I just had an inquiry about the difference between the new zero gravity Sanyo 8700 massage chair, which was released last month in the USA market, and the popular Inada Sogno massage chair. It seems everyone wants to compare chairs to

Sanyo 8700 zero gravity massage chair

the Inada Sogno. No problem. Here is Part I of a three part series on the comparison between the two chair models (written by our showroom manager, Steffanie Wistos, LMT):

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

Let’s start from the top and work our way down!

The Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus massage chair has an amazing head cradling unit, called a cervical traction unit, that not only kneads and massages the neck muscles but also provides gentle neck traction.  It also has the capability of working the muscles on the top of the shoulders (traps); this is a great way to release tension in these easily abused muscles.  This traction unit is also able to be moved and easily secured at the top of the chair and out of the way, to allow for 2 different ways to use this chair allowing for stronger intensity if so desired.   The Sanyo 8700 incorporates neck massage into the back massage created by the rollers that run the length of the track.   In other words, it does not have a separate unit to specialize in working the neck muscles, like the Sogno.  It does, however, have a neck pillow that allows for some extra support in that area if needed or you can move this pillow out of the way and that will allow for stronger intensity to be felt as well.

The back massage on the Inada Sogno massage chair is going to feel very different than the massage you get while sitting on the Sanyo 8700 massage chair.  The Inada Sogno has 3-D Roller technology.  This is a sophisticated mechanism that works the body from all different planes and not just the X-Y axis.  It feels a lot more realistic…more akin to a massage done by human hands.  The Sanyo has exclusive GK rollers that are wider and have been redesigned and reshaped from the rollers in older Sanyo models. Like most other massage chair models, it only works the X-Y axis of the body.  The track on the Inada Sogno goes very low into the mid-buttocks area and up all the way into the neck. The Sanyo track is also very long and runs from head to hip, but does not go down as low into the buttocks as does the Inada Sogno.

Tomorrow I will post Part II for your enjoyment.

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