In a Nutshell:
Great for chronic pain sufferers and casual users looking for a versatile, deep tissue massage chair that blends well with home furnishings. The only thing keeping the Human Touch AcuTouch 8.0 Bali Massage Chair from getting a perfect score is the absence of lumbar heat.
Overall Massage Quality
Customization options
Ease of Use
Quality
Overall Rating
4.8/5
Benefits
Drawbacks
Recommended For: Chronic pain sufferers and casual users looking for a versatile, deep tissue massage chair that blends well with home furnishings.
Are you interested in getting a great massage chair that doesn’t actually look like a massage chair when not in use?
For many people, it’s one of the biggest drawbacks of a massage chair. The moment you bring it home, the room it’s in becomes more like a doctor’s office than a normal living room. It’s an off-putting aesthetic, to say the least.
If this is what’s been holding you back from owning a massage chair, then you’re in luck! Not only does the Human Touch AcuTouch 8.0 Bali Massage Chair give an expert human-like massage—thanks to its beautiful and innovative design, it also blends in seamlessly with any home décor.
In this review, we’ll take an in-depth look at all that the AcuTouch 8.0 Bali has to offer, in order to help you determine if this is the perfect massage chair for you.
Human Touch AcuTouch 8.0 Bali Massage Chair
Most of the AcuTouch 8.0 reviews you’ll find online start by mentioning aesthetics, and ours is no exception. While not traditionally considered a massage chair “feature,” Human Touch has made it an integral part of the design of every massage chair in their lineup.
Just by looking at the chair, you can readily see the difference between a Human Touch massage chair and a chair offered by other companies. Human Touch products are designed to fit into your home and your lifestyle, rather than taking over your house and making it appear to be a storage for science fiction movie props.
For many people, aesthetics matters just as much as the specific features the chair has to offer.
In the case of the AcuTouch 8.0 massage chair, at first glance, it appears to be just another living room chair. Let’s start then, by taking a closer look at the specific features that make this possible.
Features of the AcuTouch 8.0 Massage Chair
Fold-Outs & Rotators
The two biggest things about the AcuTouch 8.0 Bali that detract from the “look” of a typical massage chair are its arm and leg massage ports. Like in most chairs made by Human Touch, the massage ports fold down or rotate out of sight when not in use. These clever disguise mechanisms allow the chair to blend in with your home furniture.
When you want a massage, simply deploy the foot-and-calf massager, pull up the arm massage wells, and recline the chair. The entire operation literally takes a matter of seconds.
When done, easily bring it back to its inconspicuous resting position. Truly one of the stand-out features of the AcuTouch 8.0 massage chair.
Note too, that the ottoman has a leg extension feature which allows the chair to accommodate users up to 6’4” tall.
S-Track
The AcuTouch 8.0 Bali doesn’t skimp when it comes to delivering a great massage, either. The chair’s quad rollers move along an “S-Track” following the curve of the spine, allowing the rollers to move along the X-, Y-, and Z-axis, instead of just the X- and Y-axis, a major limitation of massage chairs before.
The end result for the user? A better overall massage experience.
Body Scan
The S-Track isn’t the only piece of technology the chair employs to ensure a great massage though. It also uses Acupoint Detection body scan, which measures the entire length of your back and the contours of your neck and shoulders to locate your key pressure points and adjust the positioning of the rollers before your personalized massage.
Zero-Gravity Seating Positions
This is yet another feature included to ensure you get exceptional massage from the AcuTouch 8.0. By reclining to either of the chair’s two zero-gravity positions, your body weight contributes to the quality of the massage by pressing more firmly against the rollers as they travel up and down your spine.
3d Massage Rollers
As one of the pioneers in 3D Massage Technology, the AcuTouch 8.0 Bali is equipped with Human Touch innovative Smart 3D Massage System to add an array of therapeutic massage features to the chair and intensify your massage experience.
Compared to a 2D massage roller system that only travels up and down and side to side, the 3D massage rollers can also travel in and out and mimic human hands, to give you that humanistic massage experience.
