I’ve Seen Many Massage Chairs Designed For “Tall” People, This Is The First I’ve Seen For “Short” People!

If you’re 6 foot and over, you have no shortage of options when it comes to massage chair selection. There’s a ton of awesome chairs that have been designed specifically to suit a taller, larger body frame.

The same can’t be said for shorter people! There’s hardly any chairs I’ve come across that were tailored for short people.

How would I know? Because I am short, well shorter than average!

Out of the 55-60 odd chairs I’ve reviewed, nothing comes to mind when I think of a chair for short people. That being said, I am very excited to learn that the Infinity Altera is designed to satisfy this main objective. That is, the Altera is designed to specifically accommodate shorter individuals with a height range of 4’9 – 6’3 feet.

“What if I’m shorter than 4’9 ft, will the Altera be able to still fit me well?” I think if you’re a couple inches shorter than 4’9, you should have no problem. However, if you’re much shorter than 4’9 ft, then it might not be the best of fits.

What’s even more impressive about the Infinity Altera is its ability to also accommodate taller individuals (up to 6’3 ft). Usually what you see with massage chairs is when one facet is improved, another one is sacrificed unfortunately. Not the case here!

Now let’s look at all the interesting features this chair has to offer!

5 Features Of The Infinity Altera You Need To Know About!

#1 It’s Got An L-Track—49” To Be Exact!

We talked about how the Altera is a fantastic chair to fit shorter individuals. Another standout feature is that it comes fitted with a 49” L-Track roller system! What is L-Track? Let’s take sometime to explain this.

If you know absolutely nothing about rollers, that’s fine as there’s only a few things you need to know.

#1. There are 3 types of rollers that you can currently find on most massage chairs: 2D or 2-dimensional, 3D or 3-dimensional, and 4D or 4-dimensional. 2D is the most basic and the oldest of technologies from the 3. It’s operation is incredibly simple. The rollers move in 2-dimensions i.e. up/down and side to side. The image below depicts this better.

#2. S-Track, L-Track, or SL-Track? Roller tracks are another characteristic of massage chair rollers. They describe how far the rollers are able to traverse and what shape they tend to take on as they move from the neck downwards.

S-Track has a shorter roller length and forms a tight “S” shape to the spine. L-Track has an extended roller length and forms an overall “L” shape. SL-Track typically will have about the same length as an L-Track, but offers both “S” and “L” shapes as it traverses.

#2 38 Airbags Help To Provide A Diverse Compression Massage!

Massage provided by the chair’s rollers is most important, this there’s no doubt. However, it’s also important to have some diversity and variety. That’s where airbags come into play!

Combining both roller massage as well as compression massage from the airbags makes for not only a highly effective massage, but also one that’s incredibly soothing and relaxing!

The Infinity Altera comes with a total of 38 airbags that have all been strategically placed to target various areas of the body such as the shoulders, calves, arms and feet. What’s more is all of these airbags have been placed to effectively target the areas for smaller, petite body types.

For me this is a game-changer because it really makes the chair that much more effective for the smaller body type.

Note: Airbag intensity can be adjusted from weak to strong. There are 5 levels of intensity one can adjust. If you’ve never used a massage chair before, beware that airbag massage can be quite uncomfortable and even painful in some cases. Please start off with a low intensity and then work your way up over time!

#3 Foot Rollers—With An Improvement!

Foot rollers are a feature you can expect to find on most massage chairs; 2 years ago this wasn’t necessarily the case. Back then foot rollers were only something you’d see on the intermediate to high-end chairs. Nice to see that most new chairs since then all come equipped with foot rollers, even the beginner chairs.

The Infinity Altera comes with mechanical foot rollers that spin to provide a “rolling” style massage to the bottom of the feet. However, what’s particularly cool about the Altera is it comes with a heel rub that targets the heel and arch of the feet!

The inclusion of this heel rub allows for massage on the back of the feet, including the heel. This is an area most massage chairs are lacking. In that sense, the Altera offers a complete foot massage.

Note: Just like the airbags, foot massage intensity (specifically intensity of the foot rollers and heel rub) can be adjusted from 3 speed options: low, medium, and high. Low is slower speed and less intensity, and vice versa. Again, start at a low intensity and work your way up!

#4 3 Inches Of Space Saving!

Massage chair manufacturers have begun to realise that they need to step their game up if they’re gonna expand customer base.

Before (5+ years ago), only those with big spacious homes could afford to have a massage chair. It’s not that others couldn’t afford them, it’s that they just didn’t have the space to place them in their homes!

Money wasn’t necessarily the issue, space was! If you only had limited space in your residence, then owning a massage chair back then was close to impossible. Very very happy to report that those days are well and truly behind us! New design improvements have transformed massage chair placement making it possible to place a chair in a tight/constrained space.

