Well, our 2-for-1 massage chair offer in September was quite successful, but many folks didn’t want to fork out the top dollar for the expensive chairs just for a second massage chair. So, this month we are going to do something that can appeal to most massage chair buyers.

This month, we are offering a Visa Gift Card from giftcards.com for any of you who purchase a massage chair on our site. Not bad, eh? So, here is all you have to do…when you add the chair of your dreams into the shopping cart, you will be directed to the check out page. On that page, there is a section called “Coupon” and a field with these words written over the top of the field “Enter your Coupon Code here”. In that field just type in the word “Visa” and we will know exactly what you mean and we will order your Visa Gift Card right away.

Here is the breakdown of how the Visa Gift Cards will be distributed:

1. Massage Chairs under $2000 - $100 Visa Gift Card

2. Massage Chairs $2000 - $4000 - $200 Visa Gift Card

3. Massage Chairs over $4000 - $300 Visa Gift Card

How does that sound? Pretty easy, eh? It is getting closer and closer to Christmas and since you are getting a massage chair anyways, why not get some extra bucks to spend on another Christmas gift? By the way, you still get the free bonus gifts and free shipping with every purchase.

Have a great month…and Happy Halloween!

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com

I was notified last week that the Panasonic 30007 is now available. I talked about this chair a couple of weeks ago on this blog (http://www.massage-chair-relief.com/blog/chair-models/new-panasonic-massage-chair-model-coming-out-in-september/). The funny thing though is that there is very little information available on the chair. If you can believe it, there are not even any pictures or specifications available…not even on the Panasonic website! But here is a list of what I do know about this new chair that Panasonic is so proud of:

1. This chair is proudly manufactured in Japan…they are very excited about this.

2. MSRP:  $5999 (but I can make it available to you for $4999 for the time being).

3. There are units available right now, in black. The first shipment came in last week.

4. Same features as Panasonic 30006, but adds wood design plate on the arms.  There may be more available above and beyond the 30006, but I am not aware of those things yet. If and when I find out about any other differences, I will post them on this blog.

5. Other features include Junetsu (ultra-fine kneading) massage, shiatsu, swedish, and fist massage, 36 airbags throughout the whole chair (sole of feet, calves, seat, arm, hand, waist, shoulder), 460 square inches of total massage, auto-body scanning system, 4/6 person memory, voice guidance system, intensity/speed control, ottoman has a 5 inch extension adjustment.

Hope this helps someone out there who is looking at this massage chair.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com

I had another question today from another visitor to our massage chair site. This is from a fellow in Europe, so the topic of shipping massage chairs internationally comes up. I hope his questions  and my answers help you answer some of your massage chair shopping questions.

“Hi great website ! I am going to buy a massage chair for the first time and I want to buy the best chair on the market. Main points include heat, calf massage and general all rounfd body massage. Preferably The chair should be comfortable & stylish enough to use as a recliner. I am interested in the following chairs, PHP2030 OSIM Uspace Inada Sogno Omega Premier Panasonic 3006 Sanyo 7700 I would be grateful for youu advice on these chairs? Final question ,,, I live in Switzerland, do you know how much shipping would be or do you have any local European partners.

Many Thanks,

David”

Here is my response…

“Hi, David
Thank you for your inquiry. It sounds like you have been doing some homework!

We are not familiar with the PHP chairs and I know that the OSIM brand is Brookstones, but I have only sat in one OSIM model and there was nothing remarkable about it relative to the other chairs you mention. However, we are very familiar with the other models you are asking about. Here are answers to your questions:

1. “heat” -  all the chairs have heat, but the Panasonic 30006. The Sanyo has only heat in the legs. The Omega has the most comprehensive heat, in the back, seat, and legs. The Sogno has heat in the low back.

2. “calf massage” - All the chairs you speak of have a calf AND foot massager. They are all of good quality, as well.

3. “general all round body massage” - I love the Sogno PLUS massage personally because it covers more square inches of the body than any other chair in the world. It also has the Dream Wave technology which massages the seat and buttocks more than any other chair. This Dream Wave technology is quite revolutionary.  It is my favorite and since it came to America, it has become our best seller…by far.

4. “comfortable & stylish enough to use as a recliner” - The only chair that looks different than a typical massage chair, which is how most chairs look, is the new Inada Sogno. It is very stylish and contemporary looking, although the ottoman and arm massagers are quite overt and obvious. The Omega Premier has the arm massagers as attachments to the arm rests and does not look aesthetically pleasing if you are looking for a recliner-looking massage chair. 

5. “how much shipping would be or do you have any local European partners” - We will need to have your city, postal code, and model you decide upon to get an accurate shipping quote for you. Yes, we can ship to Switzerland, but we do not have any local European partners. I am told that the price of most massage chairs in Europe is so cost-prohibitive that even with the shipping cost, the combined cost is more than the standard price of a chair in Europe.

I hope this answers some of your questions and helps make your buying decision a little easier. Please email again if you have more questions or inquiries. You can also call our showroom at 1-801-417-8240 to speak to Steffanie or myself.

I await your response with your postal code and city and model you are interested in so that I can get you an accurate shippng quote…

Dr. Alan Weidner”

I just received an email from Cliff Levin, president of FIUS, the US distributor for Inada massage chairs. He tells me that for the month of September, 2008 Inada will offer a FULL 5-year warranty for the Inada Sogno PLUS massage chair!

