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Comparisons of Various Massage Chairs
INADA versus Other Massage Chair Brands
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INADA massage chairs stand out when compared to all the other major massage chair brands on the market; therefore, we encourage you to learn as much as you can about massage chairs. And, once you have studied the differences between massage chair brands, you’ll recognize the superiority of INADA massage chairs compared to all other available brands. This is not to say that there aren’t other good massage chair brands available to U.S. consumers. Some examples of other good manufacturer brands include the following:
- Panasonic Massage Chairs
- Fuji Massage Chairs
- Fujiiryoki Massage Chairs
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The quality massage chair market is dominated by Japanese owned and operated manufacturers. This is not surprising, as Japan is the single most competitive massage chair market in the world. Amazingly, over 22% of Japanese households own a robotic massage chair! Over the years, fierce competition in Japan has pushed the sophistication and reliability of Japanese massage chair brands to the current high level of excellence, well beyond anything that non-Japanese manufacturers are able to produce. In general, any consumer seriously interested in quality should focus their attention on Japanese brands.
Non-Japanese companies are all relative newcomers to the world of massage chairs. When it comes to innovation and technology, they usually trail the Japanese leaders by many years. Often, these companies deliver to the consumer far less in terms of reliability and overall massage performance. Worldwide, the leader in the luxury market is INADA. The company has held this dominant position for many years, and it was cemented in 2000 with the introduction of the INADA Chair i-Series. This model line was a huge success in Japan, and it became INADA's #1 selling luxury massage chair of all time. And, it continues to sell extremely well in Japan and the rest of the world. Since 2000, the INADA Chair i.1 has been improved and re-introduced as the “INADA Chair i.a-Alpha” and the “INADA Chair i.2a.” Both massage chairs are available today in North America.
As you shop around, you will note that established massage chair dealers that are interested in quality, focus their selection on the Japanese brands. Usually this is the result of prior experience with lesser quality brands. To date, those who know the massage chair business tend to agree that these non-Japanese companies simply don't measure up to the manufacturing standards required to produce chairs that deliver a massage of comparable quality to Japanese made chairs.
There are a number of other popular non-Japanese brands available in the United States. Most offer value-priced chairs. There are also countless non-branded massage chairs that you can find at tradeshows and in some stores, but these should be shunned, as the consumer is at great risk of purchasing a highly unreliable product.
Examples of popular non-Japanese massage chair brands include the following:
- Interactive Health of the United States*
- Human Touch Massage Chair (from Interactive Health)
- Joy Massage Chairs (a budget line from Interactive Health)
- Omega Massage Chairs of China
- Massage Genius Massage Chair of Taiwan
- King Kong Massage Chair of Taiwan
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Note: * Interactive Health imports and purchases its massage chairs from Daito-Osim Health Care Appliances (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. in China. Human Touch is a registered trademark of Interactive Health. |
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Other common names that massage chairs go by include Massage Loungers or Zero Gravity Massage Chairs. These names suggest little about what the massage chair does and consumers should understand that all these names describe the “massage chair” category of products. All INADA massage chairs are also massage loungers and zero gravity massage chairs. |
Comparison of Massage Chair Coverings:
Leather versus Synthetic Leather
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Leather, synthetic leather, and vinyl are the most commonly used materials for coverings in most massage chairs. In quality massage chairs, leather is seldom used. This is because leather is the hardest material to maintain and simply does not hold up with repeated use. On the other hand, synthetic leather holds up very well to the wear and tear of moving massage components, and it is VERY difficult to discern from real leather other than by the well-trained eye. INADA uses synthetic leather in all of its production models, and because it looks so much like the real thing, most people—even furniture experts—are convinced that INADA uses genuine leather. |
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Massage Chair Makes and Models
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We’re so confident of the value and performance of INADA massage chairs that we invite you to try our competitor’s chairs and judge for yourself. To get you started, we’ve provided a list of some of the more popular massage chair options. These are the most common names that you will encounter in the U.S. market. Showrooms that feature one or more of these models are relatively easy to find across the United States.
- Panasonic Swede-Atsu Wave Massage Lounger EP1272
- Panasonic Real Pro Elite™ Massage Lounger EP3222
- Panasonic EP3202 Massage Chair
- Panasonic Shiatsu Massage Recliner Chair
- Panasonic Real Pro Shiatsu Massage Lounger
- Panasonic 10611K Swede Atsu Technology Massage Lounger
- Panasonic 790K Shiatsu Massage Lounger
- Panasonic EP790 Electric Reclining Massage Lounger
- Interactive Health Get-A-Way Elite RMS 10 (Discontinued)
- Interactive Health iJoy Massage Chair
- Interactive Health HT 110 Robotic Massage Chair
- Get A Way Robotic Massage Chair RMS-15
- iJoy 130 Massage Chair
- iJoy 100 Massage chair
- iJoy Massage Chair - iJoy 130
- Human Touch HT-125 Massage Chair
- Human Touch HT-135 Massage Chair
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Comparison of Massage Chair Features
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Compare the features of five different premium priced chairs in the following table. |
| Specific Feature |
Interactive
Health RMS-15 |
Interactive
Health HT- 160 |
INADA
Chair 1.2 |
INADA
ROBO Chair |
INADA
ROBOSTIC |
Main Massage
Head Motors |
3 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
In/Out 3D
Roller Mechanism |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Number of Massage
Head Rollers |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
Preprogrammed
Massage |
3 |
8 |
8 |
8 |
10 |
Customized
Programming |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
| Voice Activation |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
--- |
Joystick Massage
Management |
--- |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
| Kneading Speeds |
2 |
2 |
6 |
6 |
7 |
Ultra-Slow
Kneading |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Reverse
Kneading Speeds |
--- |
--- |
6 |
6 |
7 |
| Types of Kneading |
1 |
1 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
Kneading and
Tapping Speeds |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
Reverse Kneading
and
Tapping Speeds |
--- |
--- |
4 |
4 |
7 |
Tapping/Percussion
Speeds |
2 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
7 |
Types of
Tapping/Percussion |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
Number of
Shiatsu Techniques |
--- |
--- |
2 |
4 |
--- |
| Rolling Speeds |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Adjustable
Rolling Intensity |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Vibration Motor
Locations |
--- |
Arm
Calf |
Back
Seat
Arm |
Back
Seat
Foot |
Back
Seat
Foot |
Pneumatic
Kneading |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Arm Massage |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
--- |
| Hand Massage |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
--- |
Number of
Arm and Hand
Intensities |
--- |
--- |
--- |
3 |
--- |
| Calf Massage |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Foot Massage |
--- |
Yes |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Feet Above Heart
(Full Recline) |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
| Seat Massage |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Back Scanning |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Stored Profiles for
Scan Comparison |
--- |
--- |
100+ |
100+ |
100+ |
Massage Head
Autopark |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Automatic
Timed Shutoff |
15 min |
15 min |
15 min |
15 min |
15 min |
| Upholstery |
Leather
Synthetic Leather |
Leather |
Synthetic
Leather |
Synthetic
Leather |
Synthetic
Leather |
| Number of Colors |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
Limited Warranty
(Years) |
3 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Nationwide Home
Service Network |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Extended Warranty
Available |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
German TUV
Certification |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Child/Pet
Safety Sensor
(Stops Recline) |
--- |
--- |
--- |
Yes |
Yes |
Manufacturer
Headquarters
Location |
China |
China |
Japan |
Japan |
Japan |
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