Why do you need to buy a massage chair? That is the first thing that comes to mind when you realize massage chairs exist. The most obvious answer to that would be that having a massage chair ends the need to have to go anywhere for having a massage. You can just sit at home or in your office in the chair and undergo a relaxing massage. The second thing that comes to mind is that people who suffer from back pain or elderly people often need to have a massage to help keep their troubles at bay. Since they cannot always go out or have someone at their disposal to give them a massage, these chairs become a convenient appliance.
What goes unnoticed is the fact that most people spend a lot of time working in offices. Standard office hours are about 8-10 hours. Sitting in a chair for so long can be quite stressful and bad for your health, not to mention the strain of your job itself adding to it. This is where a nice, comfy massage chair after a long day at the office will help you relieve that built up stress and strain and relax. We have made a list of the best affordable massage chairs in the market today to help you in your quest for finding the one that is best for you.
1. EARTHLITE Vortex Portable Massage Chair
Earthlite was founded in 1987. Since then it has been the best manufacturer of massage equipment in the world. Massage tables and massage chairs are all products that go hand in hand with the name Earthlite. In this list of the best budget massage chairs, it is no surprise we have chosen one of Earthlite’s products as the number one. The Earthlite Portable Massage Chair is a complete package of full body massage equipment in one chair. This chair is made to give you comfort while being convenient in its use and being a lightweight chair.
The Earthlite Portable Massage Chair has a Pro-Lite double layered cushioning system. The Pro-Lite cushioning coupled with the Natursoft upholstery give this chair the durability and comfort level that is needed for a good massage chair. The Natursoft upholstery comes in eleven different colors to allow you to choose the one which you like best. The oval tubing design of this chair gives it extra sturdiness. This is one of the more stylish massage chairs. One of the key features of this chair is its extremely lightweight qualities. It weighs only 15lbs. This is an incredibly low weight class for a full body massage and stress relieving chair. The low weight combined with its easy dissembling makes this chair incredibly portable as well. You can disassemble the parts of this chair, stuff them in the bag that comes with it, and sling it over your shoulder without feeling any significant weight from it due to its lightweight qualities.
The Vortex Portable Massage Chair comes with a full package of adjustments. You can change the height of the seat cushion, the armrests, and the chest cushion as well. There is also the sternum pad added for increased stress relief. The height of the headrest can also be customized to your liking. All in all, having a multitude of adjustments available in this chair makes it suitable for people of all sizes. The maximum weight capacity of this chair is 300lbs, even if you are a heavyset person this chair will not let you down. The aluminum frame gives it extra toughness.
The Earthlite Vortex Portable Massage Chair is a complete package. The various possible adjustments along with the high weight capacity make it suitable for all people. Its low weight and easy portability make it easy to move from one place to another or even carry with you as it is very light. To top it off the chair itself looks stylish, does not occupy a lot of space, and is available in many colors to give you the freedom to put it in almost any setting. All these make this an easy first pick in our list of the best affordable massage chairs.
2. Esright Massage Recliner Chair
Esright is a well-known manufacturer of massage chairs. The chairs they make are made in a similar design. They are heavyset, heavy duty and offer many different options to help you relax. Esright makes chairs focused on giving comfort and relieving any built-up stress of their users. They even make massage chairs, especially for elderly people. The Esright Massage Recliner Chair is perhaps the best recliner massage chair in this price range.
One of the first things you will notice about this massage chair is it looks very heavyset. The thickly padded sponge-like cushion with durable faux leather makes it able to support even the larger sized people without causing them issues. The thick padded cushions of the backrest and armrest give the user a high level of comfort. The different functions of the chair can be controlled via a remote control system. In its kit of relaxing features, you get a multiple pressure point massage via vibration. These massage points include back massage, leg massage, lumbar massage and thigh massage. You can change the intensity of the vibration according to your requirement. You also get the option to ease the muscles in your back thanks to the lumbar heating function of the chair.
