There is a simple guideline that will help when you’re out shopping for a massage chair. Although massage chairs can be bulky and many people make an effort to hide the chairs in their bedrooms or home offices, it makes more sense to find something that can double as your living room recliner and fits your décor. With the wide range of selection available across multiple manufacturers, you’re sure to find the right one no matter what you style is.

A living room chair that you can use as a recliner definitely has to meet a higher standard of comfort than something you use irregularly or for short periods of time. And you better be using your massage chair regularly or it’s not a very smart investment. That’s why comfort is so important in picking the right chair. You should take comfort over style anyways.

Make sure the fabric feels good on your skin. Upholstery choice is not just aesthetic. Leather is an available feature of most massage chairs, but it’s not always the best option for everyone. Leather is soft and attractive, but the downside is that it is harder to maintain and it tends to wear out quicker than fabric. And it’ll show it too, in which case you will need a chair with wheels to hide it in another room less exposing your guest to the eye sore that you spend your Christmas funds on. If you live in warmer climates, you don’t want to come home and get stuck to the leather because you’ve been perspiring throughout the day. Leather-like vinyl has a similar look as leather and is durable but less expensive and still decent feel if leather is your thing, or will still stick to your sweaty skin.

The perfect massage chair has to be deep and wide enough to support your back and allow you to relax completely. Relaxing increases circulation through the body much the same way compression socks help circulation through your ankles. A reclining feature is nice and can make a huge difference in the comfort of a chair. Some massage chairs will recline partially while others are designed to recline fully into a horizontal position. Note whether the chair you are considering reclines automatically or manually too since automatic recline will cost significantly more.

No two people are alike so you can’t expect to buy a massage chair that gives the same massage to everyone. If you are sharing and have the budget for it, top massage chairs actually measure your back to tailor the massage to you.