The best massage chairs are a sound investment when it comes to beating stress at home. Designed with comfort and convenience in mind, the best massage chairs can help reduce stress and encourage relaxation. What’s more, the right massage chair instantly provides a personalized mini-spa with the touch of a button. If you have the space, our top pick overall is the Osaki OS-Champ Massage Chair, a souped-up option that heats up and reclines, though that’s not the only chair we’d bring home.
Equipped with one of these massage chairs, your sore muscles will be a thing of the past. Neck Support Cushion
Generally speaking, there are two main kinds of massage chairs: those that look like recliners and have massage systems that focus on the shoulders, back and legs, and zero-gravity ones that allow you to fully recline and receive head-to-toe massages. While the latter style is undeniably relaxing, the chairs are often significantly larger and more expensive. That said, both styles offer appealing perks, and only you can determine which specific chair best suits your lifestyle. From a hybrid massage pod to a portable cushion you can set up on any chair, here are the best massage chairs you can buy right now.
Dimensions: 30 x 57 x 45 inches | Massage areas: Full body | Heat: Yes | Recline: Yes | Warranty: Three years
Osaki claims the chair is inspired by NASA technology and the OS-Champ features not one, but two different zero-gravity modes. You can choose the recline angle that better suits you. Internal machinery kneads your neck, back and thighs, and no fewer than 18 airbags on the sides apply pressure to your shoulders, arms, feet and calves. All that is complimented by the two heating pads on the lumbar area. It includes five auto massage programs for relaxation, upper and lower back, stretching and more.
The OS-Champ is admittedly big and bulky (it weighs a formidable 190 pounds), but it offers near full-body coverage with extras like a footrest that can be extended by up to 7.6 inches, a wealth of customizable settings and a generous three-year warranty.
Dimensions: 57 x 30 x 46 inches | Massage areas: Full body | Heat: Yes | Recline: Yes | Warranty: One year
Heat is a key ingredient in a massage chair because it aids in loosening your muscles and makes it easier to relax. Combine that with the fact that this Latitude Run chair can suspend your body in a neutral posture—essentially, it’s a zero-gravity chair that aligns your feet with your heart—and you have a recipe for an excellent massage experience. The footrest and headrest are adjustable, and it’s finished in a smooth faux leather.
The chair includes eight rollers (each of which can roll forward or backward) and airbags that apply pressure to shoulders, arms, legs and feet. It features nine kinds of massage, including a four-way roller massage, compression, kneading, shiatsu, full body and more—all operated from the included remote control. Our only complaint is that there is some assembly required and the pieces come in three separate boxes.
Dimensions: 38 x 30 x 65 inches | Massage areas: Full body | Heat: Yes | Recline: Yes | Warranty: One year
Zero-gravity chairs have myriad benefits that include reducing stress, relaxing muscles, improving flexibility and enhancing your blood flow. While there are a variety of zero-gravity massage chairs on the market, this one from Insignia gets our stamp of approval because of its substantial customization. It’s entirely possible for no two users in your house will ever have the same experience. That’s because the chair uses a body scan to create a custom massage treatment—using rollers, airbags and heat therapy—based on each person's height and weight.
The Insignia chair comes with a heating mode and is preloaded with six 20-minute massage programs (with names like comfort, relax, energy, waist and buttocks, neck and shoulder, and full body), but you also have the option to tailor sessions to your individual needs with the wired remote control. It’s finished in PU leather.
Dimensions: 30 x 8 x 20 inches | Massage areas: Neck, shoulders and back | Heat: Yes | Recline: No | Warranty: Two years limited
When you're looking for a massage chair that can be taken on the go, it's important to find one that’s not too bulky or challenging to set up—if it's too much of a pain, chances are you'll just leave it at home. We're partial to this offering from HoMedics, because it's simple but effective with both kneading and built-in heating. You can easily cart this from room to room or even travel with it (it weighs 17 pounds) and you can set it on almost any kind of chair. An integrated strap system secures it to your office chair, kitchen or living room seat or any other sort of common chair.
HoMedics offers shiatsu massages (a Japanese style of massage that employs kneading, tapping and pressing) to relax muscles in your neck, shoulders and back. Additionally, it has three massage modes: kneading (for deep tissue), rolling (for a mellower massage) and spot massage (to treat problem areas). It also has a two-year warranty.
Dimensions: 67 x 34 x 49 inches | Massage areas: Full body | Heat: Yes | Recline: Yes | Warranty: Five years limited
The Daiwa Supreme Hybrid Massage Chair is notoriously pricey, clocking in at $13,500. While that price tag might seem unreasonable, a few things set the Daiwa Supreme Hybrid massage chair apart from other, more affordable options. For starters, it performs a 3D full-body at the start of each session to map your back and deliver an experience that best matches your spine.
