Infinity 8500 vs 8800 Massage Chair Review - Consumer Files

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review

In Massage Chairs by Consumer FilesLeave a CommentLast Updated: March 1st, 2023

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair

  • Ease of Use
  • Overall Massage Quality
  • Customization Options
  • Value for Money

Summary

The Infinity IT 8500 combines some of the most popular massage chair features — foot rollers, S-track, Zero Gravity, stretching — into a single chair without the cost you might expect. Overall, it’s a high-quality massage chair and a great value for the money.

4.5

Before we head to our detailed review, let's begin with a side-by-side comparison of the Infinity IT 8500 and 8500X3 massage chair features...

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Black - Consumer Files

Infinity IT 8500

3D Massage Technology

Air Massage

Arm Air Massage

More Specifications...

Infinity IT 8500 X3 Massage Chair

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review X3 Taupe - Consumer Files

Infinity IT 8500 X3

3D Massage Technology

Air Massage

Arm Air Massage

More Specifications...

Infinity IT 8500
VS
Infinity IT 8500X3

COMPARISON CHART

Human Touch iJoy 2580

Infinity IT 8500

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Black - Consumer Files

Infinity IT 8500X3

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review X3 Taupe - Consumer Files

3D Massage Technology

Air Massage

Arm Air Massage

Bluetooth Connectivity

Body Scan Technology

Built-In Speakers

Calf and Foot Air Massage

Chromotherapy Lights

Dual Rollers

Foot Rollers

Handheld LCD Remote

Heat Therapy

Hip Air Massage

LCD Pedestal Remote

Localized Auto Program

L-Track

Manual Massage Controls

Massage Programs

4

9

Massage Techniques

6

6

Neck Air Massage

Seat Air Massage

Seat Swivel Technology

S-Track

Stretch Programs

USB Port

Vibration

Zero Gravity

The IT 8500 is perhaps the best-selling Infinity model. But why? What does it offer that other massage chairs don’t?

In this Infinity IT 8500 massage chair review, we’re going to answer those questions as well as walk you through each and every feature so you can see why this chair is a great value for the money. Plus, we’re explaining the differences between the Infinity IT 8500 vs. Infinity IT 8500X3 models. Let’s get started!

About Infinity

Infinite Therapeutics launched the Infinity Therapeutic massage chair product line in 2009. In less than 10 years, they have introduced some of the most popular and advanced massage chairs available today. Infinity massage chairs found their niche by creating massage chairs that offer a combination of features you don’t often find altogether, but wish you did.

The Infinity headquarters are located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, where they also house their US-based customer service team.

Today, we’re reviewing the Infinity IT 8500 massage chair, which retails for $4,995 but can be found discounted on sites like Amazon. While some of the Infinity massage chairs are manufactured in Taiwan, the Infinity IT 8500 is manufactured in China.

Now that we’ve covered the company, let’s get into the features on the IT 8500...

Features of the Infinity Massage Chair 8500

Optical Body Scanning

Most massage chairs in the $2,000-plus range feature some sort of body scan technology. Without it, the massage rollers operate from a fixed position or range, which means they treat all users the same despite having different heights and shapes. So if you want a massage chair that can target the correct areas, body scan technology is essential. Not unless you’re fine with manually adjusting the position of the rollers.

On the Infinity IT 8500, however, the body scan technology not only detects your height and shape but creates a digital map of your back to locate your acupoints.

According to ancient Chinese and Japanese medicine, acupoints are areas on the body through which life force flows. When life force is blocked or cut off in any of these areas, illness or misalignment occurs. Therapies like acupuncture as well as acupressure-focused massage chairs like the Infinity IT 8500 work to clear these energetic blocks to bring balance and well-being back to the body.

The scan initiates before any auto or manual massage program. If the scan happens to not locate the correct position of your shoulders or if you want to refine the position, you can manually adjust the shoulder height of the rollers using a set of arrows on the remote.

