Table of Contents
Ogawa Active L Massage Chair Review
Pros
- 9 Auto Massage Modes Allow Users To Experience A Variety Of Techniques!
- Fantastic Height/Weight User Flexibility! (5'0-6'4 ft & 300 lbs max)
- The Mounted Touch Screen Tablet Is Both Incredibly Easy To Access & Use!
Cons
- For A Chair With 2D Rollers, It's Overpriced!
If Looks Could Kill!
If we were only talking about aesthetics, the Ogawa Active L massage chair would score a 10/10. Take a look at it and tell me it’s not one of the best looking chairs you’ve ever seen!
Looks aside, how does this bad boy actually perform? We’ll be looking at all of this throughout the rest of this post, but for now…..who the heck are Ogawa and what business do they have selling massage chairs anyways!?
Ogawa is a massage chair manufacturer that’s been in the game for about 23 years!
5 Features You Should Know About The Ogawa Active L Massage Chair!
#1 2D Rollers With An Extended SL-Track!
The Ogawa Active L comes equipped with 2D rollers. Let’s look at how 2D rollers function!
2D rollers are the most basic of all roller technology. They function as follows: the rollers move vertically along the length from neck to back and vice versa, the rollers can also move horizontally from one side of the back to the other. It’s called 2D because of the 2 dimensional horizontal and vertical movements.
As far as rollers are concerned, that takes care of one half of the equation. The other half we need to talk about is the track.
When we say “roller track”, what exactly do we mean?
Roller track describes 2 things:
As far as technology is concerned, “SL-Track” is the best you can currently find on a massage chair!
The other 2 technologies are S-Track and L-Track. SL-Track is essentially a combination of both of these.
#2 A Total Of 44 Airbags!
Airbags or air cells as most people like to call them, are simply empty pouches that fill with compressed air. Airbags have 2 main purposes:
The Ogawa Active L has a total of 44 airbags located pretty much everywhere on the chair. The animation below shows the airbags in green.
With the Active L, Ogawa have gone for an optimized approach. They opted to reduce the number of airbags, valves and motors, while still maintaining a large compression coverage on the body. This reduction in airbags, valves, motors, makes for a low power consumption, and a less noisy chair.
#3 A Total Of 9 Pre-Programmed Massage Modes!
Pre-programmed modes are essentially automatic massage routines that one can access directly from the remote control. The big benefit with auto modes is they save you time. With auto modes, you don’t need to fiddle around with manual settings trying to determine the optimum conditions for massage.
You simply pick an auto mode, sit back and let the chair do its thing!
No fussing around, just the way I like it! The Ogawa Active L has 9 of these auto modes. These are gentle, relax, vigorous, neck and shoulder, lower back, glute therapy, stretch, demo, and spine care.
The above 9 modes can be easily accessed from the touch screen remote control.
Note: The Ogawa Active L can perform a total of 7 different massage techniques. These are shiatsu, Swedish, kneading, clapping, tapping, dual action, and rolling.
#4 2 Stages Of Zero Gravity
Zero gravity is simply a recline position where the heart is at an elevated position relative to the feet. A lot of research has been done around zero gravity, and mostly all indicate the numerous benefits one can experience when sitting in this position. Benefits such as improved circulation, less stress and strain on the spine, expanded lung capacity etc.
The Ogawa Active L has 2 stages of zero gravity.
In the above illustration, you can see both stages 1 & 2. Stage 2 is the one that’s much further reclined (almost like you’re horizontal!).
#5 Fitted With Foot Rollers!
The Ogawa Active L employs multiple spinning rollers to massage the bottom of the feet. These mechanical rollers move from the heel all the way right up to the toes. If you suffer from plantar fasciitis, this sort of massage could provide some much needed relief!
Airbags work in conjunction with the rollers to provide a thorough massage on all areas of the feet. The rollers take care of the bottom, the airbags take care of the sides and top by compressing downwards.
Note: If the massage is too strong, you can always adjust intensity to suit your needs. This is especially important when you’re just starting out.
