Chirp Contour Review | Like An Expensive Massage Chair, But Cheaper and Better?

I’ve tested enough recovery tools at this point that it takes a lot for one to immediately become part of our daily routine. The Chirp Contour managed to do exactly that.

In fact, my husband basically claimed it from day one and now uses it most mornings shortly after getting out of bed. That alone probably tells you more than any list of features I could give you.

The easiest way I can describe the Chirp Contour is that it reminds me of one of those very expensive massage chairs you try at the store and immediately wonder if you can somehow justify buying.

Except this is much smaller, less expensive, and because you’re lying down with your body weight over the rollers, you can get a surprisingly firm massage.

And I am here for the firm massage (ya, I’m that deep tissue girlie).

The rollers moving up and down my back are absolutely my favorite part. The neck massage and I are still working on our relationship. I haven’t quite figured out how to make it as gentle as I’d like.

Meanwhile, my biggest complaint might be a very runner-specific one: why can’t this thing keep going down into my glutes?!

As always, this is a recovery tool.

It’s not fixing an injury. It’s not magically correcting your posture or replacing the strength and mobility work you might actually need.

But if it helps muscles relax, gets you moving a little more comfortably, or simply feels really freaking good, there is value in that too. Plus, I feel like you are way more likely to consistently use this than a table that turns you upside down!

Chirp Contour Overview

The Chirp Contour is basically a massage and decompression table that you lie down on while motorized rollers move along the back. Chirp describes it as combining massage, heat, and spinal decompression.

The “decompression” comes from the movement and positioning of the rollers, which create a stretching sensation through the back as you lie on the unit. Words like spinal decompression can start sounding very medical very quickly, but I wouldn’t say there was a medical-grade impact.

After I lie down, the rollers move up and down my back. I can feel them getting into muscles that are tight, and there is definitely a nice sensation, but I’m not sure I would call it stretching.

Then again, maybe I’m too relaxed to think about what to call it.

Bonus points because unlike foam rolling, you don’t have to contort yourself into weird positions to make it happen. In fact, you can relax more into the massage to get a little deeper and more pointed than you get with the foam roller.

This is probably one of the biggest reasons my husband actually uses it consistently.

You push a button and lie there. Recovery becomes more appealing when there’s almost zero effort involved.

Chirp also uses what they call BackTrack technology to adjust the roller position to your back. The unit is designed for users from 5 feet to 6 feet 5 inches, and you can adjust both the back and neck positioning. In fact, you can save 2 user settings so we each have our own setup.

My Experience With the Chirp Contour

This was one of those rare recovery tools where my husband tried it, and I immediately knew I was going to have competition for testing time.

He loved it. Not “yeah, that feels pretty good.” More like he started using it most mornings when he got out of bed.

For someone who doesn’t even foam roll or get massages as I do, that was a pretty strong endorsement.

There’s something really satisfying about the amount of pressure you can get from this compared with a traditional massage chair. In a massage chair, you’re sitting against the rollers, but in the Contour, your full body weight is laid directly on top of the rollers, creating more pressure and allowing you to get a deeper massage.

If you are someone who tells every massage therapist, “You can go harder,” you’re going to understand exactly why I like this.

Back Massager

You might need your neck massaged, but oh man, the back massager is probably what got my attention most.

The rollers travel up and down the back and actually feel like they’re getting into the muscles rather than just vibrating or lightly brushing over them.

There are 3 roller options, so you can adjust the experience based on how much pressure you want:

• The Soft Roller is where I would start if you’re sensitive.
• The Contour Roller is firmer and has four contact points designed to follow the shape of the spine.
• Then there is a Deep Tissue Roller for those of us who hear sports massage and immediately say YES PLEASE.

You can swap them out inside the unit, which also means you aren’t stuck with one intensity forever. The swap is SUPER easy. You open the cover and pop one off, pop the other in. Truly, it’s 5 seconds.

