A year or so ago, Human Touch came out with the HT-9500 massage chair. It was an almost exact replica of the older HT-1650 model which was a very popular seller in our store. The biggest feature that Human Touch touted about this new HT-9500 was it’s iPhone app that allowed the user to tap into some more diverse massage programs. Here is more info on that model:

https://www.massage-chair-relief.com/massage-chairs/human_touch/human-touch-acutouch-ht-9500/

At the time I didn’t fully appreciate the use of the app and I clearly remember wondering if this would be a one-shot deal or if it would become a norm for the industry. Well, I hadn’t thought much about it again until yesterday when I saw a story in an online rag about the new OSIM chair that is operated with the use of an iPhone app, much like the HT-9500.

http://www.bloomberg.com/video/the-massage-chair-powered-by-your-iphone-7aF_ztI~Sk~L64q_6hpLaw.html

OSIM is the company that bought out Brookstone. It is a Singapore-based company that outsources it’s massage chair manufacturing primarily to China. Some of it’s models, which are exclusive to Brookstone, by the way, include the uAstro, uComfort, and now the uDivine, which is the model that is now linked to the iPhone app and the subject of the above-mentioned story.

So, we see now that two chairs from two large companies are using this iPhone app technology in concert with the function of the chair. The Bloomberg.com piece says that the purpose of the OSIM iPhone app/massage chair marriage is to attract younger buyers. I must confess that I see more and more younger folks buying massage chairs from my business. It is not just a therapy for older baby-boomers, such as myself, but is fast becoming a commonplace therapeutic instrument for people of all ages. And we all know how much apps and phones are becoming a major staple of our current culture. It appears to be a good match.

If this app is a genuinely good idea, we will see more and more copycat chairs coming out of China with this feature, including a droid app version.

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