Ogawa Active L Massage Chair Specifications
- Ogawa Active L Massage Chair Specs
- Roller Type: SL-Track
- Roller Length: 43 Inches
- Total Airbags: 44
- Upright Dimensions: 63"L x 31.5"W x 46.1"H
- Recline Dimensions: 72.8"L x 31.5"W x 35.4"H
- Chair Material: Synthetic Leather
- Recommended Height Range: 5'0" - 6'4" ft
- Maximum Recommended Weight: 300 lbs
Ogawa Active L Massage Chair: The Good & Bad!
The Good!
The Bad!
How Does The Ogawa Active L Compare To Other Massage Chairs?
If there’s one section of this entire review post you must read, it’s this! The comparisons presented in the table below will give you a good understanding of how the Active L stacks up. We will be comparing the Active L to 2 different chairs.
One of the most popular massage chairs you can find in 2019! This fairly recent release from Osaki has taken the market by storm. As we’ll see in the comparisons, it’s eerily similar to the Active L, but with one major distinction…..$$$$! That’s right the Pro Maxim is significantly cheaper!
It may be an older chair in terms of when it was released, but it’s an absolute steal for what it can do! Cheaper than both the Pro Maxim and Active L, Titan’s Pro 8400 will give an incredibly comforting massage without burning a hole in your wallet!
- Ogawa Active L
- $$$$
Price - 43″ SL-Track
Roller Track - 9
Auto Modes - 44
Airbags - 5’0 – 6’4 ft & 300 lbs.
User Height/Weight
- Osaki OS Pro Maxim
- $$$
Price - 47″ SL-Track
Roller Track - 12
Auto Modes - 22
Airbags - 5’1 – 6’4 ft & 285 lbs.
User Height/Weight
- Titan Pro 8400
- $$
Price - 50″ L-Track
Roller Track - 5
Auto Modes - 24
Airbags - 4’10 – 6’3 ft & 265 lbs.
User Height/Weight
Note: The above are only the key differences between all 3 chairs. The remaining differences, in my opinion do not impact my overall recommendation, which is why they have been omitted from the table above.
Should You Buy The Ogawa Active L Massage Chair?
The moment you’ve all been waiting for.
WHILE THE OGAWA ACTIVE L IS A FANTASTIC CHAIR, ITS CURRENT PRICING JUST DOESN’T MAKE SENSE!
With the comparisons above, hopefully you can see why I feel this way. The Pro Maxim offers a longer track (47”) with pretty much the same features as the Active L, but at a lower cost. That being said, my final recommendation is as follows:
INSTEAD CONSIDER THE PRO MAXIM, WHICH IS SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER! IF YOU WANT TO SAVE EVEN MORE MONEY, TITAN’S PRO 8400 IS ALSO AN AWESOME OPTION!
Affiliate Disclosure: Why All The Links?
If you decide to buy a massage chair (any of the 3 discussed above) using the links in this post, I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Why am I telling you this? No reason really. I feel the review would be incomplete without this disclosure. If you think I deserve it, feel free to use my links. If otherwise, I completely understand.
Drop Me A Note If You Have Questions!
If you have any questions about this chair, or any other for that matter, please do not hesitate to drop me a comment. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed reading and got some value. If so, please consider sharing this on the social platforms!
Ogawa Active L massage chair images used from Ogawa website.
Do you think $3,299 is a fair price for the Ogawa Active L or would the Osaki be a better deal at $2,999? I really like that the Ogawa has memory but I don’t know if it’s worth it. Thanks.
Laura, thanks for dropping a comment. That’s a good question! Both chairs are eerily similar, but the Pro Maxim edges the race by having more auto modes, and a slightly longer track. In the end all it really boils down to is preference. I would pick the Pro Maxim because it’s got a ton of solid reviews to back its performance and it’s more cost effective. After all you are saving $300 which is quite a chunk of change! Good luck deciding and let me know if you have any more questions.