In a Nutshell:

At first glance, the Osaki OS Champ looks like a strong, entry-level massage chair, but it’s got some shortcomings we regard as deal-breakers. We cannot, in good conscience, recommend this model.

Overall Massage Quality
Customization options
Ease of Use
Brand Reliability*

Overall Rating

4.2/5
* Brand Reliability is a measure of the strength and longevity of the brand, which by extension, is a measure of the level of support you can expect.

Benefits

  • Advanced massage techniques
  • Has heat, body stretching
  • Two Zero-G seating options
  • Four therapeutic features

Drawbacks

  • Limited basic massage options
  • Lacks pre-programmed options
  • Average implementation
  • A mixed bag overall
Osaki OS-Champ Massage Chair

We cannot, in good conscience, recommend this model.

Check Latest Price

Are you on a budget but hoping to find an entry-level, value-priced massage chair to help relieve your aches and pains and replace regular chiropractic visits?

If so, and if you’re considering the Osaki Champ, we urge you to read this Osaki OS Champ review before spending your hard-earned money.

Osaki is a great company and one of the bright stars in the industry. Most of the products they offer are exceptional, and we recommend nearly all of the Osaki products they make, either wholeheartedly or provisionally.

In this case, however, we can’t do that. In the following sections, we’ll outline exactly why that is the case. On paper, it looks like it would be a solid design. But as you’ll see, the Champ has some shortcomings and limitations that wind up crippling it – at least in our view.

If you’re curious to know more, let’s take a closer look.

Osaki Champ Massage Chair Key Features

The first thing to note about the Champ is that the design team behind the chair made no effort to hide its function. That’s not a huge surprise because not many chairs do that, and most people who suffer from chronic pain are a lot more interested in results than aesthetics.

Still, if you’re looking for a model that will blend seamlessly into your living room’s existing décor scheme, this one probably isn’t the chair you’re looking for. However, it is available in a modest selection of colors (black and grey, brown and beige, cream and taupe, and black and brown), so you can at least do some color matching.

As massage chairs go, this one is not a huge piece of furniture—it measures 29.5” W x 57.1” L x 44.1” H and weighs 203 pounds. Note that at the time we wrote this review, the Amazon sales page incorrectly listed the weight of this chair as 190 pounds.

In addition, the Osaki OS-Champ is designed with space-saving technology, which makes it easier to find a permanent home for the chair—even if space is somewhat limited at your house. 

Here’s the thing about that, though. Many of Osaki’s other models feature space-saving technology. And we know they’re good at it because most of their chairs only require 4” or so of clearance between the back of the chair and whatever wall you place it near.

That’s not the case with this model. Even with the space-saving design, it requires 9” of clearance, so it’s just not implemented as well here as the company has done with other models. By itself, that’s certainly not a dealbreaker, but it is the first weak point in the design’s armor.

Osaki Champ Massage Chair with light grey faux leather upholstery and its dimensions when sitting upright and when reclined

Another point of weakness is that because this chair has a relatively small footprint and is relatively lightweight compared to many other chairs on the market, it’s incapable of supporting a lot of user weight.

While there’s no formal industry standard, if you take the average weight that massage chairs support across the industry, you’d get something around or perhaps slightly higher than 300 pounds. This one doesn’t quite meet that bar.

That’s fine if you’ve got a light to average build. But if you’re a bigger, taller, or heavier user, then the modest supported weight limit is almost certain to make this chair a nonstarter.

L-Track & Quad Rollers

Although we don’t recommend this chair, we’ll be quick to admit that it is a strong component of our Osaki OS-Champ zero-gravity massage chair review because the chair has good bones. It was built with technology in line with the current industry standard—specifically, L-Track and quad rollers. Both are excellent.

OS-Champ's L-track and an illustration of the body while sitting on the chair, with the rollers hitting pressure points

The quad rollers are superb because they do such a great job of mimicking the feel of human hands.

The massage this chair is capable of rendering really does feel a lot like the massage you get when you visit your local chiropractor.

The L-Track is similarly outstanding because it allows the rollers to start at your neck, travel down the length of your back, and then turn, moving under the seat to massage your glutes and the backs of your thighs.

The only shortcoming to be aware of where the bones of the chair are concerned is that the Champ does not feature a 3D track, which means that the rollers only move in two dimensions (x- and y-, up and down, left and right).

That’s not uncommon in entry-level chairs, but 3D models will give you a slightly higher quality massage and much closer to a deep tissue massage.

Body Scanning Tech Included

Most massage chairs sold today offer body scanning technology, so it’s no surprise that it’s included here. 

Osaki OS Champ with dark brown faux leather upholstery, black exterior, and an illustration of the body's pressure points

The technology works by taking a quick scan of your body before your massage begins and quietly repositioning the rollers so that they hit your pressure points precisely, ensuring an exceptional massage every time you use the chair.