Quad Rollers with 30-inch S-Track

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Taupe Side - Consumer Files

Once the IT 8500 “knows” where you are in the chair, your massage begins.

Using dual rollers — two sets of two — the Infinity IT 8500 massages from your neck to your tailbone along a 30-inch S-Track.

An S-Track is an S” shaped massage track that's curved to replicate the natural shape of your spine. Think about it… your back isn’t a straight line, so why would your massage track be?

An S-Track curves in key areas like your neck and lower back to ensure consistent contact and pressure from the rollers.

The rollers are 2D, which means they move in two ways: up and down and side to side. So there's no way to adjust the intensity (or 3D capabilities) on the Infinity IT 8500. However, the massage is deep tissue, so if you like a vigorous massage, the IT 8500 will suit you well. Although there's no way to adjust the intensity, you can remove the back pad to put yourself in closer contact with the rollers or add additional padding to ease contact.

Like other Infinity models, the IT 8500 comfortably fits a wide range of heights from 5’0” to 6’4”.

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Foot - Consumer Files

Foot Roller Massage

A unique feature that sets the Infinity 8500 massage chair apart from others on the market is foot rollers.

You might be wondering… a lot of massage chairs have foot rollers, what’s the big deal?

Good question.

The answer is… these rollers aren’t protruding nodes (like you find on the Inada DreamWave and Panasonic models) and they aren’t spinning reflexology rollers that “scrape” the bottoms of the feet (like you find on Osaki models). These are similar-to-back-rollers rollers.

Under each foot on the Infinity IT 8500 are three rollers: one for the front, one for the middle and one for the sole. The rollers perform reflexology-style massage treating your acupoints. There are three speeds to choose from, but no way to adjust the intensity — although a pair of thick socks helps. Additionally, airbags in the calf and foot massager ottoman inflate to push the feet down onto the rollers for a more intense foot massage, which brings us to our next section…

Air Massage

The Infinity IT 8500 has 38 airbags strategically placed throughout the chair. These airbags treat the neck, shoulders, hips, sides of the thighs, seat, calves, and feet. They perform compression massage as well as advanced massage techniques like seat swiveling and neck rotation and also play an integral role in the stretch program, which we’ll cover in more detail later.

Neck Rotation

Inside the neck pillow are airbags that inflate to grab the neck before alternating inflation intervals to rotate the neck from side to side. So what does that look like?

Imagine you’re sitting in a massage chair with your head on a pillow. Inside the pillow are airbags: one on the left and one on the right. Your neck sits in the middle. When the airbags inflate, they press against the sides of your neck. Then, the right airbag deflates but the left airbag stays inflated. Then the left airbag deflates while the right airbag inflates and so on and so forth. Each time the airbags alternate, your neck is gently rotated from side to side.

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Recline - Consumer Files

Seat Swivel

Inside the seat of the Infinity IT 8500 are airbags that inflate to raise your body upward and then swivel to move it from side to side. It’s called Seat Swivel and it gently swings your lower body, which helps to stretch and mobilize your pelvic and lumbar areas. There are three speeds of swivel available and you can add the program to any manual massage.

The only other massage chair that features this type of technology is the Inada DreamWave However, it’s important to note that the seat swivel on the Infinity IT 8500 is not as defined or refined as the DreamWave technology (seat swivel) on the Inada.

2 Stage Zero Gravity

Another unique feature on the Infinity IT 8500 is its two-stage Zero Gravity.

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Zero G - Consumer Files

Zero Gravity was originally developed by NASA to help astronauts cope with the gravitational stress on their bodies. In the Zero Gravity position, the back is reclined and the legs are elevated at or above the heart such that most of the body’s weight is held by the backrest.

Here, vertical pressure is removed from the spine and circulation is increased in the legs while the muscles in the neck and back decompress and relax. The position also uses gravity to its favor as your body’s weight helps push you on top of the rollers for a deeper, more effective massage.

There are two stages of Zero Gravity on the Infinity IT 8500, each with a different level of recline.

