Categories: Massage Chairs

Synca Wellness CirC Massage Chair Review

Synca Wellness CirC Compact Massage Chair Review

8.4

Back Massage

8.8/10

Foot/Calf Massage

5.0/10

Portability/Compactness

10.0/10

User Flexibility (Height/Weight)

8.8/10

Value For Money

9.5/10

Pros

  • A Compact Massage Chair With An SL-Track, That's Definitely A Rarity!
  • Designed & Manufactured In Japan, This Would Look Good In Any Living Room!
  • For A Small Chair, It Does Pretty Well To Accommodate Different Body Types!

Cons

  • Nada! This Is Probably One Of The Best Compact Massage Chairs You Can Find Today!

(Note: This is an affiliate link.)

A Fan Favourite When It Comes To Compact Massage Chairs!

I’ve been wanting to review the CirC compact massage chair from Synca Wellness for a while now. My procrastination ends now! Because this is my first ever review of a Synca product, a short intro about who these guys are is warranted!

Synca Wellness are a health and wellness based company head quartered in the beautiful city of Osaka in Japan!

Far all of you who remain fascinated with Japanese designed and produced consumer electronics, this will be right up your alley! Synca’s business strategy is to focus on doing everything from the design, engineering, and production in Japan.

If ever you wanted a massage chair that’s “truly” Japanese, then this is it!

Besides massage chairs, these guys also produce some very cool and interesting products such as foot, calf, neck, and even water eye massagers! You can check out what those products look like on Synca’s site.

2 Birds, 1 Stone – A Foot Massager & An Ottoman!

Another fun fact is that they are a division of Johnson Health Tech. This is the same company that sells everything from treadmills, weight machines, stationary bicycles, elliptical trainers and even their own line of massage chairs!

All that being said, Synca Wellness boast a plethora of experience as far as massagers and massage chairs are concerned. My gut feeling before diving into this review is that I will be impressed by what I see!

 

What Makes The CirC A Fan Favourite? What’s Its USP?

Before we dive into the nitty gritty details and dissect the CirC, what makes this thing so popular? Everyone seems to love it based on the reviews I’ve seen and it’s even won a good design award in 2017, so what’s the kicker?

In my opinion there are 3 things that make the CirC such a popular massage chair:

#1 Price—Under $1K. Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many massage chairs you can buy for less than $1K. Sure you can find the cheap Chinese brands at this price, but you can also say goodbye to quality/workmanship and support. Pricing is definitely attractive!
#2 Aesthetics—If looks could kill! Let’s not lie this thing is absolutely gorgeous! I think it could look good in any place of the house, be it a living room, bedroom or basement even! Everything from the shape of the chair, colour schemes, and the LED lighting  is on point!
#3 Compact—Minimalist millennials? I certainly think so! Gone are the days where we cling to clunky furniture taking up tons of space. Now it’s all about finding furniture and home-ware that takes up as little space as possible. And this is exactly what you get with the CirC!

 

5 Things I Love About The Synca CirC Compact Massage Chair!

#1 It’s “More” Than A Massage Chair!

90% of massage chairs look like massage chairs! By that I mean they’re big, bulky, and look a little weird with all the airbags. I’m not saying the typical massage chair looks ugly. It looks unconventional, odd, and maybe because of that it’s hard to see how a massage chair could fit in with traditional living room furniture.

The Synca CirC is none of these things! It’s much more compact than your typical massage chair, looks incredibly sleek, and can easily blend in with the rest of your furniture!

If there ever was such a thing as massage chair “eye candy”, this would be the epitome!

So when I say the CirC is more than a massage chair, I mean to say that it’s also a stylish showpiece that could be placed just about anywhere. Yes this has nothing to do with functionality, I am not doubting that. However, if you care for aesthetics and the way something looks, this becomes very important to you.

On the flip-side, if looks don’t matter, you won’t care how gorgeous a massage chair is! As long as it delivers, that’s all that matters. The question is, what type of person are you?

#2 It Comes Packing An SL-Track!

I must admit I was totally stumped when I learned that the CirC comes fitted with an SL-Track. Mind is blown! You probably think I’m over-exaggerating, but why exactly is this such a big deal?

There are 2 types of roller tracks you can find on most massage chairs today: S-Tracks, L-Tracks. S-Tracks are great because they tightly map/contour to the spine’s natural “S” shape, thereby delivering an incredibly effective back massage. L-Tracks are more about massage coverage and because they’re extended, they can massage all the way down to the glutes.

