10 Things You Absolutely Need To Know
Before Buying Your Massage Recliner

Don't throw good money away on a poor product.

At this very moment you've probably got back pain, neck pain, leg pain, stress, and/or tight muscles. Right? I know this because the vast majority of folks that are looking for a massage chair are experiencing all or some of these symptoms. Massage chairs have been proven to do wonders for each one of these conditions.

On the other hand, some of you may just be looking for a nice and relaxing chair to sit in while you listen to your surround sound movie or music system. That's great too!

What I'm about to tell you will give you exactly what you need and want to know. If you've ever sat in a robotic massage chair recliner , you know what a fantastic treat it really is. However, it's not just as simple as sitting in a chair to know if it's good or not. There are a lot of "behind the scenes" things that this report will talk to you about to help you make your buying decision easier. You've thought of some of them, like price and looks, but I will cover a bunch of things that have probably never occurred to you. This report is designed to make things clearer for you before shelling out your hard-earned money.

So, what do you absolutely need to know before buying a chair?

1. Features - The old massage chairs only provided vibration. Well, today's chairs should offer the following:

• Kneading - called "shiatsu" by some, kneading rolls from the spine outward and feels like 2 hands alternately rubbing your back. This truly feels like a real hands-on massage. This is why any of our chairs can also be called a "shiatsu massage chair ".
• Percussion/Tapping - you've seen on TV a massage therapist lightly "karate chopping" a client's back. Well, that's what this feels like. This really gets the blood flowing and is great for muscle stiffness. It feels wonderful.
• Rolling - in my clinic, we have a $2800.00 table that patients lie on, called a "roller table." Basically, wheels just roll up and down either side of your spine. This does a couple of things: 1.) it gently moves the spinal bones, and 2.) stretches the spine and it's muscles. My patients love it...and the roller table only rolls! Your massage chair should do so much more than just roll (and for a lot less money!).
• Foot and calf massager - many of the new chairs have an attached ottoman that has a calf and foot massage feature. A real "must", 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 135º. You will want 170-180º reclining angle for the more intense massage option (by the way, the further back your chair reclines, men, the more it imitates a bed...especially important if you're ever forced to sleep on the couch!!).

2. Durability - it goes without saying that you want a well-built massage chair...something built to last. Even though you most likely can't know how good a motor is or how well built the chair really is, there are some other ways to know if a chair is a workhorse and is going to last a while:

• Warranty - the longer the term of the warranty, the more confidence you can have that 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 is as if you had not warranty at all.
• Reputation - make sure the manufacturer of the chair is well-known and readily 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. Does the chair/company have 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. You can 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 kids jumping on it like a trampoline (that's exactly what happens in my home!).

3. Ease of Repair - a good massage chair will be built with a modular design. Why is this so good? To make 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 - this is a biggie! Probably the most important thing of all. If something does happen to your massage 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 - as you've probably noticed already, 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 sky-high. Some chairs are way too expensive for the features that come with them. Prices can range anywhere from $1000 - $6000. Quite a spread, isn't it? Well, you can get a chair with everything I've mentioned in this report for between $2000 - $2700. 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 - plain and simply, 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 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?

By the way, be prepared to pay for shipping and freight back to the seller if you do decide to return your chair. That is pretty standard across the board. And that's not 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. The last thing you want is to buy a chair for the family that is "sized" for a 6' 10" man and the 5' 4" woman of the house can't use it. A chair that has built-in height and width adjustments will take care of everyone in your home or office.

8. Remote Control - pretty much every new massage recliner comes with a remote control to make chair adjustments. There's nothing worse that having to get up off the chair to make a change. Most, if not all, chairs should have a remote control.

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 and feel nothing but regret. You don't want to be sitting in a chair you think is so ugly that it creates stress. Especially when you are using the massage recliner for stress relief!

10. Happy Customers - of course, a salesman will tell you everything you want to hear to get you into his chair. But what do real customers think about the chair? Does your seller have testimonials for you to hear or read? If you ask him for a list of some folks who have purchased their massage 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.