Massage Chair Under $500 Review 2024

When searching for a massage chair under $500, there are three aspects to pay attention to: quality, brand reputation, and lastly, features.

In this review, we’re not only showing you the most feature-rich massage chairs, but the ones we feel offer the highest quality for the lowest cost and have enough user-generated reviews to back them up. Let’s get started!

Our Pick: Human Touch iJoy Active 2.0 Massage Chair

Unfortunately, this product has been DISCONTINUED and REPLACED by the Human Touch iJoy Active 2.1.

Human Touch is a US-based massage chair brand that’s known to produce quality products and has an in-house customer service team. Their massage chairs are the only ones recognized by the World Federation of Chiropractic as being valid supplements to back therapies. And lucky for us, they happen to offer some of the most affordable massage chairs available, including the best overall massage chair under 500 — the Human Touch iJoy Active 2.0.

Let’s take a closer look at what makes it such a great chair…

25-inch Roller Track with FlexGlide Technology

A common aspect of ultra-affordable massage chairs is they often lack roller technology. Rather than rollers, these chairs offer different types of massage, for example, air massage or vibration massage. The Active 2.0, however, is not one of these chairs.

With a 25-inch straight track and dual rollers, the Active 2.0 performs one of the most (if not the most) comprehensive and powerful roller massages available on any massage chair under 500 dollars.

The rollers operate using Human Touch’s advanced roller technology called FlexGlide. This patent-pending technology is usually only found on Human Touch’s higher-end models, which makes the fact that it’s on a massage chair under $500 so surprising.

With FlexGlide, the rollers move in a flexible, gliding motion that reduces the friction and resistance of the rollers as they massage across the back. Human Touch describes the technology as “the feeling of a warm oil massage,” which is to say resistance-free.

What is a straight track and how does it compare to other tracks?

There are three main massage chair tracks: S-Tracks, straight tracks, and L-Tracks.

Straight tracks are linear tracks that form a straight line from top to bottom. They’re typically only found on highly-affordable massage chairs. Why? Because they’re straight but your back is curved.

Since straight tracks are straight and your back isn’t, there’s a chance the rollers won’t keep consistent contact or pressure across curved areas like your lower back. However, few Active 2.0 users have reported a lack of contact or pressure and most seem to specifically praise the lower back coverage.

S-Tracks, on the other hand, are curved and have an “S” shape to replicate the natural curve of your spine. S-Tracks are the standard track on any mid- to high-end massage chair and work with the shape of your back to produce a custom-feeling massage.

L-Tracks are a different type of track altogether. They pick up where straight and S-Tracks end — at the waist or tailbone — and extend into the seat of the chair. L-Tracks extend the roller range an additional 15 inches or more and treat the areas no other tracks can: the glutes and hamstrings.

So back to the rollers.

In terms of strength, the roller massage on the Active 2.0 is quite vigorous. So if you like deep-tissue massage, the Human Touch Active 2.0 is a great option to consider.

Massage Techniques and Programs

The Human Touch Active 2.0 features three massage techniques — glide, orbit, and stretch — two of which are stationary techniques and one of which is a rolling technique. The position of the rollers can be controlled using a set of arrows on the remote. And the Active 2.0 even lets you adjust the width of the rollers to focus or diffuse the pressure during a glide massage.

There are three automatic massage programs, particularly, Perform, Think, and Recharge, each focusing on different sections of the back.

Reputable Brand

Perhaps one of the most compelling aspects of the Active 2.0 is that it’s manufactured by Human Touch, a big brand in the massage chair industry.

So why is this important?

It’s important for two reasons. First, since Human Touch is such a large brand you can often test the chairs before you buy them. Second, as a large brand they have a level of accountability and responsiveness you don’t always get with no-name brands. If you have a defect on your Human Touch massage chair you can call their customer service and someone will answer.

Feature Highlights

To learn more about the features of the Human Touch Active 2.0 massage chair, check out our full review.

L-Track: BestMassage SL-Track Massage Chair

So the second pick on our list isn’t a name-brand massage chair but it does have one very compelling feature: an L-Track. You rarely (we mean rarely) find an L-track massage chair under $500. Let’s take a closer look…

SL-TRACK

Like we explained above, L-Tracks extend into the seat of chair adding up to an additional 15 or more inches to the massage range. The track uses a combination of S-Track and L-Track to form an SL-Track, which is another way to say “L-Track,” since all chairs that have L-Tracks also have S-Tracks. The track extends from the neck to the buttocks providing perhaps the longest range of any massage chair under $500.

