Massage Chairs at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show
Every year Las Vegas is host to the largest consumer electronics tradeshow on the planet. The Consumer Electronics Show or CES consists of manufacturers of every category of electronics. My interest was to see the very best in massage chairs. Although there were many massage chair vendors, I was interested in the manufacturers of the top products and present what I found.
One of the exhibitors which I found was a Japanese company called Family Inada. Family Inada was displaying the Dream Wave Sogno. The Dream Wave Sogno was the winner of the 2009 CES innovation award. The Sogno is a very advanced chair with some very innovative features.
The Sogno has more airbags than any massage chair that I have ever tried. There are airbags that surround the neck and also ones that can massage your entire arm. The air massage was impressive around the neck area and was effective in relieving tension in the neck area. The arm massage was not as effective and did not provide the level of compression I was expecting.
The Dream Wave is named for the advanced seat design which is incorporated into this recliner. The seat pivots to provide ergonomic support for your spine and buttocks. The seat will rock in place in a wave like movement. This helps to reduce the stress built up on the spine and relax the lower torso. This technological marvel comes in an egg-shaped design which is a bit funky for most households. All this technology comes at a price, which for the Sogno was $6,000.
Another high end chair that I got to try was by Fujiiryoki. The Fujiiryoki chair is produced by Fuji Medical and is listed as an FDA device. The Fujiiryoki chair provides full body massage and has a shoulder press. Air compression is used to inflate airbags around the shoulders that give a firm press.
The Fujiiryoki chair also has an air massage for the lower body and for the arms as well. The high end Fujiiryoki chair has been out for 2 years and is by far the most expensive at $8,500. The massage was fairly thorough, but the chair was a bit hard when you are just seated in it.
I was able to try the Montage Premier by Omega Massage. This is the high end Omega chair which has full body massage capabilities. The Omega Montage Premier was the only chair with heat therapy and also a music player. The massage capabilities were stronger than both the Sogno and the Fujiroiki chairs.
Trying massage chairs at a tradeshow with a million people around takes you being able to relax and forget your surroundings. This is where the Montage Premier shined. I slipped on the headphones and let the soothing tunes take me away from the crowds. The Montage Premier recliner then warmed me, stretched me and gave me a relieving deep tissue massage. I felt I found the right chair and at $4,500, it was the best deal at the show.
There were many massage chair companies spread throughout the CES show. I quickly learned that there were manufacturers and there are importers. I stayed clear from the importers as they seemed to be interested in a quick sale. The manufacturers are the ones that have staying power and will be there to support your warranty down the road.
If you ever go to a show to check out shows, you want to make sure that a company you buy a massage chair from will be there down the road. There are some companies that have great deals one year and then never come back to the show. Of course, there are new companies but you need to have the confidence that they will be there to take care of any warranty issues you might have.
The 2009 CES show was certainly impressive. It attracts over 130,000 people and they were out in force. I was able to get to try the best massage chairs on earth at one place. The best massage chairs were the Montage Premier, Sogno and the Fujiiryoki. These are all solid chairs with some amazing massage therapy and technology. These are the cream of the crop from the 2009 CES show.
The CES is the showcase of consumer electronics and is every year in Las Vegas. This consumer electronics show has almost 3,000 vendors spread between 3 convention centers. It is huge! It is held in early January. You can always count on finding the top manufacturers in every category of consumer electronics. Book early as this show will fill up all those amazing hotels.
