Massage Chairs



             


Thursday, February 28, 2008

Top 5 Things You Must Remember Before Purchasing Your Massage Chair

I?m going to take a guess and say that if you reading this you are probably in pain right now. Whether it is neck pain, back pain, or shoulder pain, pain is pain. However before you decide to go out and make your purchase of a new massage chair, make sure your pain isn?t clouding your judgment. Read on to find out what you absolutely must remember when purchasing your massage chair.

1. Features

The old massage chairs models only provided vibration. If you are purchasing a chair today make sure it offers the following:

Kneading or "shiatsu"- Kneading rolls from the spine outward. It feels like two hands alternately rubbing your back. It has the feel of a genuine hand massage.

Percussion/Tapping - Looks like a client's back is being "karate chopped". This technique stimulates blood flow and helps muscle stiffness.

Rolling- This is where wheels roll up and down either side of your spine. This does 2 things 1.) it gently moves the spinal bones and 2.) stretches the spine and its muscles.

Foot and calf massager ? Quite a few of the new chairs have an attached ottoman that has a calf and foot massage feature. This is a vital feature, especially for people who are on their feet all day long.

Full recliner - the greater the reclining angle of the chair, the more the weight of your body can make the massage deeper. If you really want the rollers and kneaders to give you a deep-tissue massage, then the further back you need to recline. A lot of chairs don't recline much farther than 135?. You will want 170-180? reclining angle for the more intense massage option.

2. Durability

You need a strong, well-built massage chair. Most likely you won?t know how good a motor is or how well built the chair really is, but there are some other ways to know if a chair is a workhorse and will last a while:

Warranty ? It is a good sign when the company gives a longer term warranty. This will give you confidence to know the company stands behind their chairs. But beware of long warranties that are so limited that if anything goes wrong there are so many loopholes to not cover your chair that it?s like you have no warranty at all.

Reputation - make sure that you are dealing with a well known manufacturer. Also, be sure they can always be available to you. For example, a manufacturer's website with a toll-free customer service phone number would be great. The length of time in business is probably a good indicator of how good the manufacturer is. See if the chair/company has any professional endorsements.

New vs. Used - there are a lot of used chairs out there, but just like a used car, you never quite know what you are getting. It?s a good bet the warranty has expired, but you have no idea how the previous owner treated the chair. Who knows...maybe it was in a home that had children jumping on it like a trampoline! The point is you just don?t know how it?s been treated.

3. Ease of repair

A good massage chair will be built with a modular design. Why is this so good? For cheap and easy repair. If a part is broken or material is torn, the modular design will allow you to isolate the damaged part and send it off for repair. This is so much easier and cheaper than sending off the whole chair.

4. Price

Surely you?ve noticed good massage chairs are not cheap. You will be spending some money to get a chair you can count on. But, the price doesn't have to be through the roof. Some chairs are way too expensive for the features that come with them. Prices can range anywhere from $1000 - $6000. Quite a spread, don?t you think? Well, you can get a chair with everything mentioned here for $2000 - $2700. When you compare the price of your chair to regular visits to a massage therapist or a chiropractor, over time the price of the massage chair is far less than what you'd pay out for all those therapy visits.

5. Money Back Guarantee

This is very straightforward, if your retailer can't back up the sale of their chair to you with at least a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee, then you need to be skeptical. This goes back to reputation and customer service. They must stand behind their product. How else can you feel good about your purchase if it's not backed up by the seller? By the way, be prepared to pay for shipping and freight back to the seller if you decide to return your chair. That is pretty standard across the board. And that's not cheap! Hopefully these 5 must know tips have been helpful to you in your search for a quality massage chair. Happy shopping!

Heather is an educator in the chiropractic and mental health fields. In her spare time she reviews high ticket items in order to educate consumers. For a fabulous selection of massage chairs that will beat any online price visit http://www.Best-Massage-Chairs.com

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