A review of the iJoy 130 massage chair

The iJoy 130 massager is a popular chair manufactured by Interactive Health and features the company’s patented Human Touch Technology (HTT). iJoy massage chairs have been designed to look modern, provide a realistic massage and offer good value for money. But is the 130 chair fashionable or tacky, does it give a massage indistinguishable from the real thing, and is it the best massage chair for its price? I’m not so sure.

iJoy’s 100 series of massage chairs retail for between $600 and $750. The 130 model retails for around $750. And, like the other models, the design puts a lot of emphasis on a young and modern theme. First of all, I think the designs are horrible. To me they look as if a children’s balloon artist has been commissioned to design them. I’m sure many people like the general style of the chairs, but I wouldn’t put one in a room where no one else would see it.

But it’s not just the style of the chairs that fails to please anesthetically. The colors are horrible. There is scarlet red, purple and the most amazing lime green on offer. There are only two colors that please; black and cashew

There is one last problem with the design of these chairs and that is the choice of upholstery. All chairs are covered in faux suede. This looks good at first, but this type of fabric is very difficult to clean. The company should have used synthetic leather like any other manufacturer.

Another complaint I have is that the control panel is built into one of the armrests. The problem is; that’s where my arm rests. I don’t like having the panel under my forearm; I’m afraid I’ll press something by mistake. The control panel can be removed, but that leaves a square hole in the arm that bothers me.

One thing I like about the chair is that it is quite low to the ground. Most other robotic massage chairs are quite high and I always feel like I have to get on one instead of sitting down.

But that good point leads me to great disappointment with the meat. It is low because there is no foot massager. If you don’t want one, you need to order a free-standing iJoy ottoman that has a built-in massager. But, the ottoman doesn’t come cheap and adds considerably to the overall cost, should you want a foot massager.

However, the iJoy 130 robotic massage chair comes in handy with its massage features. There are four modes in total; rolling, kneading, compression and percussion. There are 4 range options to use along with the massage options, there is; full, top, bottom and manual position. You can also manually adjust the rear rollers to whatever height gives you the best massage.

Do you give a good massage? Well yes it does. However, the iJoy Human Touch technology is nothing like the real thing, but it’s good nonetheless. The massage is also a bit noisy which takes away from the ‘soothing’ and ‘relaxing’ experience you are supposed to feel. I found that listening to music helped.

To be fair, the iJoy 130 massage chair lives up to its promise of giving a good massage. If you ignore its design and use headphones, using this robotic massage chair can be almost a pleasant experience.