Few things in this world are more satisfying than a full body massage at the end of a long, tiring day. A head-to-toe massage is a great way to de-stress, decompress our spine and improve blood circulation in our body.
If you have time and money to spare, a short trip to the local spa will usually do the trick. Or, you can convince your equally exhausted partner to give you a quick rub and pray it will be enough. For majority of us, however, a full body massage is more like an annual treat–so rare that we often forget massage is actually one of our strongest weapons against the daily stresses of life.
Fortunately, there are massage chairs that are now designed to provide the most comprehensive body massage. Gone are the days when these chairs were only capable of providing back massage; today, the best full body massage chair can stimulate your body from head down to the fingertips.
This guide will help you discover the best full body massage chair that suits every need and budget.
Choosing The Best Full Body Massage Chair – Our Criteria.
It’s hard to pick from a dizzying array of massage chairs, that we already know. But in this case, the keyword is “comprehensive,” meaning an ideal chair should have all the features required to give a full body massage. These features include:
⊕L-track design. Massage chairs either have an L-track or S-track design. This track can be likened to a train track which guides the rollers as they move up and down your back. All massage chairs have a standard S-track design, which follows the shape of the spine from neck to the lower back. However, more and more massage chairs are now equipped with L-track rollers which means they can extend to the buttocks–a great feature for those suffering from Piriformis syndrome and related conditions that afflict the buttocks.
⊕3D massage rollers. When massage chairs were still gaining traction, two-dimensional massage rollers were the trend. These type of rollers can move up and down as well as from side to side. To give their chairs an edge over their competition, some manufacturers introduced 3D massage rollers which can also move forward and backward in addition to the usual movements offered by 2D rollers. They can also reach the top of your shoulders and even allow users to adjust the intensity of the massage.
⊕Neck and shoulder massage. Most massage chairs usually have headrest with airbags to provide compression massage to both the neck and shoulder muscles. In Inada massage chairs, this is called a Cervical Traction Device. The headrest or pillow can be flipped over if you prefer deeper neck massage from the rollers. Take note that massage chairs with longest tracks like Infinity Iyashi usually have weaker neck massage. The key is to find a chair that has a perfect balance between neck massage and length of roller track.
⊕Arm airbags. The best full body massage chair has numerous airbags that provide precise compression massage to the whole arm–from the upper arm down to the wrist and fingertips. Inada massage chairs are the only chairs I know that offer full-arm massage; others either cover only parts of the arm or don’t offer any arm massage at all.
⊕Foot and calf massagers. With almost all major massage chair brands offering this feature, it’s almost a crime now for a massage chair to not have a foot and calf massager. Mechanical foot rollers use a combination of airbags and rollers to stimulate the soles, arches and heels of the feet. Calf massagers, meanwhile, are typically airbags that help push the blood from the legs back to the heart, improving circulation which is essential for faster healing.