Massage Chair Industry Update – March 26, 2014

March 28, 2014
 By Dr. Alan Weidner
March 28, 2014
 By Dr. Alan Weidner

Massage Chair Industry Update – March 26, 2014

Transcript of Video Titled “Massage Chair Industry Update – March 26, 2014”

updateAlan: Well, hello, I’m Dr. Alan Weidner from ‘Massage-Chair-Relief.com’ and today is our biweekly massage chair industry update for Wednesday March 26th, 2014. We’ve got a few things to go over with you today. First of all, it’s spring, spring is here, and the weather’s lovely, and hopefully, the snow’s starting to melt in places in the Northeast where they received so much this year. Anyway, we’ve got some good stuff to talk about today.

[SCREEN TEXT: Stock Status]

Alan: First of all, I’ll just go in to stock. Pretty much the same as last week, or two weeks ago, the Infinity chairs are the ones that are back-ordered the most. The 8500 is supposed to be in this week, on Friday. I’ve emailed them twice this week to verify that the chairs are coming in this week, but I’ve gotten no response from them. So, I’m hoping that they have this huge shipment coming in because I’ve got quite a few back-orders of the IT-8500, but they should all be in stock this week. The IT-7800 in ‘Black’ is going to back-ordered until April 10th. The IT-9800 is back-ordered on most colors, and very, very low on stock on most colors that are in stock, but there’s no known shipping date for those chairs. So, I don’t know if they’re going to discontinue that one, or what the plan is with the 9800. I know the 9800 is made in a Taiwanese plant, whereas the rest of their chairs, from Infinite Therapeutics, are made in mainland China. The IT-9800 is made in Taiwan, and so I don’t know if they’ve got shipping delays there, or production delays, or whatever’s going on, but I’ll keep you posted when I hear something. Also, again, the YuMe, the Inada YuMe, in ‘Black’ is back-ordered until June 16th. Also, all the Osaki chairs seem to be in stock, they got a brand new shipment, like, I think 10 containers of the new Cyber, and the OS-4000, there’s lots of chairs at Osaki available now.

[SCREEN TEXT: Cliff Levin Visits Massage Chair Relief]

Alan: OK, now, I mentioned a couple weeks ago, that Cliff Levin, the president of Inada USA, was going to be coming for a visit, and he did, he came last week, we had a wonderful time. He and his wife, Karen, came, and my wife, Mona, and I went out to dinner with them a week ago, and had a wonderful dinner, wonderful Italian restaurant here in Salt Lake. They chose it, believe it or not, I didn’t even know about it, but we had a wonderful meal, and we talked about massage chairs, and whatnot. Well, the next morning then, Cliff came in to the showroom, and we spent the morning together talking about, you know, Inada, and the business, and whatnot, and you know, this Inada Sogno chair is still quite a phenomenal chair. As usual, I asked if they’re coming out with a new Sogno, a new model, and there’s no plans for it.

[SCREEN TEXT: Inada Duet]

Alan: I asked him about the Duet, which is the new chair that Inada in Japan has introduced, a lot of people call me about that chair. They’re not sure if that chair’s going to come to the US or not, so don’t plan on it. What makes that chair kind of unique is that it has rollers in the butt and the calves. So, they have a roller system that goes from the neck down to the low back, and then another separate roller, a different type of roller system – they kind of look like flywheels, or you know, cog wheels – but this roller goes from the butt down to the calves. There’s no foot massage on it, it has independent suspension, if you will, on the four different rollers on the back. So, you know, depending on the musculature of your back, if you’ve got – for example, if you’ve got scoliosis, you know, scoliosis means a curvature in the spine – and well, when you curvature of the spine like that, you’re going to have muscles that are going to be tight, and muscles that are going to be flaccid, depending on what, you know, where the curve is. So, you’re going to have a different muscle tension on either side of the spine, at different levels of the spine. Well, this Duet has independent suspension, if you will, where each of the separate rollers can adjust to the muscles of the back, to cater to that kind of a back, and not just a scoliotic back, but any kind of a back that has hypertonic muscles here, hypertonic muscles here, or whatever, these rollers will cater to it. Well, having said all that, and probably getting you all excited, there’s no plans on bringing that chair to the United States, at this point, if it is, it might be in another year to two years. Anyway, we had a great visit, and we talked about the business, we talked about sales of the Sogno, and I was going to mention this earlier, the Sogno is still an extremely popular-selling chair. Their sales are up 20% this year, I was shocked to hear that. I mean, we still have – I mean, the Sogno website, the Sogno page – on our website, is still the third most viewed page on our website, behind our home page, and our comparison chart. So, it is still the most viewed product on our website, and on our YouTube videos, the Inada Sogno is still our – the ‘First Time Use of the Inada Sogno Chair‘ – that video is our number one viewed video, so it’s still a very popular chair. I think, you know, there’s more competition now, and I think the sales are going to be tougher, but the Sogno is such a unique chair, I think it’s going to continue to be a good seller, even for the next few years. In other words, the lifecycle of this chair has not ended.

