I've never understood why high-quality chairs were ever symbols of excess. Ask anyone with bad sciatica how much they spend on PT a year. It's probably several multiples of the cost of a good chair. Then ask how much more they would spend to make the pain go away. It'll probably be some nontrivial fraction of their net worth. Bad back pain really takes the joy out of life.

Office people who make fun of good chairs are the whitecollar equivalent of shop/factory people who make fun of hearing protection.