Another week of wonderful emails and inquiries from massage chair shoppers that I’d like to share with you:
Customer Email #1
Hi Dr. Alan,
On your massage chair chart you have categories for Seat Massage and Hip/Thigh Massage.ย Do these refer to airbag or roller massage?
Thanks,ย Joe
My Response #1
Hi, Joe
Thanks for your email. Great question! All the chairs that claim to have seat/hip/thigh massage, before the Infinity Iyashi and Osaki
OS-3000 Chiro came along, have airbags that massage those areas. The Iyashi added a 49″ roller track which brought the rollers down to the seat, buttocks, and back of the upper part of the thighs. The OS-3000 Chiro has an advertised 35″ roller track, but it also extends down to the buttocks. Every other chair uses airbags. I will have to reformat those features on my comparison chart to make it more clear. Thanks for that observation!
Let me know if you have any other questions or want to chat about any of the chairs.
Dr. Alan Weidner
Customer Email #2
Dr Alan Weidner- Thanks for recommending the It-8500 massage chair. That was my favorite of the four I am looking into before writing to you I just read at the infinity therapeutics site they have a similar new model which may be an upgrade to this chair. Is the IT-8800 and looks almost like the 8500 in the picture. Can you comment about the differences if any between both chairs? I have one more question; 2)Wondering about what is the inversion feature in some of the chairs; Is it the same as the stretch feature; if not what is the difference? Sorry to bother you with so many questions, thanks again for your time in looking into and clarifying my doubts. Carlos
My Response #2
Hi, Carlos
Good to hear from you again. The 8800 is an older model than the IT-8500 and does not have as many features as the IT-8500. It is the same chair that was just discontinued last week, called the IT-8200, which I sold on my site. The IT-8800 is a model that Infinite Therapeutics only sells through Home Shows and other local trade shows and is priced quite a bit higher than the IT-8500 to pay for the commissions of their sales people out at those shows. I have written about this before (I get called about it all the time). Here is a link for your perusal and study:
https://www.massage-chair-relief.com/blog/chair-models/infinity-chair-questions/
So, the chairs are similar but the IT-8500 is a newer, cheaper, and, better chair than the IT-8800 with a better feature set. I hope that answers your questions about it.
Here is an article I wrote comparing the IT-8200 (which is the same chair as the IT-8800) and the IT-8500 so you can get a more precise difference between the two models:
https://www.massage-chair-relief.com/blog/chair-models/new-it-8500-now-available/
Inversion is not the same as zero gravity. Zero gravity entails a seat tilt of 30 degrees; inversion, strictly speaking, means that the chair reclines to past horizontal (past 180 degrees). The only chair that truly does that is the IT-9800 from Infinite Therapeutics, which reclines to 184 degrees. Infinite Therapeutics calls their IT-8500 and IT-8200 inversion chairs because they recline to 178 degrees, more than any other chair except for the IT-9800. By strict definition, those two models are NOT inversion, but since they recline to close to 180 degrees, they have taken the liberty of calling them inversion chairs.
Let me know if I can answer any more questions for you. I am always at your disposal.
Dr. Alan Weidner
Customer Email #2a
Hello Dr. Weidner Sorry to bother you again, I want to be more specific and let you know about myself. I have a history of chronic back pain/spams. Started long time ago in my mid to upper back; then it sort of shifted to my lower back. Since January 2012 I started with a sciatica; first on my right leg than extended to the left leg or vice-versa(don’t remember well which leg was first). Going back a couple of years I was looking to buy a massage chair. I visited your site then and was looking into the Osaki chairs and the osim from brookstone. I ran into another site who sell a chair(“massage”) made in Taiwan and with a 5 year warranty. I ended buying that chair which does not has the zero gravity feature which I really liked after trying the Osim at a local Brookstone store. That chair worked well for about a month and a half and after that the back rollers started making a loud noise every time when they are massaging your back. About one month later the left calf airbag stopped working(it iwould inflate but not deflate. I called that company but they wanted me to send the chair back to them to get it fixed or they would send the parts for me to get it fixed(I am no handyman). This is a barely used chair(once or twice daily for 1 to 2 months). I ended buyiny that chair which I regret thinking that Taiwan made chairs would be better than chinese chairs. I am a little weary regarding to buy another chair because of my past experience, but I am wiiling to give it a second chance in the near future and will buy from you(no doubt). As you recall in previuos days you recommended to me the IT-8500. Have you had any problem with that chair with any of your customers? By the way I also have right shoulder injured playing bowling. Sorry for this long e-mail but I wanted you to know my health issues and my concerns with purchasing another massage chair due to my past experience(recent). I tried to dowload again your free download about the 5 things you should know before purchasing a massage chair but have been unsuccessful. Can you e-mail it again to me please. Thanks alot Dr. Weidner for your patience with me. I will not buy another massage chair again from another retailer. Now that you know my health issues do you still think the IT-8500 is the best massage chair for me? Carlos
My Response #2a
Hi, Carlos
Good to hear back from you! Thanks for sharing your story. I COMPLETELY understand your frustration and concern about another chair. I can’t tell you how many calls I get sharing the same frustrations as you did in your email. One of the reasons I only carry the lines that I do is because I know these companies take care of my customers after the sale and also because they have a warranty that includes in-home service during the first, and most critical, year.
I have been very, very pleased not only with the Infinity products but also their customer support. You will not be disappointed in their service, should you ever need it. If you really want an awesome low back and buttocks massage, because of your sciatica, I might recommend the Infinity Iyashi and Osaki OS-3000 Chiro as wonderful choices for you, too, they are currently the only chairs that have a roller track that goes down the back and into the buttocks (and back of the thighs, in the case of the Iyashi). That feature is marvelous. The Iyashi neck massage is not as deep and thorough as the IT-8500 but the rest of the rollers do a magnificent job on the mid and lower back/buttocks area.
Having said that, the IT-8500 has a great lumbar/low back massage, too. It just doesn’t go down into the buttocks and thighs like the Iyashi or Osaki OS-3000 Chiro chairs do.
I hope this helps.
Dr. W.
Customer Email #3
I would like to find a chair that is like the os 3-D pro but that fits people that are short like me 5’3″ and my husband is 5’6″ and he is the tallest in the house. I have not been able to find a chair that fits us! Can you make a suggestion ? Thank you Val
My Response #3
Hi, Val
Thanks for your email. I might recommend considering the ZeroG 4.0 which is designed for folks with a smaller body frame. I also have the OS-3D Pro Dreamer in my showroom, along with the ZeroG, and both should fit you and your spouse. The ZeroG 4.0 will fit your bodies a little bit better.
Panasonic chairs are also a good fit for shorter frames, but you don’t get the same feature-set as the chairs mentioned above.
I might mention that most chairs are designed nowadays to fit both of you just fine. When you get down to 5′ or less, some challenges exist.
I hope this helps.
Dr. Alan Weidner