The Airbags of the Inada Sogno Massage Chair
With the advent of the Inada Sogno massage chair, competition has been eliminated in regard to airbag technology. The
additional descriptive name – Dreamwave – is more than a marketing moniker. The previous best massage coverage of the body at 450 square inches was offered by the Panasonic 30007 and was considered pretty good.
Well, the Inada Sogno has trumped that chair by a wide margin boasting over 1200 square inches of massage coverage. To be clear, square inch body coverage includes that provided by rollers as well as air bags. Most massage chairs utilize the airbag concept of massage, but the Inada Sogno technological advances are truly astounding.
Here are 6 body areas massaged by Inada Sogno massage chair airbags:
1. Cervical headpiece airbags – The Inada Sogno has a wonderful feature that feels like human fingers working your neck muscles. I’m not aware of another name-brand massage chair that uses airbags for cervical massage. There is the option of using the traditional roller massage by placing the headpiece over the chair’s back. After using the airbags once, you will be ready to return again and again, just for that feature.
Similar to the way your licensed massage therapist digs elbows into your shoulder muscles, the cervical headpiece has airbags for both sides of your neck to push down on your upper shoulders. For those of you that want to know, these are the trapezia muscles! This great feature loosens those muscles that get tight and sore after working at a computer all day. The airbag massaging motion feels so relaxing.
2. Full arm airbags – includes fingers, hand, wrist, and forearm up to and including the upper arm. I have not seen this thorough an arm massage in any other massage chair.
3. Lower lumbar airbags – airbags have been around for some time, but Inada’s technology is advanced. For sufferers of low back pain, the rotation that mimics a chiropractic adjustment brings welcome relief. The airbags inflate alternate sides to lift your low back forward on one side and then the other to produce rotation in that lower lumber area that so often needs corrective motion.
You can adjust the intensity of your massage experience with the remote control. I have found that for some people, the intensity of the airbag massage can be too much. It is easy enough to adjust to a lower setting for your comfort.
4. Seat airbags – this feature I have not seen in other massage chairs is known as Dreamwave technology. Through airbag pressure, the seat moves up and down as well as going side to side in a figure 8 movement. The relief achieved by sufferers of acute low back pain is marvelous.
5. ITB airbags – Accompanying almost any hip, knee or back problem is tenderness on the outside of each thigh. These sore spots are the Iliotibial Band (ITB) muscles. As you sit, the Inada Sogno ITB airbags massage your outer thighs. At first it can be extremely sore, but with more use, the area will loosen up. You will be pleased to find other problems in your lower quadrant resolving with regular use of this feature, not found in other massage chairs.
6. Calf and foot airbags – the Inada Sogno like most chairs does have a foot and calf massager. These airbags are good, but nothing special. With so many extraordinary functions that put the chair at the top of the line in most areas, my opinion is that the HT-9500 massage chair by Human Touch offers the best foot and calf massage feature.
There you have my views of airbag features in the popular Inada Sogno massage chair.
Dr. Alan Weidner
www.massage-chair-relief.com