Heat Therapy

The Infinity 8500 massage chair has heat therapy in the lower portion of the backrest. The heat warms and soothes the lumbar spine, causing the blood vessels to dilate which brings new oxygen and nutrients into the area, helping to repair damaged tissues. The heat also relaxes the muscles allowing the rollers to penetrate deeper.

You can add heat therapy to any massage program or manual massage or turn it off altogether.

USB-port and Built-in Speakers

A popular feature you’ll find on the Infinity IT 8500 massage chair is a music system. With built-in speakers and a USB-port, you can add your favorite music to the chair and listen to it while enjoying your massage. The only caveat is that you first have to put your music on a USB drive. It’s not as easy and plugging in an MP3 player, but when you do add your USB, you’ll be rewarded with the option to sync your massage to the rhythm of your music with MusicSync.

The Infinity IT 8500 has a headphone jack so you can listen to your music through the privacy of your headphones.

LCD Remote with Pedestal Stand

Sitting next to the chair is a pedestal stand with a large remote. The remote has a large LCD screen that displays all of the chair’s active functions and a massage timer.

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Controller - Consumer Files

On the right of the screen are four buttons that control the backrest and ottoman. On the left side are two buttons that adjust the position of the rollers as well as the seat swivel and heat buttons.

Below the screen are the music controls, including volume buttons. Below that are the auto massage programs as well as the Zero Gravity and air massage buttons. And at the bottom of the remote is where the manual controls are for the massage width, speed, and air intensity. We’ll explain all of the manual mode options below.

Overall, the remote is clearly labeled and easy to use. However, some users might suggest an additional handheld remote so they can easily adjust settings while in the reclined position.

Massage Techniques and Auto Programs

The Infinity IT 8500 performs six different massage techniques, including kneading, tapping, dual (a combination of kneading and tapping), knocking, shiatsu, and music synchronization.

Kneading performs small circular motions, tapping uses light tap strokes, knocking taps on alternate sides of the spine, shiatsu applies “finger pressure” up and down into the muscle, and music synchronizes your massage to your music.

Auto Massage Programs

Using a combination of the roller techniques and air massage, the Infinity 8500 has four automatic massage programs. These programs are fully-automated — just press a button and enjoy a full-body massage. The programs each have their own theme or benefit, for example, “Relax.” You can adjust the time of the auto programs from 10 to 45 minutes. The programs are:

Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review Front - Consumer Files
  • Recover - A powerful deep tissue full-body massage that’s excellent for pre- and post-workout recovery.
  • Refresh - A light and invigorating full-body massage that’s designed to energize the body — a great morning massage program.
  • Extend - Perhaps the most popular auto program, Extend combines full-body stretching and roller massage. During the program, airbags in the ottoman inflate to hold the feet while the shoulder airbags inflate to hold the back against the chair. Then, the chair reclines up to 178 degrees (nearly parallel to the ground) which produces slight inversion therapy with gentle traction in the lower back while the ottoman raises and lowers — stretching the whole body.*
  • Relax - A light and soothing full-body massage that’s designed to relieve stress and relax the muscles — a great massage before going to sleep.

*In other Infinity 8500 massage chair reviews, you’ll hear the chair has inversion therapy and spine correcting “V” stretch, however, it’s important to note these reclined positions are only available during the auto programs. In other words, there’s no “Inversion Therapy” button that will put you into an inverted position.

Manual Massage Programs

In addition to the auto programs, the Infinity IT 8500 has three manual massage programs that give you more control of the location of your treatment. Simply select one of the areas you want the rollers to treat and select the technique you want them to use and congratulations you’ve just dialed-in a manual massage.

The programs are:

  • Back - Massage the entire back.
  • Partial - Refines your massage to a zone, for example, lower back.
  • Point - Focuses your massage on a single point.

