Pros and Cons of a

I’ll freely admit that I’ve always thought massage cushions looked like a bit of a gimmick to me. After all, if they work so well, why on earth would anyone pay $1000 or more for a massage chair? As it turns out, the question isn’t quite that simple and it can have a lot to do with your own personal situation. In some circumstances a massage cushion can be a great alternative to a massage chair.

In this article we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of making the decision to go with a massage cushion instead of a massage chair. Obviously there are a few key things to keep in mind such as how and when each product can be used, how convenient they are, and how well they work. After looking at this question closely, I’m actually now convinced that the question isn’t so black and white.

Cushions Are Lightweight

Perhaps the biggest advantage of a massage cushion over a massage chair is its lightweight nature. You can expect a massage cushion to weigh no more than about 30 pounds; that makes it easy to move around. The average massage chair is going to be at least a couple hundred pounds and once you’ve found the right spot for it chances are you’re never going to want to move it. The problem with that is that it might not be convenient for use all the time where it is.

A Cushion Will Fit on Any Chair

A massage cushion really is a very versatile piece of equipment. It can give you a lot of the features that massage chairs come with, but you can use them with your existing furniture – you don’t have to rearrange anything. In fact, massage cushions can be used on any chair at any time. That means if you’ve got your favorite recliner in front of the TV and you’re not willing to give it up, you don’t have to if you have a massage cushion. You simply put it in place on your favorite chair, hit the remote to get started, and you can enjoy a nice massage right there.

Considerable Savings

Other than its lightweight nature and convenient ability to work on just about any chair there’s also another big benefit to massage cushions – they’re a heck of a lot cheaper than a massage chair. You can get a really good massage cushion with a lot of great features for under $200, but a decent massage chair is going to cost you at least $500 and, likely, well over $1000. What you finally decide will probably have a lot to do with your budget, but if you can find a great massage cushion that does most of the things you’re looking for, it’s definitely something to give strong consideration.

You Can Even Take Them in the Car

While I was putting together this site I came across a few massage cushions that really impressed me because you can actually take them with you in the car. If you’re considering a massage cushion you have to be really careful in examining which features it has, as not all cushions have this ability, but there are quite a few that have car adapters. When we go to our cottage it’s about a six hour drive up north and all that driving can be hard on the back – having the option to have a nice massage along the way would be a real comfort.

Missing Some Features

After the things we’ve considered so far you might be wondering why anybody would choose a massage chair over a massage cushion? Well, as good as they can be they don’t generally have all of the features you’ll find in the massage chair. Massage chairs, because of their static nature, can include more rollers and air bags; this will give you a much more satisfying massage. Due to their limited nature cushions generally aren’t very good at massaging your legs or feet.

Not Always Secure

One of the biggest complaints I ran into while researching massage cushions was that they’re not always easy to secure to the chair you want to secure it to. Most of them do come with some straps that are meant to keep the cushion in place, but how well that works will depend on the dimensions of the chair; in some cases the straps might be completely useless.

Not for Reclining

Perhaps the biggest issue you’ll run into with a massage cushion is that you simply can’t recline it. There are considerable benefits to having a massage while in a zero gravity position as it can reduce the stress on the heart and make you a lot more comfortable in general. A massage cushion as a portable device doesn’t have the ability to recline and so it loses a lot of functionality in this respect.

A Worthy Alternative

I think it’s pretty clear that massage cushions aren’t the answer for everybody, but they are a great alternative if you’re on a budget and they’re also great if you want something that’s extremely portable. Some of the better massage cushions actually have rollers built into them so they can provide you with a quality massage. There’s no really definitive answer to the question of whether or not a massage cushion is better than a massage chair – that really depends on your own personal use of it.