Even better, Osaki’s body scanning tech is excellent, and in practice, you’ll find that it gets the rollers exactly where you want them about 98% of the time. On the rare occasions when the rollers aren’t positioned exactly where you want them, you’ll find manual controls on the remote that allow you to tweak the position of the rollers so they hit exactly where you want them.

The combination of those two things provides a powerful one-two punch that virtually guarantees you’ll get the best massage this chair can deliver.

Surprising Massage Options On Offer

This isn’t the strongest component of our Osaki OS Champ review, but it’s not awful, either. As an entry-level chair, we weren’t expecting much on this front. And sure enough, the Champ delivers what we’d consider to be the lowest common denominator.

Osaki OS Champ with beige faux leather upholstery, brown exterior, and an illustration of the chair's preprogrammed options

You’ll find the following massage techniques available here:

  • Clapping
  • Tapping
  • Shiatsu
  • Swedish

The first thing to note is that this chair offers two different advanced techniques. That’s almost unheard of in an entry-level chair. And if you’re specifically looking for a chair that offers Swedish massage, this is the least expensive option you’ll find on the market – by a wide margin. That’s huge.

Unfortunately, it comes at a high cost. The Champ doesn’t even offer the full suite of basic massage techniques and is pretty limited in pre-programmed options. These include:

  • Relax
  • Upper Back
  • Lower Back
  • Stretch
  • And Demo

All of these default to a 15-minute duration except for Demo, which defaults to a five-minute duration. However, this chair does feature a massage timer that allows you to add or subtract time from any massage you select—from a minimum of 5 minutes to an absolute maximum of 30 minutes, which is a nice touch on an entry-level machine.

OS Champ with light grey faux leather upholstery and the chair's 18 airbags located at the shoulders, arms, and leg ports

Demo, by the way, is a full-body massage. And unless you want to focus on a specific part of your body, it’s a good general-purpose option. A pity that the default duration is so short, but that’s fixable by taking advantage of the massage timer.

The upper and lower massage options feel a bit out of place because this chair also allows you to order spot and partial massages, which makes those two programs feel like a duplication of function. 

We’d like to have seen some other pre-programmed massage options replace these two. Overall, the pre-programmed massage options available feel a bit underwhelming to us.

There is one important exception, however. The Stretch option is amazing and probably the best feature this chair brings to the table.

Osaki’s stretch routine isn’t the best in the industry (you want a Kahuna chair for that), but it’s pretty good. And this option delivers real therapeutic value, which we love.

It closely mimics the feel of a chiropractic adjustment. If you find yourself heading to your local chiropractor’s office to have that done, this feature will save you time and money in the long run.

Osaki OS Champ with black base and exterior, and its old school wired remote with a small screen and buttons

Before we leave this section, the final thing to mention is that you can modify your massage experience via the remote through three different speeds and four intensity settings.

That’s about average for an entry-level massage chair, so it’s no big surprise there.

Unfortunately, other than the “upper and lower back” pre-programmed options, there’s no one-touch means of ordering a massage defined by body regions. 

The only way to do something like that would be to wait until the rollers hit the part of your body you’re most interested in working, then order a “partial” massage, which will keep the rollers in that general area. The rollers will travel in a roughly 3” radius from that point.

Overall, then, there are a couple of very good elements here (Swedish massage and body stretching) combined with a few underwhelming elements, which makes this section of our Osaki OS Champ massage chair review a bit of a mixed bag.

Zero-G Seating Options Available

Osaki OS Champ Massage Chair in zero gravity recline with the leg ports elevated above the heart

This is another surprisingly strong component of our Osaki OS Champ review. Only about one massage chair in three on the market today offers Zero-G seating, and most only offer a single Zero-G seating position.

The Champ offers two, and both help to facilitate faster post-operative healing and foster improved blood flow, in addition to generally improving massage quality.

We were surprised to find a pair of Zero-G seating options on offer here, but note that they’re not unheard of. You can find comparably priced chairs that offer three such seating positions.

Ultimately, how much you like this feature implementation will depend on your value of multiple Zero-G options.

Lumbar Heat

Most of the massage chairs on the market today can deliver a massage that feels pretty good.

OS Champ Massage Chair in light grey and black variant, with two heating coils in the lumbar area

Any time you add heat to a decent massage, it elevates it to an amazing massage. That is the case, making this another surprisingly strong component of our Osaki OS Champ review.

Only a minority of chairs on the market today offer heat and most of those that do limit the heat to the lumbar region of the chair. Sure enough, that’s precisely what the OS Champ massage chair does. But given that this is an entry-level model, that’s all we were expecting.

The elements heat quickly and evenly, and they really enhance the overall massage experience, especially if you use them in conjunction with one of the Zero-G seating options.

Do that and apply the maximum intensity setting, and you’ll get something reasonably close to a deep tissue massage, which is awesome.

