For those of you who are high on the Inada Duet and keeping your fingers crossed that someday it will come to the USA, here is a pretty thorough review of the chair left on our blog by Alex. His review also includes a bit of a comparison between the Duet and the famous Sogno model. Now, Alex lives in Russia and bought the chair there where he lives. This is the first review I’ve seen from someone who actually owns this model. Read it, for what it’s worth, and feel free to leave and questions or comments at the bottom of this post. This is wonderful information and a great review… 

Inada Duet massage chair review: I’m a real owner of the Inada Duet. Since there is no Inada showroom in my city I tried to read every real customer review in the world before purchasing it. Unfortunately there was only one, from Australia, very short one. So I write the review for those of you tearing apart between Inada Duet and Sogno.

I hope you’ve read enough already to know that Inada is the only company manufacturing their chairs actually in Japan and not in China as everybody else. I considered also Fujiiryoki (that’s another real Japanese massage chair company though manufacturing in China) but very quickly understood with their 2-way rollers they can’t compete even with Chinese feature-wise.

Chinese have a lot of really comforting features (like full body stretching, brisk 4-roller tapping, rolling along with music, really nice feet massage) but quality is poor and I’m not sure about their responsibility. Like it might be really nice and pleasant having massages from a Chinese chair every day but then you lose your hair or your skin develops some unknown disease. Or your shiatsu therapist tells you the chair massaged completely wrong and harmful shiatsu points. Or even worse your massage therapist one day tells you your spine is in horrible condition, what villain have done this to you? Oh, it’s only my “designed in Germany (England, Sweden, Malaysia, you name it)” Chinese massage chair. I sat in Yamaguchi Axion which crunched, thumped and rattled like hell and I was afraid some lever inside might go loose and stab me between my ribs. And Chinese these days are bold enough not only to take Japanese looking names for their massage chairs but actually charge up to $9999 (that’s the price for Axion!). Like for the real stuff.

So there is only Inada left. And I was ready to purchase Inada Sogno (because it’s an absolute bestseller and I recommend it strongly also) but then read about Duet. And I changed my mind. And it was not only about the price ($3000 less than for Sogno) and the fact that Inada Duet is 2014 model. The thing is, sitting in other chairs without rollers for thighs and calves (like in Sogno which have only airbags) I felt some kind of annoying stagnation in my legs. Yes, I do walk very little having a job done on computer. And hypodynamia is what my therapist is talking all the time. You know airbags in massage chairs are all well and good but too slow and cannot provide really rigorous massage. So I finally purchased Inada Duet and here is my little review.

I’m 178 cm (5’8) high and my weight is 87 kg (192 lbs). That’s pretty much the limit for Inada Duet. They write in their manual you can be up to 180 cm and 100 kg and I can say they are right. The rollers can’t go higher and stay just high enough for my height. And my weight already causes rollers to abnormally slide sometimes (though really rarely) which as they say is the result of a pretty big weight put on a chair. Like it’s nothing wrong or dangerous for you or Inada Duet about that but indicates that you should rather go to a gym than to a restaurant.

They refused to sell Inada Duet in the US and now I understand why. Seriously among other things you must not use arms of the chair to support yourself while getting in or out of the chair. You will break them. But who cares about user’s manuals and being overweight. It’s better to sue Inada USA for some reason or another.

I’m neither skinny nor fat so my Caucasian calves are pretty well fit inside the rollers and receive full and rigorous massage, the kind airbags obviously can’t provide. The grip is proper. But as for thighs and buttocks, yes they receive massage from rollers only from below, not from sides. Another thing that I really like about Inada Duet is a foot massage while the upper rollers are doing my back. Your feet are getting really good massage mostly from sides though there is a little gizmo which rotates and tries to slightly massage your soles too. You can’t receive the leg and foot massage simultaneously. You have to switch the mode and put your soles where your calves were.

There are 8 automatic programs. In comparison with manual modes they leave an impression of an intelligent and purposeful manual therapy. It feels good. Not just massage for fun like in every other Chinese massage chair. Having received an Inada Duet automatic program I leave the chair with certain pleasant satisfaction. After some experiments I came up with this. If you want to spend more than 15 minutes in your chair you’d better start with automatic program then play with manual modes just for fun and spend the last 15 minutes using another automatic program. In this case you will be fully satisfied with both chair’s and your own intelligence. Automatic program lasts about 15-17 minutes and then you have to start another one. Inada Duet can’t remember your own manual settings, but actually it’s not a big problem, you remember everything yourself and push 4-7 buttons instead of one in automatic mode.

I tend to use Inada Duet without any cushion; I throw over even the standard ones. It hurts sometimes but there are 2 reasons for doing that: 1. I’ve been to a massage therapists not ones and was in pain every time, otherwise you don’t get any benefits for your health. 2. I don’t believe the state of the art intricate Inada Shiatsu points seeking infrared sensors can find anything through all those cushions. You have to wear only thin shirt or nothing at all in order for the infrared optic sensors to find Shiatsu points precisely.

May be that’s why Inada Duet generally don’t soothe me into a sleep. I consider it to be a medical massage chair which gives me pain and invigorates my body pushing up my immune system in response. It doesn’t rock like Inada YuMe, doesn’t dreamwave you with airbags like Inada Sogno. You’d better buy your lover some jewelry and you will receive much better service of that kind. Including rocking, good sex and lullaby afterwards. Something to remember.

And I suggest to Inada engineers, guys make your compressor work ALL the time because it’s sort of slightly annoying when it goes on and off every 5-15 seconds.

To be honest, using cushions Inada Duet did lull me into a sleep several times. For instance today it lulled me into a sleep even without cushions, my body was tired enough after pretty hard work-out in my gym.

Ah, guys, use it only in Zero-G position, that is recline it as far as you can. It feels much better that way. Automatic programs do it by default.

Arm airbag massage is pretty good though leaves the impression that I should be a little bit shorter to best fit the arms.

Back rollers go all the way to your tail bone. Leg rollers push from your feet all the way to your tail bone again.

There are 3 stretch programs for your upper body. What I miss is a full body stretch. Like when it seize your feet, your shoulders and pull them apart really hard. Not like in Inada 3S but actual horizontal full body stretch. Some Chinese chairs do that.

What I really like is the sensation of 4-way rollers which operate in real 3D as advertised. Guys, it’s even supposed to be better than in Sogno.

All in all I think Inada Duet is worth it’s price. It looks solid and expensive; it’s a real quality Japanese product. What makes Inada Duet really unique is the rigorous leg massage. Unlike with airbags you feel your legs being massaged long after the massage is finished.

And I want to say again, I’ve never sat in any other Inada massage chair. I will try to experience Inada Sogno and then will be able to compare.

Thank you very much, Alex, for this exhaustive and detailed review of a chair that has peaked a lot of interest in the US.

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

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