Cloud Touch Air Massage
The Bali massage chair comes with 30 airbags, strategically located throughout the chair to deliver Cloud Touch acupressure to key healing points, particularly in the following areas:
Thirty airbags for a mid-range chair is somewhat the average. However, the quality of the massage by the Bali massage chair is better because more airbags are focused on the arms and the upper body.
With Human Touch Cloud Touch technology, airbags work together to lift, squeeze, manipulate, and massage the body, as if you’re floating on air, creating a relaxing massage experience like no other. Plus, air massage intensity has five different settings.
One thing that’s notably absent from this design though are airbags in the foot and calf regions. But, that’s actually not a negative because Human Touch uses a different massage technology for those regions.
Innovative Calf and Foot Massager
The reason that AcuTouch 8.0 does not feature airbags for the calves and feet is due to its unique retractable foot-and-calf massager that uses Human Touch’s patented Figure-Eight Technology, which uses paddles, not airbags, to provide an amazing calf and foot massage. By using the knob on the top of the foot-and-calf massager, you can adjust the calf massage well width for maximum massage effectiveness and comfort.
On top of that, when not in use, you can transform the foot-and-calf massager into a stylish ottoman with just the push of a button, allowing the chair to blend into any room without looking like a massage chair.
Stretch Massage Mode
Another thing that sets the AcuTouch 8.0 Bali apart from other massage chairs in its price range is that it can deliver a full body stretch from the neck to the feet which can help loosen up stiff joints and relieve pain for those who suffer from chronic joint issues.
This is a fantastic feature that should be standard on all massage chairs. Sadly, while some do offer a stretch feature targeted to certain areas, none but the Bali offer a comprehensive head-to-toe stretch.
Removable Pads
The chair features removable backrest and seat pads to provide an extra layer of cushioning. This is common to a number of chairs, but bears special mention here because the Bali is a deep tissue massage chair. Removing these pads will increase the intensity of the massage, delivering real therapeutic benefit.
Since deep tissue massage is usually too intense for the casual user, with the pads in position, the massage intensity is reduced sufficiently that even casual users will find it enjoyable. A nice touch, and a simple solution to a problem that could have turned off a significant segment of the market.
User Friendly
The AcuTouch 8.0 Bali comes with an easy-to-use LCD remote control, which allows you to select your massage experience and make on-the-fly adjustments quickly and easily. Its intuitive interface will allow even first-timers to setup the chair and enjoy a massage instantly.
Customization Options
Human Touch has a long history of taking a different approach to things, and their customization options are no different. In addition to five massage intensity settings, the chair offers 8 pre-programmed routines:
Sounds fairly standard? Well, here’s where Human Touch leaves the rest of the crowd behind: the AcuTouch 8.0 has a total of 21 “Targeted Techniques” that focus on specific parts of the body to deliver specific therapeutic benefits.
Targeted Techniques
Don’t forget too, that each shoulder massager can be set to a narrow or wide position to accommodate a variety of body shapes and types!
What’s Missing in the AcuTouch 8.0 Massage Chair
With so much to like about the Human Touch AcuTouch 8.0 Bali massage chair, you may be wondering what could it be possibly missing, and we would be remiss if we wouldn’t point them out. There are two of note. One minor, and one that could be a deal breaker for some users.
Overall, the AcuTouch 8.0 massage chair really has no weak points beyond these two things.
AcuTouch 8.0 Review Conclusion
The Human Touch AcuTouch 8.0 Bali Massage Chair is a glorious blending of form and function. Designed to meet the therapeutic needs of chronic pain sufferers, while still making the chair enjoyable for casual users, and with a special emphasis on aesthetics, it’s hard to find major fault with the design.
Unless you have a compelling need for heat, the AcuTouch 8.0 Bali is an outstanding choice.
References & Resources
- Human Touch, Official Brand Website.
- Benefits of Heat Therapy for Lower Back Pain, Spine-health.
- Heat for Pain, PainScience.
- Foot Health and Massage Therapy – It’s Not Just About Reflexology, Institute for Integrative Healthcare.
- Massage Therapy Styles and Health Benefits, WebMD.
