EMAIL #1
Hi Dr. Weidner, I was wondering if you could help me narrow my search for a chair based upon my specific issues. I currently have lumbar pain – which moves into the hip/buttocks as the day moves on. IT band and hamstrings are really tight. I have a long term tightness and pain in my neck- a result of a degenerated C5-C6. I enjoyed lounging on my brother in law’s Sanyo massage chair while in Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving. We visited a local store and I tried out a Cozzia and Human Touch as well as one that had a feature called Dream Wave. The last one was the priciest, but was frustrating to me if I pulled my hand out for any reason, I was unable to re-insert it into the arm cradle. I live in West Michigan, an area that doesn’t seem to have retailers willing to invest in our market. The thought of traveling hours via plane to SLC makes my hip hurt, just wanted to see if you had any ideas for me. thanks for your consideration and ideas. Sue

MY RESPONSE #1
Hi, Sue
Thanks for your email. I’ll try to address your comments as best I can…

1. There are really only 2 chairs that have IT Band airbag massage and that is the Panasonic MA70 and the Inada Sogno Dreamwave, which you tried and didn’t care for too much.

2. The only chair that has roller massage on any part of the hamstrings is the Infinity Iyashi, which has a 49″ roller track that goes down into the seat. Great buttock massage but just hits the top of the hamstrings in the back.

3. Most chairs have decent lumbar and neck massage. The IT-8500 has among the best neck massages of our chairs. It also has a good lumbar massage, as do most massage chairs.

4. If you liked the Sanyo massage chair, I might also suggest the Panasonic MA70 again, as it has a good, vigorous roller massage in the neck and low back like the Sanyo does. Sanyos aren’t made anymore as they were bought out by Panasonic and discontinued.

Here are the chairs I would take a look at:

Panasonic MA70

a.) Panasonic MA70, which I mentioned above a couple of times and which meets most of your criteria. If anyone is taller than 6’2″ in your home it may not be an optimal choice.

b.) Infinity IT-8500 – a great neck massage and a very good lumbar massage. Not much in the hamstring or IT Bands, but not many chairs do. I consider this chair a great bang for the buck. You cannot adjust the intensity of the roller massage, but it defaults to a more intense, deep tissue roller massage. This chair also has zero gravity positioning and mechanical foot rollers, which the Panasonic MA70 does not have.

c.) Osaki OS-3D Pro Dreamer or OS-3D Pro Cyber – two great chairs from Osaki that have what the IT-8500 has, but with the ability to adjust the roller intensity, by moving the rollers more forward or back, thus making the intensity greater or less, respectively.

d.) Inada Sogno – it gives you airbag and roller options for your neck, plus it gives you the ITB massage. Another positive for this chair and the MA70 is how low the rollers go down to the top of the buttocks. Great range.

I hope this helps in some way. Let me know if you have any other questions or if you need any assistance with your order. I am always at your disposal.

(FYI…Sue flew in on Monday from Michigan to spend the day with us at the showroom. She narrowed her choice down to the Inada Sogno and the Panasonic MA70, based on her actual experience with them.)

EMAIL #2
I have narrowed my massage chair selection to 2 finalists: The Infinity Iyashi, which I have sat on a few different occasions, and the Osaki Pro Cyber, which I have not been able to check out – but based on Dr. Weidner’s and other reviewers seems awesome. Can you tell me, not the features of which I am well aware, but DIFFERENCES in the 2 chairs to the ‘massage’ that would appeal to the differing preferences users might desire. For example, more vs. less aggressive massage – and in which body areas, comfort (which one seems more human-like feel), stretch mode comparison, neck and upper shoulder massage, any hip motion comparison(like the Dreamwave on Sogno), mfg support, and ANY and ALL differences you can think of that would be helpful. Finally, how long to receive either chair…THANK YOU SO MUCH! Larry

MY RESPONSE #2
Hi, Larry
Thanks so much for your email and your good questions! I would have to say that with the 3D massage, the Pro Cyber has more versatility in the neck and shoulders area. The Iyashi has a phenomenal low back and buttock massage that no other chair can touch (thanks to the 49″ roller track!), but the Cyber is stronger in the neck.

Iyashi roller track

The 3D feature in the Cyber really makes a difference. You can adjust the intensity of the roller massage for different users in the same home. At the full 3.15″ deployment of the rollers you will have a very firm and aggressive massage. The Iyashi roller massage is quite firm by default, but you can’t change the intensity if you want something a little more vigorous.

The foot rollers in the Iyashi are more intense and, coupled with the chair’s foot airbags moving your feet across the rollers, seem to do so much more. But, with that, you may feel the need to shut off the foot rollers if it gets too intense. The Cyber’s foot rollers are less intense and are much more bearable over a longer period of time.

You can’t go wrong with either chair…both are top sellers. I think the biggest decision to make is which part of the body do you want a stronger massage…the neck or the buttocks. Cyber for the neck, Iyashi for the buttocks.

Neither of these models have the seat swivel function akin to the Sogno. The only other chair I know of that has anything like that is the Infinity IT-8500.

Depending on where you live in the country shipping would average about 1 week. If you want white glove delivery then plan on about 10 business days.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need any other assistance or have any other questions. I am always at your disposal.

I almost forgot to mention that the customer support is fantastic for either company. They are competitors with each other and try to outdo the other in all aspects, including customer support. Plus, if you do have a problem and feel like you are getting a runaround, just call or email me and I’ll get involved and they will suddenly become very responsive 😉

EMAIL #3
I went and tried the Inada Sogno yesterday and one issue was lack of knowledge from the sales person. This chair felt so so. What do you know/like/hate about these chairs: Omega Montage Pro and Titan TI-7900. In your comparison it says Montage pro doesnt have heck/neck massage, but the picture of the chair looks like it haves it?

MY RESPONSE #3
Hi, Keith

Montage Pro

Yes, the Omega Montage Pro does have neck roller massage, just not neck airbag massage (there are only a very few that have neck airbag massage in addition to the neck roller massage…the Inada Sogno being one of them). I have never had the Montage Pro in my showroom so I’ve not been able to experience it, but I’ve had customers tell me that they are very happy with it. A lot of folks love the 5 year parts and labor, in-home warranty that comes with this model.

The Titan line is the same company that imports the Osaki chairs to the USA. It is a lesser quality brand. They brought in the Osaki line to provide a better quality option for consumers.

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