place a dollar value on the convenience, comfort that a suitable massage chair can offer you.
2. Advanced Massage chair features
If you hire a personal massage therapist, she can be missing in few features, for example, they won’t offer you a heated massage or run multiple spot massage simultaneously.
Think of body scanning technology, where the machine uses pressure and optical sensors to understand different body shapes and heights. After reviewing your body structure, a 3D rollers are great for specific treatment , which mimic the movement and feel of human hands. However, it still remains hard to replace a real person with a massage machine.
Air bags offer compression massage which helps to promote blood circulation and at same time stimulate different muscles. The squeeze and release over different areas as you are sitting in a mechanical chair, offer both comfort and relief that could make you avoid visiting the chiropractor.
IF you want Music and chromotherapy combined with your massage, you can get it from a variety of massage chairs. Lack of human abilities and touch and companionship, does not make them worthless, rather, massage chair compliment human efforts.
But wait, researchers have not stopped looking for ways of creating human-like massages. The quad roller massage chairs are coming, possibly at your price range, and they will help you to reap the same relaxation and therapeutic benefits that mostly comes from personal masseuse.
3. Your Privacy
You have your privacy with with a massage chair at home. If you aren’t comfortable relaxing and doing skin-to-skin contact with strangers, go for a massage chair. If you are a woman, someones wife ofcourse, how does it feel letting a male massage therapist run their hands around your thighs? Nice, or awkward?
I understand that some ladies wouldn’t mind much about this, yet they won’t kiss a guy who has a crush on them, on their first date. I really, really can’t handle it, to have a strange woman rub round my thighs, or send hand over my butts.
You want to have a relaxation massage, not sex, so the lack of familiarity with the massage expert can just ruin your massage session. So home or office , is the right place to have a private deep and enjoying chair massage, without compromising your privacy.
4. Tailored massage
Modern massage chairs use biometric body scanning technology(Chair Doctor) uses optical and pressure sensors to gather information (body shape and height) which will help customize rollers for a more customized body treatment.
The technology does reads the neck and back and customizes the touch and feel for your body treatment to be like that of a human massage therapist. No matter what ever technology – 2D, 3D, 4D rollers, massage chairs are never going to replace humanly hand therapy.
The quality of your massage comes from the quality of the rollers. While the rollers have alternate and dynamic speeds to showcase human touch, 3D massage rollers are specially great for deep tissue massage – penetrating deep into your muscles.
5. massage coverage
Modern massage chairs are amazing, medical devices that also treat the buttock and thighs- their innovative L-Track design is a plus. The parts of the body where the rollers cannot reach are massaged with airbags. Consider body parts like the shoulder, hands, thigh , the air bags performs compression massage over the area, squeezing and stimulating increased circulation in the muscles.fin
6. Entertainment during massage
If you love music and technology, you can’t escape modern massage chairs easily. Many therapeutic and simple entertaining features keep users motivated. Consider heat therapy, Zero gravity, music players, and chromotherapy lights.
What are the benefits of a massage chair?
What makes the best value massage chair? There are many considerations when it comes to deciding to invest in massage chairs in the place of a human powered massage therapy.
Massage chairs, since introduction more than half a century ago, have become medical devices and stress removal for busy individuals.
The first impression about massage chairs is they are expensive, and there is doubt as to what value they can offer for the money.
- Real Relax Massage Chair, Full Body Zero Gravity Shiatsu Massage Recliner with Bluetooth Heat Foot Roller, FAVOR-03 Plus
- Zero Gravity Full-Body Kahuna Massage Chair
- Full Body Electric Shiatsu Massage Chair
- RELAXONCHAIR [MK-II Plus
Are Massage Chairs Effective?
A massage chair like the zero gravity massage chair has lots of benefits. You know the name “zero gravity” state was first developed by NASA as a way to alleviate intense pressure inside the column of the astronauts.