L-Tracks and SL-Tracks are one and the same thing! They feature an “S” segment from neck to lower back, and an overall “L” segment allowing for additional massage coverage!

When someone says “SL”, that is exactly the same as an “L” track system. Just want to make that clear so there is no confusion later on!

Here are 2 important things to remember:

#1 The SL-Track is 34 inches long. This is shorter than what you would find on most SL-Track chairs, but let’s remember that those chairs are all much bigger in size and therefore require a longer track to ensure coverage.
#2 The rollers on the CirC compact massage chair are 2D rollers. 2D rollers are simple but very effective. They move in 2 dimensions: up/down along the length of the back and side to side along the width of the back.

#3 4 Different Massage Techniques!

When it comes to massage in your typical massage establishment/clinic, how come most people tend to have a preference when it comes to picking a therapist? Have you noticed this? Most people tend to like how one therapist performs massage on their body over the other.

Everything feels right! The intensity, the pressure, the relaxation factor, all of it! Even I have my “go to” massage therapist because I enjoy the way she massages.

It’s really as simple as that. But why is this important and how is this even relevant to massage chairs? Well, a lot more than you think. Just like human massage therapists, all massage chairs are not the same and there is an element of variability.

Massage chair X might be able to only perform 2 techniques, where as massage chair Y might be able to do 7.

The point I’m trying to drill home is that no 2 chairs are the same in terms of the techniques they can perform. Some chairs can do more techniques and can do them better than another.

The CirC is pretty decent all things considered. It has been programmed to perform a total of 4 different massage techniques. These are kneading, tapping, rolling, and air compression massage.

For a small chair, definitely not too shabby! I’ve seen chairs that cost thousands more only able to perform 2 or 3 techniques more, so this is pretty good!

Note: Synca are referring to this as “real hands massage”. It’s basically the rollers ability to mimic the massage you would receive from the hands of a trained therapist. Intensity can be adjusted from gentle to strong.

#4 It Weighs A Measly 70lbs!

Nope that’s not a typo, and no I’m not messing with you, 70 lbs is what this thing weighs! Not sure if that’s impressive or if it’s that Synca have designed the chair to comfortably accommodate a maximum load of 250 lbs.

70 lbs of weight means placement becomes a piece of cake, and so does future relocation!

Placement, assembly, install of massage chairs has always been something I dread. Let me be very honest and admit to you that my “handyman” skills are pretty close to non-existent, and that’s putting it generously!

When it requires heavy lifting and some assembly and fit-up, I’ve always been one to pay the extra $$$ to have that service taken care of. Most of you might frown and suggest it’s a waste of money. Meh…I think all of us are different.

Consider an old couple 70-75 years of age, do you think they want the hassle of lifting something, placing it, and assembling it!? So for them it’s money well spent!

The CirC is good because it doesn’t require assembly, is easy to lift, and can fit just about anywhere. No messing around trying to figure out what goes where and so on so forth!

#5 5 Auto Modes To Pick From!

I’ve seen chairs that cost much more than the CirC and come loaded with the same number of auto modes. Again, it’s one of those things which adds to the “bang for buck” factor!

What are these 5 auto modes anyways?

    • Full Body—Not really a full body massage because the chair is not capable of foot massage (no foot rollers or airbags). However, in this routine both the airbags and rollers will be engaged and working in tandem.
    • Back—In this mode you can expect a lot of that S-Track movement I was talking about earlier. Massage is especially focused on the lower back.
    • Air Stretch—This routine employs the chair’s airbags to pin the body in place in an attempt to stretch and break up fascia. It can get intense so work your way up!
    • Buttock—Name says it all! A routine primarily focused on the glutes. Both rollers and airbags are employed in this routine also.
    • Waist—Similar to the above but with emphasis on the waist area of the body. Perfect after a long day in the office!

Each of the 5 auto modes can be activated directly from the remote control. Another cool feature is something called “body area”. Basically, it’s a feature which allows you to focus massage to either the upper, lower, or entire body. This is a neat little feature that can be used in both manual and automatic modes.

 

Synca CirC Compact Massage Chair Specifications

  • Synca CirC Compact Massage Chair Specs
  • Roller Type: SL-Track
  • Roller Length: 34 Inches (Approximately)
  • Total Airbags: 10
  • Upright Dimensions: 39"L x 21.6"W x 37"H
  • Full Recline Dimensions: N/A (No Recline Capabilities)
  • Chair Material: Synthetic Leather
  • Height Range: 4'9" - 6'2" ft
  • Maximum Recommended Weight: 250 lbs

(Note: This is an affiliate link.)