[SCREEN TEXT: 48 Month Financing on Inada Sogno? What Do You Think?]

Alan: Also, what we talked about, Cliff mentioned that I should, you know, he suggested I offer 48-month financing on the Sogno. So, we’re starting to look at the chair, like in the same eyes as we would a car, which is a higher financing option. So, he’s suggesting I go for the 48-month financing, I’d be curious to hear what you think about that, is a chair worth a 48-month financing deal? Let me know in the comments, on the video, or on our blog, let me know what you think about 48 months financing for the Inada Sogno. It would only be available for the Sogno, for no other chair.

[SCREEN TEXT: Inada i1 Chair Discontinued – $2239 For Existing Stock]

Alan: Also, Cliff told me that the Inada i1, which is the – the three models that we carry from Inada are the Sogno, the YuMe, and the i1 – well, they’re discontinuing the i1 when stock is gone, and that chair normally retails for $4499, he’s given me the go ahead to sell it for $2349, or $2239, sorry, $2239. It only comes in ‘Black,’ there was only about 50 left last week when I talked to him, but that is a phenomenal price for a Japanese-made chair. Now, the i1, I used to have it in my showroom, it doesn’t have foot massage, and you cannot adjust the intensity of the rollers, but it’s got a very good Japanese-quality rolling massage. It’s got airbags in the seat, airbags in the calves, it does not have arm airbags, but it’s a wonderful chair. For $2239, it’s a steal, for a Japanese-quality-made chair from Inada, so you can go on the website, I’ve changed the price already for it, but that is only limited, and he figures it’ll probably remain at this price until the end of the – I mean, the 50 will probably sell out – by the end of March, which is next week, so if you want one of those, go for it.

[SCREEN TEXT: Make-A-Wish Foundation Update!]

Alan: Let’s see, what else can I talk to you about? Oh, you know what, our Make-A-Wish, I updated our Make-A-Wish Foundation page, you know, and as you may or may not know, we donate a portion of every chair sale to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Now, in November of 2013 – and I used to do Make-A-Wish fundraising when I was a chiropractor, it was a wonderful, wonderful project – and I kind of got emotionally attached to it after I did a tour of the Make-A-Wish headquarters here in Salt Lake City, or in Murray, Utah, which is just up the street. Well, I got emotionally invested in it because I have 6 kids, I’ve got 4 grandkids, I love children, and it pains me to see children suffer, and I’ve seen my own kids suffer. I’ve got a child with diabetes, I’ve had children that have been through various and sundry diseases and injuries through the years, and I do not like seeing – well, I don’t like seeing anybody suffer – but I especially don’t like seeing children suffer, and so the Make-A-Wish Foundation really, it really spoke to me.

