Massage chairs ranging from €6,000 to €9,000

By the time people arrive here, they’ve usually already tried out several armchairs. And at some point, when the price reaches 4,000 or 5,000 euros, they say the very thing we hear almost every day at the showroom: “It’s good, but there’s still something missing for me here.”

What Changes When You Insert It

The massage follows a pattern. The rollers slowly press into the back, hold the pressure, release, and then continue kneading at a faster pace. A few seconds later, the next pressure point is in a different spot and feels different.

In the next level down, it’s mainly the depth that changes. Here, the tempo, rhythm, and how long the chair stays in one spot also change. The back feels a sequence of different movements. One level lower, it feels a rolling motion that travels down the back.

When two units are operating at the same time

Some models in this class have two massage units that operate independently of each other. The upper unit works on the neck and shoulders, while the lower unit works on the lower back and buttocks at the same time. This results in fewer pauses for the back, since there is no mechanism that has to move back and forth between the upper and lower units.

Whether you like it or not is up to your back—not the spec sheet. Some customers sit down in it and never want anything else. Others prefer a single, high-quality mechanism because it stays in one place. In any case, two mediocre units aren't better than a single good one.

Why the number before the "D" stops being helpful

2D means that the rollers move within the plane. 3D means that they also extend further out from the track, that is, deeper into the back. 4D means that the speed also changes during the movement. This refers to time.

At this point, the numbers don't mean much anymore. Two 4D recliners can feel completely different, because it all comes down to how well the motion is programmed. Once you've tried seven good recliners, a spec sheet won't help you anymore. By then, your back will already know which one is right for it.

Where the upper limit lies

For over €9,000, you get some real upgrades. The chair measures your back at several points individually and adjusts the massage to follow that contour. On some models, the legs and arms move independently of each other. The stretching programs become more sophisticated.

But that's also where the features come in that have nothing to do with the massage: design, origin, materials, lighting, and audio. Starting at around €9,000, the massage can get even better. It won't improve in direct proportion to the price increase, though.

And since this question comes up every week: expensive doesn't necessarily mean genuine leather. Even armchairs priced above €12,000 are upholstered in faux leather—often for good reason, because it better accommodates the movement of the mechanism.

Where the money should go

You can really feel what’s touching your body. A well-programmed 4D mechanism. Heated rollers, because the heat reaches exactly where the muscles are. A good foot and calf mechanism. A body scan that really targets the shoulders. And the fit—that is, seat width, rail length, and leg length. That’s what determines satisfaction more often than any other feature.

The spec sheet also lists features that hardly matter when you're sitting down: voice control, Bluetooth, color-changing lights, an app, the number of automatic programs, and the number of airbags. Starting at this price point, every extra euro should go toward what comes into contact with your body.

Please take a seat

In this class, it takes more than two minutes to distinguish between two armchairs. Take a quarter of an hour per armchair and go through the entire program. What seems intense at first may be too much after ten minutes, and what starts off subtly may feel just right by the end. We’ll adjust the armchairs for you and then let you sit in them in peace.

Would you like to see the entire selection first? Here's an overview of all our massage chairs with on-site consultation and test seats.