In a Nutshell:
The Real Relax PS2000 is one of the least expensive massage chairs that looks like a conventional easy chair when not in use. It is, however, incredibly limited and may not be right for everyone. Recommended for we can’t recommend this model in good conscience. While it has some features we’re sure some users will like, it’s too limited to be a good massage chair even for those on a budget.
Overall Massage Quality
Customization options
Ease of Use
Value for the Money
Brand Reliability*
Overall Rating
3.4/5
Benefits
Drawbacks
Recommended For: We can’t recommend this model in good conscience. While it has some features we’re sure some users will like, it’s too limited to be a good massage chair, even for those on a budget.
Does your back bother you often enough that you’ve got your local chiropractor on speed dial? Are you looking for an affordable massage chair you can buy to get the pain relief you need from the comfort of your home at any time, day or night?
If you answered yes to those questions and your search has brought you to our Real Relax PS2000 review, we’re sorry to report that your search will likely have to continue. No worries, we can help with that.
The simple truth is that while this chair does have some attractive features, it probably will not be enough for most prospective buyers.
On the other hand, you might find the features on offer here to be exactly what you’re looking for.
In the following sections, we’ll walk you through everything this model has to offer, and we won’t pull any punches when describing the model’s shortcomings.
That way, you’ll have all the details to make that decision at your fingertips.
Sounds good? Then read on, and let’s take a closer look.
Key Features of the Real Relax PS2000 Massage Chair
This is a surprisingly strong component of our Real Relax PS2000 review.
You may not be familiar with the name “Real Relax.” They’re an off-brand with a relatively small footprint in the American market. Despite this, the company is known for making surprisingly good chairs that punch well above their weight class, which you can read in our Real Relax massage chair reviews.
Unfortunately, the PS2000 isn’t one of those. Every company makes weaker models, and in our view, Real Relax cut a few too many corners in their quest to create a value-priced massage chair. That’s not to say this is a bad chair. It’s got some decent features, but it is…limited.
The odds are that it will not provide the quality massage experience you’re looking for.
Starting with the basics, if you’ve spent any time browsing the massage chair market, you know that most massage chairs don’t make any effort to disguise what they are. Only a couple of companies make massage chairs that look like conventional living room furniture when they’re not in use, and most of those designs are incredibly expensive.
Real Relax decided to crack at it, and they did a surprisingly good job.
When you’re not enjoying a massage, the PS2000 looks pretty much like a conventional living room chair. Even better, if you want one, you can order yours in either bronze or black, which gives you at least some flexibility in blending your massage chair with the rest of your home décor.
That may not matter to some potential buyers, but if it’s important to you, then you should know that this is about the least expensive massage chair that doesn’t look like a massage chair, and that’s pretty cool.
It’s also not a very big chair, measuring just 29.8” W x 35.6” D x 44.4” H and weighing a scant 120 pounds. If you decide you want one of these, you probably won’t have any trouble getting it from the porch to whatever room you plan on putting it in, even if you don’t have help.
Even better, the chair comes fully assembled. All you have to do is slide the box where you want it, cut the box away, plug it in, and take a seat. When you sit down, you’ll be delighted by how comfortable the chair is. The seat pad isn’t conventional block foam like most chairs. It’s memory foam.
That’s fantastic, but there’s a catch. You’ll be incredibly comfortable, but it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t an L-track massage chair. The rollers don’t travel under the seat to massage your glutes and the backs of your thighs. Their range of motion stops at your lower back.
It’s also worth mentioning that this chair can only support up to 250 pounds of user weight. This is significantly below the informal average of 300 pounds on most massage chairs sold today.
If you weigh less than that, this limitation won’t bother you. If you happen to weigh more, it will be an absolute dealbreaker.
Assuming it’s not an issue, there’s much to like here. The aesthetic, the small size and light weight of the chair, the fact that no assembly is required, and the memory foam seat cushion are all strong selling points.
In addition, the company offers this chair with a handy removable tray/work table you can use to play around with your laptop or tablet, have dinner and a drink, or similar activities. It’s a small thing, but it’s a handy, versatile addition that adds value to the chair.
We like it, and we think you will too. Unfortunately, as you’ll see, the bloom is about to come off the rose.
State-Of-The-Art Technology
We’d rate this as an average to slightly below-average component of our Real Relax PS2000 review.
As is the case with most massage chairs on the market today, this one has body scanning technology.
While the body scanning tech offered by Real Relax isn’t quite as good as that offered by big names like Kahuna and Osaki, it’s accurate. It will reliably reposition the rollers so they precisely hit your back’s pressure points.
If the body scan doesn’t get it right, the remote has controls that allow you to nudge the muscles where they need to be manually, so you’ll always get the best massage this chair can give you.
The PS2000 utilizes quad rollers on an S-track that allows the rollers to travel from your upper shoulders to the small of your back. Although the rollers can’t travel under the seat, your consolation prize is the memory foam seat pad, which will make sitting in the chair amazingly comfortable while enjoying your back massage.
