iRest A303 Massage Chair

I was nervous about delivery since it weighs a ton crated up. The delivery guys brought it in and put exactly where I needed it. The crate would not easily fit through the front door so we opted for the sliding glass door and it was a breeze. Unboxing it was a little difficult by myself, but only took a few minutes. The boxing materials are a lot so be prepared for some way to store them until you can get rid of them. The delivery guys won't unbox it for you or take away those materials. I have a garden so the cardboard went right in there as weed prevention until they rot. Getting the bottom feet/leg section on seemed a bit mysterious from the directions provided. Fired up Youtube and saw how it was done. It is pretty easy once you see how it works. The install video I picked was slightly different than my set up- just had to unscrew a couple of plastic covers- and set it in and reseat the top plastic covers. The first time using it feels a little sketchy. Almost like it is going to trap you in the chair. Once you gain some experience with it, it is pretty nice. At least in my experience, don't overdo it the first day. It does a workout on your bod and you will feel it the next day if you do three sessions (20 min each) the first time out. Once out of the box, it is pretty easy to move around with one person. It \would not work for going up or down stairs but just moving it to position it differently is fairly easy. Very pleased with it so far and was worth it on sale. 2 years later review: Still very impressed and the chair is holding up well. I tend to use it 10 to 15 times a week, more some weeks and no issues. It took me some time to understand all the functions and now to get the Goldilocks settings I wanted. The sleep mode works really well. Pretty sure it paid for itself in massage fees and having it on demand is a big plus.

I have had this chair for over a year. I don’t often write product reviews, but this one deserves one. Is well made very relaxing and easy to move around with the two wheels. I cannot say enough good things about this chair well worth the money.

UPDATE (August, 2023): I've had this massage chair for a little over a year, so I figure it's time for an updated review. While I still believe this is not the absolute best massage chair out there (the really good ones still cost $5000+), it was an absolutely wonderful value for the $1799 I paid. Now that this chair is discounted well below that, I am able to recommend it even more. I cannot imagine life without this massage chair! While not perfect -- and it was a pain to setup -- this may be one of my very best purchases from Amazon. It has so enriched our lives. Working from home, I love having this chair nearby to calm me when I'm stressed. It's also been great for managing my wife's SI pain. Our house guests also love it -- makes them feel like they are in a spa. -- ORIGINAL REVIEW (May, 2022): This is one of the most expensive items I have ever purchased on Amazon, and probably the most difficult to review. It's a great chair, and costs thousands less than similar models. But there are some limitations in what it will do, and final assembly is only simple if you know what you are doing (the instructions don't help much at all). I also found that the user guide doesn't give enough detail on operation. With this massage chair you really have to figure out a lot on your own. PROS: * Costs less than half the price of other premium massage chairs. (And of course with Amazon Prime delivery is free.) * This chair does a good job of massaging: feet, buttocks, hips / lower back, and upper back / shoulders. * The alternating pressure on your forearms is surprisingly soothing. * Looks good, stylish * Good remote control (once you figure out how to use it) that fits conveniently in a side pocket. * The sides of the machine light up when in use. It has more than once prevented me from tripping in the dark. MEH: * Your first challenge is getting this monster in the front door. Amazon will deliver it to your doorstep, that's it. Even with the foot/leg massager not attached, the chair very heavy and bulky. You will need two strong people to get this up the stairs, and they will want (and deserve) money and/or food. * The only assembly you need to perform is to attach the leg/foot rest to the chair, and it's fairly simple -- once you figure it out. The assembly instructions provided are TERRIBLE, if not outright inaccurate. You are on your own. Be careful not to drop the tiny screws into cushions while you struggle with this, as you may never see them again. I had to replace one of the screws from my toolbox. * The instructions for use are a bit better than for the assembly, but not by much. The user guide gives you a brief introduction to what the buttons do, and to each massage mode, but you will have to figure out on your own what works best. I've been massaged too hard, too soft, and not in the right place, which I figured out what to do. After about a week I'm mostly sure that massage mode F4 with low intensity works best for me, but I'm still tweaking the neck/shoulder roller position setting. * You almost need three hands to get things started, as once you kick off the massage the pillows that grab your forearms get right to work -- and you have to be real fast to get your arms in the slots in time. I might have this issue less often once I get more adjusted to using the controls * And you really do need to learn the adjustments if you don't want this thing to hurt you. I love an intense foot massage, but I still need to turn down the intensity on this machine. And I still am learning how to have the rollers avoid grinding my hip bones. OTHER FEATURES: The machine includes spare fuses, which is a nice touch. (Wish the manufacturer was just as considerate with their instructions.) There are also bluetooth speakers I've never bothered to pair. OVERALL: I'm still glad I got this unholy beast of a chair, and I plan to keep it. I get a *mostly* good massage out of it, and it looks great in my office. In zero gravity mode I've even fallen asleep in it. But know that for $1799 you are NOT getting the $5000 deluxe massage chair you may see in a fancy store. While this chair is an excellent value and more than worth the money, it is by no means the best chair out there. I get about 90% enjoyment out of this purchase overall.

Bought iRest due to reviews and reputation for high quality. We are so happy and pleased with this chair! We love the multiple recline positions, the variety of massage modes and the heat capability! Would buy this chair again in a heartbeat! Shipping was easy, well packaged. . . just had to attach the leg/foot piece and its power and air wires. Buy this!

I’ve tried massage chairs that are 10x the price of this chair and the iRest zero gravity massage chair is on par with those. There are tons of massage features including back, feet, calves, and arms. Assembling the chair only required me to attach the leg/foot part, which was super easy. The chair is also super easy to clean. The main issues with the chair are that the beeping is loud and the buttons on the controller are pretty confusing. Once you get the hang of the controller this chair is perfect.