As a physical therapist, I have treated a lot of people with back and neck pain. And during those years, numerous patients have asked me what brand of massage cushion/chair they should buy for at home or at work to help alleviate their tight muscles. At that time, I was unable to recommend a certain brand, since I had never had the opportunity to really try one. So, when Relax The Back approached me about doing a product review on their “Back and Neck Massage Cushion,” I jumped at the opportunity.
Features
The “Back and Neck Massage Cushion” is a portable massage cushion that you attach to your chosen chair. It is controlled by a fairly self-explanatory wired remote. This cushion is probably best used at home because while it is small enough to take with you, it would take a lot of suitcase space if you were traveling. In order to get the massage experience you will need need to plug in. It works in a standard 110V socket, but it also comes with a car adapter for use in your vehicle of choice. While it would fit easily in the car and work perfectly well there, I wouldn’t recommend using it in that setting unless the car was parked. That’s because the neck massager is stiff and wraps around your neck. That combo could result in a serious injury if you were in a car accident while sitting against the neck massager. (That’s definitely not a failure of the product. There are many products that aren’t a good fit for car use, it’s just an observation brought on by the presence of a car adapter.)
The massager has three distinct moving parts:
- Back massage cushion: The contoured back cushion has four heated, rotating heads that knead their way up from your low back to your upper back.
- Neck massager: While connected to the back massage cushion, this portion has a separate control button, so it can be used or not used according to your preference.
- Seat cushion: Last we have the attached seat cushion. It doesn’t really massage, but it does have a vibration mode that vibrates your backside. (It is mysteriously labeled as shock on the remote. Don’t worry though, it won’t shock you.)
Pros:
Here are some of the pros that I found with this massage cushion:
- Comfort: The massage cushion was comfortable to sit on.
- Effectiveness: The four rotating heads did a good job of relieving muscle tightness, especially in the upper back.
- User Friendly: The remote was easy to use and for the most part self-explanatory, even though the manual was missing some details
- Adjustable: It is adjustable somewhat for different heights, but I could see it being problematic for exceptionally tall or exceptionally small people. I can’t give exact heights, but one person that I had try it that was 6’1” seemed close to the upper limit.
- Portable: It could be easily moved from one chair to the next and easily stored in the closet when not in use.
Cons:
Here are some of the cons I found with this massage cushion:
- Manual: The manual was missing some details, such as what the Position button does and the colors on the Massage Area selection button’s LED light didn’t correspond with the ones listed in the manual. (Not a huge deal since it is easy enough to figure out without the manual.)
- Neck Massage not adjustable: The neck massager can be a little rough and not everyone will enjoy the deep kneading massage it provides.
The bottom line:
This is a good massage cushion and I would definitely recommend this cushion to my patients who were looking for a massage cushion as long as they were not elderly and didn’t have pressure sensitivities. The kneading is deep, which is good for those that enjoy that, but those with pressure sensitivities may not be able to tolerate the level of kneading provided by this product. Unfortunately, there is no option for less kneading. You can, however, turn it off. Or you could sit with a little less pressure against the cushion.
Overall, the product did a good job targeting and alleviating muscle tightness and I liked the portability of it. All of the people that I had try it said they enjoyed it as well. At $269 it isn’t cheap, but from what I found it was in about the middle of the price range for similarly featured massagers. I have to say that I definitely enjoyed it and would use it again. In fact I might just do that after I post this review.
Product Giveaway!
Oops! Before I go enjoy a well earned massage, I almost forgot! The people at Relax My Back, who you can find at their website at RelaxTheBack.com or on their facebook, were kind enough to offer us a Back and Neck Massage Cushion for us to giveaway to one of our lucky readers.
Every contest needs rules, so here they are. If you want to win you have to reside in the United States or Canada. Sorry to our international readers, maybe next time! If you’re still eligible, please write a comment on this post telling us what you would do if you won this cushion. Then on September 10, 2012 we will do a random drawing. We’ll contact the winner via email and get your information then to have Relax the Back send you your prize.