Table of Contents
Human Touch iJoy Total Massage Chair Review
Pros
- 2D FlexGlide Rollers Do A Great Job At Delivering Back Massage!
- Compact Design Works Great For Smaller Spaces
- Pretty Reasonably Priced All Things Considered
Cons
- No Heat Therapy
- 3 Auto Modes Are A Tad Few
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Been A While Since I Last Reviewed A Human Touch Massage Chair!
I’ve always been fond of Human Touch products, be it the super elegant like the Super Novo or the compact, minimalist iJoy 4.0. I find that the chairs are well designed, well built, and everything functions together seamlessly.
This last aspect about everything working well together…..it’s so important! A chair can have great rollers and great hardware in general, but if the software and hardware don’t jive, it won’t perform nearly as well!
This why it’s so important to only opt for reputable brands when looking at massage chairs. I’m talking the Osaki/Titan/Human Touch/Ogawa and Panasonic’s of the world. Nothing against the cheaper chairs you see being advertised online, it’s just that we don’t know how well everything is programmed and put together.
In that sense, you’re kinda taking a pretty big risk. Is it worth it? Not in my opinion, but that’s a decision you have to make.
Coming back to the iJoy Total, currently priced at $1,299 (on Wish Rock Relaxation), is this something you should consider? Let’s do a deep dive to investigate some more!
Human Touch iJoy Total Massage Chair: 3 Key Features!
#1 It’s A Compact, Minimalist Design
Gone are the days where only a select privileged few could own a massage chair. For one, massage chair manufacturers have become more conscious about space saving and space constraints, and we see this in the designs and builds. Two, massage chairs have become much more affordable than what we were previously accustomed to.
This latter point might be because of all the competition! I listed out a few brands earlier, but there’s a lot more than just those key players!
The iJoy Total is very much a minimalists massage chair. As such, there’s nothing fancy about what it can do when we compare it to other chairs, but it does the simple things right and is able to do so without much fuss or need for space.
If you’re looking for an ultra compact massage chair, the iJoy might just be up your alley.
#2 2D FlexGlide Rollers On An S-Track
Quite a bit to talk about here, so let’s break it down piece by piece.
Starting with the rollers on the iJoy, these are your typical 2D quad rollers (quad meaning 4) that can move up and down along the vertical and side to side along the horizontal. This 2-dimensional movement is illustrated best in the image below.
Now that you know what 2D rollers are and how they function, let’s quickly touch on S-Track. S-Track is essentially a type of roller track where the rollers are able to tightly follow the characteristic “S” shape of the spine.
Because the human spine is not straight, having this “S” contour is important in ensuring an effective and comfortable massage experience.
Below is an image which shows this type of roller track.
FlexGlide is a Human Touch patented technology (and Human Touch have many) which reduces the friction between the rollers and the user. This reduction in friction translates to a more comforting, relaxing massage.
If you’ve ever sat on a massage chair, a cheap one that doesn’t perform well, you’ll notice there’s this uncomfortable pinch like sensation every time the rollers traverse the back?
This is what FlexGlide attempts to resolve, and it does it pretty well!
#3 3 Auto Modes & 4 Massage Techniques
The more auto modes, the better. However, more important than this is the quality of the auto modes. When talking quality, I’m really talking about how everything functions together as a single unit.
How well the rollers and air cells function in tandem and how everything jives together!
3 auto modes is quite a few to be entirely honest. I guess it’s what you might expect for a budget chair such as the iJoy, however. The 3 auto modes are full body, shoulder, and lower back. Good to see that there’s at least a full body routine as one of the 3 auto modes!
Coming to the massage techniques….there’s a total of 4 which is decent for a minimalist chair such as this one. These are kneading, percussion, rolling (or gliding), and a combo of kneading and percussion. These techniques can be individually activated directly from the remote control.
In conclusion I do think that Human Touch does a decent job with the choreography of the auto modes, so I definitely don’t have a problem with that. It would’ve been nice to see a few more auto modes though!
Some other noteworthy features are that the chair comes equipped with air cells (for the arms, calves, feet etc.), an extendable foot rest, and a body scan. These are all pretty standard features that one would come to expect for pretty much any massage chair.
Human Touch iJoy Total Massage Chair Specifications
- Human Touch iJoy Massage Chair Specs
- Roller Type: 2D
- Roller Track: S-Track
- Air Massage: Arm, Calves, Feet, & Shoulder
- Upright Dimensions: 47"L x 30"W x 44"H
- Recline Dimensions: 61"L x 30"W x 34"H
- Chair Material: Synthetic Leather
- Height Range: 5'0" - 6'0"
- Maximum Recommended Weight: 285 lbs
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Human Touch iJoy Total Massage Chair Pros & Cons!
- Does The Simple Things Right—It’s better to have a few things and do them right, then have a ton and everything feels mismatched and out of order. With the iJoy Total, Human Touch have kept it simple and focused on the elements that really matter.
