The problem is when you make a list of the essential characteristics waiting room chairs need to have - including not too expensive, durable, not too large so as to maximize the number of seats that can be provided in a given space, not too low so older or infirm patients can use them, and (sometimes) with wipeable surfaces, what's left is what you see in waiting rooms. They're often relatively narrow, often with firm seats and backs, and not particularly comfortable to sit in for more than 10 minutes or so.

It's the chairs, not you.

My dentist is wonderful, but the chairs in his waiting room, although beautiful, are insanely uncomfortable. Well, they're not awfully uncomfortable to sit in, but they are a pain in the patoot to get out of. I don't know what it is, other than you sink/sit very low when you're in them. The receptionist says everyone complains about them!

My dentist has benches, not chairs. I don't like them.

Hhhhmmmm.....my dentist has plush leather....high end...super soft. No complaints. 💙...Oh...and a small frig with cold drinks & juice or hot tea & coffee.

Can't think of any that I've had to use in the past few years that are all that bad. And for me at any rate, the pandemic caused waiting rooms to be updated and spread out, so they are generally more comfortable. But I prefer not to sit in any of them too long!

I've not had major problems with seats in waiting rooms, though I have noticed some have added chair and a half seats as more and more patients are that large...

My husband is a retired family practice physician. When furnishing a medical waiting room, as well as chairs in the exam rooms, these chairs need to fit a certain criteria:

- They need to be VERY sturdy and made extremely well.

- Most of us look for chairs with 4 sturdy legs and no fabric covering them. Open to easily clean under, for patients to tuck their feet under briefly if someone walks or rolls by too closely. And, to quickly and easily spot if someone accidentally leaves something under it.

- They need to have very sturdy arms, to aid those in need help to get up and down safely and more easily. .

- they also need to be very sturdy so as not to tip over easily. Some patients need to lean heavily to one side or another when getting up. It’s very important that the chair be sturdy enough not to tip with them!

- The seats needs to be a good average height, not too high for short folks, or too low for the tall.

- The seats can’t be too cushiony or that can make it difficult to get up from for some.

- Their fabric needs to wear very well AND be fairly easy to clean!

*Not only do medical folks care about your comfort, but patient safety plays a huge factor in how we furnish our offices and clinics.

And, I might add, when I personally designed and decorated our medical clinic, the art on the walls everywhere in it were beautiful, soothing, interesting outdoor scenes to draw interest, but also chosen to help relax our patients.

This is a wee bit surprising to learn, since I never have much of a problem with waiting room chairs, but then, I'm most comfortable sitting very straight and upright, since I've had back and hip issues for decades. I always try to find the firmest, most straight-backed seats wherever I go.

The chairs at my doctors' offices.

Super cushy. I'll get to visit them tomorrow. Oh boy

No this is not my experience, but then waiting rooms are a short stay in my experience.

I think arcy hit the target here. If your provider doesn't overbook, you don't have to wait long enough to notice the seating provided.

It's alarming to me to see so many gigantic chairs because it confirms our national obesity epidemic.

Rob, those look pretty good.

I don't recall this being an issue any time recently, in fact I'm often finding myself having to decide which type of seating to choose. High, low, single, wide, etc. I'm most often in orthopedics though, so that might be a factor. But here's our pediatrics office:

Looks pretty comfy to me!

As for choosing furniture for the office, I'm sure it's not like going to Raymour & Flanagan and sifting through products to find something sturdy, comfortable and safe; there's got to be a whole industry ready to supply suitable seating.

Yes, institutional furniture supply catalogs will list things like weight bearing capacity & whether an item is easily sanitized/disinfected in their descriptions/specs, IMPE.

I like the bigger chairs because it allows parents to have their little darling immediately beside them rather than with a chair arm or two between. I was going to a family practice clinic an noticed that it was the parents with small children who made a beeline for the chairs rather than the heavier patients. The adults that I have seen used them have generally been older with walking assist devices such as walkers or crutches.

Those chairs are why my husband doesn't go to walk in clinics at his doctors office: he makes appointments. He suffered a head injuy 10 years ago and needs a head rest when sitting. If he has to hold his head up for too long, the headaches he gets will be unbearable and can last days even with his pain medications. I will tell him to try to find a chair that's against a wall so he can lean his head back against the wall.

My dermatologist's waiting room

Looks very nice, Lindsey.

Being elderly and handicapped, I've complained about chairs without arms which I need in order to get up and down, and prefer something soft to sit on. I like those chairs in the above pictures.