 

Synca CirC Compact Massage Chair Pros & Cons

Pros—The Stuff I Like!
Cons—The Stuff I Don’t Like!
    • Very Reasonably Priced!—Even for a compact massage chair, the CirC is very well priced after you take into account everything it offers.
    • If Looks Could Kill!—I’d be dead because this thing is absolutely drop dead gorgeous, in my eyes at least. What do you think? Do you agree that the CirC is a 10/10 on pure aesthetics? Drop a comment down below and let me know!
    • It Can Fit In Your Palm!—Okay I’m kidding it can’t actually fit in your palm, but you get the point right! One of biggest selling points is of course it’s compact size which makes placement a no brainer!
    • Zilch!—I love everything about the CirC, but if I had to single out one thing it would be the lack of leg/foot massage. It’s not something I expect from an ultra compact massage chair which is why I say “no cons”, but it’s maybe worth mentioning for all those who may be interested in purchasing the chair.

(Note: This is an affiliate link.)

 

How Does The Synca CirC Compare To Other Compact Massage Chairs?

Compare, compare, compare and then compare some more! That’s my mantra when it comes to buying a massage chair, or for that matter anything!

That being said, let’s compare the CirC against one very similar compact massage chair: Infinity’s Riage CS. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know I have nothing but love for the Riage CS!

  • Infinity Riage CS
  • 5’0 – 6’4 ft & 264 lbs.

    User Height/Weight
  • $$

    Price
  • L-Track

    Roller Track
  • 0

    Airbags
  • 4

    Auto Modes
  • Yes

    Ability To Recline
  • 3

    Massage Techniques
  • Synca Wellness CirC
  • 4'9 - 6'2 ft & 250 lbs.

    User Height/Weight
  • $$$

    Price
  • SL-Track

    Roller Track
  • 10

    Airbags
  • 5

    Auto Modes
  • No

    Ability To Recline
  • 4

    Massage Techniques

(Note For Infinity Riage: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

(Note For Synca CirC: This is an affiliate link to Wish Rock Relaxation.)

What do you figure from the table above? If you’re like me, you’re thinking it’s incredibly difficult to pick one out of the 2 chairs. It’s very hard to say one is better than the other.

The Riage CS is slightly cheaper (but not by much!) than the CirC. Both chairs come packing SL/L-Tracks, but the CirC also has airbags!
The Synca CirC comes loaded with 5 auto modes and 4 massage techniques. The Riage CS has 4 auto modes, and 3 massage techniques.
The Riage CS has the ability to recline, whereas the Circ cannot. Neither chair is equipped with a foot/calf massager for what it’s worth.

So which chair should you select? Riage CS or CirC?

Because it’s so hard to decide purely based on performance/functionality as you’ve seen above, I think the next thing you should look at is aesthetics and pricing. Riage CS might be slightly cheaper, but the CirC is definitely the better looking from both chairs!

You know what they say though right? Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!

That being said, both chairs are fantastic but my vote goes to the CirC, not by much though!

(Note For Infinity Riage: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)

(Note For Synca CirC: This is an affiliate link to Wish Rock Relaxation.)

That’s all from me folks! If you enjoyed reading this review, please consider sharing on the socials. Last but not least, if you have any burning questions, please be sure to drop a comment down below. I really love to hear from you guys so don’t be shy! Until next time!

Eve

Just an average bloke intrigued by massage and its incredible benefits. Oh, did I mention I also own a massage chair? More on that in the blog posts!

Recent Posts

Positive Posture Brio Plus Massage Chair Review

(Note: This is an affiliate link.) Last week we looked at the Positive Posture Sol: a compact massage chair which…

2 years ago

Positive Posture Sol Massage Chair Review

(Note: This is an affiliate link.) Welcome back to yet another massage chair review! I've been slacking of this year…

2 years ago

Titan Pandora 2D Massage Chair Review

(Note: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.) Last week we…

2 years ago

Ergotec ET-210 Saturn Massage Chair Review

(Note: This is an affiliate link.) Welcome back to yet another review post! It's been a while boys and girls,…

2 years ago

4 Thai Herbal Compress Massage Benefits You Should Know About!

Welcome back to yet another post! Hope 2022 has been a banger of a year so far. It's July and…

2 years ago

Human Touch Quies Massage Chair Review

(Note: This is an affiliate link.) It's been a while since the folks over at Human Touch have released a…

2 years ago