Our two top selling massage chairs that we sell, online and offline, are the Inada Sogno PLUS massage chair (#1) and the Human Touch HT-1650 massage chair (#2). A client interested in both chairs, but not sure which one to get, asked us to prepare a list of the features of both so that she could identify the differences on paper to assist her in her buying decision.

Well, Steffanie, my office manager and a Licensed Massage Therapist, took  on the task and prepared a sheet laying out the major differences between the chairs. I am including the text of her document below for your perusal if you find yourself in the same pickle:

Features of Inada Sogno Dreamwave Plus massage chair in comparison to the HT-1650:

1. Does gentle neck traction-while cradling the head. The cervical traction unit pushes down on the shoulders to create space between the cervical vertebrae.
2. Has 3-D roller technology to where the rollers not only work up and down the back but also push in and out working all three axes (X, Y, Z)
3. The Dreamwave Plus model has a patented Dreamwave program that has the seat moving in a slow figure 8 pattern and the air cells inflate along the outside of the thighs. The whole program is designed to get movement in the hip joints and in the lower vertebrae.  It’s a very relaxing and therapeutic program and very unique to only this massage chair.
4. It works more square inches of the body than any other chair on the market from shoulders to fingertips, hips outer thighs, shins, calves and feet (over 12oo sq. in.)!
5. The stretch program not only does flexion and extension of the spine but also rotation of the back so that more muscles get stretched.
6. The intensity can be adjusted per body part
7. It is upholstered in a faux leather that is pretreated with an anti-bacterial and dirt-resistant finish.
8. The track that runs along the back goes very low, down in to the sacral and upper buttocks areas. Not many models have such a long vertical track down to the sacrum.
9. It has an optical scanning system that will run at the beginning of a program to detect how tall you are and where your tight areas are.  It basically creates a topographical map of your body so that it knows where all your bony prominences are and will accommodate that with the massage.
10. Award winner for design and engineering at CES in LasVegas 2008.

Features of the HT-1650 massage chair in comparison to the Inada Sogno PLUS:

1. The remote is easy to follow and very easy to see what the chair is doing while it is in an auto program.
2. The length of the track on the back hits at about belt level, maybe just a little lower depending on how the person fits in the chair…not as low as theSogno.
3. The foot ottoman is phenomenal, it does kneading and vibration.  It can do this because it has a motor in the foot piece. This makes it too heavy to elevate.
4. The ottoman will only function in one position. If you fully recline the HT-1650 massage chair back the ottoman will remain in the same position regardless of the degree of chair back recline. **Someone with a hyperlordotic lumbar curve may experience low back pain because the hyperlordosis is exaggerated by the recline. The lumbar pillow can fill the lordosis created by the reclining position, but then the massage will be diminished quite a bit in the lumbar spine.
5. It is upholstered in real top-grain leather.
6. The aesthetics of the chair is classic and looks like a regular recliner vs. a massage chair.
7. It does not do compression around the hips.
8. The arms are just vibration, no compression.
9. It has air cells in the seat that inflate and deflate to facilitate the circulation and work the muscles under the thighs
10. The massage intensity can be adjusted to accommodate the needs of many different users; from very light to really deep.
11. It has a fabric cutout around the head so that you can recline back and your head sinks into the chair more…you can feel the rollers really deep into the neck and upper back.
12. It has an Acupoint Detection System that will run at the start of any auto program to detect how tall you are and where your tight muscle areas are.

Similarities between the two massage chairs:

1. They both have a 5 year limited warranty.
2. They both have 8 auto programs.
3. They both work the neck all the way to low back and both do the feet, they just do it a little differently.

Thank you, Steff! Good job.

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