The chair combines an inversion stretch (like a gentle yoga move) with the multi-stroke six roller system for a deeper massage. It also has heat therapy throughout as well as Bluetooth speakers and charging ports, which make you feel encased in a private world. There’s also an integrated touchscreen tablet that serves as a control panel for customizing your massage.
Dimensions: 44 x 28 x 40 inches | Massage areas: Full body | Heat: Yes | Recline: Yes | Warranty: Three years
One of the single biggest frustrations for massage chair owners is how cumbersome they are—once they're set up, they’re hard to move. This model from Human Touch mitigates a lot of the problems with repositioning your massage chair by including a swivel base so you can swing it around easily to point in any direction.
The Human Touch has five auto-massage programs (full, upper, lower, relax and rejuvenate), heating in the lower back area and seamless orbital massagers that dole out a deep tissue massage without pinching. All-in-all it makes it easy to kick back and relax.
The Forbes Vetted editors, like all consumers, want products that work efficiently, hold up over time and help make daily living a little bit easier. To find the best massage chairs, we took our own notions of relaxation into consideration. When we evaluate products like best massage chairs we look at all the bells, whistles and functions that make these chairs ideal for using in our personal spaces.
In addition to articles about how to choose the best massage chairs, we’ve also written, researched and, in some cases, tested a slew of content related to improving our most-used living spaces. This includes input for helpful day-to-day products like the best vacuums for pet hair and the best tower fans to keep air circulating.
We refresh this story regularly and it was last updated September 2023.
To determine the best massage chairs currently available, we started by identifying the top-rated options on the market, noting each chair’s price, settings and additional features. Along the way, we prioritized models that have the ability to target multiple muscle groups, have remote controls to customize the experience and feature the ability to recline. We also consulted Mary Thiel, MPT at Michigan State University Health Care Physical & Occupational Therapy Clinic, and Jodi Wiley, lead faculty for the Massage Therapy Program at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan. Lastly, we regularly revisit this list to ensure the massage chairs are in stock—and that they continue to meet our standards.
“A massage chair, whether it’s for a massage therapist’s office or just incorporated into one’s home life, should ideally be a one-time purchase,” says Wiley. Therefore, you don’t want to take home the first massage chair you see. When shopping, it’s important to look for options that include features like heat, as well as several massage rollers for different areas such as the legs, arms, shoulders, neck and back. Ahead, the factors you should keep in mind when looking for a massage chair.
Massage chairs come with assorted bells and whistles, so shop for one that has the additional features you actually need. At a minimum, you want a well-constructed chair that can heat, recline, knead and vibrate at various intensity settings. Additional features you may find as you’re shopping include bluetooth connectivity, body scanning and airbag massaging. Just make sure you don’t get too drawn in by the bells and whistles—especially ones that aren’t necessary. A few such features, Wiley lists: “little pockets for your eyeglasses, different types of armrests and things that are more like an accessory.”
Generally speaking, you want a chair with the “greatest number of settings,” Wiley recommends. Additionally, massage chairs that can adjust to better fit your body can be helpful for the comfort of taller, shorter, larger or smaller people. When considering the settings on a massage chair, “make sure that your body can tolerate the amount of pressure or the frequency of vibration the chair offers,” advises Mary Thiel, MPT, clinic manager at Michigan State University Health Care Physical and Occupational Therapy. “You want it to be comfortable and relaxing, not aggravating.”
Put simply, massage chairs don’t come cheap. “They can be quite costly, with the average price of a massage chair ranging from $1,000 to $4,000,” says Thiel. That said, it’s not impossible to find quality chairs for significantly. “If you don’t need all the bells and whistles, you can probably find a decent one for between $400 and $500, Thiel adds.
Most people can use a massage chair without problem every day—but not all. “Certain injuries may prohibit it, like for folks who have difficulty getting into and out of chairs, for example,” says Wiley. “It’s not super easy for some seniors, elderly people, or those who’ve been injured to get in and out of massage chairs.”
Additionally, thought should be given to the amount of time spent sitting in massage chairs. If your daily sessions are brief, you shouldn’t have a problem. Some healthcare professionals advise against sitting for longer than 20 minutes or so at a time. Generally, spending shorter periods of time in the massage chair several times per day works better than sitting for an extended period once per day.
Neck Cushion “A massage chair, even though there are disadvantages, usually has multiple advantages for most people,” says Wiley. “One of those is that people are less intimidated by the massage chair than they are of a real, live massage therapist. You’re fully clothed in a massage chair—there’s no need to disrobe in any way.” Other advantages include pain reduction, healthier blood pressure and better heart rate levels.