Unfortunately, most of these chairs have been discontinued by Brookstone. In case, you can’t find them and want something similar, we’re providing alternative options as well, so read along!
Brookstone is an American retailer that got its start by advertising in classifieds in the magazine “Popular Mechanics” in the sixties. They ran a successful mail-order business for a number of years before opening their first brick-and-mortar location in 1973. While the company has never been a retail giant, they are an American Icon, and today, have some 240 locations across the US and is expanding into China as well.
As a general merchandise company, they offer a wide range of products, including a small line of massage chairs. We’ll offer a Brookstone massage chair comparison table just below, then take a closer look at each one in the following sections, so you can decide for yourself if a Brookstone massage chair is in your future.
Before we get to the Brookstone massage chair reviews themselves, let’s start with a table for a side-by-side comparison:
Mach 9
Overall Rating
Price
$$$$$
Dimensions
62.6″ x 31.9″ x 46.2″
Weight
253 lbs
Track Design
SL-Track
Airbags
44
Zero-G
1
Auto Programs
12
Massage Techniques
Kneading, Tapping, Swedish, Clapping, Shiatsu, and Rolling
Heat
Lumbar, Legs, Knee
Body Stretch
Yes
Warranty
3 Years
Rock & Recline
Overall Rating
Price
$
Dimensions
23” x 38” x 37”
Weight
82 lbs
Track Design
L-Track
Airbags
None
Zero-G
None
Auto Programs
4
Massage Techniques
Shiatsu, Tapping, Rolling
Heat
Lumbar
Body Stretch
No
Warranty
1 Year
Renew 3D
Overall Rating
Price
$$$
Dimensions
31.5” x 55.1” x 50”
Weight
253 lbs
Track Design
L-Track
Airbags
30
Zero-G
1
Auto Programs
9
Massage Techniques
Kneading, Tapping, Rolling, Thai, Clapping, Shiatsu
Heat
Lumbar, Calf
Body Stretch
Yes
Warranty
2 Years
Renew 2 3D
Overall Rating
Price
$$$
Dimensions
31.5” x 55” x 49”
Weight
216 lbs
Track Design
L-Track
Airbags
42
Zero-G
1
Auto Programs
8
Massage Techniques
Kneading, Tapping, Kneading & Tapping, Rolling, Shiatsu
Heat
Lumbar
Body Stretch
Yes
Warranty
2 Years
Energize 3D
Overall Rating
Price
$$$$
Dimensions
40” x 50” x 51.2”
Weight
298 lbs
Track Design
L-Track
Airbags
62
Zero-G
1
Auto Programs
14
Massage Techniques
Kneading, Tapping, Rolling, Clapping, Thai, and Shiatsu
Heat
Lumbar, Calf, and Feet
Body Stretch
Yes
Warranty
2 Years
Who Makes Brookstone Massage Chairs?
It’s a fair question, and one that gets asked a lot. Although Brookstone designed them, all of their chairs are actually manufactured in China. That’s how the company can sell them at such modest prices.
There are some drawback to this, of course. Although the overall quality of Chinese manufacturing has been steadily improving, the reality is that a Chinese-made chair isn’t of the same quality or has the same longevity as one made by US, Japanese, or European massage chair manufacturers. You get what you pay for.
That’s not to say that there are no decent Chinese massage chairs. There are, but the overall quality is undeniably lower than some others. That’s just the reality of the price/performance tradeoff.
How’s the Quality?
The real question then is, “Are Brookstone massage chairs good?” The answer is yes, but…(and you knew there’d be a “but,” right?) They’re a decent value for the money. They’re functional, but they fall short of being exceptional.
If you read customer reviews online, you’ll discover that most of the time, the complaints you see don’t center around the functionality of the chairs themselves, but rather, on the company’s post-sales service and support, which is spotty. Some reviewers sing their praises, but many don’t, citing difficulties in getting in touch with the company, problems with shipping, delivery, or arranging service.
