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The CUBE from Inada

Inada introduced its CUBE at the 2009 Fall Las Vegas Market. Inada has been making massage chairs since 1962, creating therapeutic chairs for the home and office. It has been a leader in this industry with many firsts to its credit being the first to offer a massage chair and has distribution outlets in more than 60 countries .

It has kept on developing and innovating since then. Its Sogno DreamWave chair won the Consumer Electronics Show award for innovation in 2008, and Inada's sales have been climbing year over year, bucking the trend in this troubled period for the furniture industry.

Select Material

Select Material

The material of your dining chair is important, as it determines the look and feel.

• Metal has reflective qualities, but it can be matte and substantial also, like wrought iron. You can pair a distressed surface wood table with metal chairs for contrast.
• Acrylic chairs can look good in a modern or small space.
• Wood is versatile and you can choose from any number of finishes and styles.
• Upholstered dining room chairs can provide an opportunity to use color and pattern for a richer effect.
• Rattan or wicker chairs provide texture and style.
• Of course you can pick a chair made from mixed materials, too.

Choose Comfort

Choose Comfort

It is hard to say what will feel comfortable to you, because everyone has different comfort priorities.

Sit on a chair to see how it feels. Is the seat comfortable and wide enough? How does the back feel when you lean back against it? Is the seat too high or too low? If the seat is upholstered there should be adequate padding so that you do not feel the frame through it

Pick a Style

Pick a Style

You can go and pick out a dining room set, or decide to buy your dining table and chairs separately. Before you do anything, consider your style. Consider whether you want it to be formal or informal.

There are open back chairs and there are chairs with solid backs, both upholstered or in metal, wood or acrylic. Look at the angles that make up the back, legs and arms and seats, and determine what looks good in your room and around your table. A smaller space might call for a more delicate, open style, while a large space might look good with larger more well defined shapes.

More than anything it is about scale

Arms or Armless?

Arms or Armless?

It is up to you to determine whether your dining chairs have arms or not. It has been customary to have armchairs at the head of the table, and armless chairs on the sides, but depending on your space and style you may want to have armchairs all around.

Depending on your space and style you may also want to go armless all around. Armless dining chairs do take up less space than armchairs, visually as well as in space.

Armchairs can be more comfortable than armless ones, and for older people, or those with problem knees, arms on a chair help in getting in and out of the seat. Choose according to your needs.

before You Before You Buy a Dining Chair

Before you buy a dining chair, consider this: you need this chair to be both comfortable and stylish. Consider also, that there is a dizzying variety to choose from.

But actually when choosing or buying a dining room chair, it really comes down to only a few factors. Once you've made a decision about these, it's relatively easy to pick out the dining chair that's best for you.

Pick a Size

Before you even go looking for dining chairs, ascertain the size you will need to fit in your room, and around your table. You also have to figure out where you will place the extra chairs, if your table is not fully extended all the time.

Measure your room and dining table to see the size and number of chairs you can accommodate in your dining room and around your dining table. (We hope you have picked out a dining table before you go looking for chairs.) Remember to calculate the space between chairs as well as the actual space a dining chair will occupy, before you pick a size.

What is the warranty on the massage chair?

What is the warranty on the massage chair?

Be sure to find out how long the warranty lasts and what it includes. A standard warranty should cover parts and labor.

To see a demonstration of massage chairs, watch the About.com video, Buy a Massage Chair. It's approximately three minutes long and it's free.

And finally, if you are considering getting a massage chair, it's a good idea to check with your doctor first. Make sure there are no restrictions on the type or duration of massage you can get.

What is your budget?

What is your budget?

Massage chairs generally range from over $700 to $6,000. But don't just rely on price to gauge quality, and don't feel that you have to buy at the top of the price range to get a quality massage chair. Not everyone needs or will use the features of higher-priced models. It's a matter of finding the right massage chair for you at the right price.

If a massage chair is out of your budget, you may want to consider trying a massage cushion. They can be purchased in home goods stores, office supply stores, and online for about $100 to $200. Many stores have floor models that allow you to try them first. Homedics (www.homedics.com) is a popular brand with a variety of massage cushions.

What features does the massage chair have?

What features does the massage chair have?

Massage chairs often have tons of features, but the reality is that people only use some of them.

If you tend to get muscle tension in certain parts of your body, you may want a massage chair that does a particularly good job massaging that area.

For example, the Isymphonic massage chair (www.osim.com) is designed to pay attention to the neck and shoulder areas. The Panasonic Pro Elite (www.panasonic.com) has airbags in the arms that inflate and deflate to massage that area. Some massage chairs have expanding air bags in the leg and foot area. Others incorporate the hip and buttocks.

You'll also want to compare the intensity or pressure of the massage. Some massage chairs give a strong massage, others use a lighter pressure. If you are considering investing in a massage chair, it's really important to try it in person for about 15 minutes to make sure that the pressure and fit are okay. Some massage chairs allow you to increase or decrease the intensity of the massage.

If there are specific massage strokes or sequences you like and you're sharing the massage chair with other people, you may want to consider a massage chair that allows you to save massage sequences. This means you won't have to reprogram your massage sequence each time you use the chair.

Some people like to have an ottoman or extendable leg rest, which allows you to sit with your legs elevated.

What features does the massage chair have?

Massage chairs often have tons of features, but the reality is that people only use some of them.

If you tend to get muscle tension in certain parts of your body, you may want a massage chair that does a particularly good job massaging that area.

For example, the Isymphonic massage chair (www.osim.com) is designed to pay attention to the neck and shoulder areas. The Panasonic Pro Elite (www.panasonic.com) has airbags in the arms that inflate and deflate to massage that area. Some massage chairs have expanding air bags in the leg and foot area. Others incorporate the hip and buttocks.

You'll also want to compare the intensity or pressure of the massage. Some massage chairs give a strong massage, others use a lighter pressure. If you are considering investing in a massage chair, it's really important to try it in person for about 15 minutes to make sure that the pressure and fit are okay. Some massage chairs allow you to increase or decrease the intensity of the massage.

If there are specific massage strokes or sequences you like and you're sharing the massage chair with other people, you may want to consider a massage chair that allows you to save massage sequences. This means you won't have to reprogram your massage sequence each time you use the chair.

Some people like to have an ottoman or extendable leg rest, which allows you to sit with your legs elevated.

Who will be using the massage chair?

Who will be using the massage chair?

Most massage chairs are designed for people who are approximately 5'10. If you are significantly taller or shorter than 5'-10", it's especially important for you to give the massage chair a test drive. For instance, if you are 5'-3", the back rollers will roll approximately seven inches too high for you, which means that it may massage the back of your head and neck.

You might have to use the control pad to manually adjust the position of the rollers and nodes each time you use the massage chair, which can be inconvenient. Some massage chairs, such as certain Panasonic models, are designed to automatically adjust to the height of the user by sensing where the tops of the shoulders are.

Each person who will be using the massage chair should check that the height of the seat of the massage chair is comfortable. Some massage chair seats are quite low to the ground, which may be uncomfortable for people 6'-0" and over, or people with knee, hip, or low back pain.