Ogawa Active L Plus Review
For the Ogawa Active L Plus Review, I took home the massage chair for a few weeks back in November, and I finally got a chance to do my write-up. Good thing I took a lot of notes to reflect on why I think this is one of the easily the most well-rounded massage chairs on the market at this price point.
Before getting into my Ogawa Active L Plus Review, you should know that I am 6’0” and weigh in about 210lbs when writing this. I fit very well in the Active L and was quite comfortable with room to spare. Ogawa recommends a height of 6’3” with a weight capacity of 300lbs and a 19” seat width.
The Ogawa Active L Plus is a good-looking massage chair with Ogawa’s signature soft synthetic leather. It’s comfortably soft and holds up well over time. It does not give the squeaking sounds you get in cheaper-quality massage chairs. Once you sit in the chair, you will notice the touchscreen tablet. I am a big fan of tablet remotes as I find them easier to navigate since I am so used to smartphones.
Once you power up the Active L Plus, choose a program, and the chair will perform a quick body scan. It always found the right spots in all my testing, and I never had to adjust the roller to hit the trapezius muscles.
The Ogawa Active L Plus comes equipped with an SL-Track with 2D quad-style rollers. The rollers had no problem getting up to my neck, and it extended down just past just to the end of my glutes. The neck massage I would rate as excellent, and the back massage was wonderful. I have to note that the intensity on the glutes was vigorous compared to many other chairs I have tested in this price range, which was a bonus.
Even though you do not have the 3D adjustment for depth, you can add or remove padding to get the massage intensity you want. The overall massage is a little lighter than medium, with the padding added. Flip the headrest back and remove the padding in the backrest, and I would rate the massage between a medium and a strong massage.
For the Ogawa Refresh L Review, I tested both positions of the Zero Gravity recline. The first position elevates your knees about to heart level, which is where you want it to help decompress the spine. The massage rollers can massage deeper as the downward gravity presses you into the chair. The second position raises your knees and reclines you a bit further back. I would say that it gives a deeper neck massage in the second position.
Let’s take a closer look at the air compression massage for my Ogawa Active L Plus Review. The first thing to note is that the air compressor is really quiet. There are 42 airbags overall that are located at the shoulders, arms and hands, calves, and feet. I liked that there are airbags located at the waist and lumbar, which is not very common at this price point and adds to the massage experience. There are five levels of strength adjustments that will give you plenty of options to get the massage right where you want it.
The shoulder airbags would alternate, pushing your body side to side. It would also grab one shoulder while the waist and lumbar airbags would work together to loosen up the spine and hips, all while the quad rollers are massaging your back. Both airbags would hold you in place during the body stretch while the rollers would push out to really stretch out the spine.
The ottoman is extendable to fit people that are taller like me. What is incredible is that they automatically adjust. Once the program starts up, the chair will recline a little and change the ottoman where it needs to be by sensing my legs. The air compression massage on the calves is nice after a good leg day or running, and they are not too intense.
The Foot Rollers are the standard rollers that Ogawa puts in most of their massage chairs. They work great, and I would rate the strength slightly below medium. However, they are not overbearing like some other massage chairs out there. The airbags push your feet down into the rollers for a deeper massage.
During my Ogawa Active L Plus Review, I found that the massage chair really stands out with the programs. You get nine automatic programs using seven different massage techniques. In addition, you can create your own massage experience with the memory programs and save it. For example, my father has hip issues, and he uses a custom program on his JPMedics Kumo massage chair to target precisely where he needs it.
Other massage chairs at this price range, the programs are pretty general. The Ogawa Active L has full-body programs that target specific regions like the glutes or neck. I usually find a few programs in many massage chairs that I like and stick with those. The Active L programs are well done, and I found myself using all of them over the two weeks I tested them.
Some more features that I tested for the Ogawa Active L Plus Review include vibration and heat therapy. The vibration sits in the seat, and I find it very soothing. The heat warms you up and helps loosen up your muscles along your back to prepare it for a massage.
Ogawa Active L Plus Review Conclusion
For the price, you can’t beat the Ogawa Active L Plus Massage Chair. It is one of the best, well-rounded massage chairs I have ever tested, which is why it is always on our Best Massage Chair lists. There was nothing I found annoying or something that I wished was changed. The big items that the Ogawa Active L Plus offers more than other chairs in this price range are the touchscreen tablet remote, lots of program and custom programs, super quiet air massage, automatic sensing length adjustment on the ottoman, focused glute massage, and more.
While there are better massage chairs at a much higher price, we gave our rating compared to other massage chairs at this price point. You will not be disappointed if you are looking for the best overall massage with an intense glute massage at this price. If you have more questions about my Ogawa Active L Plus Review, make sure to contact one of our Massage Chair Experts for more help. Check out the latest prices on the Ogawa Active L Plus.