There are also 2 cup holders inbuilt in the chair. There are pockets on the sides of the chair to store books or magazines that you like reading while relaxing at the end of a hectic day. The chair can recline to an extremely comfortable lay back position. The legs of the chair also move up to allow you to lay back with ease and enjoy a book with a cup of coffee thanks to the cup retainers. One of the issues that people often mention with this chair however, is that when you move the legs up into a recline position, they are tough to get back down. Most of the time it is not possible to get them back down while sitting on the chair, you will have to get up and push it back down manually. Even then it often feels stuck and it is hard to move the legs downwards. So, if you are already seated in the chair when you move the legs up you will have a hard time getting out of the chair if the legs are unable to move down until you manually press them down.
The Esright Reclining Massage Chair is one of the best massage chairs available for under 500 $. Its plethora of ease giving and stress relieving features are sure to make your life easier.
3. JC Home Drammen Massaging Leather Recliner and Ottoman Footrest
JC Home is a brand known for making comfortable recliner chairs. Most of their products are made from bonded leather. The JC Home Drammen Massaging Leather Recliner chair comes with an ottoman footrest. The Ottoman is detachable. This is a really nice feature as some chairs do not offer a detachable Ottoman. Hence, even if you want to sit with your feet on the ground you are unable to do so and if you attempt to place your legs between the footrest and the chair it tends to be an uncomfortable and stressful sitting position.
The chair has nine inbuilt massage modes so you are able to choose the one which is most to your liking. You can also choose the intensity of the massage from the five different intensity settings available. You can set it at just the right amount that is not too soft and not too intense either. The massage options available are for the lumbar region, the back, thighs and legs. The JC Home Drammen Massaging Recliner Chair also has 360 degrees swivel for freedom of movement.
The remote controller can be used to turn on the heating, or set custom massage options as well as the timer for the massage. The remote control removes all hassle of manual setup from this chair. The back of the seat is richly padded and there is an integrated headrest included in the design of this chair. Both of these combined gives you a pleasant experience when you are seated in this chair. Good back and head support allow you to just lay back and relax.
There have been complaints that this chair is not made of actual leather. Or even if it is leather it is of poor quality. Now, one may argue that for the modest price, actual leather is not a possibility for this chair. But the problem lies in the fact that there is repeated mention of this chair having leather as its primary forming material in the description of this chair. Whatever the case maybe the chair is still comfortable and luxurious enough to quell all your worries at the end of a long day at the office.
4. ComHoma Leather Recliner Chair
Another great product in our list of the top inexpensive massage chairs is the ComHoma Leather Recliner Massage Chair. ComHoma is not one of the popular manufacturers of products in this category but this is definitely one of the better massage chairs we have seen. The padding on the seat and back makes the chair very comfortable. The leather material makes it easy to clean as well as comfortable to sit on. The extra padding on the arms of the chair makes is a very convenient addition. Not to mention the design of the chair and the colors it is available in all make it look quite appealing to the eye.
When buying a massage chair, you have warmed yourself to the fact that you will have to spend a decent amount to get an acceptable chair. You want different massage functions in the chair to make sure your needs are met. The ComHoma Massage Recliner does not disappoint. You get various different massage options to choose from. This chair focuses on four main massage points. The back, thighs, legs, and the lumbar region. You can also choose the amount of intensity you want for the massage. There are 5 different massage modes. The lumbar region can be heated for extra comfort and ease. While you can also decide the level of vibration you want. The chair is fully reclining as expected from a chair that has a recliner in its name.
There are two cup holders present so you are able to have a quiet cup of coffee at the end of the day while reading a favorite magazine or a book that you have already put in the side pocket of the chair. All the features of the chair are remote operational, that is you don’t have to put in any effort yourself to activate them. The only thing you have to put in an effort for is to recline the chair. Just backward on the backrest while pushing the arms forwards and it will recline. The only drawback that users have faced with this chair is its not so long a lifetime. It is extremely comfortable at the start and it slowly loses its operational level as well as its comfort level with time. Finally becoming a luxury recliner chair with its massage options not being fully operational.
The weight capacity of the chair is decent and adequate for most people. Though due to how the chair is made tall people may have some trouble fitting themselves into this chair comfortably. One of the best features of this chair is its affordable price for most people. It gives great value for money. Nowadays, when looking to buy massage chairs you expect to spend a lot of dough to get something decent, this chair exceeds your expectations in that regard.
