In a Nutshell:
The Litebox ONE is a technological wonder, engineered with a generous selection of both client- and technician-side features. Recommended for anyone, but be aware that there have been reports of customer service issues in the past.
Customization options
Ease of Use
Comfort
Overall Rating
4.3/5
Benefits
Drawbacks
Unfortunately, this product has been discontinued. Check out other Massage Chairs we’ve reviewed.
If you own a spa or salon that sports a modern or futuristic look, then you may find that your selection of pedicure chairs is somewhat limited. Simply put, most chairs don’t fit the modern/futuristic aesthetic.
That’s not the case with the Litebox ONE. As you’ll see in the sections below, it’s got a lot going for it. While it’s true it’s not perfect, the same can be said of every other pedicure chair on our site, so in the end, it comes down to finding the chair that has the “right” mix of client and customer-oriented features that best meets your needs.
Let’s jump right in and see what this one can do!
An Overview of the Litebox ONE Smart Pedicure Chair
Footprint and Aesthetic
The first thing you’ll note about the Litebox ONE is that it’s a fairly sizeable piece of equipment, although a sharp eye will note that it’s a shade smaller than some of the others we’ve reviewed on this site. The base measures 50.5” x 27.75” x 18.5” and the chair itself measures 33” x 29” by 38.5”. It weighs in at 190 pounds, which is roughly middle of the pack.
The second thing that will catch your eye is its styling. As we mentioned in the introduction, it’s got a delightful sleek, modern-to-futuristic look. While it’s not for everyone, those who are fond of the aesthetic will be thrilled.
While we love the aesthetic, we were a bit disappointed by the relative lack of color customization options available. There are only two bowl color options (gold reflections and crystal reflections), and only three upholstery color options (red, cappuccino and cream).
While this isn’t awful, there are plenty of other chairs on the market today that offer a much greater degree of customization.
Technician-Centered Features
The ONE Smart Chair isn’t just pretty though, it’s got tons of great features that are designed to make the lives of your technicians easier, which in turn, makes your operation faster and more efficient. The more clients you can serve during the course of a day, the healthier your bottom line looks, and this chair was designed with that in mind.
One of the coolest features you just don’t find on other models is that this chair sports LED lights that can be activated to direct your clients to the active chair. It’s a small feature, but you’ll be amazed at how effective it is.
In addition to that, you’ll find things like auto-fill sensors on the foot bowl, which means your techs don’t have to worry about closely monitoring the water level; an auto draining feature which allows your techs to drain the foot bowl with the touch of a button; and an adjustable footrest so your technicians aren’t breaking their backs to do their work. It’s a pipeless chair too, which means that long-term maintenance and sanitation is a snap.
In short, this chair has (almost) everything your techs need to make their lives easier. If there’s one shortcoming we found, it was the lack of on-chair storage, so your employees will need to access their supplies from some nearby location. We love chairs that offer built-in storage, which further improves workflow, but unfortunately, this one lacks in that regard.
Client-Centered Features
The ONE Smart Chair doesn’t leave your clients wanting for comforts either. The chair itself comes with a built-in pillow and is reasonably comfortable. It’s not something you’d want to nap in all afternoon, but then, you don’t want your clients doing that anyway, and it offers perfectly acceptable comfort for the time they’ll be spending in it.
Its two most noteworthy features both center around massage. There are massage jets in the foot bowl, and stationary massage nodes in the chair’s seat back, which offer a standard, vibration-style massage, both of which can be controlled by the client via remote.
Given that only a minority of pedicure chairs on the market today offer any sort of back massage, we were beyond thrilled to see it present in any form, and it’s definitely something that will leave your clients coming back for more.
Pros & Cons of Litebox ONE Smart Pedicure Chair
As you can see, there’s a lot to like about the Litebox ONE. To summarize what we’ve talked about so far, its main strengths are:
The weaknesses we’ve mentioned thus far aren’t deal-breakers, but include:
As we mentioned, only a minority of pedicure chairs offer any form of massage at all. The fact that it’s present in any form is a win. But the full truth is that a vibration-style massage isn’t exactly world class. The chair would have ranked even higher if it had included a more robust, dual- or even quad-roller-based massage.
The biggest potential drawback though, is the fact that we found a surprising number of customer complaints on various forums around the web. It seems that there was a time when Litebox had some genuine struggles with post-sales customer service and support.
It should be noted that most of the complaints are at least two years old, which indicates to us that they’ve solved their support issues, but it’s something to be aware of. After all, it’s a high-tech piece of equipment. Inevitably, something is going to break. If you can’t get adequate support, that’s going to be problematic.
Finally, the number of high-tech features the chair offers does increase the slope of the learning curve. While it’s by no means severe, and your techs will have no particular trouble mastering its use, you will find that it takes a bit more practice to learn than other models.
Litebox ONE Smart Pedicure Chair Review Conclusion
So where does that leave us?
On the whole then, we really like the Litebox ONE Smart Pedicure Chair. It’s a great chair that offers a superb mix of features for both your clients and your techs. Most of its negatives are relatively minor, though the past customer service issues may give you pause.
We recommend the chair, but caution that your mileage may vary, depending on the quality of the post-sales support you get.
Official Manufacturer Support
REFERENCES & RESOURCES
- The Difference in Massage Types, Homedics.
- Spas: the Risks and Benefits, WebMD.
- Improving Blood Flow to the Feet, Diabetes Self-management.