Customer Reviews

HoMedics SM-100 Therapist Select Kneading Shiatsu Massager with Head-Rest

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I got this as a wedding present from friends who knew how stressed out I was/am. I honestly thought it'd be terrible- I am just really dubious about such products.

I unpacked an inflatable soft head pillow, a strap to attach it onto a chair (my desk chair! The pictures showed a car seat but I share my car so I decided to mount it to my desk chair). I happily use at my desk and on the couch to massage my neck and back. It feels really good. I mostly sit upright with it and start from the top of my back, working down.

You can adjust how far apart the little rotating knobs are and what direction they go in. After a little tweaking anyone could get a good massage out of this. Really impressive, even though it's a little creepy to watch the "hands in a bag" do their work. I highly recommend this as a pampering tool, relaxation device, stress reducer, etc. It's not a professional massage, but not bad for an electronic device!

Humorously, the package said not to massage before bed because the massage can be stimulating and keep you up- no way, one massage from this thing and I am ready to have a nice nap :) Edit to this review- my mom stole mine she liked it so much.

Homedics makes a wonderful shiatsu back massager so I figured this neck massager would be great...wrong. BROOKSTONE makes a great massager with many shiatsu "fingers" that cover a larger area and massage up and then down your neck again so that your neck doesn't get numb or sore. This massager only rubs in a constant circular area so that about every 5 minutes you find yourself moving your entire body up or down several inches to find a new spot, which is not relaxing at all. So, I figured...well I'll try it on my tired calves which doesn't work because the space between the massager stems is too small for an adult calf. And, there is no way to get this thing to rub your feet at all. I'm taking it back to the store today and then I'm going to the mall to fork over $60 for the Brookstone.

My mom had bought one of these because she has tight neck muscles and trigger points. She loves this machine because she can lie on her recliner while she watches tv. The machine is at least 1.5 years old and she has used it practically everyday so it's pretty durable. Since then she has recommended to friends and friends of friends have bought these. We have purchased 6 more as gifts and favors for friends.

I love this thing. I've been leaning against it at work for the last 40 minutes.

I usually place the machine between the backrest of my office chair and my back and lean into it. i use it up and down my back. it is most effective for knots between the sholder blades and lower back. I try to use it on my Trapezius muscles, but it can tend to slide upwards and off my chair.

when really sore, i lay it down on the ground and dig it into my upper back/trapezius muscles. There is a learning curve with this machine, but once you put some work into it, it can make sitting in a chair all day just a little better.

As for the neck, it's not that effective (hence 4 stars), as the massage points are too far apart, sometimes i lay my neck on just one of the passage points at a time.

when leaning alot of weight into the massage points, it does slow down and make some noise, but that's how you get the deep tissue massages.

overall, for less than 30 dollars, i'd buy it again!

Paid $30 for this hoping to get that kink out of my neck. Best $30 I've spent. One of the best things I like about it is that the messagers are far enough apart that it doesn't pince my neck like that $60 one at Brookstones (don't pay it!). One thing I have noticed is that it tends to slow down if pressure is applied like when you lean against it on your lower back. But in all, for $30, you can't go wrong.

I just got this for Christmas, and I wish I'd gotten it years ago! It's great for getting out the deep knots - the knobs feel like thumbs (the thumbs of someone really strong). You can target right on that one spot that hurts - for me, it's around my shoulder blades. Ahhhhh heaven!

I love this company-and have always appreciated its product line. (I own 6 of them) But there is just not enough power in the SM-100 Shiatsu Massager to be really effective. It's not a "bad" product--it's just not up to this companys usual standards when it comes to being effective and reaching deep enough into the muscles to bring real relief. In fairness, it should be noted that the cost of the SM-100 is very reasonable; that is, it's not over priced for what it is and what it does. If you need minor relief in the neck area, I suppose this might do the job.

I suffer from frequent neck pain which causes headaches. I bought this massager not really expecting much. But it seemed like it was worth a shot since it was so inexpensive. I'm not sure why people said it didn't work well for smaller necks. I'm a very small adult and I thought it worked fine. Also, when my sister injured her back I lent it to her and she loved it so much that she wants to buy one too.- In all fairness, my fiance' didn't like it very much but I'm taking a lot fewer aspirin because of it. It was well worth the price.

I didn't quite know what to expect with this. Judging from what I'd read, I thought it could help quite a bit with my neck tension and resulting headaches. It helps somewhat, but it is definitely no shiatsu massage by hand. Sometimes I just get frustrated and rub my neck myself, but sometimes it does the trick. If it breaks I won't rush out and buy another one.

I bought this item for my husband, but have found myself "borrowing" it daily. It's just like having someone work steadily on your back. Just set it against the back of your couch and relax. It works so well that I've found myself using it nightly and falling asleep with it at times.