Most massage chairs have between three and 30 pre-programmed massage options. These provide a unique, timed massage that focuses on specific areas of the body and are great at the end of a long day, when the last thing you want to do is play with the buttons. More advanced massage chairs often have body scanning technology, which tests reactions from various areas of the body and customizes a massage accordingly. By applying infrared heat, massage becomes significantly more effective by relaxing muscles, improving circulation and releasing toxins.
Over time, your body will get used to the intensity of your massage chair, so the more strength options you have available, the more use you'll get from your massage chair in the long term. In addition to offering various massage styles, all luxury massage chairs can target areas other than the back. Mechanical knobs move on a track to massage the neck, back, thighs and feet, while airbags inflate and deflate to massage the shoulders, arms, calves and feet. The BestMassage Daydreamer (E35) Full Body Electric Shiatsu Massage Chair (E35) is more like a nightmare than a waking dream.
Massage airbags offer powerful relief from tension and stiffness by pumping pressurized air into small bags located on the back, legs, or sides of the massage chair. The remote control is attached to the seat, making it more difficult to use, and the chair only has a massage style. If you use a wheelchair, run recreationally, or spend the whole day on your feet, you may get more out of this chair than models with weaker (or non-existent) calf and foot massage features. Genuine leather is traditionally the fabric of choice for massage chair furniture, but you'll notice that many high-end and technologically advanced chairs are synthetic.
I also interviewed Alan Hedge, professor emeritus of environmental design and analysis at Cornell University, and Vickie Bodner, a licensed massage therapist at the Cleveland Clinic. The OS-Champ massages muscles with a variety of movements, including kneading, tapping, rolling, compressing and stretching. Unlike doctors, massage therapists have not completed medical school or earned a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree, so they are not qualified to diagnose diseases or prescribe treatments. Most high-end massage chairs have a variety of recline options, the most popular of which is zero gravity.
