Table Of Contents
Introduction
It is good to note at the onset that the iDeal Massage Shiatsu Chair is an inexpensive one. Based on consumers’ feedback, the iDeal chair could certainly provide the basic or bare minimum functionalities required of a massage chair. Yet, the ultimate question we need to answer in this review is whether this massage chair is worth-investing your hard-earned money!”
In our effort to help consumers wisely decide on whether the iDeal Massage Shiatsu Chair is worth buying, we’ve engaged in an in-depth analysis of the basic features of the iDeal Massage Chair. We’ve also tested, retested, and compared notes with those who have already bought this massage chair model in order to come up with a substantially unbiased yet objective assessment of the merits and demerits of this model.
iDeal Shiatsu Massage Chair Specifications and Features:
iDeal Shiatsu Massage Chair specification
One huge “come-on” for buying the iDeal Shiatsu Massage Chair is its price. It definitely belongs to the lower-end bracket of the price range. Yet, its price isn’t a cogent reason to readily shell out your hard-earned money for this item. We need to look further beyond its enticing bargain price. We need instead to probe through its specifications and features. So, let’s check out then its specs!
Specifications:
Operating Voltage | AC 120V. 60Hz |
Power Consumption | 20-230 Watts |
Motors | 4 Powerful Motors, 2 Air Pumps |
Weight | 200 Lbs |
Reclined Dimensions | 33″ wide x 3″ high x 68″ deep |
Upright Dimensions | 33″ wide x 49″ high x 53″ deep |
Packing Dimensions | 55 x 35 x 33 inches |
Color Material (Match Leather) | BLACK BEIGE and NEWEST COLORS BROWN and RED |
Accessories | BUILT-IN HEAT IN THE BACK Seat Vibrator. Remote Control Holder. Wheels on the back for easy movement |
Heater | Yes |
Zero Gravity | Yes |
The internet is indeed flooded with reviews of different massage chairs. Some of them contain bitter criticisms of their competitors; while others are imbued with glowing praises for the products they support! Yet, as a conscientious buyer, you should be wary of these slanted reviews that won’t be very useful to you. Instead, you should look for reviews that are really objective and unbiased. Similarly, it is the goal of this iDeal massage chair review to remain unbiased and objective as much as possible. Hence, what are we waiting for? Let’s then comb through the salient features of the iDeal Massage Chair:
S-track Design
There are basically two popular track designs for massage chairs, namely—the S-track and the L-track. The L-track, of course, is a relatively new term and design. Obviously, it refers to the “L” design of the roller tracks. Tracks may also come as a combo of L-track and S-track—the upper track being an S-track with an extended forward track that forms the lower end of the letter “L.”
The S-track, on the other hand, follows the curvature of the spine. Around 90 percent of massage chairs sport this track design. The S-track is believed to be better than the L-track for it provides better massage accuracy. With the S-track, rollers can freely roll along the curvature of the spine. Moreover, it provides deeper and holistic massage from the neck to the tailbone.
The S-track, however, has shorter track span that usually ranges from 29 to 32 inches. Hence, it fails to provide massage to the glutes. The L-track, on the other hand, ranges from 41 to 47 inches and allows for the rollers to reach down to the glutes.
The iDeal Massage Chair has a shorter roller track since its design is an S-track; however, it compensates for this limitation by having more airbags to provide compressions to body parts beyond the reach of its rollers.
3D Intelligent Detection Technology
Most high-end massage chairs nowadays are using 3D scanning technology, and just like them, the iDeal massage chair also features this functionality. What is this 3D scanning feature, then? Well, 3D scanning technology makes use of a microcomputer to scan the shape of the body and locate its pressure points. This technology also allows the rollers to readily adjust themselves based on the body curvature. Thus, this feature leads to a better and more customized massage experience.
Most high-end massage chairs already have this feature, but not many massage chairs within the same price range as that of the iDeal chair carry this feature. The iDeal Massage Chair thus appears to be a cut above the rest among massage chairs of similar price.
Three Zero Gravity Positions
The zero-gravity feature allows the massage chair to position your body at 128-degree angle parallel to the ground. At this position, the weight of your body would be evenly distributed across the surface area of the chair. Moreover, at this position, your heart and brain would lie at a position that is slightly lower than your legs and knees.
Zero Gravity position Health Benefits
The zero-gravity position affords the body various health benefits. First, it enhances blood circulation to the brain and upper extremities of the body. With good blood circulation to these areas, the brain would receive more nutrients, and the body cells would become healthier.
The zero-gravity position also provides an awesome level of relaxation, especially, for users with muscles and bones that have been highly stressed due to the pull of gravity.
Various massage chair models come with this ingenious feature. A few, however, offer multiple zero-gravity options. It is surprising, however, that the iDeal Massage Chair not only comes with one zero gravity option. Instead, it features three zero-gravity options!
“Isn’t this an overkill?” you would ask. Well, it may be, for other brands that are more expensive than the iDeal massage chair, like the Osaki Pinnacle OS-7200H, only has two zero-gravity options.
The zero-gravity position is surely a favorite feature of many massage chair enthusiasts. They like it—not only because of its health benefits—but because it is truly relaxing. Hence, this iDeal chair feature is really a huge “come-on” for consumers who want a zero-gravity feature but lack the money to buy high-end massage chairs.
Massage Options
It is preposterous to expect much from a non-expensive massage chair. Thus, we can’t really expect something extraordinary from the inexpensive iDeal Massage Chair. Given its price, it is but fair to tame our expectations about this inexpensive entry-level massage chair.
It would be reasonable to only expect massage techniques like Shiatsu, Kneading, Spinal Rolling, and Vibration from the iDeal, for these are the basics massage techniques that are really necessary. However, the iDeal chair also comes with four massage programs—upper back, lower back, relaxation, and activate. Moreover, it features almost 14 massage combos based on the claim of its vendor, and it comes with a 30-minute default massage duration.
