What Makes 2D vs 3D vs 4D Different?
Frequently, you’ll find that companies truly devoted to customer satisfaction produce the best chairs, whether they’re being professed as 2D, 3D, or 4D. Massage chair manufacturers are always on the lookout to improve the depth and precision of their massage rollers to provide a thorough, more accurate massage. Most of today’s chairs now offer three dimension options: 2D, 3D, and 4D. Each of these roller mechanisms works at different levels and is right for a certain type of person. Check out what makes them different below.
2D Massage Rollers
A casual user or someone who isn’t looking for an exceptionally deep massage would most likely enjoy a massage chair that offers a 2D system. The 2D massage system is the traditional design that’s been around the longest. It works your surface muscles and back without getting deep into the muscles underneath. These rollers are the least intense.
As you can see this is the simplest, most common massage chair on the market. When massaging, the rollers move up and down and left and right. You can adjust the speed and some allow you to adjust the depth.
Although this is the most basic type of massage chair, their rollers are great at offering a relaxing experience. They are also typically the most affordable type of massage chair.
The more concentrated, and expensive option next is a 3D massage chair.
3D Massage Rollers
A 3D massage system takes everything a 2D system offers one step further and is found in the majority of massage chairs being released today. This works deep into your shoulders and back, penetrating the muscles, making the massage a bit more intense.
These rollers can protrude further out from their massage track and reach places that are typically neglected by the average chair, including the upper neck and shoulder area.
3D rollers can move left-right, up-down, and in-out. This action helps to mimic the action of human hands. You can adjust the intensity to make the massage as intense or as gentle as you like with some limitations based on the chair itself. This can be a good feature if more than one person will be using the chair.
These chairs are becoming more and more popular, though they are more expensive than 2D chairs. Plus, the adjustability provides more bang for your buck.
The latest release is the 4D massage chairs that take everything mentioned above and add on still more adjustability.
4D Massage Rollers
For a more intensive massage, 4D massage rollers provide users with a more accurate experience. These 4D rollers are designed to conduct more motion throughout the massage, by rotating the rollers in various directions to target specific areas of the body. The term 4D is being used in the industry to talk about this ability to speed up and slow down the rollers. While this is a wonderful concept, and quite a few 4D massage chairs can provide an incredible massage, 3D massage technology is remarkably similar to this “new” tech.
The 4D massage chair can be a topic of confusion for some customers, as some believe 3D models and 4D models are identical in their utility, but that’s not the case. In a 4D massage, the rollers can speed up or slow down automatically to concentrate on tense muscles, without the user adjusting with a remote. The difference with 4D massage programs is that the speed change is built-in so that you don’t have to manually adjust it.
The goal was to make the 4D massage chair much more capable of replicating a massage that a therapist can provide. Many of these massage chairs combine this feature with an L-Track which is a path embedded in the massage chair that attends to your hamstrings, glutes, and goes all the way up to the top of your neck.
In fact, the Luraco i9 Max, one of the most intense massage chairs on the market, isn’t listed as 4D but provides a very deep tissue massage. Its 3D technology provides a Shiatsu massage designed to replicate the feeling of finger-and-thumb movements with precise accuracy. No 4D required.
Another thing to keep in mind when shopping is that technically there isn’t an actual fourth dimension that the massage chairs are traversing. The fourth dimension in science terms means something different. What these chairs are referencing is that speed component.
These are likely the most expensive massage chairs on the market, but their price is justified considering the relief they apply. The 4D massage chairs can do some things a 3D chair can’t, but they are also quite similar. Most agree that the determining factor is how often you’ll use the chair and what you can afford.
All in all, 4D massage chairs aren’t all that different from 3D chairs. They just give you a bit more control over the rhythm of your massage. This increase in speed can make a massage feel more intense but it isn’t necessarily game-changing.
If you have the budget for a 4D chair and will use it regularly to tend to very tight muscles, they can be worth the investment. However, if your budget is smaller, you will still receive an excellent massage from a 3D or 2D chair.
Final Thoughts
We think that you’ll get an incredible massage from any of these massage chairs. There’s something at Massage Chair Planet for everyone.
If you have any questions about any of the massage chairs we carry, reach out to us over the phone or through email at info@massagechairplanet.com. We’d be glad to help you find the right massage chair and ensure that you enjoy it for years to come.
Additionally, check out our Massage Chair Buying Guide to help you take a closer look at all the features to consider when buying a massage chair.