If you're looking for spa-level relaxation in the comfort of your own home, consider buying a massage chair. Equipped with mechanized massagers with a wide range of functions, these lounge chairs are the pinnacle of home de-stressing. Plus, they come with plenty of health benefits. Keep reading to learn more about the benefits of a massage chair and what massage types can help you unwind best.

Massage Chair Benefits
Massage Chair Massage Types
Additional Features to Consider

Massage Chair Benefits

Massage therapy is proven to have several health benefits. Designed to imitate the action of a professional massage, a massage chair is intended to provide those same benefits from the comfort of home. Plus, you'll save money on trips to the spa! Here are some of the massage chair benefits that could help improve your health:

1. Stress Reduction

One of the greatest benefits of a massage chair is its potential to help you relax. Chronic stress can be detrimental to both your physical and your mental health – it can negatively impact your mood, your sleeping habits, your ability to focus, and your creativity. Massages can help release muscle tension that has built up as a result of stress. Not only will this help you physically feel more relaxed, but it will also help you put your mind at ease, which in turn can help you sleep better, perform better at school or at work, and feel happier and more alert.

2. Pain Reduction

In addition to relaxing your muscles, which can ease joint stiffness and pain, massages can release endorphins, which are hormones in your brain that act as pain relievers. This is especially helpful in easing back pain, one of the leading worldwide causes of disability.

3. Improved Circulation

Relaxed muscles allow for better circulation of blood through the body, which can improve feeling in the extremities and combat bodily fatigue. These benefits are notable for athletes, who have reported feeling more flexible, having a faster recovery, and being at lower risk for injury as a result of massage therapy.

4. Lowered Blood Pressure

Some studies have shown that consistent massage therapy can actually lower your blood pressure, which can decrease the likelihood of heart attacks, kidney failure, and strokes. Other benefits of lower blood pressure can include decreased anxiety, depression, and aggress

Massage Chair Massage Types

When buying a massage chair, it's important to think of what types of massage you're looking for. Whether you're looking to relax your muscles, improve circulation, or balance your body's energy, there are a variety of different functions to meet your needs.

Relax Muscles

Kneading: Supposedly one of the best massage types for stress relief and muscle relaxation, kneading massages apply firm pressure to muscles in a circular motion.

Rolling: Skin rolling is a type of massage that involves the gentle "rolling" of the skin across the body. It doesn't target deep tissue but rather aims to relieve muscle pain and tension closer to the surface.

Foot & Calf: Foot and calf massagers target muscles in the legs and feet to specifically relieve tension and improve blood flow in those areas. These massages are great for athletes and those who spend a lot of time on their feet.

Stretch: Stretching massage chairs compress and recline your body in a way that is meant to arch and stretch your spine. Many of these chairs incorporate a gentle spinal massage into their stretch function to thoroughly relax the spinal muscles while they stretch. Some of these massage chairs have functions that grip your shoulders and calves to improve the effectiveness of the stretching.

Swedish: Swedish massages combine long, kneading motions with targeted percussion motions to relieve muscle tension in an exceptionally relaxing way.

Improve Circulation

Knocking: The rhythmic percussion of a knocking massage impacts deep tissue to stimulate blood flow.

Compression: Many massage chairs have built-in airbags that can be inflated to gently compress certain parts of the body. This compression can be beneficial to those with circulation issues. Compression massage chairs are made specifically to promote blood flow around the body.

Balance the Body's Energy

Shiatsu: Shiatsu ("finger pressure") massages target specific pressure points to release tension in a way that is meant to rebalance the body's energy in addition to relieving stress.

Vibration: Specific areas of the body are gently jostled during a vibrating massage. This method isn't as effective as the deeper tissue massage types at relaxing muscles, but it is excellent at calming the mind and body.

Tapping: Tapping massages involve the gentle percussion of superficial areas of the body. Rather than relieving deep muscle tension, these massages aim to redistribute the body's energy and put the mind at peace.

Acupressure: Acupressure massage therapy applies firm pressure to energy points in the body that correspond with areas of pain to soothe and relieve pain.

Hawaiian: A traditional Hawaiian massage, or "lomilomi" massage, incorporates music, chants, aromatic oils, and soothing touching to reharmonize the body's energy and release pent-up emotions. While they can't replicate the entire experience, massage chairs with Hawaiian massage functions utilize rhythmic, flowing strokes across broad areas to balance the spirit and thoroughly relax the body.

Additional Features to Consider

The massage functions of massage chairs aren't the only relaxation features available.

Reclining: Lay back while you receive your massage in a reclining massage chair.

Zero Gravity: These massage chairs recline far enough to elevate your legs slightly above your head, which takes pressure and stress off of your spine and can improve blood flow.

Heated: Put yourself deeper into your comfort zone by relaxing in a heated massage chair.

Far Infrared Heat Therapy: These chairs emit rays of light on the far end of the light spectrum to help relieve muscle aches and pains as well as joint stiffness caused by arthritis or fatigue.

4-Way Roller: These massage chairs are equipped with two roller balls on either side of the spine, all four of which can move independently of each other. This allows for deeper, more intense spinal muscle massages.

Full Body: Opt for a massage chair that can target areas across your entire body and let every part of you reap the benefits of your massage chair.