Posts Tagged ‘zero gravity massage chair’

Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

What is the Story Behind Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

I don’t know the exact history of zero gravity massage chairs (also known as “anti-gravity”), but I will take a stab at it based on my own experience with massage chairs over the last 8-9 years, mingled with a little therapeutic angle based on my 19 years in the chiropractic profession.

Zero-gravity has become a fairly loose term in the massage chair industry as of late. Everyone seems to think that their chairs are zero gravity

Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

massage chairs. When I look at the chairs that claim this feature, I am a little surprised at what is considered zero gravity and wonder if it is nothing but false advertising to get the zero gravity “crowd” to buy into a particular model since it has become such a catch phrase amongst shoppers.

History of Zero Gravity Massage Chairs

The whole concept of zero gravity was introduced by NASA for their space program. Human Touch, which is the largest US manufacturer of massage chairs, adapted the zero-gravity concept to household chair design, first displayed in their Perfect Chair line of chairs. According to Human Touch’s website…

Inspired by the Neutral Body Posture studied by NASA during the Skylab program, the [Perfect Chair] zero gravity recliner places the body in a virtually weightless position to provide relaxation and minimum muscle tension. In this therapist-recommended position, the spine, hips, and knee joints are on or close to the balanced midpoint of the muscles.

The idea behind the zero gravity positioning is to take pressure off the joints of the body where strain tends to occur as a result of the gravitational pull, i.e. low back, hips, upper back, neck, knees, etc. I don’t know if you are aware of this, but gravity is one of the most punishing forces of nature on the human body. If your body is not perfectly aligned and balanced, gravity will make your body pay.

For example, if you have a forward head carriage and slouched shoulder posture, gravity is having a hay-day on your spine. You will feel more fatigued because your body is fighting the effects of the gravitational “pull”, not to mention the fact that your joints will wear out prematurely, leading to degenerative arthritis and other fun musculo-skeletal conditions.

If you have ever sat in a zero gravity chair, you completely understand the concept of “weightlessness” as it relates to the seated position. Many people have told me that they can sleep more comfortably in a zero gravity chair than they can in their regular bed. It is very comfortable, particularly for low back pain sufferers, as the chair positioning takes pressure off of the low back area.

So, What IS Zero Gravity?

Simply put, zero gravity, as it relates to the seated position, is having the seat of the chair tilt up at a 30 degree angle. That’s it! That 30 degree tilt has been established to be, by engineers much smarter than I, the optimal position for simulated weightlessness of the human frame. Human Touch took that concept and applied it to the Perfect Chair model.

Then Human Touch took that model and applied it to a more bulky massage chair model, the HT-7450 massage chair. Now, for the first time, a massage chair had the zero gravity feature. This, combined with the massage function, would provide a level of therapy heretofore unheard of in the massage chair industry.

Around this same time, Sanyo came out with the very popular Sanyo 7700 massage chair. The same 30 degree tilt of the seat, combined with massage therapy made this another of the zero gravity massage chairs. Both the Sanyo 7700 and the HT-7450 are very popular chairs for both manufacturers. I think the tilted seat makes them that popular.

Zero Gravity Massage Chairs – False Advertising?

So, why are all these other models claiming to be zero gravity massage chairs when their seats don’t tilt up at 30 degrees? I have no idea. Again, I think it is just a marketing ploy to exploit the zero gravity “craze” that is current in the industry. Don’t be fooled by claims of zero-gravity. Of course, any massage chair, whether it has true zero-gravity or not, is going to be fabulous for you in your home or office and you’re going to love every minute of it. But, if you are determined to get one of the true zero gravity massage chairs, buyer beware!

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

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Refurbished Massage Chairs!!

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

I hope you are having a super new year. We, at www.massage-chair-relief.com, just got the go ahead from Human Touch to offer some of their refurbished models to you. This means significant savings for you if you are still looking for a massage chair.

These chairs are factory refurbished AND tested. You will still get a 6 month factory warranty included with the chairs. They may have some cosmetic blemishes but, for all intents and purposes, these chairs are like brand new.

Here is what we have:

1. HT-7450 zero gravity massage chair for only $2395.

ht-7450 massage chair

HT-7450

This chair, new, goes for $3299. Available in black and dark chocolate (not espresso). I sold a used one in 2010 for $2699! So, this price is a very, very good bargain.

