Hi, I’m Dr. Alan Weidner from Massage Chair Relief, and today we’re going to talk about massage chair research studies.

Back in 2016, as I mentioned in various blog posts and industry updates, Dr. Michael Olpin at Weber State University conducted one of the first major studies involving massage chairs at the university’s stress center. He measured blood pressure, pulse, stress, and pain indicators in thousands of participants, primarily students and employees.

At the time, very few massage chair studies existed. But in recent years, we’ve started to see more research emerge. Today, I’m going to review four studies that examine different aspects of massage chair benefits. Hopefully, this information will help confirm what many of us have observed for years: massage chairs can positively impact stress, pain, recovery, and overall well-being.

For years, people in the industry have said massage chairs can help reduce pain, lower stress, improve relaxation, and even support healthier blood pressure levels. But anecdotal experiences and customer testimonials can only go so far. Scientific studies are important because they objectively measure results rather than relying solely on opinions or personal experiences.

Researchers don’t simply ask, “Do you feel better?” They measure specific physiological and psychological changes. Some of these studies tracked cortisol levels, DHEA-S levels, pain scales, muscle stiffness, and recovery markers to determine measurable effects.

I excluded several studies from this discussion because some were repetitive, while others focused on a specific massage chair brand or model. For example, there was a study involving a Bodyfriend chair, but I chose not to include it because I don’t want people to think the benefits only apply to one brand.

In reality, the benefits appear to be fairly consistent across most modern massage chairs, whether they are made by Osaki, Infinity, Daiwa, Luraco, or other manufacturers. If a chair includes features such as back rollers, airbags, calf massage, and foot rollers, the therapeutic effects are likely very similar.

Interestingly, three of the four studies came out of South Korea, which makes sense considering how popular massage chairs are there. Bodyfriend is one of the world’s largest massage chair retailers, especially internationally. Massage chair usage is deeply integrated into Korean and Asian culture, so it’s natural to see more research coming from that region.

The first study we’ll discuss was titled Clinical Effects of Using a Massage Chair on Stress Measures. It was a randomized controlled pilot study from South Korea, which is considered one of the strongest types of research designs.

The purpose of the study was to assess the long-term effects of massage chair use on stress levels in adults aged 50 to 75. Researchers divided participants into intervention and control groups. Some participants used massage chairs, while others did not.

The results showed that massage chair use was associated with reductions in serum cortisol and DHEA-S levels, both of which are related to stress and adrenal function. Participants also reported improvements in depression scores and overall health perception.

The conclusion was that chronic stress in adults could be effectively managed through massage chair therapy.

That finding aligns with what we’ve seen for years in showrooms and chiropractic clinics: massage chairs often help reduce stress, lower heart rate and blood pressure, and create a general sense of well-being.

The second study was a literature review examining the overall health benefits of massage chairs. Researchers reviewed 59 published articles and selected 18 for detailed analysis.

The review concluded that massage chairs may positively affect both physical and mental health. Benefits included stress reduction, improved cognitive function, reduced mental fatigue, decreased muscle stiffness, pain reduction, and improved quality of life.

Again, researchers noted reductions in cortisol and DHEA-S levels, reinforcing findings from previous studies.

The third study compared massage chair therapy to standard physiotherapy for lower back pain patients. Researchers evaluated pain levels over a three-week period using both visual pain scales and the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

Both massage chairs and physiotherapy reduced pain, but massage chair therapy showed particularly strong improvements in pain scores and quality of life. The study concluded that massage chairs are a promising and cost-effective option for pain management, although physiotherapy still produced better short-term functional outcomes.

In other words, massage chairs are not a replacement for physical therapy, but they can be an effective complementary tool, especially for long-term pain management.

The final study focused on exercise recovery and compared three recovery methods: manual massage, massage chair therapy, and simply resting.

Researchers measured muscle tension, elasticity, pain thresholds, and recovery time in female participants after physical exertion.

All three methods helped recovery, but manual massage performed the best, followed closely by massage chair therapy. Passive rest alone was the least effective.

One interesting finding involved the rectus femoris muscle, part of the quadriceps. Even though massage chairs do not directly massage the front of the thighs, participants still experienced improvements in those muscles. My interpretation is that massage to the pelvis, hips, and surrounding structures may create a chain reaction that positively affects connected muscle groups.

Overall, these studies—published between 2020 and 2024—continue to validate what many of us in the industry have observed for years: massage chairs can play a meaningful role in stress reduction, pain management, recovery, and overall wellness.

And I believe we’re going to see even more research in the years ahead as massage chair therapy becomes more common worldwide.

Anyway, I hope you found this video helpful. I know it was a little longer and more detailed than usual, but I wanted to give you a good overview of the growing body of research supporting massage chair therapy.

I’m Dr. Alan Weidner from Massage Chair Relief, and I’ll see you in the next video. Bye-bye.