It’s possible that if you buy one, you’ll have a good experience. It’s also possible you’ll get the runaround, if the past is any guide. That’s not necessarily a deal breaker, but it is something worth making a note of.
Having said that, let’s now take a closer look at the various models in a series of short Brookstone massage chair reviews to see what makes each one tick.
Mach 9 Massage Chair
The Mach 9 is the latest massage chair by Brookstone. This is a premium massage chair and comes with plenty of the bells and whistles many want.
The Mach 9 is the latest massage chair by Brookstone, and is exclusively sold by a few massage chair outlets. This is a premium massage chair and comes with plenty of the bells and whistles many want. Here’s a quick look on this brand-new offering:
Massage Chair Features
Clearly, Brookstone made sure to add as many features as they can to their new massage chair, and we were quite impressed. However, we just hope that the company could keep up with other manufacturers when it comes to post-sales support and customer service, especially for such a high-end massage chair.
Mach 9 Massage Chair Alternatives
Rock & Recline Massage Chair
There aren’t too many Brookstone massage chairs reviews that center on the company’s entry-level model, so you may not have even heard of it.
It’s a smaller chair, and as its name suggests, it both rocks and reclines, so if you’re looking for a massage chair you can rock in, you’ll like this very much.
It’s specifically designed for two groups of people: Those who don’t have a lot of space, and people on a budget.
Because it’s fairly small and lightweight, if you’re big and tall, this one probably isn’t going to work for you. It’s also worth mentioning that this is the only chair Brookstone makes that only comes with a one year warranty (all their other models come with a two-year warranty), so keep that in mind as well.
Now, with those things out of the way, let’s take a closer look at which the Rock & Recline chair can do.
What We Liked
For an entry-level chair, this one is surprisingly full-featured. In our view, these are its most noteworthy aspects:
What We Didn’t Like
The Rock & Recline chair has a lot going for it, but again, as an entry-level chair, it’s also got its share of limitations. Here are the things it can’t do:
Regarding operation, there’s only a very slight learning curve involved, as the remote is fairly simple and well organized. All the buttons are clearly labeled, and even people who aren’t especially tech-savvy will have little difficulty mastering its use.
All things considered, it’s a decent chair at its price point, and on that basis, is recommended. Having said that, if you can save a little longer, and are willing to spend a bit more money, you can get a chair with a significantly more robust feature set.
Rock & Recline Massage Chair Alternatives
Renew 3D Zero Gravity Massage Chair
The Renew 3D, Zero-G Massage Chair is much more robust than its smaller cousin, the Rock & Recline chair, but for the price, it’s decidedly middle of the pack compared to competing chairs offered by other companies.
That’s not to say it’s a bad design, simply that it doesn’t have a “killer feature” that makes it stand out from the crowd. Having said that, there’s a lot to like about it.
What We Liked
In our view, it’s best features are:
You don’t find too many chairs offering Thai massage, and if that’s one of your preferred techniques, then its presence here will be a big nod in the Renew’s favor.
What We Didn’t Like
As we mentioned earlier, we don’t regard this as a bad design at all; it’s just that if you compare its feature set with similarly priced chairs offered by other companies, this one is middle of the pack. There’s nothing about it that you could consider a “killer feature” that would make you want to rush out and buy it over and above a competitor’s chair, except maybe Thai massage, but then only if that was super important to you.
While there are a few features that are just plain missing (no MP3 support, for example), our main complaint is that the offered features could be better.
The body stretch is present but unremarkable. The foot massage is present but unremarkable. Zero-G seating is present, but only offered in one position, and so forth. None of these things are deal breakers, however, and if all you’re looking for is a passingly good hobbyist chair, then this one will serve you very well in that capacity.
A Note About Ease of Use
While the Renew isn’t all that difficult to learn to use and master, it does have more of a learning curve than the Rock & Recline chair, mostly owing to its expanded feature set.
The remote looks a little complicated at first glance, but the buttons are fairly well organized, and the LCD screen is helpful. All in all, it might take someone with at least a bit of tech savvy perhaps twenty minutes to master the basics. If you’re not all that tech savvy, you can expect it to take a little longer, but even so, it won’t leave you scratching your head in bewilderment.
