Tina C, one of our customers, shares her massage chair story:

Once upon a time, I found myself wandering the exhibit room at an HR conference. All of a sudden, I spotted my favorite coffee being served, for FREE right in front of my eyes.  As I waited patiently for the barista to create my caffeinated masterpiece, my eyes scanned the rest of the room and came to rest on the most intriguing set of chairs that I have ever seen.  “Could those be…no!  Wait, are they?  Really?? I can’t believe it, I HAVE to go check these out!” I thought to myself. After the artist carefully provided me with what would be the ultimate in pre Happy Hour refreshment, I strolled over to the massage chairs and began talking to Dave, the rep. He invited me to sit in one of the chairs to see how they worked and with that, I carefully placed my coffee on the table next to me and sat down.

Dave handed me the remote (it was a strange looking thing – attached to the chair by a cord with funny little icons on it) and said, “Here, let me show you how this works…”.  Politely I agreed, but in my head I was thinking “This is a massage chair, right?  Well, let’s get to the massage.  I really am not hearing much of what you’re telling me, just start punching the buttons so I can see for myself.” Dave patiently took me through the selection of massages, spending time explaining each one.  Admittedly I heard nothing except the whirr of the chair as it cycled through the various and relaxing massages (I’m sorry, Dave!  This is my confession!). An hour and a half later (no joke! And my coffee was still warm!), Dave had given me an estimate on the cost of a chair, including a payment plan.  Off I went, albeit a bit more slowly and relaxed than I was when I walked in earlier.

I have to admit that when I first sat down in the chair, I had no idea what to expect, the chair isn’t exactly cushy and comfortable at first.  I’ve sat in those so-called “massage chairs” at the spa that do nothing more than make my voice sound like I’m driving over frost heaves. I’ve also sat in reclining “over the counter” massage chairs that you can buy at a furniture store and I must say that they don’t do a massage justice.  This is the real deal.  You will get a true massage from this chair and, if you’re like me, you’ll lapse into a coma, sleep well and feel refreshed the next day.

Buying a massage chair is not an impulse purchase in my mind.  I spent the next 12 months (no joke) considering the purchase.  Before the Chair (“BC”, you could say), I was getting monthly massages and was considering increasing the frequency because of my activity level and the fact that I had a newly acquired puppy and knot in my shoulder from being dragged around by the leash and tossing umpteen million tennis balls in the yard (dog owners can relate).

As you can well imagine, those were long 12 months.  I did the math. I did the math again and finally, after concluding that “yes”, not only will I save money but I can get a massage immediately before going to bed AND any other time I want one. Once my mind was made up, I emailed Dave and the rest is history.  He had delivered to my door.  Before I attempted putting the chair together myself, he shared a video with me on how to set it up and get it running.  It seemed simple enough and he was right.  The video he shared was exactly what I needed.  Within an hour, it was unboxed, set up and running, with me piloting, of course.

I’ve had the chair for about a year now and I have to say that it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and what a timely purchase – right before the pandemic hit.  Day spas and massage therapy businesses were shut down.  Anyone with a massage chair during this time can certainly appreciate what a luxury it is to continue to have massages – especially for those of us who really need (knead?) them. I find it hard to believe that more people weren’t buying them like crazy.  I mean, really!  Buy an RV but not a massage chair?  Simple decision if you ask me.

In general, I use my chair 5-7 days a week. I have no favorite program, although I tend to gravitate toward a program that complements what I do during the day.  For example, if I skied then I’ll use “sports refresh” for 20 minutes.  If I’m just generally stressed and tense, then I’ll use “extension” or another similar program. When a knot in my back is bothering me, I’ll program my own setting, probably kneading and shiatsu, focusing on the shoulders and upper back, followed by another pre-set program. But if I just want a massage because I can have a massage, I’ll cycle through the selections and pick what feels right at the time.  My chair is Bluetooth enabled but I find that I don’t pay much attention to the music since I am quick to zone out into zombie-land when the kneading begins.

To make this rather long dissertation short (too late, I know), here’s the end of the story – you have to try the chair in real life to truly appreciate all of its fine qualities.  There are so many massage chairs available that it’s easy to get caught up in the hype and get lost in what really matters – a chair that will get the knots out and give you a good thorough massage.  This one is it.  Seriously.

Thanks for listening.  Tina C.