This year I went to the Las Vegas 2009 Consumer Electronics Show or CES. This is the largest tradeshow for electronic manufacturers in the whole world. Everything that is new, innovative or hot is on display and most can be tried out. I walked the whole show and was particularly interested in the top massage chairs. These electronic and robotic wonders are getting more effective and sophisticated. Here are some of the best massage chairs that 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 Sogno has an advanced seat that actually rocks in place. The seat will pivot and provide ergonomic support of your back and buttocks. This was a relaxing position for the spine. The look of the Sogno is a little egg-shaped in design which may limit where it can be placed. It was also priced at $6,000 making it a very high end chair.
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.
Omega has put together a fuller massage experience with its Montage Premier. A tradeshow is the toughest environment to try massage chairs because of all the action going on. The Montage Premier let me tune out the show with their built in MP3 player and headphones. I closed my eyes drifted off as the music carried me away and the Montage Premier worked is soothing massage therapy. I activated the full body heaters and the traction system to stretch my lower body. This was certainly an excellent test to relaxation. The Montage Premier passed with flying colors as I felt fully relieved. Even the $4,500 price tag was more relieving than the others I tried.
I also surveyed the entire show for Sanyo and Panasonic who have some great massage chairs. Neither of those companies were displaying their massage chairs this year. They did have some impressive Big Screen TV’s with crystal clear images. There were an assortment of other massage chairs, but they were just at the show to sell you a massage chair. I was afraid they may not be at the show next year as they seemed a bit too high pressure to buy.
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.
Some of the high end chairs are pretty outstanding and the technology being built into these massage chairs is equally amazing. If you are looking for a really high end chair, then the Sogno, Fujiiryoki and Montage Premier are your best bets. Finding the Sogno and Fujiroiki to try may be difficult, whereas the Montage Premier is in some major retailers. You may need to call the manufacturers to find where they are available to try.
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.
The CES is certainly the show case for the most advanced Massage Chairs in the World. You will find a showcase of all the best the world of electronics has to offer. For more information, check out our massage chair reviews and articles. We feature the best brands of massage chairs for all your needs.