Sharper Image Smartsense Shiatsu Realtouch Massaging Chair Pad with Extra Cushion, Soothing Heat, 4 Deep Kneading Gel Nodes, Pain Relief for Neck, Back, Shoulders, Lumbar, Pressure Points Body Scan

This is my third of 4 possible choices. It felt so good. It was roughish though the description claimed gel rollers, but the motion was toward the spine instead of circular. I felt really relaxed, like in a trance, after 15 minutes to auto shut down and auto park of the massager at bottom. The heat option felt good too. The 3 vibration choices are nice. I don't have any opinion on the solidness of its construction, it sounded smoothish but almost seemed to stop at deepest pressure points (I'm bony). I plan to get an extended warranty on my final choice. I prefer a warranty with Amazon/Asurion instead of the company. (Some companies have a habit of going out of business to avoid warranty claims in capitalist/insured America)No one tells the max length of massage, but I have, in the title above. I have a long back and little if any fat to protect me from the aggressive action (I did not seem to any gel softness to them in my opinion). But OH!, did my first massage impress me! I mimicked the massage on my old dog's old back and she loved it.The user is able to slide the whole thing upwards, it was easy to just slide it up behind me. Gel or no gel, all 4 I tried are roughish. I decided to keep the most expensive Snailax - $140.

I own two versions of this chair pad. The original one which I purchased in 2022 is really good and I have in a little home office cubby overlooking the ocean. This one which replaced the earlier one is even better and is in the area where I sit at night. Its massage features are significantly better than the 2022 model, even though the earlier model is good and still works. I have tried other brands and they just don't compare. If you are considering a massage pad, this is the closest to the full massage chairs in my nail shop where I have my mani/pedis done.

My old SI massage back (I don't know the model, but it had those inflating sides) died after more than a decade of use and I had to get a new one.This model is a worthy replacement. This one gets all the way up to your neck and I really like the feel of the kneading, it's very strong. I read some other reviews where people thought it was a bit rough, but it's perfect for me.The only thing I have any complaint about is that I wish it didn't need to do the scan every time and went straight to the kneading since I'm the only one that uses the computer chair that it's on.

The "smartsense" feature that is supposed to locate your pressure points ends up being an annoying gimmick you'll want to bypass. While the massaging chair does have a strap to help keep it anchored on office chairs, it still tends to slowly slide around and need readjusting during use on couches and sofas lacking a back support. The lack of better non-slip grips is a missed opportunity.

Pros:Actual wave-like kneading motion instead of just rotating balls like the vast majority of other massagers. The arms can also tilt in and out to conform to your back or how you're sitting.Feels really good once you get used to it. It might be overly rough and slightly painful at first, so try a thin blanket or the included pad when you start using it. What chair you use also matters.Reasonably lightweight and easy to handle, and has a nice design.Cons:The biggest downside is that the motors are loud and make a lot of noticeable humming and "mechanical" noises. Would recommend some kind of noise-isolating earbuds or headphones if you want to really relax.The fabric on the lower section is that coarse, rough mesh that you can feel even through clothes. Not sure why they didn't go with something even a little softer, like what the top section uses.The cord on the included power adapter is a bit short and very stiff, but this isn't a big issue.Neutral:Heat is definitely there despite what some other reviews say, but because it comes from the nodes that are constantly moving around (and is only about 8 watts total), it's very subtle for a while. The pad itself doesn't heat up. I personally prefer how it feels without heat.No option to adjust the speed of the kneading or movement, which would be nice to have, but not a deal-breaker.Update: Still working great after nearly a year of using it a few times per week. No issues and no rips/tears. My original thoughts are still valid. Biggest issue is still that I don't like the rough fabric they used.

As you can see, I was first impressed by this product but now I’m disappointed. I used the product 3 to 5 times a week for about a month and a half and it started squeaking loudly which annoys me and others when the product is functioning. I’m waiting for it to completely stop working due to this squeak, so we’ll see how long that takes.Because it’s past the Amazon return window, and Sharper Image won’t stand by their product, I’m stuck with an annoyingly defective product which isn’t going to last.Below was my initial review:So the movement of this massager is better than any other one I’ve tried. And let me tell you I’ve tried several. It does feel more like real hands massaging your back. It has shiatsu and rolling feature, nice place to put the control, heat function which isn’t that magical, and allows you to focus on a particular spot on your back with the shiatsu function. It does have a good range from lower to upper back. I’m pretty tall and have a longer torso and it gets all the way to my shoulders. The only thing I don’t like is that every time it is turned on, it goes through this scanning function where it scans the length of your back to see what range it should use for the up and down motion to cover your whole back. That is a nice feature for multiple people using the massager, but it’s annoying if I’m sitting in it and want to do back to back sessions going from shiatsu to rolling. After the first session it turns off and I have to turn it back on and go through the whole scanning process again. It’s a slight annoyance but there still should be some way to skip it.