Welcome to our article about the best massage chair for a petite or small person.
We’ll get into the features of our top picks below, but first, let’s discuss how the size of massage chairs has changed over time, and why you should consider purchasing a massage chair that properly suits your size in the first place.
When searching for the perfect massage chair, you want to make sure it can accommodate short people.
Why?
Well, here’s the problem with the trend of modern massage chairs. Because massage chairs were originally manufactured and designed in Japan for Japanese people, they typically ran a little smaller.
Over time, people needed bigger accommodating chairs. And that meant the technology had to keep up to ensure comfort for smaller people
Some brands embraced the changes and unfortunately some were slow to respond.
Now the real problem is that these brands don’t mention the lower height limit of a massage chair. Since most customers were focused o bigger chairs, the descriptions only contained an upper height limit.
So, we’ve researched and presented to you our curated list of massage chairs that are perfect for petite or small people.
These aren’t necessarily small massage chairs but certainly can fit smaller people
Table of Contents
Our favorite Massage Chairs for Small People
Osaki OS-4000t
The OS-4000t is made by Osaki with Japanese engineering. Also rebranded as Tital World LLC, it is one of the largest distributors of electric massage chairs in the nation.
The OS-4000t can accommodated heights from 4 feet 11 inches to 6 feet 4 inches.
It is a combination of high-end features and affordable prices. Its aesthetics are pleasing and can fit with almost any home decor.
Our favorite part of this chair is that it has an automatic leg scan and extension. Although the extension is not specifically useful for short people, it’s nice if you have taller guests who can use it.
Another thing is that your arms won’t slip out during the arm massage. its crevice is deep enough that it holds arms in place. The shoulder bags are also fitting for petite frames.
Read our review on the best Osaki Chairs
Medical Breakthrough 4 v2
The Medical Breakthrough 4 v2 is one of the best massage chairs we’ve ever seen. It’s the only massage chair and brand endorsed by more than 20 medical professionals. It claims to have unlimited customization and thus we were interested to know more about this chair.
Because of its unlimited customization, this massage chair can adjust for very short people. Customers who were less than 5 feet report that it’s a perfect fit and they have no problems getting a good foot massage.
It’s equipped with patented medical body scan technology that caters to the perfect massage for your body shape.
One thing we like about this chair is the number of 5-star reviews it has, and that the CEO of this company built this out of the tragedy that occurred to his grandma. It’s very personal and well-designed.
Synca JP1100
Designed by Japanese master engineers the Synca JP1100 is a high-performance massage chair packed with a multitude of benefits. For one, this is the first-ever massage chair to have a foot roller. It is made in Japan, and includes a touchscreen controller, and motorized legrest extension.
Height range is 5 foot up to 6 foot 2 inches.
The Synca JP1100 has an intuitive touchscreen controller, dual layer body scan which ensures optimal performance tailored to each unique user, deep tissue massage, stretch massage, and the list goes on.
Check out our review of the Snyca JP1100 here
Problems With Big Massage Chairs For Short People and How To Find Features That Best Suit You
Massage rollers go past the head
It’s understood that a chair does not fit all people. However, it’s reasonable to expect the massage rollers (the mechanism inside a massage chair) to be smart enough to not massage parts of our body that aren’t in contact with the surface of a massage chair. After all, massage technology has come so far.
Look for massage chairs that have computerized body scans.
A body scan works by using pressure sensors and an operating system to compute the shape of your body. It does this to give you an uninterrupted massage (it would be wasteful for rollers to go above your head since it would be massaging empty air).
I would look at reputable brands for this feature as some brands claim to have a smart body scan when in fact it does not.
The Shoulder Air Bags do not fit
Smaller people typically have smaller frames. This means that the average width of a massage chair is not fitting.
Many massage chairs provide air compression massage via airbags. Many of them have airbags leveled to their shoulders to provide massages to that area. However, if the inflated airbags don’t touch your shoulder, they are ineffective.
So…
Look for massage chairs that have adjustable shoulder airbags.
The feet do not touch the bottom of the rollers
There are many massage chairs with phenomenal foot rollers. Ones that use reflexology and Thai scrapping techniques. However, it doesn’t do much if your feet don’t reach the bottom of the leg portion.
Look for massage chairs that have flexible leg extensions
We prefer massage chairs that have automatic leg scans. This feature will adjust the feet section so that the sole of your feet is making contact with the surface of the foot rollers.
The Hip Massage Does Not Work for Shorter People
Because frames of shorter people tend to have narrower hips, the airbags at the base of the seat sometimes do not work effectively. Unfortunately, we have not seen adjustable airbags at the hip.
We strongly recommend getting chairs that are designed for smaller people if this is your biggest worry.
Best Massage Chairs for Petite People – Conclusion
We hope this article has helped you overcome some of the challenges of finding a massage chair for small people, and made it clearer to you what to look for, and which models to consider!
As you can see, there is a massage chair out there for everyone, no matter what their size.
Here are some more articles that you may find interesting:
Kahuna SM9000 Review
Best Ootori Massage Chair Reviews