Normally, we’d wait until later to discuss the leg massage ports, but it’s worth mentioning them now because they have some limitations to be aware of.
First of all, this chair offers an airbag-based massage, which is rendered by a dozen strategically located airbags, some of which are in the leg massage ports, where they can tend to your calves.
Although at first glance, it appears that this chair has foot rollers for the soles of your feet. It doesn’t.
It has a stationary ridge that you can rub your foot on. Needless to say, this isn’t exactly ideal.
The airbag massage for your calves is competently implemented, but ultimately, the calf and foot massage falls short because the foot massage is substandard (and entirely manual).
The quad rollers have a unique feature worth talking about, though. The company refers to them as “3D convex-concave robotic hand rollers.” Where most rollers are smooth and round, these are dimpled, for lack of a better word.
We’re not convinced this makes a huge difference in overall massage quality, but it is interesting.
It’s also worth mentioning that Real Relax refers to their massage track in different places as an S track and a W track.
We’re not sure what a W-track is, so we will stick with industry conventions and call it an S-track for this review. In any case, much of the technology on this little chair is state-of-the-art, with the notable weak point being the leg massage ports.
Surprising Number of Massage Options
Even though there are a surprising number of massage options on offer here, we’d only rate this as an average component of our Real Relax PS2000 review because those massage options come with some serious caveats. Let’s review.
First, we find an amazing eleven massage modes (techniques) on offer! Bear in mind that most massage chairs on the market today, including the ones that cost ten thousand dollars or more, offer between five and eight different massage techniques, so the fact that this inexpensive chair offers eleven should raise some eyebrows.
Here are the techniques on offer:
This looks fantastic on its face, but in practice, most of these are very slight variations on a theme.
There are three “knocking” variants, followed by kneading and knocking. Two variants of kneading, two very slight variations of Shiatsu, and two variants of something billed as a Swedish massage but only bear a passing resemblance to it.
In our view, you’re not getting two advanced techniques. What the company calls Swedish massage is yet another slight variation of their basic techniques, but it does feel good, and at the end of the day, that’s what most people are looking for in a massage.
Long story short, while there are many options here, you won’t find a huge difference between them in practice. Even so, it’s well worth experimenting with them to zero in on your favorites.
In terms of pre-programmed massage options, the chair fares better. There are six on offer, and they are:
All of these are quite good, but our favorite is the Deep Tissue massage, which has genuine therapeutic value. If you suffer from chronic pain, this will probably be your go-to massage, though all of these are different enough that you’ll have fun trying them out and alternating between them.
Even better, this chair offers at least some ability to customize your experience, with five levels of roller intensity and five levels of airbag intensity from the simply designed remote.
Lumbar Heat
This is probably our favorite aspect of the chair’s design and the strongest component of our Real Relax PS2000 review. This little chair has heat!
Granted, it’s only located in the lumbar region of the seatback, and you can’t control the temperature, but honestly, the fact that heat is available on a chair this modestly priced blows us away.
This is the second therapeutic feature that the PS2000 chair has to offer. If you suffer from chronic pain, using this in conjunction with the deep tissue massage will probably be your preferred mode of operation where the PS2000 is concerned.
It’s Even Got a High-Value Extra
If heat wasn’t enough, the PS2000 chair also offers a basic massage timer that allows you to set the duration of any massage to 10, 20, or 30 minutes, depending on your preference.
While you won’t find Bluetooth speakers or other design flourishes, the massage timer is a nice addition that adds value to the chair.
Pros & Cons of Real Relax PS2000 Massage Chair
Here are the things we think you’ll like best about this little chair:
On the flip side:
Real Relax PS2000 Review Conclusion
This isn’t an awful massage chair, and it might be perfect for a very specific class of users.
In our view, the ideal user is someone who:
The more of those that apply to you, the happier you’ll be with this chair, but in our view, this defines a very specific type of user. Based on that, we can’t recommend it to the broader market.
Other Options to Consider
If you’ve read to this point and have decided this chair isn’t a good fit for you, here are a couple of other options you may want to consider.
Recommended For: Hobbyist/casual users, chronic pain sufferers, and taller users, almost anybody, will love this chair!
In our view, this is the best value on the massage market today. It’s a tremendously good design offered by one of the most respected companies in the industry. It is more expensive than the chair we just reviewed, but it’s worth the extra money.
Recommended For: Anyone on a budget who weighs up to 400 pounds.
If you like the Real Relax brand, then give the 6500 some serious consideration. It is also more expensive than the chair we just reviewed but is a much more feature-rich offering and an incredibly capable, versatile chair. It belongs on your short list of options to consider.
References and Resources
- Real Relax, Official Brand Website.
- Massage Therapy: What You Need to Know, NCCIH.
- How Often Should You Be Getting Massages to Reap the Benefits?, Glam.
- What Are the Different Types of Massage?, Healthline.
- 15 Completely Legit Reasons Why You Need a Massage, Cosmopolitan.