REVIEW – A Shiatsu massage robot is a device that simulates the finger pressure that massage practitioners can apply. The Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat provides Shiatsu pressure up and down the back, heat with pressure, and vibration along the seat bottom. I have one to review, read on to see what I think!
What is it?
The Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat provides a Shiatsu massage with 2 rotating rollers on each side of the back that can move up and down to mimic the hands of a masseuse. The rollers can provide a deep tissue massage on knots and muscle tension. The sensation of pressure can be coupled with heat which can provide a warming sensation. These sensations can help eliminate fatigue, stress, and muscle aches. The massager has a remote control that allows the user to set massage to the upper back, lower back, full back, or a small range of the user’s choosing. The message has two intensities and a thick foam cover can provide additional customization of how deep the massage is applied. The seat cushion has two vibrator motors that can provide three intensities of vibration. The whole assembly can fold to the size of a large bed pillow and is easily transportable.
What’s included?
- Shiatsu Massage Cushion
- AC adapter
- User manual
Tech specs
Click to expand
Measurements: 40 x 16 inches
Weight: 5.8lbs
Input: AC 100-240V ~50/60Hz
Output: 12VDC 1.5A
Nominal Power: max. 18 Watt
Automatic runtime: 15 minutes
Recommended Max daily use: 3 sessions
Max applied force: 110 lbs.
Design and features
Unboxing
The Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat comes in a brown cardboard storage box. The box opens from the longer side and has a plastic carrying handle and tabs with locks to keep the box shut. The front and back of the box have a graphic of the Comifer logo and brand and small text of the model number in the lower corner.
The short sides describe the item according to the Amazon item description and include other specifications.
Inside the box, the massage seat is folded and stored in a clear plastic bag.
Design
The Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat is designed as a long solid seat back with mechanical internals attached to a flexible seat cushion with two small mechanical vibrator motors included in sewn-in pockets within each side of the seat. The location of the two vibration motors can be seen if the seat is illuminated with bright light from below.
The front of the seat has three tones and styles of fabric; a central black spongy polyester mesh section that covers the mechanical components and a blue grippy polyurethane section to offset the black center. The center back section is breathable so that the seat is comfortable even after using it for a full 15-minute session.
The back section of the seat is surrounded by a smooth black polyurethane ring. The smooth black polyurethane has a texture similar to leather but the blue section has more of a rubber feel to it. The rear of the back is covered in a smooth polyester that looks similar to yoga pants, but slightly more coarse. Two elastic belts are attached to the top half of the back of the seat to secure the back of the seat to a chair. The elastic belts have about 4″ of Velcro attached to the ends.
The base of the back seat uses two zippers to contain the mechanical components. The power cable and handheld remote cable penetrate the back massager through the gap between the two zippers. The zippers seem to be bound together and are not operable to separate the mechanical components from the fabric shell.
The seat has a central black spongy polyester mesh section that is framed on each side by a polyurethane leather section.
The base of the seat has a polyester fabric with little polyurethane nodules on it so that it is slip-resistant. The base also has a zipper to keep the materials inside and it is observable that the chain of the zipper has been sewn below the slider so that the mechanism is not operable.
The right side of the seat has a polyurethane leather pocket to hold the remote control. The top of the remote pocket has a velcro closure to keep the remote from falling out.
The remote is a wired plastic device with blister buttons. The buttons are self-explanatory except for the row above the buttons. The intensity changes the speed but not the depth of the massage. The demo button changes the region of the massage but does not change the heat or vibration intensity.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
The power cable on the Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat is 6 feet long and there is another 16 inches of cable that extends out of the back of the seat. So the seat must be set up about 6 feet from an electrical source. Since the seat only draws 18 W the use of an extension cord should be acceptable. The power adapter plugs into the chair.
An adhesive sticker applied to the seat should be removed before use. It is a simple guide for the use of the remote’s features.
The seat back can be secured to an office chair using the velcro strap.
Because the back of the seat is thick, about 3 inches, if your chair supports extending the seat forward from the back, adjusting this may make the seating more comfortable.
Operation
The buttons on the remote are all blister style and provide good tactile feedback with each press. The LED indication of each mode provides a glanceable indication of how the massage chair is performing. There is a graphical display of the chair and a couple of LEDs to indicate what sections of the back are part of the massage program, however, this is duplicate information, and putting separate LEDs on the buttons for Full Back, Upper Back, and Lower Back would have been enough.
The spot operation is just a small range of focused massage. The roller rotation is coupled with the movement up and down the center track, so the spot setting operates by rotating to the left about one and a half turns, and then to the right one and a half turns. This short shows the movement of the massage head
The heat button causes the massage heads on the chair to glow red. However, the heat only comes from the center of the lumbar section of the chair. It is warm enough to be appreciated, but those looking for focused heating on the upper back should look elsewhere. The red glowing LEDs is somewhat gimmicky as the chair is ideally being sat on when this setting is turned on.
Performance
In terms of the value of the design, the performance of this seat is very good. The massage mechanics are similar to many other systems available for purchase and for rent. A typical vending machine massage chair costs $5 for 10 minutes and a purchased unit costs between $500 and $15,000.
If more weight is applied to the seat it is possible to hear more strain on the gearing. I am unsure that there is a clutch to prevent the gears from being stripped. I never heard or felt it stall.
The length of massage may be more limited on this seat because of its design. The full length of the message area is only 14.5 inches.
The heat gets to a comfortable 112ºF at its warmest but only comes from the center of the seat.
This short video shows the thermal area heating up.
The vibrating massage goes from noticeable to extreme. It is good that there is a lot of intensity from the motors.
The chair is not silent but the gear meshing is I suppose what would be expected of this type of device. I think the noise in the video within the Operation section is a bit louder than is actually noticeable; usually, you are facing away from the seat by sitting in it and therefore the noise behind can be softer than the noise recorded while facing the apparatus.
The foam blanket is effective at reducing the intensity of the massage rollers
What I like about the Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat
- Great value for the massage mechanics
- Portable and can be used almost anywhere
- Good vibration motors
What needs to be improved?
- Central heat area is limited
- The outside is not washable
Final thoughts
Some people are skeptical of massage and some people swear by it. Others are discouraged by a machine masseuse and appreciate the privacy a mechanical message can provide. Therefore this type of machine needs to fit your tastes; no machine can replace a human touch if that is what you feel comfortable with and no person can be as discrete as a machine. That being said, this massager has the same mechanical nodes that travel up and down the spine, similar to every other massager of this type. In addition, it has a powerful seat massager and a heat function too. If you want a mechanical massage seat that can go just about anywhere there is AC power (or a power bank) then the Comfier Shiatsu Back Massager with Heat is something you should look into.
Price: $89.78 to $109.99
Where to buy: Comfier and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Comfier. Comfier did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
