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It’s been a while since I last reviewed a massage chair! My focus since this whole Coronavirus fiasco has been to post more well being, massage at home type of articles.
You’re stuck at home in self isolation mode with nowhere to go. Seeing your therapist for a weekly 60 minute massage sesh is out of question. What do you do?
Granted there are probably more important things than massage at this time, such as staying active and maintaining a good diet. However, massage is still pretty important. I’m not going to dive into all the reasons as to why you should be massaging routinely as you can easily find that information on the web.
That’s where a massage chair becomes so important. Now more than ever I feel the purchase of my massage chair is justified. Not only is it great at relieving body aches, it’s also an awesome way to spend 30 minutes to 1 hour every day!
Well for several reasons, but the main one is because it’s very reasonably priced thus making it a good choice in these tough times (for those who can afford to of course!). Okay without further a do, let’s dive right into the features of this chair!
What are L-Track rollers? Before that what are rollers and why are they so important to consider?
Rollers are the one component that deliver 60-70% of massage to your body. Airbags complete the balance. I’ve said this on several of my blog posts and i’ll say it here again: a well designed set of rollers will result in a high performing chair, a poorly designed set of rollers will result in a low performing chair. It’s really as simple as that!
L-Track rollers are those that can traverse all the way from the neck right down to the glutes and hamstrings. Because of their “extended” coverage, L-Track chairs have become a huge hit with consumers since being introduced a couple years ago in the market.
My own chair isn’t an L-Track, and even though it’s effective, it’s nothing close to what an L-Track can do! I would one day like to see a roller track be able to massage the entire body i.e. from neck all the way right down to feet. Now that would be something!
So you pulled the trigger and bought a massage chair. It took you weeks if not months to make that decision, so you’re finally glad to be done with all of that! Not just yet my friend. Because now you need to think about placement!
First things first, dimensions are super important. Always be sure to consider dimensions before even buying a massage chair. The upright and reclined dimensions for the Apex AP Pomp can be seen below. It’s not the biggest chair I’ve ever seen.
After considering dimensions, the next thing you want to look at is placing the chair next to a power outlet. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this mistake, not with massage chairs but with other electronic appliances. Frustrating to say the least!
Last but not least is aesthetics. This is more about seeing how the chair blends in with the rest of your furniture.
What’s neat about the Apex AP Pomp is its got this thing called space saving recline. The way it works is simple. As you recline the chair backward, it also slides forward on its base. This allows you to place the chair much closer to the wall. For the Pomp, 2” clearance from back of headrest to wall is all that’s required!
The Apex AP Pomp comes pre-loaded with 4 auto massage modes. These are recover, swing, stretch, and relax.
Well it depends on what you want. If you want an intense experience, go with stretch or recover. If you want a low to moderate intensity, go with relax or swing.
In addition to the 4 auto modes, you can also operate the chair in manual mode. By doing so, you can pinpoint the rollers to massage a specific area on your back. You can pick from 6 techniques: kneading, rolling, knocking, shiatsu, knead-knocking, and tapping.
Another really cool feature in the Pomp is a 7.7” extendable foot rest. If you’re of a shorter stature as I am, this probably won’t matter to you at all.
Below is an image/animation showing how the foot rest extends outward thereby allowing the chair to accommodate taller users.
This kinda ties into user flexibility so let’s touch on that for a second. The Apex AP Pomp can accommodate users with a maximum height of 6’2” with a maximum weight of 240 lbs. Not too shabby in my opinion, especially when you consider the low cost of this chair.
This makes a world of a difference to me! As much as I love the technical aspects of massage chairs, I absolutely detest assembling or putting one together. I’ve always been this way!
The less hassle, the better. This is the way I see it. That’s why I really like that the Apex AP Pomp requires no assembly. Straight plug and play! If you want to know more about what setup is required, I strongly encourage you to check out the installation and operation manual. It can be found here.
You can find cheaper chairs on the market, i’m not going to debate that. However, just remember one thing:
Now you might counter that by saying “Aren’t most massage chairs made in China anyways?”. Yes they are, but there’s a big difference when you buy from a reputable brand like Apex (who by the way is owned/managed by the same folks who run Osaki/Titan) versus an unknown brand that you’ve found for half the price online.
Yes you might pay a couple $100 more, but it’s so worth it in the end! Back to the main question “I’m on a tight budget, should I buy the Apex AP Pomp?
For everything it can do, I think the Apex AP Pomp is a fantastic chair:
If you have any questions about the Apex AP Pomp or any other massage chair, please do not hesitate to leave me a comment below. Last but not least, please consider sharing this post on the socials. It really does go a long way to support this site. Be well, be safe, and most importantly be happy!
Apex AP Pomp massage chair images were used with permission from Osaki Massage Chair
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