Customer Reviews

Therapist Select Shiatsu Massaging Cushion

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(62)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(18)
1 star:		(22)

 

 

I just had to go and find this remarkable little gadget after trying it at my brother's house. He bought it after trying it at his in-laws. It is THAT good, try it once, and you will be hooked. Two little balls go up and down your spine like little fingers. It is a very intense experience. I was sore for a day afterwards until I took a nice hot shower. Then, I had to buy my own unit. It is like visiting your own personal massage therapist whenever you want. Basically, the shiatsu balls work the lower thru upper back and the cushions vibrate in different ways to invigorate your thighs. But make no mistake, this little baby is about getting those stubborn knots out of your back. A little bit of heaven on my couch. Ahhh.........
3/11/04- An update here, do NOT use this product on a recliner. I was reclined and leaned to the side..SNAP...it broke. 3 weeks later my brother plopped down on his reclined chair and broke his too. I sent it off for repairs and am dying to get it back. WARNING- If you do buy this, use a straight back chair, like a kitchen chair. My brothers inlaws use a straightback chair and have had no problems. Don't use it in a recliner!

I bought the SBM-200 as a gift for my wife after she tried it at a local store and loved it. After getting it and using it, I noted a few things about these units to be aware of.

The upper back and lower back programs also massage the mid back. I wish there was a way to limit the movement to only the lower or upper back, and have a separate program for mid back instead of the demo mode button.

There are 3 zippers on the back near the upper and lower seat fold, and 1 zipper on the seat bottom. Unfortunately, the zipper bodies have sharp metal edges and the seat cover does not have flaps to cover them, so they might damage the upholstery of your chair. The instruction manual warns of this, and says not to use it on wooden chair surfaces. I placed a folded towel underneath the unit to protect my leather recliner. This slightly adds to the height and further reduces the depth of the seating area.

The seat bottom does nothing at all except for being a cushion and a holder for the wired handheld remote.

The unit is not comfortable to sit on when not in use. However it is somewhat clunky to remove, transport, and store with the 12 ft of power cable, transformer (which sits on the floor), and the various seat fastening straps.

Given these facts, the slightly shorter SBM-100 might be a better and more economical choice. Since the SBM-100 does not have a bottom seat cushion, it offers some leeway in positioning the unit against your back.

Homedics also offers the slightly more expensive SBM-300 and QRM-400 which feature rolling massage, adjustable massage width, and the ability to hold the massage heads at a specific point. The SBM-300 also has vibrating seat massage while the QRM-400 has 4 heads. Adjustable width is nice as I feel the SBM-200 massages too close to my spine.

Note that all of these units have the sharp zipper bodies. Homedics should really redesign them to use velcro or position the zippers on the sides and top where it won't contact and damage the chair.

They should also try to package the power transformer into the back cushion to make it easier to transport and store.

I opened the zippers and took a peek inside the back. It is mostly plastic. A single motor rides on a track and simultaneously drives the 2 rotating nylon heads. The gears are nylon. Limit switches on the track determine the points at which the motor reverses for each of the programs. Each head has two "nubs" which do the massaging. The heads rotate against a thin nylon cover. A vinyl flap covers the nylon cover. The massage action feels pretty good, but it is hardly "state of the art" and I hope it lasts. The manual warns against putting your weight on the heads while they're in motion.

For the $ you spend, this is a good, practical massager for a home or office environment. Everyone who has tried it in my office said "WOW" -- mainly because of the rollers that travel up and down your back. Much more effective than any other chair that merely vibrates. The rollers can be quite strong - for skinny people, a towel or two would be quite good. Or you can learn to lean less against it when it starts to hurt.

I would love for it to travel even higher to help with my neck, but I'll settle for the range that it currently provides. It does have a strong gasoline-like smell - initially, after closing off my office for the weekend, Monday morning can be a bit hard due to the strong smell that has built up. But it has either faded somewhat or I have gotten more used to it (which is not too good for me).

Overall, a solid performer for light use - a few times a day, when your back really feels tight.

EDITS on 12/1/2004: After using it for 8 months I still like it a lot. The smell is all gone after a couple of months' use. I mainly use the back rollers (sitting in front of a computer most of the time), and can tell the difference after a 15-minute or so session - my back muscles are much loosened. I don't use the seat massage too much, but when I do I really like it as well. My favorite is the "side-to-side" mode. Makes the thighs relax.

EDITS in July 2007: It is finally broken. Nothing happens now when connected except that the power button on the remote keeps blinking. Too bad.

