Do you need a gaming chair with massage features?

As the gaming chair market has expanded, manufacturers have been exploring all sorts of quirks to help you relax in them. Most gaming chairs end up looking pretty similar to the competition that already exists, but occasionally, you'll find the odd chair that really stands out from the crowd. There are chairs with mesh backs, chairs that are beanbags, foldable gaming chairs, seats with floating backrests, and yes, even gaming couches and beds.

By far, though, the ones I get asked about most often are chairs with heated massage features, because boy, don't they sound nice. Who doesn't want a gaming chair that heats your body up in the winter and massages all your aches away while you work from home? That sounds like the best gaming chair imaginable, doesn't it?

Well, pardon the pun, but I'm not sure these chairs can "back up" their allure. While they sound nice on paper, I usually disappoint people by telling them that these chairs often aren't worth the extra money you pay for them. Gaming chairs are expensive enough, but that's only the beginning of the problem with heated backrests and massaging gaming chairs. So please, before you take the leap, allow me, your friendly neighbourhood chair reviewer, to talk you back down from the ledge. Here's why I'd argue against buying a massaging gaming chair.

Price

I know I literally just said it, but gaming chairs are already an expensive item to invest in. Not only that, but shopping for one feels very high-risk. It's not like you can take a trip down to the local gaming chair shop and park yourself in all the different types to try them out and see which suits you best. A lot of the time, you're sinking a small fortune (around $500 for a decent chair with lots of features) into something you'll have no idea you'll like.

Brands like Secretlab and Herman Miller charge a premium for their seats, and it's easy to come away from them having spent upwards of $700. Mid-range brands that still make great chairs are brands like Fractal Design, Boulies, Corsair, and AndaSeat. Even then, you're still parting with between $300-$500 to sit down in their products. Sure, there are the entry-level options that lie around the $200-300 mark, but my guess is that if you're looking for an all-singing, all-dancing massage chair, you won't be interested in compromising to one of the cheapest ones out there that only give you the bare bones.

Massaging gaming chairs can come from either end of the spectrum. Sometimes, from that upper echelon, and in the case of the Mavix M9, the massaging features add extra cost to an already pricey seat. Massaging/heated chairs from Mavix and DXRacer can cost you anywhere from $600-$800. That's a whole lot of money to part with for one extra feature. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got options from Elfordson, which are a lot more affordable, but their chairs don't have the strongest user reviews. No matter how much pain your back is in, I really don't see a chair being the solution.

They won't help your pain as much as you think

One of the biggest reasons people are drawn to massage chairs is that they have back pain complaints. Let me tell you, as someone who's been reviewing gaming chairs for the better part of three years, that this is a great reason to invest in one. Since I was a teenager, I've always carried stress in my back and shoulders, and one of the big ways I evaluate each gaming throne is by seeing how it helps or hinders that pain.

Posture support is an amazing feature of gaming chairs, but I'm going to burst your bubble right now. Posture support is just that - it's support, it's not a cure for your back pain.

Massage features are the exact same. Even if you hired a professional massage therapist to give you a bi-weekly rubdown, their help would only go so far. According to HealthPartners, the number one cause of chronic back pain is muscle atrophy - as in, muscles deteriorating so they can't properly support your spine, ligaments, and body weight. In fact, according to the NHS, the University of California, WebMD, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and pretty much any physiotherapy website I can see all argue that muscle deterioration comes before improper posture, genetics, or chronic conditions, and that exercise is the thing that will help you overcome your pain.

Now, don't get me wrong, a solid, posture-enhancing chair is absolutely going to aid you in your quest against back pain as well, but it isn't going to be a cure-all, nor an easy way out. Without speaking too broadly because your back pain might be due to a specific trauma or condition I don't know about, strengthening your back is going to be the long-term way to improve things for you.

The realities of massage chairs

What's more, gaming chairs with massage features aren't really designed to cater to your specific back issues. You might have a specific point of pain, or a different somatotype (body build) from the people these chairs were designed around, so it's not like they can specifically target your area of discomfort.

Plus, have you ever tried a proper, non-gaming massage chair? I'm pretty sure at some point we've all sat in one of those giant coin-slot massage chairs you can find in shopping malls, at cinemas, or sometimes theme parks. Alternatively, maybe you have a grandparent or older relative who has a massage chair at home. If you have tried one, you'll know that these armchairs don't exactly "massage" you; they make you feel like you've been repeatedly hit by a truck, often worsening whatever pain you have.

Gaming chairs that have heated massage features, like the Mavix M7, don't go that far. Their motors aren't as powerful, and don't actually span the entire backrest, they mainly focus on a small portion of your lower back. When our news editor Ali reviewed that chair, he really enjoyed it, but did come away feeling as though the Elemax features are a luxury that don't necessarily warrant the extra money you pay.

Ali also noted that the practicalities of owning a heating, massaging chair aren't all that great. You'll need to plug it in to either charge it or power it when it's working. If you're worried about your energy bills already, thanks to a full gaming PC setup and all the tech you use on a daily basis (and constantly surging energy prices), this is going to be an extra expense for you. Plus, if you don't have a spare plug socket near where you sit, that'll be an inconvenience. Extra electrical parts also make for a trickier (and heavier) assembly process, which I know from assembling the Fezibo Triple Motor L-Shaped Standing Desk.

A regular gaming chair with great lumbar support will be just as good for you

While I wouldn't necessarily recommend that you fork out extra money on a gaming chair with massage features, there are plenty of chairs out there that give you great lumbar support that I would recommend investing in.

For starters, there's the go-to choice of the Razer Iskur V2, which, although pricey, does have a partially floating backrest that lets you customize its lumbar support to suit you and the positions you like to sit in.

Then there are ergonomic options like the Fractal Refine, which is our current pick for best overall gaming chair. It, like a lot of other chairs, has lumbar support you can customise both in its height and depth, and its mesh cosmetic options ensure the rest of your spine is supported in a healthy way. The best thing about the Fractal Refine's lumbar support, though, is that it has a secondary seat depth for when you want to sink into the chair a little deeper. This ensures that while you take a more relaxed and reclined position, your lumbar and spinal column are still being supported by the chair's ergonomic design.

If you're okay with something a bit more traditional in terms of gaming chair design, why not opt for the Corsair TC500 Luxe, the Secretlab Titan Evo, or the Boulies Master Series? All three of these feature adjustable lumbar support along with other features. While they won't heat you up or rub you down, they will give you everything you need to start conquering your back issues.

For more on gaming furniture, check out the best console gaming chairs, the best pink gaming chairs, and the best gaming desks.