Utilization of massage chairs for promoting overall health and wellness: A rapid scoping review

•This rapid scoping review was conducted to investigate the benefits of using massage chairs for improving health, as massage chairs have been the largest share of massage-related products in the healthcare industry.•Overall, 18 studies were identified and indicated that the utilization of massage chairs may positively affect both physical and mental health concerns. This review especially found a more significant number of studies showing benefits in mental health.•Continued investigation and refinement of the technology and therapeutic applications of massage chairs could pave the way for the use as medical devices in various healthcare contexts in the near future. To investigate the potential benefits of using massage chairs for improving health. A rapid scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar from inception to November 1, 2022. Using the keyword strategy (“massage chair*” OR “massage-chair*”), only studies in English were selected. Two reviewers independently screened the studies, and conflicts were resolved by consensus. Studies involving physical massage therapy were excluded. A total of 59 articles were identified, and 18 were included in the final analysis. Quality assessment was performed, following STROBE, CONSORT and CASP guidelines. The following data were extracted: authors, year, country, study design, study objective, age, gender, participants, measures, and main findings. The results of the present review indication that the utilization of massage chairs may positively affect both physical and mental health concerns. This review especially found a more significant number of studies showing benefits in mental health. However, two case reports indicated complications when using massage chairs. The use of massage chairs could have benefits on cognitive function improvement, stress reduction and mental fatigue decline, muscle stiffness improvement, pain reduction, and potential benefits for quality of life.