48 Airbags
The iDeal massage chair comes with 48 airbags and this number isn’t really bad! In fact, this number is even higher than those offered by other more expensive massage chairs. The Kahuna LM6800H, for example, comes with 36 airbags which are 12 airbags less than that of the iDeal chair. The far more expensive Osaki OS-7200H, on the other hand, only has three airbags more at 51 airbags.
Having 48 airbags for its price isn’t a bad deal and these 48 airbags are strategically spread underneath the massage chair cover for a holistic massage experience.
Aside from its 48 airbags, it also comes with two intensity level options when it comes to its air massage mode. These two intensity options would surely be enough for anyone who is desirous of experiencing the most basic massages functions.
The iDeal Massage Chair carries the first-generation design. This means that you can never expect the iDeal chair to have a highly overwrought design.
Six Kneading balls
At its relatively less expensive price, the iDeal Shiatsu massage chair does not offer actual foot massage function. This is surely a big letdown to many of its users, especially, for users who are reflexology fanatics. To compensate for this lack of foot massage functionality, its manufacturer added six kneading balls on its footrests. These kneading balls are positioned there to allow its users to engage in deep penetration foot massage.
However, these kneading massage balls don’t move. The users, on their part, must move their feet across and over the kneading balls just to get that needed foot massage.
Lumbar Heat Function
Heat therapy or thermotherapy is an effective therapeutic method that can bring remarkable relief to strained muscle tissues. Hence, it is always a plus factor to have a massage chair with this heating functionality. The iDeal chair comes with this functionality. The heat function of this chair, however, is simply limited to the lumbar area. Moreover, users can’t control the amount of heat emanated by this massage chair. But they can freely turn this functionality on and off using the control panel.
Vibration Massage Mode
The iDeal massage chair comes with a vibration plate embedded into the seat. You can either activate this vibration mode along with any of the other massage modes, or you can simply leave it functioning on its own.
The massage chair’s motors, on the other hand, is responsible for inflating the airbags and running the rollers. To many, the iDeal chair’s motors seem to be too loud, even if the vibration mode of the seat is operating on its lowest intensity mode. Moreover, many users find the roller massage and the seat vibration quite intense. To assuage the intense impact of the roller massage and seat vibration, users usually make use of an extra pillow as a cushion.
Calf Massage
Since the rollers can only reach what the roller track is designed to reach, users cannot expect the massage chair’s rollers to reach down to the glutes. To compensate for this limitation, the manufacturer of this chair added additional airbags that are embedded underneath the leg and thigh massage ports. These additional airbags provide awesome compression for the calf and thigh areas. Together with the immobile kneading balls, these airbags provide effective massage to the lower extremities of the body.
Extendable Ottoman
The height range for which this massage chair is most suited is up to 6’3”. If you are taller than 6’3”, I think you will find this massage chair very inconvenient. A cursory look at the iDeal pad massage chair review given by consumers indicates that those who are 6 feet and above generally find using this chair a bit inconvenient.
Easy-to-Use Control Panel
Pros and Cons of iDeal Massage Chair
It’s easy to justify the limitations of the iDeal chair by simply thinking that it is a non-expensive first-generation massage chair. But this isn’t a good justification. To be a good buy, it should have very few negatives. Let’s look then at its pros and cons based on our testing and the reviews provided by its users:
Pros
- Its most cogent advantage over other massage chair brands is its low price. Using this massage chair, you can readily enjoy the benefits and pleasures afforded by a real massage chair at this lower price.
- Out of the box, this massage chair requires minimal assembling. Once assembled, you can readily operate it using its user-friendly control panel.
- It comes with rear wheels that allow its users to easily move it from one place to another.
- It allows you better flexibility and manual control than other massage chairs with automatic programs. Hence, it offers more hands-on and requires you to manually set every function according to your massage needs. The good thing about its manual mode is that you can readily change the functions and settings even if you are in the middle of a massage session.
Cons
- This massage chair doesn’t have the feature that allows you to stretch your body or extend it when you are at a zero-gravity position. Hence, your body does not totally lay flat on the chair at its zero-gravity position. Moreover, your hips are left at a somewhat bent position.
- The foot balls or kneading balls don’t really move. Hence, users are required to move their feet across and over those kneading balls.
- The massage compartments for the arm massage don’t hold tightly the user’s arms in place. Hence, the user’s arms tend to fall out from the armrests and get easily squeezed out of their positions.
- Its seat vibration mode and motors can be somewhat unbearable for some users.
Final Thought:
It is increasingly becoming known, however, especially to those who are looking for a budget massage chair. Of course, its big draw is its price and buying this massage chair is surely a viable option for those who simply want to experience massage basics.
If you compare this massage chair, however, with other chairs of the same price, you would surely conclude that the iDeal massage chair is a cut-above-the-rest among massage chairs of the same price. Yet, this type of comparison, as said earlier,won’t be a good gauge in figuring out its merits. Moreover, its price should not be the sole criteria for buying it. If you have a more refined preference, this massage chair would surely fail your expectations.
A massage chair should be a long-term investment! Given a chance, you should never hesitate to go for quality features even if you must pay higher for a unit. If budget is not an issue then, you should at least forgo of this model, and instead, settle for brands that offer more advanced functionalities.
Lastly, the iDeal brand is a relatively unknown brand in the massage world. It is simply starting to carve its own niche. It is a bit risky, therefore, to settle for this brand when you can ably afford a more expensive and better brand.
Note: The prices may change at any time, So please check the prices directly from amazon.com
Note: While we strive to keep the article updated with the latest products, please be aware that some items may not be available at the time you read the article.