Customer Reviews

Therapist Select Quad Roller Massaging Cushion

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Hello friends. I am 5'9" which affects the areas that this cushion can reach. In a local store I sat in three massage cushions: this one, Homedics SBM-500H Therapist Select Shiatsu1 Massaging Cushion with Heat, and HoMedics Therapist Select Shiatsu Plus Massaging Cushion with Heat - Black/ Gray . I bought this one because: (1) the SBM-500H is isolated to shoulders and to lower/mid back and did not reach the upper back between the shoulder blades. This cushion does reach into shoulder-blade territory though I wish it would go up even higher. That appears to be a necessary sacrifice when getting a massage cushion instead of a massage chair or hiring a massage therapist. (2) the rolling feature on the Shiatsu Plus did not have adjustable width and this one does. FYI: The packaging is mostly marketing mumbo-jumbo and not very informative. You have to get the manual to see some helpful details like the following... NOTE: this should only be used for 15-min sessions (or else it will overheat). The machine turns itself off after 15 minutes so there is no need to set a timer. ALSO NOTE: instructions say this is not for use while laying down or in a car. THIRD NOTE: the pressure applied by the other two was perfect for me and this one "digs in" more. The instructions suggest covering this one with a towel if it is painful and that towel trick works fine for me.

After reading several reviews, I realized that most of the negative reviews had to do with personal taste or personal experience with the type of massage. I want to address the fact that the unit is sturdy! I have had mine now for almost two years. It sits at one end of the love seat and is used by myself and my wife, as well as my adult kids and all the grandkids when they come to visit. We all sit the full 15 minutes and sometimes not allowing time for the unit to cool down, someone else is in the chair. It still works as good as the day I bought it.

I can see where someone might not like the feeling at all, or find the shiatsu painful (mine has option for rolling or shiatsu) but that is not really a reflection on the quality of the device or whether it does what it claims. I didn't expect it to last this long with thet degree of use it gets. It seems to be a quality product. Some of the family actually lean their full weight against the back putting a real strain on the motor. But it runs like the energizer bunny.

I would definitely recommend this product as doing what it was designed to do, and for a long time. As for whether you like the massage or not, that is a personal thing, like, some like espresso, some do not. Buy an espresso machine? Well, if you don't like it, that's not the machine's fault. As for the overheating issue, we haven't had a problem (but I would advise following the manufacturer's recommendations) and don't all electrical devices have the potential for overheating? There isn't anything about this product that would not allow me to recommend it to anyone to try.

The Goods:
The HoMedics quad-roller is a good one for its class. Its especially good at removing knots from unreachable spots off your back. The gadget is pretty powerful (especially the shiatsu kneading mode) and could hurt your back if overused or not used properly. I found that having a couple of layers of clothing feels more comfortable. The ability to heat up the massaging device is a definite plus!, I rarely ever use it without the heat.

The bads:
It would have been terrific if the massager could travel a bit higher and be able to reach my back adjoining the neck.
The massaging motion gets monotonous after sometime (thats why I suggest not using it over longer periods of time). It would have been better if they could have added some degree of randomness.
The massaging is pretty intense, it does hurt sometimes when the kneading element catches a bone (this happen when wrongly positioned)


Overall, I am happy with my purchase and it definitely helps in loosening and relaxing my back muscles.

I bought this massager thru a different store, its cheaper than here. I am so glad that I bought it, I bring it with me for long travels even used it in my car. After a long day at work, it feels so good to sit on it and the heat also helps. The only problem I have with this is it does not reach on top of your sghoulders where I have the most problem with, but this is a flat massager cushion, compared to others I have tried, this is one of the best.
Forgot to tell you guys that you can buy this at sams club for less than a third of d price.

I bought one because my friend's Homedics Shiatsu massager is GREAT but hers is a dual roller! I had read so many good reviews about the quad rollers that I got that instead of the dual rollers. The motion on this massager is a little too slow for me. Also, the rollers don't get as high as I'd like them to and I'm only 5'2". I prefer more upper back massaging so I think I should have just bought the dual ones.

The heat is a great, touch though, for days when I'm especially sore. Next time I'll get the dual rollers and test to see if the rolling motion is fast enough for me. It's to slow and sometimes just feels like someone's poking me in the back when it's on Roller mode.

Super product;my wife bought me a standard model several years ago and it finally wore out(the material,not the motors).We ordered this one immediately and really like the heat feature.

