I just tried an office chair with a built-in massager — and working from home will never be the same

I never thought I’d be sitting at my desk writing an article while getting a massage but here I am. And I've got to tell you, it feels great.

As someone who reviews the best office chairs for a living, I’m constantly putting together and trying out new chairs. Some of the more unique chairs I’ve tested in the past have features that really make them stand out like a back bar to hang your jacket or a proprietary performance textile that even responds to your micro-movements.

Up until now though, I’ve yet to try out an office chair with a built-in massager. If you’re familiar with X-Chair or its gaming-focused sister brand Mavix, then perhaps you’ve heard of Elemax before. If not, you’re in for a treat as no other office chair has an add-on quite like this.

Back when I started reviewing office chairs, one of the first ones I looked at was the X-Chair X2 . Though this chair is also compatible with the company’s Elemax cooling, heat & massage unit, I didn’t get to try it out at the time. Now though that I’m reviewing the company’s X3 ATR MGMT chair, X-Chair included one for me to test out.

Here’s what it has been like using a premium mesh office chair with a built-in massager for the past week.

Right where you need it

One thing that immediately sets almost all of X-Chair’s office chairs apart from the competition is their Dynamic Variable Lumbar support mechanism. Extra lumbar support is a common feature you’ll find on plenty of other mid-range and premium office chairs but what’s different about this implementation is that it moves with you as you shift in your chair throughout the day as opposed to being fixed in place. Adjusting it is easy to do too as you just need to lift the chair’s backrest up and then choose the right position for your lower back.

If you have a bad back or sit for long hours, X-Chair’s Dynamic Variable Lumbar is reason enough to consider one of the company’s chairs. However, this lumbar support mechanism has another trick up its sleeve. As there’s quite a bit of space between the mesh on the front and the chair’s frame in the back, X-Chair created its Elemax add-on to utilize it.

The Elexmax unit slips into this space and a plastic back cover holds it in place. Fortunately for me though, it came preinstalled with the X3 and I didn’t have to do anything. In fact, I was able to use it right out of the box without even having to plug it in to charge but more on that later. If you already have an X-Chair and want to add Elemax to it, you’re in luck as the add-on is compatible with the X1, X2, X3, X4, X-Tech, XG-Wing and the X-Basic.

3 modes in one

Using the Elemax add-on with an X-Chair couldn’t be easier. On the back right side of Dynamic Variable Lumbar support, there are three buttons along with LED indicator lights to let you know when its massage, heating or cooling modes are turned on.

The button on the far left of the Elemax lets you control its heating or cooling modes and tapping it once enables heating mode while tapping it twice enables the cooling mode. The button on the very bottom is used to turn on its massage function while the one above lets you control the intensity of the massage and you can switch between low or high intensity.

At low intensity, the Elemax’s massage feature was just enough to slightly shake the bottom of the X3. It wasn’t overbearing or overly loud and I even tested it out during a video call with my colleagues. Much to my surprise, they couldn’t hear a thing and if I hadn’t told them, they wouldn’t have known my office chair was giving me a massage mid-meeting. You can also press the massage button a second time to switch between a constant massage or a pulsing one.

Pressing the button above the massage button though switches the intensity from low to high. Not only is this a bit louder, it’s also a lot stronger. While the Elemax add-on is positioned around the small of your back, you can feel the vibrations in your upper back as well as in the seat cushion and even in your hamstrings. It also works just as well when you're reclining in your chair as it does when you’re sitting upright.

While I’ve spent my time so far with the X3 and Elemax primarily using its massage feature, I am planning on putting its heating and cooling modes through their paces in my full review. However, these both take up a bit more power and will require you to charge the device more frequently. If you’re only using the massage function, Elemax should last up to 5 hours on a single charge while the heating and cooling functions last up to an hour and forty five minutes before you need to recharge.

Charging is easy enough as X-Chair includes a USB-A cable with a barrel port on the other end that plugs directly into the back of the chair. However, if you plan on using the Elemax’s capabilities less sparingly, you can also plug it directly into the wall using the included AC adapter. Depending on how your home office is set up, you can leave the chair plugged in all the time. As I’m constantly moving things around and I have a little one at home, I decided to just plug it in to charge at night. So far, this has worked quite well.

A new level of work from home comfort

I held onto my X-Chair X2 for years after I reviewed it, and it’s the office chair that first introduced me to all the benefits of mesh like better airflow and a much easier surface to clean than fabric. However, I never got to use it with the Elemax add-on installed.

After spending a week using the X3 with Elemax though, I can safely say this add-on is worth it for those who sit for long periods while working from home. I might feel a bit silly using it in a crowded office but in the comfort of my own home, it’s been wonderful. During the day when I would normally take a break, I just turn on the massage function and this has helped get me out of a rut so I can power through the task at hand. When I do take a break though, I like to turn it on and recline in the X3.

Another thing I really like about the Elemax’s massage function so far is that once you turn it on, the massage itself only lasts for 15 minutes at a time. This is actually a safety feature but I’ve found it’s perfect for taking breaks or for when I want to get lost in what I’m doing but still keep track of how much time has passed.

The Elemax unit is designed to slot into X-Chair’s office chairs as well as some of the best gaming chairs from the company’s sister brand Mavix. However, it’s also portable and you can remove it from the back of your chair to use on the couch or even in your car. I’m not sure how easy it is to remove and reinstall the unit, especially if you do so quite frequently but it’s nice to know that you can if you want to.

At $150 on its own, I think Elemax is a worthwhile add-on for those that have already invested quite a lot in one of X-Chair’s office chairs or Mavix’s gaming chairs. However, when configuring my review unit, I noticed that X-Chair was running a promotion where it was included free of charge when you bought a new chair. If this is something you’re interested in and you don’t have an X-Chair or Mavix chair yet, I’d recommend waiting for a similar promotion. The customer support person I spoke with explained to me that the company runs these promotions quite frequently and they’re not just limited to big sales events like Black Friday.

I still need to spend quite a bit more time using the X3 before my full review, but in the meantime, I’m going to sit back, turn on its massage function and wonder why more office chairs don’t come with a similar feature.

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