I tend to like a lot of pressure through my upper and mid back, so this is really where the Contour wins for me. And yes, it feels fantastic after running, but I think it’s equally helpful after sitting at this computer for far too many hours.

What About the Decompression?

I’m always cautious with recovery tools making big claims because we have a tendency to assume that if something feels good, it must be fixing everything. Much like how I also enjoyed the Chirp Halo as a TENS unit, but reminded you that it doesn’t SOLVE the issue, just helps with pain management.

Chirp describes the Contour as gently stretching the spine to reduce pressure while the rollers move along the back. I honestly don’t know if that really is what’s happening, so I don’t want to overpromise anything.

There is a definite stretching sensation as the rollers work underneath you.

Let me state that I’m one of the few who was not a fan of the Chirp Wheel; I did not think it felt good to lie over, so in terms of stretching, it’s absolutely NOT that.

Neck Massage Is Strong

This is the one piece I haven’t totally figured out yet.

I like a lot of pressure through my back, but something about the position of the neck massager hasn’t quite felt right. In fact, this might be the spot where I’m feeling that stretch, and thus it’s not always my favorite.

It’s not a shoulder massage; this is truly coming alongside the neck and has a bit of a pulling sensation. There’s no option besides firm here, though you can adjust the height and play around with the positioning.

I still find myself wishing I could make that area feel just a little softer.

That may simply come down to figuring out the best setup for me because the neck height is adjustable.

But if you’re particularly sensitive around your neck and traps, I would definitely start conservatively.

I think this is one of those features where some people are going to say, “YES, finally something that actually gets into my neck,” while others will want less intensity.

My Runner Complaint

I desperately want this thing to keep going, straight into my glutes.

I mean, just a wee bit longer and I could really get that deep glute work, which is so hard with a trigger point ball.

Obviously the design is meant for the back, so this isn’t really a flaw. But if Chirp ever makes a full-body version that keeps rolling through the glutes and upper hamstrings, I volunteer as tribute.

Heat Therapy

As someone who loves a hot tub and heating pad, this feature is always in use by me. There are two levels of heat built into the fabric around the massage area, and it gets WARM. Again, this is likely because your full body weight is being applied.

The bonus to heat is that it helps muscles relax, which can help you relax, which all goes towards speeding up recovery. Anything that gets you to relax is part of recovery more so than the actual massage or anything else.

It also adds to that expensive massage chair feeling.

Except again, I don’t have a giant $5,000 chair sitting in the corner of my living room.

Where Can You Use the Chirp Contour?

Despite looking like something that needs to live on the floor, Chirp says you can also use the Contour on a bed or couch.

That’s actually pretty useful for anyone who doesn’t love getting all the way down to the floor. Right now we don’t have an easy space for it to live on a bed, so it stays on the floor, but I’d 100% see my Dad using this daily if it were up high on the bed and he could just lie down.

At 22 pounds, it’s also light enough to move around the house.

Would I call it portable? Emmm, based on the size, not really. I’m not taking it on vacation. But I can easily move it around the house to where it’s going to get the most usage.

Is the Chirp Contour Worth It?

At $549, this isn’t an impulse purchase. But this is also one of those rare recovery tools where I can see us continuing to use it regularly instead of tossing it in a closet three weeks from now.

The fact that my husband voluntarily uses it almost every morning is probably the biggest selling point for me.

Consistency matters with any recovery habit.

And apparently the secret to consistency is making the recovery habit involve lying down while a machine does all the work.

Who knew?

If you already enjoy massages, love strong pressure, and know you’ll use this several times a week, I think the price starts making a lot more sense. If you primarily want something portable for travel or you’re someone who finds even moderate massage pressure uncomfortable, this probably isn’t where I’d spend $550.

What to read next?

• • Running Recovery Tools: What Works vs. What’s Just Expensive Hype
  • Rally Orbital Massager Review | A Gentler Alternative to Traditional Massage Guns
  • Not Every Foam Roller Feels the Same. These Are Worth Buying.

See Current Price

See Price