Magic Union Wall Hugger Power Lift Massage Recliner Review 2024

Is your mobility issue cramping your style? Do you look back wistfully on your life “before” and wish there was some way you could start reclaiming your independence?

There is! You don’t have to miss out just because you can’t move around like you used to. You don’t have to suffer the indignity and embarrassment of having to call someone to help you do simple things like standing up after you’ve been sitting for a while, and a power lift recliner is an excellent first step.

They function like conventional recliners, but with one major difference: At the touch of a button, when you’re ready to get up and move, the whole chair lifts up and angles forward, gently helping you to a standing position.

While that alone won’t solve all your mobility issues, that, plus a couple of other pieces of equipment, certainly will. The problem, of course, is that there are a dizzying number of power lift recliners on the market, and choosing between them can be a daunting task.

Recently, we did a deep dive and searched the web for the best power lift recliners on the market. In the budget category, the Magic Union Wall Hugger placed a strong second and is well worth taking a closer look at.

In the sections that follow, we’ll tell you everything this chair can do and a few areas where it comes a bit short, so you’ll have everything you need to decide for yourself if it’s the model you’ve been looking for. If that sounds good to you, let’s get right to it and see what makes this model tick!

An Overview of The Magic Union Wall Hugger

At first glance, the Wall Hugger doesn’t look all that much different from most other living room recliners you’ve seen. It sports a simple, classic design that’s relatively unassuming. You can order the chair in either brown or black, two colors that should blend in pretty seamlessly, whatever your home’s décor.

On closer inspection, though, it’s clear that there’s more going on here than meets the eye first.

For one thing, you can set this chair fairly close to the wall behind it because, as its name indicates, it’s a wall hugger. Whereas most recliners need about two feet of clearance to recline fully, this one can get by with a little less than eighteen inches, which is significantly space-saving, especially if you have a smaller home or apartment. 

Overall, the Magic Union Wall Hugger Power Lift Massage Recliner measures 32” x 34” x 42” and weighs in at 110 pounds, so it’s a good-sized piece of furniture but not excessively large. It can also support up to 330 pounds of user weight, making it “best in class” in that category of the budget chairs we reviewed for the roundup.

Where the seat is concerned, here are the relevant stats:

The two other things you’ll notice are the cupholders (two of them) and the remote, which we’ll talk about in the next section.

Features of the Magic Union Power Lift Recliner Chair

This section is a bit of a mixed bag. The Wall Hugger gets a number of things right and a few things that left us a little wanting. Let’s start with the good.

Comfortability

First and foremost, it’s a reasonably comfortable chair, but certainly not the best in class. It’s not overstuffed, and the padding is conventional block foam, which is about what you’d expect in a value-priced massage chair (under $500). 

While it would be overselling it to say that it offers a luxurious seating experience (not even close), it’s not bad. The chair reclines back far enough, and the headrest and built-in pillow are comfortable enough to make it a decent napping chair.

Recline & Lift Functions

Second, the recline function is handled via the remote. The motors on the chair are strong and fairly quiet (though not the quietest we’ve ever heard), and with no preset recline positions, you can experiment to your heart’s content and find the perfect reclining angle for you, depending on your needs of the moment. 

Note that while some models allow you to control the leg rest and recline function independently, this is not one of them. They recline in tandem or not at all.

Of course, the remote also controls the lift function, which will smoothly and gently guide you into a standing position (note that the motor that controls the lift function is separate from the one that controls the recline function).

Upholstery

Unfortunately, the Magic Union Power Lift Massage Chair’s upholstery left us wanting. It’s not genuine leather, but “Pleather,” which is, in our view, a poor substitute. We’d gladly have paid a bit more money to have even bonded leather, but alas, no such option exists. If you opt for this chair, it’s Pleather or…pleather. It’s not our first choice, but also not a deal breaker.

The really exciting features the Wall Hugger brings to the table, though, are covered in the next section!

Magic Union Lift Chair Extra Features

Here, the Magic Union Wall Hugger truly shines. While we’re not completely thrilled with everything in this section, bear in mind that this is a budget-priced chair. It’s being sold for a song, and for it to have all the features we’re going to tell you about in this section is nothing short of amazing.

Cup Holders

Let’s start with the obvious – the cup holders. As mentioned, you get two of them, and it’s a good addition. Very handy, but…

We’re a little conflicted about the idea of putting cup holders on a lift chair. You can see the disaster in the making, right?

You set your drink down, then get distracted and forget about it, then activate the lift feature, which promptly dumps your drink all over the floor as it helps you stand up. 

Not fun. That’s definitely something to be mindful of if you decide to buy this chair!

Storage

​You get two generously sized side pockets, which are big enough to store the remote, your favorite books and magazines, snacks you sneak in from the kitchen, or whatever else you might need while enjoying time in your chair. On top of that, there are two secondary storage pockets for even more of your stuff.

