When I first got into this industry in 2005—though I actually owned my first massage chair back in 2002, 2003, and 2004—massage chairs required a lot of space behind them. When the chair reclined, the backrest moved straight backward, so you had to position the chair far enough from the wall to avoid dents, damaged drywall, or ruined paint.

That has completely changed.

Today, we have L-track massage chairs that recline very differently. Instead of just the backrest moving backward, the chair either slides forward on its base or scoops under itself as it reclines. This design allows the chair to be placed much closer to the wall.

These are known as space-saving chairs.

With older-style chairs, you typically needed 16 to 18 inches of space between the chair and the wall. With modern space-saving designs, that distance is reduced to about 4 to 6 inches. Some models can go even closer—nearly flush with the wall, sometimes just an inch or two away. Those models are referred to as wall huggers.

All wall huggers are space-saving chairs, but not all space-saving chairs are true wall huggers. Either way, both designs are a major improvement over the older reclining systems that required a foot to a foot and a half of clearance.

These are important details to consider if you’re trying to fit a massage chair into a smaller or tighter space.

I hope you found this explanation helpful. My name is Dr. Alan Weidner from Massage Chair Relief, and I’ll see you in the next video.