Thank you so much for your  inquiry. Yes, the Inada Sogno is the rolls royce of chairs and, yes, 8K is a lot of money. Although there are not any chairs (except maybe the Panasonic MA70) that have the same quality as the Inada chairs, there are some less expensive alternatives. Here are a few suggestions:

1. IT-8500 from Infinity. It is touted as a Sogno look-a-like, but other than the seat working similarly to the Dreamwave technology of the Sogno, the chair is quite different. But, it still has a very good massage and people who come to my showroom and can’t afford the Sogno most often gravitate to this model. It is a very comfortable fit and has a very good massage. I think you will like this chair. You could even got a step down to the IT-8200. Same massage system and chair design…just some different shoulder airbags and music system.

2. Osaki OS-7075R. This chair is compared most often to the IT-8500 because of it’s price point. It is a big chair with some interesting features, i.e. the headband airbag massage and the Thai stretch. It seems to be having some break down issues lately and I would probably stay away from this one for now. You could always go with the OS-7200H, which is a less expensive Osaki model whose design and function is more akin to the IT-8500. It is another Sogno knock-off model. It has a shoulder/headpiece airbag system that imitates the Sogno, but much, much less refined and discriminating of a massage than that of the Sogno.

3. ZeroG 4.0 from Human Touch. I really like this chair. It is small, compact, and looks like it could pass as a regular recliner. It does not have the bells and whistle airbags that the IT-8500 or the Osaki chairs have, but it has great design and massage function. It is a zero gravity chair with a retractable foot and calf ottoman that hides under the seat. The foot and calf massager is a paddle system and not an airbag system. The paddle system feels phenomenal on the feet and calves. It also has a roller-like mechanism under the soles of the feet. Both the IT-8500 and the OS-7075R have foot rollers, by the way. It has become quite a popular feature in the massage chair industry nowadays. It also has a very, very easy to use remote control.

4. Panasonic MA70. As far as quality goes, the MA70 is the closest to the Inada brand. Great chairs and this particular model does a great job on the low back and the neck and shoulders. It doesn’t have airbags working the top of your shoulders like the Sogno or the OS-7200H, but it does have a roller system that goes more forward when it gets to the top of the shoulders before it rolls up the neck. It feels like it is grabbing a bit of the trap muscles before it rolls on up to the top of the neck. It also has heated jade rollers which is a very unique feature, not seen before on any other massage chair. I really like this chair alot. It also doubles as a recliner, should you want to use it without the massage systems. The ZeroG 4.0 can also double as a regular recliner if you choose to use it without the massage systems. Like the ZeroG 4.0, this chair has a very easy to use, intuitive remote control.

I hope this helps out somewhat, Ken. Let me know if I can answer any more questions or assist you with your order. I am always available.

Dr. Alan Weidner

www.massage-chair-relief.com