One such enhancement is this thing called space saving recline!

And what is space saving recline? It’s a very simple feature. When the chair reclines backwards, it at the same time slides forward on a steel base thereby allowing for a much smaller clearance from backrest to wall. In the case of the Infinity Altera, this clearance is 3 inches!

Note: While space saving recline is an awesome feature that can greatly help with placement in tight spaces, one should always consider the overall dimensions (upright and recline) before buying a massage chair. The dimensions for this chair can be found in the specifications section below.

#5 6 Auto Modes

If you don’t wanna mess around with manual settings, auto modes are your thing!

When it comes to high end electronics such big screen TV’s, expensive gaming consoles, surround sound systems, and of course massage chairs, you invest a large dollar amount with the intent that operation (post initial setup!) will be quick and seamless! Emphasis on quick!

It’s because of this that auto modes are so important. You don’t pay thousands of dollars for an expensive chair expecting to invest 15 minutes messing with settings before you can get a massage!

I have a general rule of thumb when it comes to evaluating auto modes on massage chairs: the more, the better. It’s as simple as that! The more options offered to me, the more satisfied I am. That being said, the Infinity Altera comes with a total of 6 auto modes. These are:

Note: Auto modes can be selected/activated directly from the remote control by selecting the “Auto” function. You can also select from 10, 20, or 30 minutes for massage duration/time.

Infinity Altera Massage Chair Specifications

Infinity Altera Massage Chair Pros & Cons!

Infinity Altera Massage Chair FAQ’s

Question #1: Is there any assembly required? If so, what are the details?

There’s good news and bad news, which do you wanna hear first? Everyone like to start with the good news, so I’ll do the opposite and start with the bad! Bad news is yes there is assembly required. Good news is there isn’t too much to do to get the chair assembled.

The chair comes in 2 pieces: main body and the foot ottoman. The foot ottoman needs to be connected to the main body. This is properly detailed in the installation manual.

Before you even begin to assemble the chair, please take some time to consider placement!

To be specific, ensure you have enough clearance from the back and that the chair can function properly without obstructing anything. As mentioned several times already, the upright and recline dimensions should be considered and verified prior to placement.

Also, Infinity recommend placing the chair on top of a carpet or some sort of padding, so as to avoid scratching up your floor. My massage chair sits in my upstairs living room which happens to all be carpeted, so I did not add additional carpeting. Ultimately it comes down to preference.

Question #2: Does the chair come with heat therapy?

Yes it does! I did not mention it as one of the key features above, as I didn’t think it deserved to be. The heat therapy on the Infinity Altera is pretty basic. It comes with dual heating elements on either side of the lower back area. These provide soothing heat while the rollers traverse up and down massaging the body.

Note: Heating can be toggled on/off from the remote control. Unfortunately there is no way to alter the intensity of the heat. Heat can only be turned on/off.

Question #3: What is the maximum user weight the Altera can accommodate?

We spoke about how awesome this chair is at accommodating shorter heights, but what about weight? The Infinity Altera can safely accommodate a maximum weight of up to 285 lbs. All things considered this is pretty standard for most massage chairs I’ve reviewed.

Question #4: Where is the Altera manufactured in?

Just like 95% of massage chairs, this one is manufactured and assembled in China. Does that make it low quality? Nope not at all. Over the last couple years, the Chinese have really stepped their game up! The Chinese plants manufacture and produce massage chairs for many of the well established, reputable brands we’re all familiar with.

While the Altera is manufactured and assembled in China, it ships out of the US.

Should You Buy The Infinity Altera Massage Chair?

Initially I was going to do a comparison section, but the more I looked at it, the more I think it’s not even necessary.

At $2,999 (on massage chair deals), I think the Infinity Altera pricing is wayyyy off!!!

I say that for a couple reasons:

Look it might feel like I’m being overly harsh/critical and even though it may sound like it, that’s not my intent. I am simply stating what I think is true based on my experience of reviewing massage chairs. Based on that experience, I conclude that the Altera is not worth the current pricing. If you disagree with me, feel free to share why in the comments below!

So what should you buy if not the Altera?

If you’re hell bent on buying a chair with 2D rollers, your best bet is to go with the Pro Maxim from Osaki. Performance wise, it’s a fantastic model! It comes with an incredibly high performing SL-Track, and a total of 12 auto modes! Currently it’s on sale for $2,899 on massage chair deals.

If you’re open and willing to expand your search criteria, why not opt for a 3D chair like the Prime 3D or Pro Ace II? You’d be getting a superior roller system for a much lower price. I don’t know but to me it’s a no brainer!

The only instance I would actually consider the Altera is if the user is below 5 foot. If you’re 4’9 feet or shorter, then and only then should the Altera become part of the equation. Otherwise, I would steer clear and consider any of the above chairs.

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