You can check it out here: www.massage-chair-relief.com/human_touch_ht7450_massage_chair.html

Just scroll to the bottom of the page and see the refurbished one there. Just click “Add to Cart” when you are ready to go for it!

This chair is one of Human Touch’s “Elite” chairs…top of the line.

2. HT-5320 massage chair for only $1995…normally $2999!

ht-5320 massage chair

HT-5320

Available in black, espresso, and dark chocolate. Check it out here:

www.massage-chair-relief.com/ht5320.html

Again, scroll to the bottom of the page and “Add to Cart”.

3. Omega Serenity massage chair (white color).

Omega Serenity zero gravity massage chair

Omega Serenity

Although not a Human Touch chair, this is a gently used, 1-month old massage chair that is still in the original packaging. It was hardly used by a very elderly lady and returned to us in pristine, perfect condition last month. Going for only $1699…regularly $2499.

www.massage-chair-relief.com/serenity_massage_chair.html

You’ll see this deeply discounted model at the bottom of the page. This is part of the new zero-gravity relaxation chair line-up from Omega. Very stylish, very affordable. Oh yeah, you’ll also get the rest of the 1 year comprehensive warranty
that originally came with the chair.

For each chair you will get:

a.) f*ree shipping
b.) warranty
c.) f*ree bonus gifts that we include with every massage chair on
our website.
d.) in original packaging

(gift cards and 90-day money back guarantee do not apply to used or refurbished chairs)

Please feel f*ree to call me at 801-417-8240 if you have more questions or if you would like to order over the phone.

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

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Omega Serenity Massage Chair in our Showroom

Friday, July 30th, 2010

We finally made enough room in our showroom to justify getting one of the new Omega zero gravity massage chairs. Omega came out late last year with two new models, the Skyline and the Serenity. Both nice chairs, but we liked the design

Serenity Massage Chair

of the Serenity and thought it would be cool to have it in our showroom, so that is the one we ordered.

Easy set up and quite a light chair. That made it easy to move around and unpack. We got the white one, which really stands out in our showroom compared to the typical black and dark-colored massage chair models. It is very stylish as you can tell from the image here. The chair retails for $2499 and comes with a standard 1 year comprehensive/3 year limited warranty. We include our $200 Visa Gift Card with that, which essentially brings the price down to $2299. The chair comes in white, black, and brown…pretty standard colors.

It is a very stylish design. The back rollers are not on a track so they do not move up and down your back. The stay isolated primarily to the mid to lower back. There are airbags in the shoulders, neck, buttock, and legs. The Skyline model is exactly the same on the inside, but with different outer design.

Check it out here: http://www.massage-chair-relief.com/serenity_massage_chair.html

Call if you have any questions.

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

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PART III: Inada Sogno Massage Chair vs. New Sanyo 8700 Massage Chair

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Here is the final installment of our comparison between the Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus massage chair and the Sanyo 8700 zero gravity massage chair:

Comparison between Sanyo 8700 and the Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus Massage Chairs (Part III)

The remotes are very different.  On the Sanyo 8700 the remote stays on a remote stand pedestal and has a separate hand held sensor that detects stress, your areas of stiffness, and your height, so that it can personalize the massage

Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus massage chair

experience to be as unique as you are! The Inada Sogno has a hand held remote that tucks away into a side pocket on the chair when not in use.  It has a one button touch system for the 8-auto programs that you can choose from on the top.  Under the panel on the bottom of the remote you can use the many buttons to personalize your massage experience every time you use your chair! I feel that the Inada Sogno remote is easier to use and a little more intuitive.

The foot ottoman on both of these chairs is extendable.  This is great to accommodate many different users’ body types.  The Sanyo 8700 massage chair foot ottoman extends out only 8” and can comfortably fit users up to 6’4”.  The extension is made possible by a lever at the side of the seat that, when pulled back, allows the user to push the ottoman out another 8″. The Inada Sogno also has a foot ottoman that extends out to accommodate users up to 6’5”, but it is extended simply by the user extending his/her legs. To retract the ottoman of the Sanyo 8700 the user must pull the lever at the side of the seat and the ottoman will “pop” back into neutral position. The Inada ottoman will automatically retract when the user leaves the chair after the session.