5. MAGIC UNION Power Lift Massage Recliner
Whenever we look at a product, we notice that most people only go for products by well known and reliable companies. Hardly anyone is willing to try out products from a lesser-known company or an up and coming brand. There is a good reason why people do this as the companies that have been there for some time are time tested and have experience as well as reliability in their field. However, you should from time to time give the little guy a chance as there can be products that exceed your expectations even from unknown manufacturers. Also, there really is no harm in helping out people trying to make their own way in the world.
Magic Union is one such brand that is not very popular. Our number fifth pick in this list for the best small, massage recliner chairs is the Magic Union Power Lift Massage Recliner. The power life function is one that the more known companies have failed to give in this price range. With this feature, you can move the chair upwards into a near-standing position without having to put effort into getting up from the chair yourself. For elderly people or people with back issues, this is a priceless feature. To top it off this feature is remote controlled.
This chair has a high weight capacity of 350lbs. So far very few massage chairs have matched this weight capacity. All the different massage options of the lumbar, back, thigh, and leg regions are remotely controlled. Different massage modes like a normal massage, wave, pulse, press, auto, etc. are available via remote control. There is also heating for the lumbar region. The chair recline is also controlled by the remote which is not a common feature in most chairs as recline functions often work with a lever in the chair. This chair is 100% remote controlled.
There are issues regarding the recline of this chair. The back of the chair does not recline fully. There have been complaints that the back of the chair only reclines till 140 degrees or sometimes just has trouble going back at all. The standard back recline is about 150 degrees. The second major problem this chair has shown is that when you have the massage functions active, the chair can get noisy. In some cases, it gets noisy to an irritating extent. It is not possible to relax when your chair sounds like a generator. That is a drawback since you are paying close to 400 $ for it. However, reports of this flaw have been quite low in number. This chair is still one of the best reclining chairs we have found especially for people below 6 ft in height.
6. OWAYS Full Back Massager Recliner Chair
OWAYS is a relatively well known and familiar brand when it comes to massage equipment like massage chairs, massage belts or massagers. They usually make chairs of two types. Either heavyset and heavyweight chairs or lightweight chairs that can be moved around with ease. The OWAYS Full Back Massage Chair is one of their lightweight products. This is one of the simpler designed chairs that we have seen. It looks more like a rocking chair than a fully functional massage chair.
In this simple designed and lightweight chair, there is a literal plethora of customizability options. There are three levels to the kneading and tapping massages. There are eight separate massage rollers in the seat that provide back and neck massage, whichever you need or even both at the same time. There are seven different vibratory motors implanted in the chair. The kneading and tapping massages can proceed separately as well as simultaneously if you feel inclined to do so. The neck massage rollers can be customized to different heights to make sure it suits you the best. The height of the massage pillows can also be adjusted to the user’s requirement.
As you can see the chair comes in a naturally rocking design due to the shape of its legs. Lulling you to sleep by the relaxing feel and rocking back and forth is a common side effect of this chair. The problems that people have come acroos with this chair are that it has a very low suitable height range. People above the height of 5 ft 7 inches are not recommended to use this chair. The massage rollers of this chair are often found to be too hard for comfort. Though that will not be a problem if you do like a hard massage session. If you don’t however then you might have some trouble with it.
All in all, this chair offers an absurdly wide range of customization options to make sure it is the perfect massage chair for every individual. The customer care at OWAYS is also a top priority of the company as you will be sure to see from their more than standard return time of products along with the gift and 12 months guarantee the give with the chair. All the adjustments of the chair are made via the remote which has a separate pocket for its storage. All of the features and the price at which the OWAYS Massage Recliner Chair offers those features make this one of the best affordable massage chairs today.
7. Homegear Recliner Massage Chair
A lot of the popular brands that make massage chairs often add a high price tag to their products. Since we are looking for the best affordable massage chairs it is not possible to add those of really well-known brands. Hence, after much research, we have come upon another product that is of a relatively not familiar brand. The Homegear Recliner Massage Chair has the classic look of a heavy-duty massage chair. The weight of the chair is more than 90lbs. It is tough and durable as its look suggests it to be. The weight capacity is also quite sufficient, around 350 lbs.
