8/10
Open rating explainerInformationWIREDExtra-wide, cushy seat. Plenty of room to sit cross-legged. Five-position fold-down armrests. Supportive memory foam. Sturdy. Easy-to-clean upholstery.TIREDFaux leather gets warm. Armrests click loudly when adjusted, and may be too widely spaced for shorter users. Might not fit under every desk.I’ve never been someone who sits “correctly.” Ever since a hamstring avulsion injury as a teen, I naturally tuck one leg underneath me or sit cross-legged to take pressure off my left glute and keep my sciatica from acting up.
Traditional office chairs aren’t built for that, which sent me down a rabbit hole researching meditation chairs and kneeling chairs, and it even led me to try the TikTok-viral criss-cross chair. That one came close to what I needed, but its seat was a little too firm for my taste, and the lack of wheels was a pain to scooch in and out of my desk. We also tried the Pipersong Meditation Chair some years back, but found the stool and chair back too small to be comfortable.
When I came across this version from Amseatec, I was intrigued: It looked like a regular desk chair but with a wider, cushier seat; fold-down armrests; and perhaps most important, wheels. I figured it was worth one more try to find my unicorn desk chair. My biggest takeaway: If you ever find yourself morphing into increasingly questionable body positions by 3 pm on a day full of Zoom calls, this chair might be for you.
Room to Move
The Amseatec’s seat is about 25 inches across, compared with the 18 to 20 inches typical of a standard office chair, and those extra inches make the difference. I’m only 5'2", but I could comfortably sit cross-legged, tuck one leg underneath me, sit sideways, or even curl up with both knees bent with plenty of room. I liked that I didn’t have to fold the armrests down every time I shifted positions. The seat is wide enough that I can still sit cross-legged with the armrests locked upright, though collapsing them turns the chair into more of a lounge seat. (More on that later.)
The extra room also makes it feel less purpose-built than many other cross-legged chairs, which seem designed primarily around one position. This one works just as well when I’m sitting in a “proper” posture as it does when I’m twisted like a pretzel.
The Real Party Trick
Photograph: Nicole KinningThe armrests click through five locking positions before laying completely flat, like folding wings, which gives you room to stretch out instead of being boxed into one stiff posture all day. I found myself changing positions constantly, like working upright while typing, sitting cross-legged during meetings, and clicking the chair arms down to lazily lean sideways while reading emails and doing my online puzzles.
The armrests feel sturdy, too. They lock firmly into place in each position and never once slipped or felt unstable. That said, I wouldn’t trust them too much. One Amseatec product photo shows the armrests flat with a stack of magazines and a mug resting on top like it was a side table. In practice, I wouldn’t risk that. The chair swivels and rolls smoothly enough that it could easily send your drink flying. For giving your legs room to spread out, though? Absolutely!
While the fold-down arms are the standout, they’re not flawless. Moving positions comes with a series of loud clicks, so I’d be hesitant to adjust them if I were on an important call. I also found that, even at their most upright, the armrests sit farther apart than would be comfortable for most people, and the height is not adjustable for ergonomics.
Photograph: Nicole KinningPlenty of Cush
The seat uses a plush top layer of memory foam over a firm base, which gives it the squish I was missing from my former cross-legged chair. More important, that cushion doesn’t compress in the middle of a long work sesh. After more than a month of working in the chair for three to five hours a day, the seat still feels as supportive as it did on day one.
I also like that the backrest is tall enough to actually use. Many meditation or cross-legged chairs skimp on this and leave you feeling like you’re in one of those uncomfortable desks from high-school history class. Here, I can sit deep in the seat, lean back comfortably, and still reach my keyboard in front of me.
Photograph: Nicole KinningThe faux leather upholstery is practical. It’s marketed as pet-scratch-resistant, so I intentionally left the chair in my living room for a few days where it would attract attention from my toddler and my Velcro corgi. The material survived without any noticeable scratches, and while it picked up the occasional applesauce smudge or grease mark, everything wiped away with a damp cloth. But if given the choice, I’d probably still opt for a more breathable fabric. The pleather got a little warm, especially when I was wearing shorts and was working in an upstairs corner of my home where the AC has a hard time reaching.
Smooth Operation
Wide office chairs have a reputation for being a little gimmicky. So upon testing this one, I half expected it to feel flimsy or wobbly after weeks of use, but it held up really well.
The assembly took about 20 minutes, and everything lined up with the instructions. More importantly, once it was together, it felt solid. After more than a month of working from it (and routinely climbing into it in ways that ergonomic-office-chair designers probably never intended), there’s still no wobble or creaking in the frame.
Photograph: Nicole KinningAs I mentioned earlier, the last cross-legged chair I owned didn’t have wheels, which was my biggest gripe. The Amseatec rolls just as well as it holds up. It glides smoothly across hardwood floors without getting too slick, but the casters are also large enough to roll on carpet.
There is a downside to all the room I keep gushing about: This is a lot of chair. At their highest, the armrests don’t tuck neatly under every desk, even with the chair seat lowered all the way. Clicking the armrests down a few notches solved the problem, but then they sat too low to use comfortably as actual armrests. It wasn’t an issue with my adjustable-height desk, but if you work at one with a fixed height, it's worth measuring your clearance before you commit.
Regardless, I think I’ve found my unicorn desk chair. The Amseatec Criss-Cross Chair is not perfect, but it gives me enough room to sit however I want, and I’ve even caught myself lounging in it after I’m done working, which is probably the highest compliment I can give an office chair.
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$150 $95 at Amazon
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