10 Things You Absolutely Must Consider Before Buying Your Massage Chair (Part II)

In Part I of this article, I discussed the many features you should consider when buying a massage chair, as well as the durability aspect of your new massage chair. Let’s get on with the remaining 7 “Absolute Musts” to consider when looking into a new massage chair recliner.

#3. Ease of Repair – because of the weight and bulk of a massage chair, simple repairs become a real bother when you have to ship an entire chair back to the manufacturer just to repair something as simple as a tear in the material. For this reason, I suggest looking into a chair that is constructed with a modular design. This makes repair cheap and easy. 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 so much easier and cheaper than sending off the whole chair.

#4. Customer Service – As far as I am concerned, this is probably the most important thing of all. If something does happen to your chair or if you are concerned about any function of your chair, it is so great to have a company that is always available to answer your questions. This puts your mind at ease and you can't put a price on that. So, make sure that whatever chair you buy has a good company backing it up. Whether that is the manufacturer, the seller, or both...you want peace of mind right from the start of your relationship with them.

#5. Price – Even the cheapest massage chair still costs hundreds of dollars, at a minimum…they are not cheap. You will need to invest quite a bit of money to get a new chair you can count on. Prices, however, do not need to be sky-high. Depending on the features you want and/or need, prices can range anywhere from $1000 - $6000. Quite a spread, isn't it? Well, you can get a chair with all the necessary massage therapy features for between $2000 - $3000. If you want real leather vs. man-made leather, an MP3 player, a USB port, or headphones, etc., of course you will pay for those extras. But for the basic features of massage therapy, you do not need to overspend. By the way, when you compare the price of your chair to regular visits to a massage therapist or chiropractor, over time the price of the massage chair is far less than what you'd pay out for all those therapy visits.

#6. Money Back Guarantee – Does your retailer back up the sale of your new massage chair with at least a 30 day unconditional money back guarantee? If not, then you need to be a little skeptical. This is a red flag. This goes back to customer service (#4). They MUST stand behind their product. How else can you feel good about your purchase if it's not backed up by the seller? Some companies even offer 60 or 90 day money back guarantees!

By the way, it is standard policy for virtually every massage chair retailer/distributor that you are responsible for shipping and freight back to the seller if you do decide to return your chair. Shipping, by the way, can cost anywhere from $150-$400.00…it isn’t cheap!

#7. Adjustable to Different Body Sizes - I have seen some chair companies that offer "sizing" for a chair. With some product lines that may be necessary, but with a well-manufactured chair, height and width adjustments are standard and can cater to virtually every body type. Some chairs now even come with a detached ottoman so that the chair can cater to a 6’10” person as well as a 5’4” person.

Most chairs will handle up to 300 pounds of body weight. If you are buying your new massage recliner for a very heavy person, make sure that you get the maximum weight allowance for the chair you are interested in.

#8. Remote Control – Virtually every new massage recliner comes with a remote control of some sort to make chair adjustments. Some remotes come with large and fancy displays, but as long as it adjusts the features of the chair, it doesn’t really matter how large or small it is or how high-tech it looks.

#9. Appearance - this might sound goofy or vain, but I want my chair to blend in comfortably and seamlessly with the room décor of my home or office. Don't compromise on looks for price! You're going to have to look at that chair everyday for as long as you've got it. You don't want to be sitting in a chair you think is so ugly that it creates stress. Especially when you are using your new massage recliner for stress relief!

#10. Satisfied Customers - A salesperson will tell you everything you want to hear to get you into his/her chair. What do real and actual clients think about the massage chair you are considering? Are their testimonials for you to hear or read? If you ask him for a list of some folks who have purchased their chair and you get no response...run! I will trust another buyer, just like me, before I'll trust someone trying to sell something to me. Testimonials should be on every seller's website or literature.

Now you have 10 things that should help you make a more educated buying decision when considering your new massage chair.