If you have tried one of these at your local dept store as I did [...] you hit the demo button and felt the back do it's thing and you also felt the seat motors kick in, vibrating and pulsating. Well guess what HoMedics has decided, due to cost and the ability to build more of them for the high demand and more profit, to delete the seat motors. The problem is they kept the same Model # SBM-200 and the same price!

So if you want the original that does it all you better call around and make sure you get one of the older models with the hand control that has a body silouette on it with controls for the seat motors. The new model has only 4 buttons and no seat motors.

Don't get me wrong I love my older model SBM-200 for its stimulating massages, that's after I returned one of the new models that did nothing but go up and down the back. The seat vibrating function adds alot to it!!!

I like a massage that hurts a little, and this one is perfect. This is the third back massager that we've owned and by far it is my favorite. Other massagers that we have used simply vibrate. This one has 2 little balls on each side that move in a circular motion up and down the back. It feels like someone rubbing my back with a thumb and the knuckle of a finger. The first time I tried it, I could not believe it.

The exterior is a smooth vinyl exterior. Other massagers that I have used have had a fuzzy exterior than attracted dust, lint, and hair. This one is easy to keep clean. The balls always stop in the low position, so the massager is comfortable to sit on when it is not "on". I found it to be quiet compared to other massagers that I've used.

I double-checked the model number of this massager and it matches the number shown here. As another reviewer noted, it does not have three speeds. Additionally, the control is not what I call programmable. There are four selections: demo, full back, lower back and upper back. That's it. Truthfully, there is not much difference between the lower back and upper back settings. The seat is cushioned, and does not vibrate.

I don't recommend the Shiatsu Back Massager for people who want a gentle massage. This massager gives a deeper massage. I love it and can't get enough!

So,
I tried one of these at my local Dillard's and loved it but they were out of stock and it was $100. I searched and purchased it thru Amazon.com. The model SBM-200 I tried at the store had Shiatsu rolling motion on the back plus vibration and tapping settings also the seat had vibration also that was adjustable from the hand control which shows a body with led's and approx 8 buttons to adj. where the massage is taking place.
The model I received SBM-200 from Amazon.com had only the Shiatsu back motion balls and thats it! The hand control has 4 buttons. There is no tapping or back vibrating or seat cushion vibration. I called HoMedics and they said they had changed the model for economy and so more can be built in a shorter time?
So be careful if you want the original with all the features do your homework and call around because its the same model # lacking all of the original features. Needless to say I sent my back and found an original one thru the net made a call amd made sure it had all the features and it's on its way.
Good Luck out there,

I tried this at the store and was very impressed by its power for just a chair pad. I've purchased other over-the-chair massagers as gifts before and they usually get tossed aside because they just vibrate. This one actually massages and massages well for its size.

However, I found that it didn't reach the upper part of my back where I really need massaging action. I'm only 5'6" and it goes as high as mid-shoulder bones.

I bought this massager because I don't want to spend over a thousand dollars on a shiatsu massage chair, and was pleasantly surprised. The shiatsu-style massager really works! It might be a little too hard for those with bonier backs, but that can be alleviated with a towel placed over the massager. It massages from the lower to upper back, and the massaging balls travel up and down, unlike some other massagers. I have another massaging mat from the sharper image that is supposed to knead and vibrate, but that seems like a piece of junk compared to this one! (And it costs just about the same, too). So I think for the price, it's a great bargain.

I bought the ten motor Massuer previous to trying the Shiatsu Back Massager. This thing works great. It is a little too harsh if the seat you are using for this process is too hard. A more cushioned seat may make it just right.

I have chronic upper back pain and this massager was useful in working out the kinks in my back. However, the motion for the upper part of the back is too long or not focused enough. I would recommend this item as a five if the massager could focus more on a specific area or be more concentrated. I wanted to have a more concentrated workout on one area.

Also, the massage area is a bit narrow, in other words, it may not be wide enough for some. I am big, and the massage area for me was not wide enough to reach my most sore muscle aches, yet if I moved or adjusted my position to get my right trapezius, I would be massaging my spine and I do not think this machine would be good for that.

The part of the massager that is in the seat area is a little too weak. However, that seems to be more of an addition to the more to the point of the item the shiatsu massage.

It did make me more relaxed and did give me a good massage. For those on a budget who cannot afford the more expensive massage chairs, this may be just what you need. If you do not like deep massages, it will not be for you.

After trying the demo in the store, I was not going home without this massager. I used it daily for about three months until the rollers got stuck about half-way up the track and just snapped continuously in that position. I've been without my massager for several weeks until today when I bought the SBM-100. At half the price of the SBM-200 it does an acceptable job; although it doesn't seem to have as long a track.