Dave Thomas (Certified Massage Therapist) wrote:

I have been a massage therapist for ten years in San Diego, practicing Shiatsu and Deep Tissue types of massage. I have worked for chiropractors and physical trainers and have tried many models of massage chairs and mechanical massage tools. The Massage Recliner that I recently experienced is by far the best of the bunch. Owning it would be like having a live-in massage therapist! This machine simulates very well the types of hand movements I make when I am massaging a client. Its mechanical rollers are extremely sensitive, the next best thing to a well-trained pair of hands.

Like a real-live massage therapist, the chair seems to know how to progressively deliver more pressure and what pressure is needed where. Like I do when working with a client, using this chair’s pre-programmed routine, I was warmed up gently and gradually received good firm pressure where I needed it. The strokes of kneading, tapping, rolling and vibration were extremely varied, with no pass down the spine being identical. The Elite works the back thoroughly, from top to bottom, from the center and laterally. My calves and feet too were nice and pliable after just a few minutes of sitting in the chair. After the thirty-minute programmed massage was over, I played with the manual settings for a few minutes, customizing my massage and letting the chair really dig in! Working the chair manually, I found the controls easy to use allowing me to pinpoint the areas that needed the extra work with the massage motions I found the most desirable.

The variability and adjustability of pressure is the Elite’s strongest feature. Unlike other massage chairs that I have sampled, this one applies the correct pressure for the different areas of the spine, from the lumbar to thoracic to the cervical regions. This chair works the sacrum and the top of the gluteus really well, an essential area for anyone with low-back pain. I found the kneading and rolling action to be especially effective in this area. The circular kneading, with the rollers moving in clockwise and counter-clockwise rotations, really opened up my scapula (shoulder blade) and neck areas, the two areas that I am most commonly treating with my clients.

I also especially liked the dual action kneading and tapping combination, especially on the neck area. Again, rather than delivering one level of pressure all the way up and down the back, the rolling, kneading and tapping adjusts for the area of the spine covered, adjusting for the sensitivity of the area. In addition, with each pass of the rollers, the kneading and tapping action becomes more fine, covering all the major acupressure points of the back and the neck. This is how any good therapist works as well, warming up specific muscle groups generally then honing in on all the specific points.

Other massage chairs that I have tried tend to give too little pressure in the neck and not enough in the low back. The Elite is just right in both areas. Especially important, it is very gentle, yet firm, with the upper thoracic and cervical regions. If you like your massage deeper, it can deliver that kind of work as well, especially once you have been warmed up and apply the manual settings.

"Thanks Dave for the great review."