You know, during takeoff into space, their column is submitted to kind of extreme pressure and NASA has been on look out on how a chair which helps to distribute the pressure evenly in the body and at same time offers maximum relaxation.
After many research and refines n the design, the massage chair became a compelling tool for use in multiple and many types of wellness therapies. Actually, my favorite chair has been the Osaki massage chair let’s discover how effective and beneficial, massage chairs are to our lives.
Actually, how effective massage chairs and do massage chairs actually have any real physical benefit? Many people seem to think that the only benefits of massage chairs is relaxation.
That is not the case, but what is true is that massage chairs don’t only reduce human efforts but they also helps to relief stress, pains, fatigue, and improves heart rate and blood pressure. There are very few, real, physical changes that can be observable, the rest are emotional or sensational – psychological benefits.
A study involving mental training has proven to reduce Somatic Trait Anxiety as one of the benefits of massage chairs. The introduction of chairs at business workplace, hospital offers workers to use massage chairs mid-shift. Research showed that it reduced employees(nurses at the hospital) overall stress and anxiety.
If you only want to have a good form of physical therapy, in addition to a nice relaxing experience anytime at home or office , then massage chairs are the best option.
The world’s most expensive massage chair
What could be the value people are looking for in this world’s most expensive $30,000 massage chair?
Frequently asked questions
What Are Massage Chairs?
A massage chairs, is a health improvement tool designed for mimic a sensational person-to-person massage, for therapeutic reasons, relaxation and comfort . Robotic massage chairs are intelligent versions of regular massage chairs, built with internal motors and rollers to simulate a rubbing massage on the body. The pleasure it offers resemble a physical person massaging. Work-focused countries like Japan, is the worlds most prolific user of massage chairs. You know, work-related stress can make you crave for a relaxed spa and currently, about an estimated 20% of Japanese households own a Japanese massage chair.
Are zero gravity massage chairs worth it?
Where Are Massage Chairs Found?
The most common place where people use their massage chairs, is in the private homes, luxury hotels and offices as slip over pads, than a reclining chair. Other places include train stations and airports.
Are massage chairs good for you?
It depends who and what you are. Most Professional sports and athletic people use chair massage for quick muscle recovery treatments. The objective is to aid sporting performance ultimately.
Sometimes, fitness enthusiasts and other athletes would go for foam rolling, when a massage chair could just be the right tool. So are massage chairs good for you after a workout or sport training? YES it does help to ease muscles pains and all actually Depending on your lifestyle.
Are massage chairs good for your health?
YES, chair massage is not just all about comfort, relaxed feeling, but it is more of health, psychology and emotions. The mechanics of a massage chair is similar to that of person-to-person massage. They both apply a little pressure on to your muscles. A gentle rubbing helps to improve venous and lymphatic flow.
To help in injury recovery, a single session of chair massage increase endorphin levels which is know to be positively related to injury recovery rate and reduction of pain and anxiety.
There is one reason why a chair massage may never replace or be as effective as a person-to-person massage. Massage chairs are dictated on how to work, they don’t decide on their one. A Zero-gravity spa can only work on set areas over your body and their rubbing procedures only takes some set patterns.
Human hand massage can understand where to use more pressure, especially hard to reach knots. So if you’re not seeking a more general pain relief, but to deal with a deep and acute injury in the lower back, for example, a professional massage therapist is where to go.
Wrap Up – Are Massage Chairs Worth It?
Most of the chiropractic clinics still advocate chair massage for the wonderful relaxation service and benefits from the physical massage. Massage chairs are spectacular and sensational in to aid most people improve their sporting ability and effortless injury rehabilitation. Besides dealing away with Pain-in-the-ass stress and some pesky neck, back and leg pains, a spa chair massage truly rejuvenates us.
Depends on the value you attach to its features, massage chairs are definitely worth the money. But this does not justify why one can leave a $50 for one session with a qualified and experienced massage therapist, to pick a $15000 massage chair. At some points, the price tag does not longer justifies the supposed benefits. What do you think of a massage treatment from a spa?.