[SCREEN TEXT: www.Massage-Chair-Relief.com/Make-A-Wish.html]

Alan: Well, in November of last year, we started fundraising for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and you’ll see it on our website. You can go to our Make-A-Wish page, and I’ll put the address up here so you can see it, but when you buy a massage chair from us, a portion of that sale goes to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

[SCREEN TEXT: 65% of Our Goal Reached Already]

Alan: Our goal in November was, for that year, from November to November of 2014, we wanted to raise $7500. Well, we’re already at $5050, so we’ve – I think that’s 65%, it gives you an update when you go on to the website – yeah, it was 65% of our goal already, and it’s just six months old. Well, let’s see, November, December, January, February, March, it’s only five months old, so we’re doing pretty good, and so we’d encourage you, of course, to donate anyway. I mean, whether you buy a chair or not from us, you can still go to our Make-A-Wish page and donate, and we’d love to have you donate. I love Make-A-Wish, and I love children, and I have a great empathy for, and sympathy for, kids who are suffering from terminal diseases, and life-threatening diseases. I’ll tell you, when I went through this tour for the first time, a number of years ago when I was still in practice, I remember going there to find out about fundraising, and what I needed to do to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation as an office project. I remember going in there, and the gal – and I think this is strategic – but the receptionist said ‘Oh, so-and-so will be with you shortly to give you a tour of the facility, but in the meantime, just go ahead and go in the hallway, and walk around, and read some of the kids’ stories.’ Well, I think that is a ploy, because I was – I went around the corner, and started reading, on the wall, they had this wall – they have this wall full of, you know, experiences and testimonials, if you will, of these kids, and their experiences of whatever, you know, goals they wanted, and whatever wish they had. It was just so moving, and I’m a pretty emotional guy anyway, I mean, I cried when Wayne Gretzky got traded, but I started bawling, and like sobbing, reading these stories, and I’m in the middle of it, and I’ve got tears running down my face, and she comes out and says ‘Oh, Dr. Weidner, nice to meet you, you ready for your tour?’ I couldn’t even talk, I was in shambles, and so she gave me a minute to compose myself, and then we go on this tour, and the tour through this facility was unbelievable. They show you how the kids make their wish, it’s like a ceremony, and it’s in a very quiet room, at the top, at the pinnacle of the building, and it’s a very reverent place, and you feel like you’re crossing a threshold in to a very, very special place. I get goose bumps just kind of thinking about it, and there is this, there’s where this wish is – from what I remember, it was like, put in to a little – like a time, you know, little capsule, and then it’s put in to this wishing well, so to speak, and that’s where the child places their wish. Then, of course, from there, the Make-A-Wish Foundation takes that wish, and works on granting it. Well, we’ve got a gal who has a significant disease, where she cannot get out of her wheelchair, and she’s – and I can’t even remember the name of the condition – but her name’s Samantha, and just a delightful gal, you can see a picture of her and her family. Well, they wanted to have a deck, or she wanted a deck out in the backyard, a shaded deck, so she could go out in her wheelchair, and enjoy nature in her backyard. Well, that wish was granted, but a lot of stuff was given in kind, like labor and materials, but there’s still a huge need, I think it was over $5000 for the labor, for the costs, you know, the actual costs that had to be paid out. So, our goal is to pay Samantha’s, the financial portion of Samantha’s wish, and we’re very close, I know her, the amount was in the $5000s, and we’re almost there, but that’s where the money is going to. You can to our website, to our Make-A-Wish page, and then there’s a link from there to the Make-A-Wish Foundation site, and you can see our page there, so you know that this is legit, and that we’re not doing anything weird. All the money goes directly to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and directly in to Samantha’s wish account, and then after Samantha’s wish has been granted and paid for, we will take on another child, and we’ll post their picture up on our website. Anyway, I’ve gone on too long, I apologize, but I love the Make-A-Wish Foundation, I’m very, very proud that we have reached 65% of our goal in only five months, and I suspect we’ll hit our goal, and then we’ll set up a higher goal, maybe $10,000, for next year. We’re going to continue to do this because it’s a worthy thing, and it’s a wonderful thing, and if any of you have kids, know kids, been associated with kids, their aunts, uncles, whatever, and that probably includes every single one of you, you just look at a picture of your child, or your grandchild, and you imagine that child being in a wheelchair, or infirm in some way, where there’s little hope that they’re going to be able to recover from that disease, and your heart will melt for that child of yours. Just imagine parents like that all around the world, that’re struggling with kids that are infirm, and sick like that, it’s very, very touching to me. Anyway, enough of that.