The leatherette cover of the chair feels really nice. It is soft to the touch and easy to clean. It gives the chair a nice, well rounded finish. It makes the chair stylish and acceptable for nearly any office or home setting, whichever you want to put the chair in. The base of the chair is a steel ring. The chair is able to swivel freely for 360 degrees. The chair also has two cup holders built into the arm rests. These cup holders are well made and do not leak. One of the good things about these cup holders is that they can be removed for washing and then put back in.
There are five different massage types of the chair, namely pulse, wave, auto, normal, and press. There are four areas to which the massage is directed, the back, thighs, legs, and the lumbar region. You can choose the intensity of the massage to be high or low. There is also the heating function for the lumbar region. With the help of the remote you can choose all of the afore-mentioned massage settings. You can also set the timer for the massage which goes up to an hour at the most. This is one of the higher timing massages we have seen as most chairs do not go above the thirty-minute mark for their massage timings.
This chair seems to have fallen prey to the classic fault of heavy-duty massage recliners. The footrest of the chair is hard to put back down. You might have to get out of the chair while it is in a reclining position which is no easy task for someone with a back issue-then push down on the footrest manually to make it go down. There have also been complaints regarding the seat of the chair. The seat is said to be uncomfortable. It feels too hard and it may not be possible to sit on it for long periods.
8. Merax Massage Recliner Chair
Merax is a familiar company when it comes to making furniture for offices as well as household products. They are known for making chairs of various designs and purposes, dining sets, tables and sofas, and multiple types of office chairs. Merax has also been making products for sports purposes like mountain bikes, table tennis tables, and even treadmills are a part of their available items. Though they are not too well known for making massage chairs, the Merax Massage Recliner Chair is one of the massage chairs we found to be reasonable and acceptable especially for its price.
When you lay eyes on this recliner chair, one of the first things you notice is its armrests have quite a bit of padding. This makes for a rather comfy armrest and takes the stress off of your shoulders and arms. The cushions of the chair are made from high-density foam and upholstered by high-grade PU leather. The chair has a solid metal frame that makes sure the chair is well built and sturdy, not prone to bending or breaking. There are many massage options as you might expect from a massage chair. The heating for the back region can be turned on via remote control. The leg rest needs to be pulled up manually by a switch line that you pull up to move up the footrest.
The back of the chair reclines in a manual fashion rather than by remote or by a lever. You have to push back on the backrest while pushing forward on the arms of the chair to get the chair to recline. Many people who use massage chairs are elderly people or they have back issues and cannot exert force to make the back of the chair go into a recline position. Furthermore, even if you are just using it as an end of the day stress reliever, it is just not a convenient thing to have to do when you want to just relax for an hour. The leg rest of the chair is hard to push down. The classic massage recliner curse of the hard to push down leg rest is on this chair as well it seems.
The massage options are quite varied though. You have the massage in eight different parts of the body thanks to 8 vibration motors, from your shoulders to your back regions, as well as the seating area and the legs. There are five different modes of the massage that you can choose from as well as the lumbar heating system and the three-level vibration intensity.
9. Flash Furniture Multi-Position Recliner and Ottoman
Flash Furniture is quite a well-known and popular company. Furniture products ranging from household sofas and chairs to office workstations and office swiveling chairs are all made by Flash Furniture. When you go looking for a chair or desk of almost any sort this company is bound to come up. One of the best things about Flash is their modest pricing on nearly every article whether it be for the office or for house use. The Flash Furniture Multi-Position Recliner chair comes with an Ottoman in matching color and this too has an extremely modest price, especially for a massage chair.
When you look at this Recliner chair you realize that its back is quite well padded and is going to give you good support. The ottoman looks neat with the design of the chair. The armrests look like they can support your arms well. The chair is actually surprisingly light. It weighs only 50lbs. Most massage recliners way a lot more than this. The downside of having such a lightweight figure of a massage chair is that it can be tricky to make it sturdy and solid. There have been many complaints of this chair breaking or just not being usable after a year or so of use. The manufacturing seems to be done cheap to accommodate the low price of the product. This is really quite a disappointment as you expect a chair that will last and will not break so easily when you read the name Flash Furniture.