I got this for my wife after she tried our son-in-laws and fell in love with it. She uses it 2 or 3 times daily and says it does a wonderful job on her back. She's happy so I'm happy.

Tennessee Sid

Forget about your neck and shoulders getting a message. I'm 5'5" and it stops somewhere between the shoulder blades. Goes down a good ways, but nowhere close to the tail bone... unless you sit on a pillow to raise yourself up to get near that area. It's a really good massage for the middle and lower back, if you bring your legs up a little toward your chest so as to flatten your back. Which means you have to use it on a chaise lounger, or couch, or such. The big problem is that the human back is not flat, and this product seems designed for a flat back. So you only feel the pressure of all four when it's around that area along the bottom of your shoulder blades, and your back is snuggled in between the top and bottom rollers. Picture it starting from the bottom, going up. The upper rollers will push on your back, lifting it away from the back cushion, and so the lower rollers hardly touch the lowest part of your back during this time, if it's not flat against the cushion. Then, as the top two rollers start to reach the top of your shoulder blades, the lower rollers wedge themselves in a few inches down, pushing your back up off the cushion, causing the upper rollers to hardly apply any pressure anymore. Now, in your chaise lounger, you could bend your knees up, and your could pull your shoulders back and bend your head back.... but it's not exactly comfortably sitting like that for any extended period of time. So then you compromise, and just do local spots, and as you move the shiatsu massager up, spot by spot, you also adjust your body. It is a bit of a workout after half an hour of this. And I really need my shoulders done... so I slouch in the massager and let the lower rollers massage away in Shiatsu spot mode. Really nice, but a bit of a workout for your stomach to keep your shoulders positioned for the massage. I spent so much time adjusting myself that my muscles got tense. Kind of defeats the point of relaxing.

Though, for the record, between the heat and the Shiatsu motion, the HoMedics cushion did a fantastic job on all those knots running up and down between my shoulder blades. I let it dig in good and hard. Surprising how tough those motors are. Three nights of working on those knots for about an hour each night, and all the knots were gone in those spots.

Before ever reading about using a towel to soften the massaging points, I found that changing the angle of the massager changed the pressure you received, because gravity changed how hard you were pressing against it. (Straight up: less pressure. Reclined: more pressure.)

Other things I haven't seen reported on: It kind of stank the first day I took it out of the box. New vinyl smell. But I don't remember being bothered by it after a couple/few days. However, the motor that drives the rollers up and down is kind of loud and whiny. The motor that made the rollers roll around (shiatsu) made noise, but was much more subtle and not annoying. My parents have the HoMedics massager that only has two rollers, and both its motors are on the quite side, though nowhere near whisper quiet. On another note, it takes a few minutes for the heat to build up. After about half an hour, though, it's really hot. I usually have to turn the heat off for several minutes then to let it cool down.

If I had to chose between this quad roller and my parents' two roller version, I would go for theirs. It doesn't have the heat options, which is a shame, and the seat vibrating just feels weird so I don't use it, but the two, single rollers are much more effective at getting the whole back (minus the shoulder area, just like this one). I can sit and surf while it does its thing, and not have to keep adjusting my back.

I returned this item. But my parents' version really makes me want to keep trying to find the one for me. I was thinking of next trying the lie down mat version with heat (RMM-300), since it looks like it can get the shoulders at least some. And lying down sounds good. Bend up my knees, and I'm guessing my back will be comfortably flat. Won't have to force it flat.

One last thing. I know that in the computer-generated pictures, it shows the rollers as being red. I guess red is supposed to stand for heat. But in the HoMedics product I bought, the rollers are bright, neon blue rollers that stayed lit whenever the cushion was plugged in. Looked like something targeting children, not adults. Kind of annoying to have to unplug it all the time, or deal with the bright, annoying lights.

I put this great little number in my office chair downstairs. Suddenly, paying the bills or that extra long insurance issue is like a day at the spa. My kids and I love it!

I bought two for relatives at Christmas. They both asked me to return them because the unit used too much pressure and hurt their backs. I too tried one of the units before I returned them and found the following a problem:
* Uses to much pressure. There needs to be more padding between your back and the rollers. Hurts like heck.
* Does not travel up to upper shoulders. This is were most peoples tension accrues.
* Heavy. I found the unit to be heavy and would keep this in mind (13lbs).
* Can not use while reclined in a chair. Must set straight up or it really hurts your back.
Over all I was very displeased with the units and returned them both.