Hip Air Massage

Another compelling feature on the BestMassage SL-Track massage chair is air massage. There are two airbags located next to the hips that inflate and deflate to swing the lower back from side to side. While two is not a huge number of airbags, the air massage is a welcome addition, especially for those who suffer from lower back or hip pain. The air massage intensity is adjustable by three levels from mild to strong.

BLUETOOTH COMPATIBLE WITH BUILT-IN SPEAKERS

An additional feature you won’t expect to find on a massage chair under 500 is built-in speakers. The BestMassage SL-Track massage chair has those too. The music is controlled using Bluetooth that connects your compatible device to the speakers. Simply select your favorite massage music and you’re ready to sit back and relax.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

There’s very little literature about the BestMassage SL-Track massage chair online. And the literature that does exist isn’t always accurate. So we want to clear a few things up for you…

First, the BestMassage SL-Track massage chair does not recline. So there’s no way to adjust your position in the chair — it’s upright all the time.

Secondly, there’s no heat. Some product descriptions will tell you there is, but there are no heating pads anywhere on the chair.

Finally, since the chair doesn’t recline, there’s no Zero Gravity functionality.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

Vibration: Best Choice Products Massage Chair

Remember how we said many massage chairs under $500 don’t offer roller massage? The Best Choice Products massage chair is one of those chairs. Rather than roller massage, it performs various vibration massages. And although lacking many popular massage chair features, it does offer a few that users seem to love. Let’s take a closer look…

Vibration Massage

The Best Choice Products massage chair features vibration plates that treat the upper back, lower back, thighs, and legs. The plates have five different massage modes that perform different intensities and patterns.

Vibration massage is believed to increase circulation particularly through the smallest vessels, which helps to remove stagnant fluids from the muscles.

Heat Therapy

Another therapeutic feature, heat therapy, is also found on the Best Choice Products massage chair. Located in the back and thighs, the heating pads radiate warmth to the area to help relax the muscles as well as increase circulation.

Doubles as A Piece of Furniture

Unlike other massage chairs, the Best Choice Products massage chair is comfortable to use as a sitting chair. In fact, you can think of the Best Choice Products massage chair as a chair that can also massage rather than a massage chair. The chair reclines nearly parallel with the ground and a manually-controlled footrest lets you put your feet up. The chair rocks like a rocking chair, swivels a full 360 degrees, and even has cup holders for your drink.

Feature Highlights

Budget Pick: Relaxzen 60-42511105

At well under $300, the RelaxZen 60-42511105 is our pick for the most affordable massage chair under $500. And although lacking many common massage chair features including rollers and air massage, the RelaxZen offers vibration and heat. Plus, it holds a fairly high rating considering its low cost — a 3.9 out of 5 on Amazon with 294 reviews, 208 of which are positive.

Let’s take a closer look at the RelaxZen…

Vibration Massage

The RelaxZen comes with two pieces: a chair and a footrest. There are eight vibration plates throughout the chair that treat the upper back, lower back, thighs, and calves. You can independently select a body area or combine them for a full-body vibration massage. There are nine automatic programs to choose from, each with its own speed and patterns, and you can adjust the intensity up to five levels.

Heat Therapy

Additionally, the RelaxZen features heat therapy for the lower back that warms and soothes the area.

Comfortable Sitting Chair

At first glance, the RelaxZen looks like a luxury chair. It features leather-like upholstery and is comfortable enough to use for everyday sitting. There’s a storage pocket on the side of the chair for the handheld remote. The chair has manual recline and a swivel base that makes repositioning the chair easy. Some users even report using the chair while working on their laptop.

Feature Highlights

Best Massage Chair Under $500 Dollars Review Final Thoughts

For an excellent deep roller massage, there’s no better massage chair than the Human Touch Active 2.0.

For an L-Track massage chair, the BestMassage SL-Track is the most affordable you will find.

If you want a chair that also massages and could double as a home theater seat or piece of living room furniture, the Best Choice Products massage chair will serve you well.

And finally, if you want the most affordable massage chair that still looks expensive and gives you ample coverage, the RelaxZen is the way to go.

So, if you’re still wondering if it’s possible to get a quality massage chair under $500, we hope our review has shown you that it’s not only possible, but that there’s a right one for you.

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References & Resources

• Human Touch Massage Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Benefits of Heat Therapy for Lower Back Pain, Spine-Health.
• Vibrational Massage and It’s Positive Effects on your Body, Best Massage Chair Guide.
• Unexpected Benefits of Leg Massage, A.Vogel.
• How a Rocking Chair Can Help You Heal, Body And Soul.