Customizations and Manual Mode Options

To further customize your massage, the Infinity IT 8500 offers the following additional manual mode options:

  • Roller width - Choose from three roller widths: narrow, medium, and wide.
  • Roller speed - Choose from six levels of roller speed.
  • Roller position - Adjust the position of the rollers with arrows on the remote.
  • Air Intensity = Adjust the intensity of the airbags up to five levels.
  • Air location - Select from three air massage areas (arms and shoulders, upper body, and legs and feet) to add to your manual massage.
  • Swivel speed - Choose from three levels of swivel speed.

Let’s illustrate how you could combine manual mode options to create a custom massage

After you select the area you want to be treated and the techniques you want to be used, you can select to add air massage, adjust the air intensity, turn on the foot rollers, adjust the speed of the foot rollers, and even add a swivel seat massage. To really relax, you can adjust your position in the chair using the Zero Gravity button or turn on the lower back heating. There you have it! A 100-percent custom massage.

Infinity IT 8500 vs. Infinity 8500 X3: What’s the Difference?

Now that we’ve covered the Infinity IT 8500, it’s time to look at the other massage chair in the Infinity 8500 series, the Infinity IT 8500 X3.

There are four major differences or “upgrades” on the Infinity 8500 X3 compared to the IT 8500, including:

3D Massage Rollers

That’s right, on the Infinity 8500 X3 there are 3D rollers, which means you can adjust the intensity of your massage — by five levels. Thanks to the robust intensity settings gentle and vigorous massage enthusiasts alike can enjoy the chair. Good news if you want a massage chair that will appeal to multiple users.

Additional Massage Programs

The Infinity IT 8500 also includes two additional auto massage programs (six total) that focus on the neck and shoulders or waist and spine as well as three 3D-specific programs: Deep Shiatsu, Healthy Breath, and Massage Extend.

Bluetooth Connectivity

Rather than having a USB-port that requires you to put music on a USB and import it into the chair, the Infinity IT 8500 X3 has Bluetooth connectivity that lets you connect your device directly to the chair. Simply turn on the Bluetooth on the remote (and your device) and select your favorite music from your device.

Remote Control

Another major difference between the Infinity IT 8500 and IT 8500X3 is the remote. The Infinity IT 8500 has a tablet-like pedestal remote. But the Infinity IT 8500X3 has a slim handheld remote. The slim remote has an LCD screen through which you make all of your selections (much like you do on a smartphone), rather than having buttons for each function like on the IT 8500. It’s intuitive and easy to use and makes adjusting settings while reclined much simpler.


Infinity IT 8500 Zero Gravity Massage Chair Specifications

Chair Dimensions (upright)

74L x 35.4W x 36.3H

Chair Dimensions (reclined)

59L x 35.4W x 45.7H

Recommended Maximum User Weight

325 lbs

Recommended User Height

5'1" to 6'4"

Power Consumption

260W

Chair Weight

229 lbs

Colors

ivory, brown, black, taupe

Which Massage Chair Is Better?

With additional features like 3D rollers and more auto programs, it seems the Infinity IT 8500X3 is the obvious choice as the better chair. However, it does cost about $1,000 more, which for some users might be a little too much more. Either way, both of these massage chairs are feature-rich and make an excellent choice. But if you have the extra room in your budget, the 3D rollers on the Infinity IT 8500X3 will give you more control over your massage experience.

Infinity Massage Chair 8500 Final Thoughts

Why is the IT 8500 the most popular Infinity model and what does it offer that other massage chairs don’t?

Here’s the deal… it’s not that the Infinity IT 8500 offers any revolutionary technology, it’s that it manages to combine some of the most popular features like Zero Gravity, foot rollers, heat therapy, deep tissue massage, S-Track and others into a single chair and still remain affordable.

Now, factor in a US-based customer support team and three-year limited warranty and the IT 8500 is all-around solid massage chair. Whether you choose it or not, we hope our Infinity IT 8500 review helped educate your buying decision.


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Infinity IT 8500 Massage Chair Review was last modified: March 1st, 2023 by Consumer Files