Massage Function

Third, this model comes with a massage function, and in fact, the chair comes with a second remote specifically to control the massage feature). It’s not a world-class massage, it must be said, but the fact that it was present at all, given the chair’s price, makes it remarkable.

If you’re specifically looking for a power lift recliner with massage and money’s tight, we’d recommend comparing this one with the Frivity Power Lift. If you can find it on sale, it will cost you less money, and if that’s the key feature you’re after, it’s worth comparing the two models.

Massage Modes

While the massage is very basic, rendered via eight fixed “nodes” that gently vibrate your back, you’ll be pleasantly surprised because the remote gives you some ability to customize your experience, offering the following massage modes:

In practice, these are all slight variations on the same theme, but the engineers who designed the chairs went above and beyond to make the massage experience as good as they could, given the limitations of the tech the chair is using.

Massage Areas

On top of that, you can further customize your massage by focusing on the following specific areas:

Massage Timer

If you thought the designers were done, you’d be mistaken! They also included a massage timer you can set to 15, 30, or 60 minutes. That’s something you sometimes don’t see on “proper” massage chairs and is another great addition. 

Intensity Settings

You can also choose between two different massage intensity settings (low and high). Honestly, given that this isn’t a full-blown massage chair, we were blown away by the options presented here.

Vibration-Style Massage

Even given these elements, the massage you get from the Magic Union Power Lift Recliner Chair is nowhere close to the massage you’d get from a proper massage chair, but if you like vibration-style massage, then its presence here, along with the various options on offer is definitely going to score points with you.

Note: Vibration-style massage is good for minor muscle aches, and it helps improve blood flow, but people who don’t like it say that it feels like the chair is trying to shake the teeth right out of their head, so experiment with it, but understand that your mileage may vary.

Heated Massage

On top of the vibration massage, the Magic Union Wall Hugger also offers heat!

Even though we’re not huge fans of vibration massage, the combination of massage plus heat makes this model well worth considering. Heat magnifies the ​therapeutic benefits of the massage you’re getting, and that’s good stuff. Depending on the severity of your mobility issue, that feature combination alone may make it possible for you to get up and move more freely.

Unfortunately, the heat offered is limited to the lumbar region of your back and cannot be temperature-controlled, but again, the fact that it’s present at all is flat-out amazing.

Some Assembly Required

Unfortunately, if you decide to order the Magic Union Lift Chair, you’ll need to do a bit of “grunt work” before you can enjoy it for the first time. It comes in two pieces, each in its own box.

Assembly is fairly straightforward and shouldn’t take more than thirty minutes of your time. Less if you have an assistant helping you, and once it’s done, it’s done.

Bear in mind that this chair is made in China and built with low-end materials. Low-end doesn’t necessarily mean low quality, but it does mean that this chair isn’t as durable as high-end furniture. It’s going to start showing its age fairly quickly, even under the best of circumstances, and the mechanical components just don’t have the same longevity as components manufactured in Europe or America do.

That said, given how inexpensive this chair is, those things are to be expected.

It’s also worth mentioning that since Magic Union is an “off-brand,” getting in touch with a live human being in their customer support department can be a bit of a challenge. Once you do reach someone, though, you’ll find them to be helpful; it’s just getting to that point that might drive you crazy, so keep that in mind as you’re weighing your options!

Pros & Cons of the Magic Union Wall Hugger Power Lift Massage Recliner

There are all sorts of improvements we’d love to see on the Magic Union Lift Recliner, including:

And the like.

Unfortunately, all of those things would drastically increase the price of the chair, and then it wouldn’t be a budget-priced chair anymore. With that in mind, we can’t say we’d change anything. The designers did a great job of adding compelling features while keeping the price low and should be commended.

Magic Union Power Lift Massage Chair Review Conclusion

Honestly, we love the Magic Union Wall Hugger, warts and all, and we’re pretty sure you will too.

This chair does a little bit of everything, and it manages to do it all surprisingly well. While it’s not the prettiest chair to look at, and the upholstery is substandard, this is an undeniably great design you won’t be disappointed with. We give it a solid recommendation.

Recommended Reading

Osaki OS 802E Massage Chair Review

We’ve assessed the Osaki OS 802E, a massage chair perfect for budget-savvy users seeking simplicity and reliability.

Relaxzen Deluxe Leisure Recliner Chair Review

Our review of the Relaxzen Deluxe Leisure recliner chair explores how it caters to budget-conscious casual users.

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REFERENCES & RESOURCES

• How Can Massage Help to Relieve Back Pain?, Urban Massage.
• Why Is Good Posture Important for Your Health?, Push Doctor.
• How to Improve Leg Blood Flow Circulation, Senior Health 365.
• Leg Massage at Home Benefits How to, 2 Being Fit.
• Your Guide To Buying A Recliner, AskMen.