6 Tools a Massage Recliner Chair Can Replace

Getting a massage on a regular basis is an excellent way to take care of yourself, boost your overall wellness, and help your body recover. Unfortunately, making consistent massage therapy appointments quickly becomes a monumental expense that grows higher each session and requires you to make time for a massage in your already-hectic schedule. Because of these inconveniences, many people have turned to at-home massage.

What do you need for the ultimate home massage experience? Foam rollers, massage guns, and heat packs? Nope. All you need is one amazing tool: a full body massage chair. Today, we’re looking at six tools a massage recliner chair can replace. Read on, and see what a massage chair can do for you.

Which Tools Will a Massage Recliner Chair Replace?

When it comes to the benefits of massage therapy at home, there are plenty of tools to try. While they may work reasonably well, they all fall short of providing the full body experience and level of benefits a massage chair recliner does. We’ve put together a list of popular tools a massage recliner chair can replace below:

• Portable massage guns
• Electric neck and back massagers
• Heat packs
• Foot and calf massagers
• Foam rollers
• Massage sticks

Seeing your favorites on our list? Keep reading to learn just why a reclining massage chair is better for people of all ages and lifestyles!

Portable Massage Guns

Portable massage guns have become very popular in recent years as an alternative to traditional massage therapy. The prospect of having a portable massage tool appeals especially to athletes who may want to use them as part of a recovery routine after playing a game, running, or any other physically-intensive activity.

While portable massage guns do provide some smaller benefits of massage on the go, they simply can’t compare to the benefits of a full body massage chair. Massage guns can only focus on a small area at any given time and provide simple, percussive movement for relief. A massage recliner chair, however, provides an incredible massage experience from head to toe with more complex movement, different types of massage techniques available, and bonus features like heat therapy to enhance your session.

Electric Neck and Back Massagers

You may also be familiar with small electric neck and back massagers that are meant to provide back pain relief and alleviate shoulder tension. These tools often attach to a regular chair with a strap and may be touted to provide specific massage techniques like Shiatsu massage.

The shortcomings of these massage tools are numerous. For a start, attaching to the back of your chair means you have to get the positioning just right to achieve any real relief. Since the back of your chair is likely not designed with attaching neck and back massagers in mind, chances are this tool won’t be in the ideal spot.

Furthermore, unless you’re sitting in an ergonomic chair, these massage tools don’t rectify the problem with the chair itself. It may not provide enough support, be conducive for good posture, or any other number of factors that contribute to neck and back pain in the first place.

A reclining massage chair, however, uses massage rollers to accurately mimic the movements of a massage therapist, providing you with a neck and back massage that relaxes the muscles, alleviates pain, and gets you back to feeling your best. Massage chairs with body scanning technology adjust to start at the precise right position for your height so you know you’re getting the best experience possible.

Heat Packs

Heat packs are often applied to help with muscle soreness, stiffness, and recovery. These health and wellness tools are also easily outshone by a massage recliner chair, however, for a plethora of reasons.

The most obvious is that heating packs aren’t providing actual massage movements. Your massage chair recliner, on the other hand, is. Not only do luxury massage chairs offer you massage, but they provide a variety of techniques to choose from to fit your present need at any time.

Additional massage chair features may include the benefits of heat therapy, rendering heat packs completely useless by comparison, as your chair applies heat to a larger area in combination with your massage session. Other features like chromotherapy and zero gravity reclining capabilities enhance your experience even further, putting your massage recliner chair in a league of its own.

Foot and Calf Massagers

Similar to neck and back massagers, foot and calf massagers are also limited to the described areas. Sure, they may offer a nice foot and calf massage, but their limited range along your body makes them ultimately inferior to a full body massage recliner chair.

Using a massage chair with electric foot rollers, an SL-track for massage rollers, and leg massage features takes your foot and calf massage and expands its reach all over. It’s one tool a massage recliner chair can replace with ease.

Foam Rollers

Foam rollers are popular tools a massage recliner chair can replace, as well, given their limited capabilities for the entire body. There’s no doubt they’re beneficial for the body, in general, but they’re meant to target the back and shoulders, not the body as a whole. A recliner massage chair replaces foam rollers by delivering an incredible massage experience from the neck to the bottoms of your feet. Massage chairs also use their rollers to mimic the complex movements of human massage therapists instead of the simple back and forth on the unchanging design of your foam roller.

Massage Sticks

Massage sticks are next on our list of tools a massage recliner chair can replace. These massage tools come in a variety of designs ranging from roller sticks to arched massage canes. 

The roller sticks emulate the rollers of a reclining massage chair but without the same complexity. Whereas 3D and 4D massage chairs have rollers that move up and down, as well as side to side, massage roller sticks are simply rolled manually across your body with whatever part they make contact with. The obvious downsides are that they may not always maintain contact with the body and provide much more basic sensations.

Massage canes look like more clever designs, but are still simple manual tools for massage. These, along with roller sticks, also fail against massage recliner chairs as some users may actually experience discomfort simply trying to use them against their back.

Benefits of a Reclining Massage Chair Over Other Tools

If the number of different massage techniques, key design elements, and additional features like heat therapy didn’t make the choice clear enough, there are secondary benefits of a reclining massage chair over other tools to consider, as well.

For example, you may need multiple other tools to experience a “full body” massage. This means purchasing multiple pieces of equipment and finding places to store them. You may also need to ensure they’re charged up properly before use in order to use them at all! A massage recliner chair simply plugs in and you’re ready to go.

Having a reclining massage chair at home is also easier to blend in with other furniture, making it something you don’t have to store somewhere when not in use. While we don’t recommend using your massage chair as a normal chair for sitting, its chic design allows you to have it out at all times without having to worry about disrupting the overall look of your home.

The greatest reason a massage recliner chair can replace other massage tools is the comprehensive bodily healing it provides. Other tools may work specific spots or help with small areas of the body at any given time, your recliner massage chair is boosting your well-being from head to toe all at once. When used regularly, you may experience the compounding of these benefits of massage therapy at home, enhancing your overall quality of life altogether.

As you have learned, a massage recliner chair can replace all your other massage tools. It’s an all-in-one tool for all your health and wellness needs. Regardless of age, fitness level, or lifestyle, massage chairs may be right for you. As always, consult your primary care physician before starting any new health routine. Once you’ve got the go ahead, however, you’ll find your massage recliner chair is exactly what you always needed to feel your best.