An Underwhelming Airbag Massage

Osaki OS Champ Massage Chair with light grey faux leather upholstery, black exterior and base, and brand name in rose gold

Unfortunately, the Champ doesn’t fare as well when it comes to the offered airbag massage, so this is a relatively weak segment of our Osaki OS Champ review.

The good news is that the Champ offers an airbag-based massage, and you can modify it via the remote through four different intensity settings.

The bad news is that there are only 18 airbags incorporated into the chair’s design. And generally speaking, more airbags = a better airbag-based massage. There just aren’t enough of them here to do a world-class job. It’s not awful. It feels pretty good, but it’s certainly not the design’s strongest feature.

The Champ Also Offers A Calf and Foot Massage

Osaki OS Champ with grey faux leather wrapped-leg ports, extendable footrest, airbags for calves and feet, and foot rollers

This is a bit of a misfire on Osaki’s part. Normally, the company does a good job with their calf and foot massage. However, the feature implementation here isn’t up to the company’s normal standards.

Many users have complained that the foot rollers are too rough, even on the gentlest setting.

The only way around that is to wear two or three layers of socks when you order a foot massage, but that’s inconvenient.

Airbags render the calf massage better than the foot massage. But if you take the time to insulate the soles of your feet, the foot massage can be good, too. You may have to jump through a few hoops, though.

Two Extras and A Regression

Some entry-level massage chairs offer no extras, while others do. It’s a bit of a mixed bag. The Champ’s design team opted to include two extras—one rather small and the other more significant.

Then, oddly, they decided to introduce an outdated technology. And we’re not sure why.

Osaki OS Champ Massage Chair's Bluetooth speakers on headrest and wired remote with pouch attached to chair

Let’s start with the good.

You’ll find a set of auxiliary controls on the arm of the massage chair, allowing you to perform a few basic functions without needing to use the remote. It’s not a huge thing, but it is pretty convenient, which makes it a nice touch.

Second, although the chair doesn’t offer a USB port to keep your phone fully charged, it does sport Bluetooth speakers. Sync your phone up to these, and you can kick back and listen to your favorite tunes, watch videos, or listen to a podcast while enjoying a massage. We like that, and we’re pretty sure you will, too.

Now for the weirdness.

For reasons unknown, Osaki decided that attaching a wired remote to this chair would really complete it.

Just about everybody stopped using wired remotes in the 1980s, so the fact that this chair has one is almost jarring. It just feels completely out of place with the rest of the chair.

Granted, the remote has a 59” long cable, so it’s long enough to be an issue rarely, but is it a wired remote? Really?

It just feels strange. It would probably cost as much, if not more, to include this retro element than a standard wireless remote, as almost everything else runs on these days.

We honestly don’t get it.

Pros & Cons OS Champ Massage Chair

As we said at the start, this Osaki OS Champ chair has good bones and a number of advantages. We love that it offers two advanced massage techniques.

On top of that, it’s got heat, body stretching, and two Zero-G seating options. That’s four different therapeutic features – which, for the money, is amazing.

Unfortunately, it’s not all roses. The chair sacrifices a lot to squeeze in that second advanced technique – dropping some of the basic massage options, skimping on pre-programmed options, and coming up short, or with only average implementations of other key features like its airbag massage and the calf and foot massage implementation. 

That makes it very much a mixed bag.

Osaki OS Champ Review Conclusion

Overall, we cannot recommend this chair. It really gets things right when it comes to certain aspects. But it has too many shortcomings to offer a broad, general recommendation.

What we can say is if you have a light to average build (so you don’t exceed the chair’s modest weight limit), if you’re not a big fan of a calf and foot massage anyway, or if you don’t mind jumping through some hoops to protect the soles of your feet…

If you’re on a budget and looking for a chair that specifically offers Swedish massage paired with as many other therapeutic features as you can afford – if all of those things are true, then yes, we recommend this model. But that’s a narrow slice of the market, so in general, no…we just can’t recommend this one.

Better values are out there, and they’re not hard to find.

Other Options To Consider

If you like the general concept of the Champ but are looking for something without quite so many limitations, here are a couple of other options to consider:

Osaki Titan Pro Commander Massage Chair

Recommended For: Anyone on a budget with basic therapeutic needs, provided you weigh no more than 240 pounds.

The Titan is another unusual chair with a few shortcomings, but not as many as the chair we just reviewed. You lose access to the Swedish massage, but you get a lot more basic functionality.

Oddly, this one doesn’t have body scanning tech (which is an incredibly common feature), so you will have to fiddle with the rollers a bit before you start your massage.

Kahuna LM6800 Massage Chair
4.6

Recommended For: Hobbyist/casual users, chronic pain sufferers, and taller users, almost anybody, will love this chair!

This chair is fantastic and the best value in today’s massage chair world. Kahuna offers the best body stretching in the business, and this little chair is brimming with features and finishing touches you’ll love. It is amazing.


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