Luca V: A Somewhat New Release…..

The Luca V was released back in early 2019 making it almost 2 years old, given that 2020 is almost at a close. We’ll go through a detailed review but my initial impressions of this chair are the following:

These 3 things (auto modes, price, and user flexibility) alone are a deal breaker for me, but I think it’s still important to do a full review so you can see the reason behind my thinking.

I’m also not too blown away by the commercial ad from Titan which seems to focus more on the luxury aspects of owning a massage chair rather than the key aspects/features of the Luca V (Video Credit: Official Titan Osaki Massage Channel).

Alright, let’s dive in and talk specifics!

5 Things To Know About The Titan Luca V Massage Chair!

#1 It’s Got A 50” 2D L-Track

One of the things I actually like about the Luca V is it’s 2D quad roller system that’s mounted on a 50” L-Track. Lots of massage chair lingo there, so let’s take some time to break it all down!

What does “2D” mean and what are 2D rollers?

2D simply means 2-dimensions. Before we talk about 2D rollers, let’s try to understand what rollers are. Rollers are the most important contraption on a massage chair, as they are responsible for delivering 70-80% of the massage.

At this present time, there are 3 main types of rollers: 2D, 3D, and 4D.

From all 3, 2D rollers are the most basic and oldest technology. They move in 2-dimensions: up/down tracing along the vertical axis of the back, and side to side tracing along the horizontal axis of the back. The arrows in the image below depicts this better.

So that’s basically 2D rollers in a nutshell. Now that you know what 2D rollers are, what’s this thing called L-Track? L-Track is a type of roller track. A roller track is basically what allows the rollers to move. Without a roller track, rollers would be confined to one position at all times.

A roller track allows the rollers to move from the neck to lower back, or in the case of an L-Track chair, all the way from the neck to the glutes and hamstrings.

Can you guess why they call it an L-Track? Leave your answer in the comments down below!

You should also know that there are 2 roller tracks you can currently find on most massage chairs: S-Track and L-Track.

S-Tracks are great for back massage because they tightly contour to the spine’s “S” shape, L-Tracks in my opinion are better than S-Tracks because you get extended coverage from the neck to the glutes, something you wouldn’t get in an S-Track.

SL-Track is the same as L-Track, there is no difference at all. It’s just that some manufacturers call an L-Track an SL-Track so that people understand that the L-Track still has the “S” curvature.

#2 It’s Got A Total Of 4 Auto Modes (Nowhere Near Enough In My Opinion!)

Auto modes are the very reason why 95% of people decide to purchase a massage chair in the first place. Why are auto modes so important?

Because they offer the flexibility and the convenience of simply sitting in a massage chair, pushing a button, and getting a massage basically right away!

This is not true for traditional massage where you would need to book an appointment, drive to the establishment, wait your turn to allow the therapist to clean and prep the room, undress and then finally after all these steps, massage at last! That being said, the very reason we invest in a massage chair is because it’s quick and easy to get a massage in just a few minutes!

My problem with the Luca V is it doesn’t offer close to enough auto modes as it should!

4 auto modes is something I have come to expect on a chair that costs less than $1K, not on a chair that costs almost $3K! Anyways, I will note it down as a con so you’re aware of it, but for me this alone is a major drawback. Let’s keep forging ahead and look at what these 4 auto modes are:

#3 Needs 4 Inches From Backrest To Wall!

Here’s a feature in the Luca V that has me pleased. If you’re at all familiar with Titan/Osaki/Apex chairs, you would have heard of the term space saving technology before.

If you haven’t, space saving technology is a pretty simple design enhancement which allows one to place a massage chair without needing too much clearance from the backrest to the wall.

How is this possible? As the chair reclines backward, it also slides forward on a base thereby minimizing the clearance space needed from the back. For the Luca V, this distance is just 4 inches, which all things considered is pretty decent.

#4 16 Airbags Strategically Placed Throughout The Chair

What are airbags? Airbags are simply empty pouches that are designed to simultaneously inflate/deflate with compressed air.

When they are in the inflated state, airbags push and squeeze muscle and tissue thereby providing what is commonly referred to as a compression massage.

Often times I see people comparing one chair to the other and evaluating performance based on airbag count. Is this the right thing to do? Yes and no. No because airbag count is not indicative of how good/bad the chair will perform compression massage.

Think of it this way, you have chair X which has 32 airbags, and then you have chair Y which has 16 (half the airbags as chair X). However, chair Y has more airbag surface coverage than chair X. Which do you think will perform better?

Chair Y will perform better for the simple reason that it has more surface coverage than chair X, never mind that it has fewer airbags. I hope that makes sense. If not, drop a comment and I’ll see if we can clarify this to make it more easier to understand!

Concluding my spiel about airbag numbers versus coverage, you should know that the Luca V has 16 airbags. At first glance this does seem to be on the lower end for airbag numbers, but all of the new Titan chairs have this streamlined airbag design. Titan have elected to reduce airbag count, but maintain decent coverage with fewer airbags.

This works really well because now there’s less overall stress and strain on the chair! (fewer valves, less airbags etc.)

#5 Kneading Foot Rollers Provide A Relaxing, Pain Relieving Massage!

Almost all the 2019/2020 massage chairs I’ve reviewed come equipped with foot rollers. That being said, it does seem like foot rollers are the norm!

Are foot rollers actually important or can you forgo them when considering a massage chair?

I used to think they were unnecessary and so I purchased a massage chair without foot rollers, needless to say I regret that decision to this day! If you want to get a feel for it, try a chair without foot rollers and then try one that does have foot rollers. Feel the difference? It’s pretty significant!

The spinning foot rollers on the Luca V are designed to stimulate the acupressure points on the soles of your feet. As a result, you can expect pain relief from sore, achy feet and it might even help improve conditions like plantar fasciitis!

Titan Luca V Massage Chair Specifications

Titan Luca V Massage Chair: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly!

Should You Buy The Titan Luca V Massage Chair?

Well well well…..moment of truth! I gotta say my favourite part about reviewing massage chairs is when I get to compare and contrast one chair to another. Ladies/Gents, this is the most important part because this tells us how one chair stacks against another.

Every manufacturer/brand claims that their chair is the best, so this is in many ways the litmus test!

The Luca V is a 2D L-Track chair so it only makes sense to compare it to other 2D L-Track chairs. That being said, we will compare the Luca V to the Osaki OS Champ. For those of you who don’t know Titan and Osaki are part of the same umbrella/company, which is why you’ll notice a lot of similarities between Titan/Osaki chairs.

As the saying goes “the proof is in the pudding”! Of course the biggest difference between both chairs is price, and it’s a significant difference at that too. Other differences include:

If you fit the 5’0-6’0 ft. flexibility range, I strongly suggest the Osaki OS Champ over the Luca V. The above comparison table backs up my recommendation.

But what about if you’re over 6 feet, or under 5 feet? If you’re an inch or two over, it probably won’t make too much of a difference on either of these chairs. But if you’re well over 6 feet, you’re best bet is to consider something else.

The Apex Pro Ultra is a great option for taller individuals who are in the market for a 2D L-Track chair. Similarly, Infinity’s Altera is a good choice for individuals shorter than 5 feet.

And that brings us to the end of this review post. If you have any burning questions about this or any other chair, please drop a comment below and I’ll be sure to get back to you. Lastly, if you enjoyed reading and got some value out of this post, please consider sharing on the social channels. Be safe and well wherever you are!

Titan Luca V images were used with permission from Osaki Massage Chair