[SCREEN TEXT: New Massage Chair Relief Showroom Sign]

Alan: OK, so, we got a new sign on our showroom, and I’m so happy about this. It took them a while to get it done because of zoning through Taylorsville, which is where our showroom is, but our old sign was a mess. It was ugly, but the thing is when you get accustomed to something, and you get used to seeing it, you don’t, you’re not as critical of it. So, I didn’t really think much about my sign, I just thought ‘Yeah, it’s not that great looking, whatever,’ and it was actually two signs put together, the sign that was on the store there, before we came, which was a smoke shop, and then I took my old sign from my chiropractic clinic, or part of it, and put it there. So, we had like two signs, with a phone number, and it was just, it was butt ugly. Well, I didn’t really think about that until this guy comes in, who is a very wealthy businessman here in Salt Lake, who started a chain of stores that are still quite successful, and he came in, and he loved all the chairs, but then he said to me, ‘You know,’ he says, your sign is a disgrace to your business, it does not represent your business, and it gives the wrong image of what your business is all about.’ Well, you know, he was right, and it bugged me for the longest time, and so I finally just decided, let’s just go for it. It’s not cheap to get a new sign, and so, you know, we saved up for it, and we finally got it put up last week, or actually about a week and a half ago, and you can see pictures of it on our blog, but it’s got our logo on the top. My wife didn’t really like the logo on top, she thought that the logo and the name of the business should have been side by side, but it was too small, it would’ve been all too wide. So, we put the logo on top, and the Massage-Chair-Relief underneath, and I think it looks pretty dang good. At night, it looks fantastic, fabulous, it really lights up the neighborhood. Anyway, got a new sign, I don’t know why I told you that, because it doesn’t affect anything about your decision to buy a massage chair, but there you have it.

[SCREEN TEXT: Massage Chair Glossary – Parts 1 & 2]

Alan: Also, let’s see, we have – oh, on the blog, you know what I did – I posted two parts to an article called ‘Massage Chair Glossary,’ and a lot of people, you know, in our business, we throw terms around like, zero gravity, inversion, quad rollers, 3D roller technology, you know, whatever, a lot of people have no idea what those things mean. They want it, like they’ll say ‘Doc, I want zero gravity,’ but they don’t fully understand what zero gravity is. So, I selected the top 13 terms that I see most commonly, and I wrote definitions for them, and so I broke it up in to two parts so it wasn’t too long of a read, on one page. You can go to our blog and see that, but that’s a good start for a glossary. Now, if you have other terms that I didn’t include, I didn’t think about, go ahead and make a comment, and add the term that you would like to have defined, and I will make a definition of it, and we will make a video of it as well. As you know, I have a ‘Massage Chair Dictionary’ playlist on our YouTube channel, and you can check that out too, where I visually explain and demonstrate what these terms mean, like, for example, zero gravity. It’s one thing to describe that the seat’s up at a 30-degree angle, and the chair back and the seat articulate at a 120-degree angle, but what does that mean, you know, you might read that and just gloss over, like I did in school. You can, now we have a video that shows you what zero gravity is. So, if you have a term that you think I’ve neglected to cover, and I’m sure I have, mention it in the comments, and we’ll write a definition for you. That’s the ‘Massage Chair Glossary,’ it’s in our blog, I think it’s a great little resource for you who are looking to buy a massage chair, or you own a massage chair, and really don’t know what the feature is on your chair.