- Compact Design Might Be A Blessing For Some!—And insignificant for others! The main highlight of the iJoy Total is its compact, minimalist design. If you’re constrained for space and looking for a massage chair to fit your requirements, the iJoy should definitely be something you consider!
- FlexGlide Works Well—FlexGlide combined with the 2D S-Track rollers works pretty well. You can expect a comforting, relaxing, overall effective massage experience.
- No Heat Therapy—Definitely disappointing to not see any form of heat therapy on this chair. I’m not giving the iJoy a free pass on this one, because heat therapy is pretty standard even on chairs that cost less than $1K! No excuses here.
- On The Fence With 3 Auto Modes—Still think Human Touch could’ve done better with the auto modes, not the quality, but the number. 3 is a tad less and leaves me wishing for more. Alas.
(Note: This is an affiliate link.)
The Big Question: Should You Buy The Human Touch iJoy Total Massage Chair?
Hmmm…moment of truth of time! Is the iJoy worth $1,299 (current price on Wish Rock Relaxation) for all that it offers, or should you consider an alternative? And if so, what are the alternatives anyways?
If you are in the quest for a 2D S-Track compact massage chair (similar to the iJoy), then you should probably narrow down your search to only hone in on similar chairs. This is so you’re not spinning your wheels looking at 50 other chairs!
That being said, there is one other options I’d like to bring forth to your attention. We will be seeing how this one chair compares with the iJoy total in all areas, including pricing. Specifically we will be comparing the iJoy to the Synca CirC.
A chair that needs no introduction. It’s been around for a while and still continues to sell out to this day. This alone is testament to how nicely this bad boy functions. There’s a lot to like about it when talking features, but it’s just as pleasing on the eye!
- Human Touch iJoy Total
- 5’0 – 6’0 ft & 285 lbs.
User Height/Weight - $$$
Price - S-Track
Roller Track - Unknown
Airbags - 3
Auto Modes - Yes
Ability To Recline - 4
Massage Techniques
- Synca Wellness CirC
- 4'9 - 6'2 ft & 250 lbs.
User Height/Weight - $$
Price - L-Track
Roller Track - 10
Airbags - 5
Auto Modes - No
Ability To Recline - 4
Massage Techniques
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There’s a lot to discuss from the above, so let’s get right to it!
To get started, let’s talk auto modes. 5 on the CirC and 3 on the iJoy Total. A win for the Circ! Next is price, just about $1K for the CirC (also on Wish Rock Relaxation at the time of writing this review) and $1,299 for the iJoy. 2 for the Synca CirC!
Both have the same number of massage techniques, so it’s “Even Steven” there.
Concerning roller track, the CirC has an extended L-Track capable of reaching the glutes, whereas the iJoy Total has a smaller, more traditional S-Track. Another win for the CirC, as I definitely prefer L-Track over S-Track chairs!
One of the bigger drawbacks with the Circ is its inability to recline.
Given that it’s a compact chair, this is something Synca didn’t feel too important to add. However, if you ask me, it is a definite shortcoming. The iJoy Total is able to recline, and this feature can be activated directly from the remote control.
Which chair should you pick?
In all honesty, both are great options for a compact massage chair. The iJoy is a bigger chair overall that does offer slightly more for lower body massage. For one the calf and foot airbags, and two, it’s ability to recline.
While the Circ doesn’t offer too much of a lower body massage, it does make up for this by having more auto modes, an L-Track, and a cheaper price (approximately $300 cheaper than the iJoy Total at the time of writing this post).
It’s a tough choice but it really boils down to what you feel is important to have in a massage chair. I personally like an all encompassing massage, so having lower body massage is important to me. Again, both chairs are fantastic and neither will disappoint. Pick what makes most sense to you!
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Leave Your Questions/Comments Down Below!
And that concludes this review post. I do hope it helped you out a bit, and if you still have some questions/doubts, be sure to drop a comment down below so I can find you the answer. If it’s something I don’t know, I’ll be sure to find out from somebody who does!
Anyways, hope you guys have an awesome start to 2022! I also hope this will be the year where we can finally put this pandemic behind us, fingers crossed! Take care, be safe, and be well!
Thank you for all the reviews!
We’re looking for a good, durable, beginner massage chair. We were set on the Apex AP-POMP, but after reading some of the consumer reviews, moved on to iJoy.
Which one do you recommend?
Thanks for the kind words, David! Really appreciate you stopping by and dropping a comment! A few follow up questions for you:
1. What’s your budget like? You mention you’re in the market for a beginner massage chair. Do you have in mind how much you’d be looking to spend? This will help you filter out all the other chairs.
2. What kind of size should the chair accommodate? If you have a height/weight range in mind, that would be perfect!
3. What is most important to you, or what’s the main thing you’re looking for in a massage chair?
Look forward to hearing back, so I can help you further!