Best "Robotic" Massage Chairs?

September 18, 2013 7:11 AM

A family member with ongoing back and neck issues finds monthly massages from a masseuse quite effective at maintaining their functionality. Recently, they tried a demo of one of the high-end "robotic" massage chairs (Panasonic MA-70) at a trade fair and were quite impressed with it. Has anyone had experience with owning and using one of these chairs over a longer period of time? If so, what are your recommendations?

I have begun basic due diligence in researching massage chairs on the internet, and there seems to be little in the way of objective reviews available. One site which was quite informative was from a retailer of these chairs who keeps an up-to-date blog on the products they sell. From this I gleaned a couple pieces of information. One is that the Panasonic chairs are no longer made in Japan, which seems to have decreased customers interest in purchasing them, and second that there is another well considered Japanese brand called Inada. I emphasize Japanese massage chairs because they seem to be the centre of the world market with 20% of Japanese homes apparently owning one. They also seem to have the best warranties, which seems wise with a complex piece of machinery like this. However, if there are competitive chairs made elsewhere, I would be interested in hearing about positive experiences with them too.

posted by fairmettle to Health & Fitness (1 answer total)

I have a mddle of the line Human Touch chair that I got off craigslist ($150). It is "several" years old and I've had it about two years with two people using it almost daily. It's dependable and gives a good back massage but doesn't do much for shoulders and nothing for the neck. I gaze at those Inada chairs with great interest also. Occasionally see one for sale on craigslist but not under $2000 so far...
posted by a humble nudibranch at 9:51 PM on September 18, 2013