Ogawa Refresh L Review
For my Ogawa Refresh L Review, we will take a deep dive into everything about this massage chair. For reference, I am 6'0" tall, about 210lbs., 47 years of age, and trying to be more athletic. I took the Ogawa Refresh L massage chair in a beige home for a week to take a closer look for my review.
At first look, the Refresh L is a good-looking massage chair. I like Ogawa's material on all of their massage chairs. The synthetic polyurethane leather looks great. It's soft and holds up well over time. On massage chairs at this price range, the sides are usually all plastic, but Ogawa has wrapped the side in PU leather, making it look better and not a piece of plastic in your living room.
The Ogawa Refresh L massage chair specifications say that it has a height range of 5'0" - 6'2", a weight capacity of 320lbs, and a seat width of 21.3". Someone as much as 6'4" could fit if the shoulder airbags were adjustable and slide upwards. What is important to note is the seat width. Many massage chairs have a seat width of 19". That extra 2.3 inches will allow people with a larger frame to fit in more comfortably.
Getting started, I sat down and selected the Gentle Relax program. The chair first begins with a body scan to find your shoulder blades and neck. This makes sure the massage is tailored to the size of my back. I have had other chairs roll hard across the bottom of my shoulder blades to where it is painful, so this is a must for any massage chair I try. The body scan was quick and right on where it needed to be, and I never had to adjust it down to find my trapezius manually.
The Refresh L features an SL-Track with 2D quad-style rollers. I found the SL-Track to massage higher than most massage chairs at this price point, traveling past the neck to the base of my skull. The roller then extended all the way just to the past the middle of my buttocks. In the Ogawa Refresh L Review, I found the massage medium, starting at the neck with a little lighter in the glutes. The neck massage is quite good, but If you want a deeper massage on the neck, you can remove the head pad, which I recommend. If you are looking for a more overall deep tissue massage, you should check out our selection of 3D and 4D massage chairs.
The compression massage is applied by 32 airbags located at the shoulders, arms and hands, calves, and feet. The compression massage is lighter, but you have three intensity adjustments. The shoulder airbags sit just a little low for me where the top of the airbag aligned with my arms, which was nice as it got more of my biceps and shoulders combined. For my Ogawa Refresh L review, I found the compression massage solid, and it added to the overall massage for a pleasant, relaxing experience.
The ottoman has airbags located on the sides that offer a nice compression massage after leg day. The ottoman is spring-loaded, allowing you to push outward for taller people to fit better. The spring is a medium spring, and if you are on the taller end of the spectrum, your quads can get a little tired of constantly pushing out. If you think this might be an issue or have sciatic issues, look for a powered or automatic ottoman like the Ogawa Active L Plus Massage Chair.
The foot massage has dual spinning rollers under the feet and airbags along the sides. The foot rollers are gentle and feel nice. When the airbags inflate, they push over the tops of your feet, which gives a deeper foot massage. Some massage chairs have a heel node to keep your heel in place during the massage, sometimes painful. On the Ogawa Refresh L, there are not any heel nodes.
There is a Zero Gravity recline, in which you just hit the ZG buttons and kick back into the perfect position for a massage. If you want to fine-tune your recline, you can adjust it with the remote, but the ottoman is not adjusted up and down. The zero-gravity recline allows your body to stay in position during the massage and allows the massage roller to get a little deeper.
The Ogawa Refresh has six automatic programs with seven massage techniques. There isn't a body stretch program, but the rolling technique does an excellent spinal stretch. The programs are 15 minutes, and you can add 5 minutes more at any time. If you need extra therapy in a specific spot or area, use the manual massage. The Heat Therapy in the lumbar is pretty light.
Ogawa Refresh L Review Conclusion
My Ogawa Refresh L Review is that it is a solid massage chair, and at this price point, there isn't a better massage chair. However, if you are looking for a massage chair that will get further into the glutes, deeper massage, and a powered ottoman, check out the Osaki OS-Pro Alpina or the Ogawa Active L Plus Massage Chair. Look at our latest Refresh L pricing.
After my Ogawa Refresh L Review, you are still unsure about purchasing one, please get in touch with one of our Massage Chair Experts. We will be more than happy to help you find the perfect massage chair for you.