Yes, that is right…a full, 5-year home coverage warranty that a client typically has to typically purchase in addition to standard warranty coverage.  Here is the text of the email:

Dear Inada Dealer:

The finest massage chair on the market now comes with the best pre-packaged warranty plan!
SOGNO is now the hottest chair with the hottest warranty to back it up! People who have yet to jump in will not want to be left in the dust as this goldmine heats up to Q4. There is no time like the present to get on board with SOGNO.

All SOGNO Plus purchases made between September 1 and September 30, 2008 will AUTOMATICALLY come with a 5 YEAR FULL IN HOME SERVICE & PARTS WARRANTY which includes our standard “repair or replace” promise.   The warranty coverage extends for 5 years from the date of PURCHASE on the register receipt. As far as I know, no other massage chair company has ever offered such a plan! If this plan is popular and successful, INADA will consider extending it for an additional month or more.

I ask that you share this as soon as possible with the entire network. It deals with 3 issues that may come up as objections:

1)      It takes away any risk (real or perceived) of malfunction associated with the purchase;
2)      It addresses price objections by “pegging” the cost over the first 5 years of use. If you buy another chair without such a warranty – especially if it is not of the quality of INADA – costs can increase over time as you spend to keep your chair operational;
3)      It demonstrates the underlying quality of INADA to begin with. We can only afford this because, due to initial product quality, our warranty costs over time are extremely low.

Register receipts must be dated between September 1 and 30, 2008 and we must be asked to ship the order immediately / very soon. This may be advertised as a savings from the regular warranty retail price ($479) or with something like “the only massage chair on the market with a 5 year FULL parts and FULL labor warranty”. Stores may purchase extended warranties for floor model they sell, but they are not free with sale of a floor model.

In a nutshell, here is how the coverage works:
-          Your Sogno PLUS will be serviced in home. If there is no tech within a reasonable distance, we will pay to ship the chair for factory service.
-          The warranty covers all defects for 5 full years from purchase. Parts AND labor are fully covered.
-          If we are unable to repair the chair, it will be replaced with a similarly priced or identical chair at no cost to the consumer.
-          It is good in the USA and Canada.
-          Like all warranties, it does not cover abuse by people or pets or being dropped out a window

At this moment – it will change week to week due to demand - we are shipping all SOGNO colors within 1 week of receiving a P/O.
Let me know if you have any questions and good luck with this exceptional promotion.

Best regards,

Cliff Levin
FIUS Distributors

So, there you go…an extended 5-year warranty on our currently most popular chair.  If you haven’t tried out this chair yet, please do. It will blow you away. Remember that this warranty offer is only applicable to the Sogno PLUS, and not the Standard Sogno.

Please call us at toll-free at 1-888-259-5380 if you have any additional questions or if you would like to purchase this chair. As I have mentioned before on this blog, you can only purchase this massage chair over the phone or in our store. You cannot place the order on our website…so just give us a call.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com

I got off the phone yesterday with Cliff Levin, President of the FIUS, the US Distributor for Family Inada massage chairs, after telling me that the shipment of Inada Sogno Dreamweaver PLUS massage chairs that was to have reached folks by the third week of July is completely SOLD OUT already! Fortunately we had some orders that were filled with this shipment, but I have plenty of other folks that are waiting till the last minute to place their order with us.

This is all I have to say…if you want a Sogno Dreamweaver PLUS massage chair (and I rarely get calls about the standard Sogno model, by the way) you better get ordering today, because these chairs are so “hot” that they are pre-sold before the shipment even comes in and if you don’t have your stake in one, you will have to wait…and wait…and wait…

The next shipment is coming in the first week of August and Cliff tells me that their are only a few chairs unspoken for at this point…but they will be taken very soon. So, if you are considering getting one of these revolutionary new massage chairs, don’t sit on your butt. Get on the phone and call us right now to assure that you get your chair before anyone else does.

Since ordering these chairs online is a “no-no”, you must call us to place your order. You can all us toll-free at 1-888-259-5380 or you can call our showroom’s local Utah number at 1-801-417-8240 and speak to Steffanie about placing your order for you.

We are finally getting our new Sogno Dreamweaver PLUS massage chair next week and, I’ve got to tell you, we are so excited about it. I’ll give you a full report on this blog once I get the chair tested and evaluated.

Did I also mention that the Sogno PLUS is only sold through select health care providers. I am your man (or doctor)!!

Have a super day…and don’t delay.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com

We were invited to bring one of our massage chairs down to KSL, which is the local NBC affiliate, to demonstrate it on the noon hour TV show, Studio 5. So, I went down with my black HT-1650 massage chair and showed it to the great citizens of Utah. Below is a link. I am certainly not TV personality material, but I sure appreciated the chance to show our cool chair to the public. The host,  Darren, seemed to really enjoy it, don’t you think?

Here is the link to the segment:

http://studio5.ksl.com/?nid=56&sid=3615841

My wife and I were over at the showroom last night putting some finishing touches on the showroom preparatory to our Grand Opening on Saturday. We are pretty excited about it. I will post some pictures of the event over the weekend so you can see what was going on.

Did I also mention that we will begin carrying the two of the iJoy models, the iJoy 300 and the HT-2720, as well as the Perfect Chair, all by Human Touch? These chairs should be on the website and the showroom this next month.

Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com