Hi-tech Massage Feels Almost Like the “Real” Thing

By Jennifer Morrow

Have human massage therapists met their match? Wait… before the hate mail ensues, let me be the first to say that you can’t replace the human touch. But, the makers of one automated massage recliner have come pretty darn close.

Inada’s new Sogno massage chair has revolutionized massage chair therapy and brings the massage chair experience closer than ever to the “real” thing. It provides more than 1,200 square inches of massage coverage, literally from the tips of your toes to the back of your head. Even your fingertips get a massage as arm cuffs gently tighten around your arms and hands.

“You wouldn’t believe how many people have fallen asleep in this chair,” says Cliff Levin of FIUS Distributors, the US distributor of the Inada brand. “This chair is as close as you can get to a real massage.”

According to Levin, every shiatsu massage in the Sogno begins with an infrared body scan that compares a user’s body type to 106 stored body profiles. Advanced robotics then mimic the expert hand movements of a human massage therapist-gently kneading, tapping and stretching the user’s body. The technology can deliver a full body massage in approximately 15 minutes.

Two earlier Inada models have earned the Consumer Electronics Innovation (CES) Awards, and now Sogno has been nominated for the Consumer Electronics Innovation Design Award for 2009.

If massage chairs were cars, the hi-tech Sogno would be a Rolls Royce – with a remote control.

“This is nothing like the old massage chairs that just vibrate,” Levin says. “Everything else on the market is comparatively primitive next to this one.”

Levin cites three distinctions that set the Sogno apart from other massage chairs: It provides neck and shoulder massage, as well as gentle neck traction; it provides over 1,200 square inches of massage coverage; and it features innovative DreamWave technology.

“The whole bottom of the seat actually sways back and forth from side to side, like a gentle wave motion,” Levin explains. “It’s utterly and completely relaxing and it’s also used in conjunction with some of the stretching functions that provide gentle stretching of the hips and mid-back. It’s impossible to describe it-you just have to experience it.”

And during an economic time when a visit with a massage therapist may not fit into your budget, experiencing hi-tech massage is definitely worth the investment.
Healthy Lounge in Downtown Greenville is a convenient and affordable place to do just that. Rapid Recharge with hi-tech massage for $15 or less. Your body will thank you!

For more information, visit www.healthylounge.com or e-mail Jennifer at jennifer@healthylounge.com
you can also connect though Twitter @healthylounge