I asked before buying the chair if the heat function could be used independent of the massage. I was assured that the heat and massage were independent. But as i have found out that the massage has to be turned on for the heat to work. There is no way to control the intensity of the heat. I did ask to make sure that the heat would work by its own. To anyone who buys it the heat will not work unless the massage is on. The massage is just a vibrating massage and is kinda loud so i rather not use it too much. The chair itself is ok and easy to assemble.