Renew 3D Zero Gravity Massage Chair Alternatives
Renew 2 Zero Gravity Massage Chair
This represents a redesign of the original Renew chair, but there are enough differences that the company has opted to continue selling both versions. We’re not sure what to make of this model.
In some respects, it’s an advancement over its predecessor, but for the most part, it’s a lateral move. In our view, this chair should have been given some other model name, and we’re not quite sure why the company opted not to.
In any case, since it’s functionally similar, this section of our brand review will focus only on what’s different about the two models:
To summarize our Brookstone Renew zero gravity massage chair review, we’d say this: If you’re looking for a chair to soothe your aching feet and sore calves, get the original Renew. If you’re looking for a superior air massage, the Renew 2 is superior to the original design.
Renew 2 Zero Gravity Massage Chair Alternatives
Energize3D Zero Gravity Massage Chair
Although this model should be considered a mid-range chair, the Brookstone Energize 3D massage chair is the company’s most expensive, feature-rich design, and is the flagship of their lineup.
As with the other models the company offers, it’s good, if perhaps a bit underweight compared to comparably priced massage chairs. There’s nothing in the world wrong with it, but again, it just doesn’t have a “killer feature” that makes it stand out in a crowded marketplace.
What We Liked
What We Didn’t Like
Given that this is the company’s flagship model, we’d love to have seen some hard-hitting extras like temperature controls for the heat, and something other than a simple air massage for the feet. These aren’t complaints per se. The chair is fine without them, but again, those are the kind of finishing touches that make the flagship model of a company’s lineup stand out, and they’re simply absent here.
Energize 3D Zero Gravity Massage Chair Alternatives
What About the Brookstone Recover 3D Zero Gravity Massage Chair?
We’ve seen a few Brookstone Recover 3D massage chair reviews around the web, but the company has apparently stopped offering this model for sale, so we opted not to include it in our lineup here. You can see the full lineup of the company’s currently offered massage chairs here:
Brookstone Massage Chair Reviews Conclusion
Middle of the road.
If we had to pick one phrase that summarized all of our Brookstone massage chair reviews, that would be it. They’re decent chairs, and perhaps even very good general use or hobbyist chairs.
Having said that, if you have a therapeutic need, you’re better off looking at some other brand that’s specifically designed to meet it, and in general, we find that Brookstone’s offerings punch slightly below their weight class. That is to say, for the money you spend here, you’re likely to find a massage chair offered by some other company that delivers a more robust set of features and/or better implementations of those features.
When you combine that with the company’s sometimes problematic post-sales support and customer service, we can’t strongly recommend them. They’re decent, but fall short of greatness, and many, if not most of the other reviews of Brookstone massage chairs you’ll find online will support this.
References & Resources
- Brookstone Massage Chair, Official Brand Website.
- Foot Massage: The Pause That Refreshes and Is Good for You!, Harvard.
- The Effects of Heat and Massage Application on Autonomic Nervous System, NCBI.
Hi. I own a 3 year old Brookstone Recover Massage Chair. Brookstone is now out of business, but my chair needs repair. Your article about Brookstone chairs suggested you might know who the manufacturer is. At this point, contacting the manufacturer looks to be the only route to finding a way to repair it, but I can’t find a way to identify who that might be. Can you help? Thanks.
Hello Elisha, and thank you for reaching out to us!
Unfortunately, the manufacturer isn’t going to be much help in terms of the repair – they’re just not set up for that. There is a silver lining though. As more and more people have found themselves in a situation similar to yours, it has created an emerging market for third-party repair companies. We found one that specifically handles repairs on massage chairs made by companies that are no longer in business.
Their website is here: http://www.smartchoicerepaircenter.com/electric-recliner-massage-chair-repair/
Or, if you’d rather speak to them in person, their phone number is: 1-844-DONOT-86 (1-844-366-6886).
Best of luck to you! These guys should be able to coax a bit more life out of your chair!