The recline system of the chair is not automatic and is done manually by pushing on the backrest till it reclines. The backrest immediately pushes back up when you stop applying pressure on it. Most people with back issues that require a massage chair will not find this recline system suitable to their needs. The massage itself can be customized quite well due to the 5 different intensity levels as well as the 9 different massage modes. The massage areas consist of the back region, the lumbar, thighs, and legs. The timer can be set by the remote. The massage types can also be changed by the remote. There is also heating for the lumbar region.
The assembly of the chair itself can be tricky. This is a complaint rendered by some people that the assembly of the chair requires a lot of brainstorming and takes more work than you want when putting together a lightweight chair. This chair is still a really good buy thanks to its low price so even if it is not as durable as you want, the low price makes up for it.
10. BestMassage Full Body Massage Chair
BestMassage is a company based out of China. They are a well-known brand in massage chairs and table equipment if you look beyond only American brands. Most of their massage chairs and recliners are of innovative and sleek design. Stylish chairs with options that people nowadays really require such as phone accessories and such have been quickly added into their products. The BestMassage Full Body Massage chair is one of the more sleek and portable products. This is a lightweight and low space requiring a massage chair.
The chair comes with many accessories that make this one of the more innovative chairs we have seen. There is a USB slot in the chair that can be used to charge your phone, tablet or any other electronic device that you want to. The chair also has Bluetooth speakers. Both of these are a massive plus since nowadays almost everything is done on phones and when you have a chair that is comfortable as well as provides you with a charging slot for your phone it is a big plus. The Bluetooth speakers allow you to listen to your favorite songs while you relax in the chair or you can listen to phone calls on Bluetooth while sitting in this snug massage chair. There is a pocket in the chair in which you can place your phone as well.
There is also a control panel rather than a remote which adds to its modern design. However, they seem to have overdone it with the addition of the control panel since this feature has given people a lot of irritation. The positioning of the control panel is such that it is quite a hassle operating it when sitting in the chair. It is on the side of the chair right below the armrest. Since all the functions of the chair are controlled via the control panel this can prove to be quite annoying.
One major flaw in the massage system of this chair is the absence of a heating system. Nearly all the chairs that we have seen provide a heating system to go along with their massage mechanism. The massage of this body is also in a creative way. It is a rolling massage that rolls from the top of the chair to the feet. Or from the feet to the top, whichever suits you better you choose that to be the way the rollers work. There are three levels of the massage that go from weaker to stronger and vice versa. The massage can be fast-paced as well as slow-paced. There are also airbags placed at the sides of the chair, at the hip position.
These airbags, though added for additional comfort, can be quite troublesome due to the fact that they seem to be permanently turned on and a lot of people have complained that they make the chair slightly uncomfortable to sit in. While the rest of the chair is quite comfy, these airbags are really inconvenient. To make it brief, the chair is creative and innovative, the massage features are quite nice but there are some features of inconveniences to go with all the modern and convenient features that this chair provides.
Final Verdict
All of these massage chairs are a sure-fire when it comes to giving you the comfort that you desire. You can keep the massage chair at home as a stress reliever at the end of a long and grueling day. Or you can keep it at your office as your main office chair since most of the chairs mentioned are quite stylish and their comfort level is almost unmatched by the standard office chairs. Whichever you end up doing your life is sure to become better with a massage chair.
We hope to have helped you make up your mind when it comes to buying a massage chair that is best suited to you. Whether you want light and portable appliances like the Earthlite Vortex Portable massage chair or a heavy-duty, heavyset and extremely comfortable standard-issue chair like the one Esright has made.
If you want something that is modern and aerodynamic in design then the Chinese company BestMassage is ready to match your requirements. In case you are getting a massage chair for an elderly person who has trouble standing up on their own then the Magic Union Power Lift chair is definitely the one for you. All of these chairs are at a modest and affordable price for everyone.