Do massage chairs burn calories?
If you want to get thin and lose weight using a massage chair, unfortunately, that’s not going to happen.
Massage chairs are designed for relaxation and muscle stimulation, not calorie burning or weight loss. Medical and scientific data consistently show that the energy your body uses during a massage chair session is very low, roughly comparable to sitting quietly or sleeping.
No major medical authority, including Mayo Clinic, National Institutes of Health, or Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognizes massage chairs as a tool for burning calories or reducing body fat.
How many calories does a massage chair burn?
On average, passive massage burns about 0.42 calories per hour per pound of body weight.
That means:
- A 160-lb (73-kg) adult burns roughly 65–70 calories per hour.
- That’s similar to sleeping.
- Far below walking, which burns 150–200 calories in 30 minutes
Variables like massage intensity, body composition, session length, vibration, or heat do not meaningfully change this number.
For comparison, even light physical activity such as walking can burn more than double that amount in half the time. Importantly, increasing massage intensity, session length, vibration frequency, or heat does not significantly change calorie burn, because these variables do not increase muscular effort.
In short, the body is being moved, but it is not doing the moving.
Can longer or stronger sessions burn more calories?
Using a massage chair for a longer time or at higher intensity does not meaningfully increase calorie burn. While staying in the chair longer may raise total calories slightly, the rate of energy expenditure remains close to resting levels. Stronger pressure, vibration, or heat can feel more intense, but they do not require active muscle contraction or raise heart rate in a way that increases metabolism. As a result, even long or high-intensity sessions burn calories at levels similar to sitting quietly or sleeping, not physical activity.
What the research actually shows
A frequently cited Korean university study reported that 30 minutes of massage chair use, twice per day, burned around 103 calories for a 60-kg woman. That sounds impressive until you put it in context.
That calorie burn is roughly equivalent to 14 minutes of light jogging and was observed under controlled conditions, using lumbar-focused programs. The reported rate ranged from 1.579 to 1.710 kcal/kg/hour, which is still classified as low energy expenditure.
Additional research indexed on PubMed suggests massage therapy may support obesity management only when combined with lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. In those studies, participants saw reductions in body weight, BMI, and waist circumference but the massage itself was not the primary driver. Researchers also note that the overall quality of evidence is low to moderate.
Interestingly, studies on preterm infants show that massage can actually reduce energy expenditure, reinforcing the idea that massage promotes relaxation, not caloric burn.
Can massage chairs support weight loss indirectly?
Although massage chairs do not burn calories, they can still play a supportive role in a healthy lifestyle. Chronic stress is closely linked to weight gain through elevated cortisol levels, disrupted sleep, and increased appetite. Massage has been shown to reduce stress hormones and improve sleep quality, both of which can influence long-term weight regulation.
Massage chairs may also aid muscle recovery by reducing soreness and stiffness, making it easier to stay consistent with exercise. When people feel less pain and fatigue, they are more likely to remain physically active. In this sense, massage supports the behaviors that contribute to weight loss, even though it does not cause weight loss itself.
The key distinction is that massage is a recovery tool, not a calorie-burning activity.
The bottom line
Massage chairs do not burn meaningful calories and should not be viewed as a weight-loss solution. The energy your body uses during a massage session is comparable to resting or sleeping, regardless of program intensity or duration.
What massage chairs offer is relaxation, stress reduction, improved circulation, and muscle comfort. These benefits can support overall well-being and help people maintain healthier habits, but they do not replace exercise or dietary changes.
If your goal is fat loss, sustainable results still come from movement, nutrition, sleep, and stress management. A massage chair fits best as part of recovery, not as a shortcut, but as support.