The look of the chairs are very different.  The Inada Sogno is more of a rounded chair and when reclined back seems to cradle you like a hammock.  It has a very contemporary design, for which Inada won a design award at the CES show in 2008. The Sanyo 8700 sits more upright and looks more like a traditional massage chair with an attached foot ottoman.  You can recline this chair back into its zero-gravity position to take all the pressure off of your back. Zero gravity simply means that the seat tilts up to 30 degrees to allow decompression of the lower back. Also, the Sanyo 8700 covers approximately 300 square inches of the body with massage mechanisms whereas the Inada Sogno covers over 1200 square inches of the body with massage mechanisms…significant difference.

Sanyo 8700 massage chair

So, after reading this comparison you can see that there really isn’t much in common between these two chairs, they are very different and both very good in their own rights! Best thing to do now is to get out there and try them out and see which one fits your body the best and feels the best to you! Have fun doing your research! According to our experience, the Inada Sogno massage chair outsells the Sanyo 7700/8700 series by quite a bit.

I hope these 3 posts help you in your shopping experience. I hope these posts are part of your research and due diligence. Call us at 888-259-5380 or our showroom at 801-417-8240 if you have any questions.

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

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Inada Sogno Massage Chair vs. New Sanyo 8700 Massage Chair PART II

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

I hope you enjoyed Part I of Steffanie’s 3-part series on the comparison between the Inada Sogno massage chair and the new Sanyo 8700 zero gravity massage chair. Here is Part II:

Comparison between Sanyo 8700 and the Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus Massage Chairs (Part II)

The Inada Sogno offers a full-body experience massaging, including air bag compression on the arms, forearms, hands, hips, thighs, calves, and feet.  The intensity can be adjusted by body part individually which adds to the detailed

Inada Sogno massage chair

customization of this chair.  The Sanyo 8700 does not have arm, forearm, hand, or hip massage but it does do compression on the calf and foot.  This model has a two part lower leg and foot ottoman which is different than the Sanyo 7700 models, where the foot and calf components are combined into one unit. The 8″ extension allows for taller users to feel more comfortable in this chair.

The Sanyo 8700 massage chair has 3 specialty programs in zero-gravity reclined position.  This is a very unique aspect of this chair.  The zero-gravity positioning is very comfortable and relieves the gravitational strain that our backs feel every day.  For anyone with chronic back problems sitting in this position for a few minutes every day can make a significance difference in your pain levels. The 3rd zero gravity position is added to accommodate a stretch program in the zero gravity position. This chair also has a very special stress sensor, in addition to the temperature, pulse, and perspiration sensors, that will determine where you are holding your stress and can detect the mental fatigue from stress.  This assists you in retraining your body in dealing with stress in your daily life and can assist you in finding better coping strategies to release and let go of the stress and tension.

The Inada Sogno massage chair has several proprietary features and programs including its Signature Dreamwave program.  This is where the seat moves in a slow figure eight pattern and the air cells inflate to massage and work the lower back, outer thighs, and buttocks from side to side and up and down.  This facilitates passive motion and  flexibility in the hip and lower back. No other chair, including the Sanyo, has this low back technology which, therapeutically, is a phenomenal feature.  It also creates passive movement so that the muscles and joints in that area don’t freeze up, get stiff, or calcify.  For anyone who suffers from low back pain this program truly makes a world of difference because you are not having to actively create the movement.  With the passive movement you can experience the motion without the pain!   It also has a unique stretch program that induces flexion, extension, AND rotational stretch.  It is the only chair on the market that does that!   Its Youth program is a favorite for those active families that have children over 10 years old that may play sports or dance, or may just have tight muscles.  This program takes into account the child’s body size so it doesn’t recline back as far and it keeps the intensity low.  Children can feel great relief from the use of a massage chair as well!

Tomorrow I will post Part III of this series.

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

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HT-7450 Becomes Exclusive to Human Touch September 1st

Friday, August 28th, 2009

I was quite surprised to hear this morning in a bulletin from Human Touch that the HT-7450 massage chair and HT-125 massage chair will not be allowed to be sold through distributors such as Massage-Chair-Relief.com. They will be keeping the chairs in-house and sell them solely through their website, www.humantouch.com.