[SCREEN TEXT: 1-Month Old Human Touch HT-7450 Espresso Color – $2999]

Alan: Also, we have a couple of used chairs that have just become available, I have a one-month old Human Touch HT-7450, which is a zero-gravity chair. It was the first zero-gravity massage chair, and it has been a popular seller for Human Touch for years, and it’s a very popular seller still. Now, this is a chair that – Human Touch is known for making chairs that don’t look like massage chairs, they’re aesthetically appealing and pleasing – so it doesn’t look like you’ve got airbags hanging left and right, and a big, huge remote control sticking up, it looks like a regular chair. They have ottomans that are usually retractable, or hidden, and the 7450 is no different. You can rotate the ottoman under, so you don’t see the calf wells, it’s got a nice executive look to it, and the ‘Espresso’ is a beautiful color, it’s a brown color. Well, that chair usually retails for $3499, we’re selling this one, it’s only a month old, for $2999, warranty’s still intact, chair’s immaculate, perfect condition, I’m getting it back this week, so FYI.

[SCREEN TEXT: Johnson J6800 Floor Model – Black $3499]

Alan: Also, oh, is that it – do I have another, thought I had another chair, just a minute – oh, well, I’ve got the floor model of the Johnson J6800, which is their top of the line chair. It’s a Taiwanese-made chair, a better quality chair than the mainland Chinese chairs, it comes with a three-year parts-and-labor warranty, this one’s in ‘Black’ also. It’s got 3D roller technology, it’s a very nice chair, a very well-built chair, and I’m selling that one for $3499. Brand new, it’s $4999, the chair is three months old, a great chair, but Johnson – and I mentioned this in another update, but Johnson, we started carrying Johnson back in November or October, and not – and then we bought a chair for our showroom, and then not two months later, they tell us that they’re not allowing it to be sold online, it has to be through a showroom. Well, 95% of my business is done through the website, for people out of state, and unless they fly in, or come in to my showroom, you know, we’ve got this Johnson chair sitting there. Plus, I don’t have any of the data, it was all on the website, I don’t have a brochure for it. So, anyway, we’re going to sell off that Johnson 6800, nice chair, but anyway, it’s there, so let me know if you want, if you’re interested in that chair, or the Human Touch 7450, and you know what, I think that is just about it. Yeah, I think that’s it. It’s a wonderful time of the year, we’re getting in to spring and summer, we’re going to have some great weather, but it’s kind of a slow time for the massage chair business, for the massage chair industry, you won’t see a lot of new models coming out. You might see some models being discontinued, but this is really just a time for, you know, maybe the companies are doing testing and whatnot, for any new models they’ll bring out in the fourth quarter, but as I learn about new things, I’ll let you know. Of course, you’ll always be the first to know, but that’s about it for this week.

[SCREEN TEXT: 888-259-5380]

Alan: So, if you have any questions, feel free to call me or email me, I’m always available, my number is 888-259-5380, and you can reach me pretty much any time. I just want you to know you can reach me before and after the sale, I’m not just available before the sale. After the sale, you can always reach me, personally, at least now. As we get busier and busier, you know, we’ll have more and more people available to answer phones, but for now, I’m still trying to handle as many calls as I can, so feel free to call. If you have comments, send them in. Go to our blog, read our articles, write any comments you have there, or any suggestions, any thoughts, we appreciate that. Of course, subscribe to our YouTube channel, so you can be updated about subsequent videos, like this industry update, or other videos that we have coming out, and we usually put out one to three videos a week. Of course, ‘Like’ us on Facebook and Twitter, and share us, and Google Plus us, ‘+1’ us on Google Plus, whatever, we just appreciate you helping us spread the word about massage chairs. Thank you very kindly for visiting today, and watching this video, I hope you have a fantastic day, and I will see you in two weeks on the next massage chair industry update. Bye bye.

Click on the following link to see the difference between these yunnan baiyao capsules and the others explained by the experts.

11 Things You Absolutely Need

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! GET MY FREE REPORT.

11 Things You Absolutely Need to Know Before You Even Consider Investing in a High Quality, Robotic Massage Chair
DOWNLOAD NOW
Massage Chair Relief BBB Business Review
Shopper Award
Since 2005, Massage Chair Relief has been selling the highest quality massage chairs for home and business use. We offer a wide selection of chairs and information to help you choose the brand and model that is right for you
© 2023 Massage Chair Relief. All Rights Reserved
magnifiercross