Natalie Brandt, Senior editor

Massage chair listings are crowded with letters: 2D, 3D, 4D, SL, L, S. I spend a good part of my week working out what those letters mean for one particular chair, because the same badge can sit on very different hardware depending on who is selling it.

My routine is unglamorous and I like it that way. Spec sheet on one side, owner's manual on the other, buyer reviews underneath. When a listing says SL-track, I go looking for the track length and the body-height range the maker gives, because a rail that stops short of your shoulders is the complaint I read most often from taller owners. When reviews keep describing the same thing (airbags that squeeze too hard, a calf rest that won't extend far enough, a remote that starts showing an error code after a few months), I write it down and it ends up in the ranking notes.

I write the guides on choosing a chair, mechanisms, roller tracks and budgets, and I edit what Russell and Vanessa write.

Nobody on this team has sat in these chairs for the site, and I'd rather tell you that up front. We read closely, compare honestly and keep the lists current. Health questions belong with your doctor, not with us.