What does this mean? After September 1, 2009 you can only get the HT-7450 and HT-125 massage chairs through Human Touch, directly. You will not be able to get these models through our site or any other distributor. Of course, I am stuck with a floor model of the HT-7450 but that is good for my visitors because you can get this great 1 1/2 year old chair at a very discounted price ($1999). The downside is that we like that dang HT-7450 massage chair and have enjoyed having it in my showroom.  The zero gravity feature is a great feature. Of course, I have discussed the zero gravity issue, particularly with the new chairs coming our from Omega Massage and the new Sanyo zero gravity chair.

So, the bottom line is there are options if you want a zero gravity massage chair. The best option would be the Sanyo 7700 which is a very popular model. You can check it out here:

 http://www.massage-chair-relief.com/sanyo_7700.html

Call the showroom if you have any questions about the HT-7450 that we have.

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

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New Sanyo 3700 Massage Chair + We Now Carry the Sanyo 7700

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

I mentioned in my last blog post that I would go into some detail about the new Sanyo 3700 zero gravity (or “best position”) massage chair. It follows the new genre of lower-priced zero gravity massage chairs and is one of Sanyo’s entries into that market. Of course, Sanyo already has the very popular 7700 zero gravity massage chair and it’s sister chair, the 6700 massage chair.

But, these new “best position” massage chairs are a lesser priced model in this market (By the way, we just became approved retailers of the popular Sanyo 7700 zero gravity massage chair. We just put the chair on our website this last weekend and will have one in our showroom in another week or two. We are VERY excited to carry this chair. Because of our great reputation as an online and offline massage chair retailer, we were given permission by Sanyo to carry this model on our website and in our Salt Lake City showroom  http://www.massage-chair-relief.com/sanyo_7700.html).

Here are some features of the new Sanyo 3700 massage chair:

1. One-button recline to zero gravity position.

2. Firm kneading provided by 4 rollers to lower back, upper back, and shoulders.

3. Tapping/Percussion action.

4. Undulating shiatsu action on the soles of the feet.

5. Airbags for feet and calves massage.

6. Rotating armrests for easier entry and exit into and out of chair.

7. Backrest, footrest, armrests, and seat adjust automatically from upright to fully flat position.

8. Auto-alignment: body-shape sensor automatically adjusts to user’s shoulder height.

9. 6 automatic programs.

10. Synthetic leather upholstery.

11. 23 5/8 inch vertical track.

There is another Sanyo chair in the market, called the Relaxation Chair, that is only carried through Relax the Back. I have been asked what the difference is between these chairs, besides the obvious exterior look. The difference, in a nutshell, is that the Relaxation Chair has massage but it is minimal and only in the form of airbags…no rollers. It is zero gravity, but other than that, not much more in common with the Sanyo 3700 model. It really isn’t a “true” massage chair, as it does not feature the typical rollers that a traditional massage chair would feature. It is also only $200 less than the Sanyo 3700…the Sanyo 3700 going for $2999, the Relaxation Chair going for $2799.

I hope this helps you in your shopping experience.

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

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Lots of Massage Chair News!

Monday, April 27th, 2009

A lot is going on right now with the massage chair biz! I told you last week that Inada is discontinuing their D-5 Robo Chair and D-6 Robostic massage chair models because of the popularity of their new Sogno massage chairs.

Well, I learned last week that Human Touch has dropped their Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) on the HT-1650 massage chair to $3999 (from $4795) and on the HT-7450 zero gravity massage chair to $3299 (from $3999). They have also dropped their MAP pricing on the HT-125 to $1999 (from $2299). I wondered if perhaps they were planning on discontinuing these models, too, especially the HT-1650 since they dropped the price on that chair to such a low MAP. I was frankly stunned by the low price on the HT-1650. But, it is great for you, the consumer.

The Panasonic 1285 “Urban” massage chair is now in stock. It has been a popular seller and was out of stock for quite some time. It is now in stock…but for how long, I have no idea.

We sold our Inada Sogno PLUS floor model last weekend because we wanted to bring in the chocolate Inada Sogno PLUS Chocolate with Black Interiormodel with the new black interior material. It had previously had gray interior, but I think with the ease with which that color dirtied, they decided on a black interior. Good move, if you ask me. It stays cleaner and it actually looks pretty sharp…don’t you agree? Well, we got our new Sogno PLUS on Wednesday and Steffanie and I put it together right away. It looks very handsome.

Well, that’s about it for today. Spring is finally in the air here in Utah. It has been a long and cool winter and spring so far. I am so looking forward to a warm summer (I love summer!!). I hope you all have a wonderful and rejuvenating spring.

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

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