| | |  | Health Care | Home » » » Homedics SBM-200H Therapist Select Shiatsu Massaging Cushion with Heat | | | | | | | Description: | | The Shiatsu massaging cushion helps you enjoy state of the art relaxation....your way. This cushion features a programmable control with 3 different programs and a moving dual massage mechanism. The shiatsu rolling massage and soothing heat travel up and down the back. The 30-second heat up is perfect for penetrating those sore muscles and the soft spot shiatsu targets just the area that aches. The width control adjusts to conform to your body so you can create your own customized massage. This massaging cushion easily fits most chairs and comes with a demonstration feature that shows you how to melt away tension, muscle pain and fatigue. | | | Features: | |
• Enjoy state of the art relaxation
• Features a programmable control with 3 different programs and a moving dual massage mechanism
• The shiatsu rolling massage and soothing heat travel up and down the back
• The 30-second heat up is perfect for penetrating those sore muscles and the soft spot shiatsu target
• Fits most chairs and comes with a demonstration feature that shows you how to melt away tension, mus
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 26.5 inches | | Product Width:
| 5.75 inches | | Product Height:
| 19.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 1.0 pounds | | Package Length:
| 26.5 inches | | Package Width:
| 18.9 inches | | Package Height:
| 5.9 inches | | Package Weight:
| 11.8 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 120 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 120 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
93 of 96 found the following review helpful:
 Not bad, but definitely not one size fits all ...Oct 27, 2007
By Nathan Andersen
"film lover, philosophy professor"
I've tried a lot of massage chairs, from the kind you pay a dollar to sit in at the mall to deluxe home models to little portable cushions, more or less like this one. One thing you won't ever get with even the high end models is something that truly resembles the actual experience of being massaged by a human being. Massage, and especially the therapeutic technique known as "shiatsu," is an art form and little roller balls following a preprogrammed pattern will never give the experience of being kneaded by hands (or massage balls wielded by competent hands) that can adjust to the contours of your back, accommodate the different levels of tension and stress in your various muscles, and most importantly adjust their approach to your specific body type.
Given this major drawback for all electronic massage chairs, this one doesn't do a bad job and does a better job than some I've tried. The roller balls, which can be heated or not according to your preference, simply go around in little circles up and down your back. You can have them go up your entire back or halfway up from the bottom or halfway down from the top, according to your preferences. There is no percussion or vibration possible on this model -- those are features on some of the more advanced models of this chair -- but the warm rolling and kneading motion does work the muscles around your vertebrae.
The biggest drawback as far as I am concerned is that there are no adjustments possible in the overall pattern of motion of the roller balls. I'm a very tall and large man and it feels like this was made for someone smaller. On certain parts of my back the balls roll too tightly for my comfort -- my wife, however, had no complaints and the motions seemed just right for her smaller frame. My overall assessment is that for the medium sized average user who is primarily interested in the kneading of roller balls, this would be an economic alternative to a higher end more versatile model that I would prefer.
67 of 70 found the following review helpful:
 Help for your sore backOct 22, 2007
By Kate McMurry
"Young Adult Author"
The Shiatsu massaging cushion is shaped like a chair pad. It is portable and can be placed in any type of chair, including, I would assume, the front seat of a car. You'd need the proper plug adapter, though, because it works by plugging into an outlet, not by batteries. The only caveat for what chair you can place it in comes from the product's manual. It says to be careful of upholstery, so I put a towel over my padded recliner when I placed the cushion on it. That chair, by the way, was a great choice for using the cushion because I could recline while being massaged. To add to the relaxation experience, the cushion has a convenient, hand-held control which allows you to access with the touch of a finger the three different massage programs the cushion offers: (1) shiatsu spot massage, (2) regular shiatsu massage, and (3) rolling massage. When you choose the latter two programs, you can select movement up and down the full length of your back, or have the cushion focus on your lower or upper back. For all three programs, you can add heat, which amplifies the healing effects. You can also control the width of the massage so it conforms to your particular body size. There is also an automatic timer within the cushion that shuts it off after 20 minutes, but it feels so good, I did it for a full hour the first night. Be careful, though, that you don't do it too long. The automatic 20 minutes are about right for most people, because you can get, as the saying goes, "too much of a good thing," and give yourself a pain flare the next day if you have the cushion massage you too long.
I rate this product 5 stars for ease of use and portability, 5 stars for looks, 5 stars for how good it feels, and definitely 5 stars for value for the money. While a simple, electric cushion like this can't take the place of a human masseuse, I found it felt almost as good as a very expensive, electric massage table I have used in my chiropractor's office--and a comparable 20-minute treatment by that table costs almost as much as the price of this cushion.
By the way, you don't have to have a chronic back problem to find good use for this cushion. It would make a great gift for most of the adults on your Christmas list. I plan to give one to both of my children. At ages 19 and 22, they don't have the middle-aged aches my husband and I suffer, but they periodically get acute back pain from overdoing it in sports.
23 of 23 found the following review helpful:
Amazingly effective for the moneyApr 07, 2009
By J.A.
I've sat in those $2,000 massage chairs, and let me tell you: this little cushion is not as good as those chairs.
But you know what? I'd say it's about half as good. And for 1/20th the price, that's pretty incredible.
Pros:
It feels great. That's the main thing, and all that really matters, right?
It's amazingly strong considering how small the motors must be. I'm a pretty big guy, and even when I lean on it it keeps on cranking away.
It's not bulky, so it hasn't made my chair appreciably smaller.
The width of the rollers is good for me.
Good materials, and it looks decent on my home office chair.
And again, it's an excellent value for what it does.
Cons:
One of the buttons on the remote died, so if I want a full back massage, I have to orchestrate it with the other modes.
I've got it on an office chair the rolls and swivels, and the cord gets tangled around the chair a lot. Not the fault of the manufacturer, but it might annoy some people.
It doesn't reach the very lowest or highest parts of the back, at least on a 6-foot tall person like me.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
Ahhh! A bargain that feels nice.Nov 29, 2007
By J. Moore
"Zombie Prep Network"
I have tried all the $5000 massage chairs at Brookstone and Sharper Image and, while this massager doesn't quite equal them, it's a great massager for the price.
I was impressed by the very solid construction and feel of the massager right out of the box. Again, this is quite a bargain.
Once placed on a chair, plugged in, and sat upon - the "shiatsu" massage feels really nice. Some massagers have too much pressure and others not enough, this felt just right. This model is limited to the rolling shiatsu action which gets the long muscles beside the spine.
Another nice feature is the heat, which seemed to melt the tension in my muscles like butter. The heat, also, seemed just right - not uncomfortable in any way.
The massager is fairly limited in what it does. It will not reach your neck or head, and is only recommended for the back. It has 4 basic settings: 1. Demo 2. Full Back 3. Uppper back 4. Lower back. I would have appreciated some more control like arrow buttons on some massagers that let you directly control where the rollers are.
Despite it's limitations I still belive it is an incredible bargain. It won't replace a massge therapist, but at less cost than two therapy seesions, it may be just what you need.
11 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Good Bang for the BuckDec 05, 2007
By Labarum
There are a few things you need to know about these massage chairs, First of all, they are not a complete replacement for a professional masseur/masseuse or physical therapist. Second of all, you generally get what you pay for...for better or worse. Thirdly, general use models are fine for releaving the tenseness that can come from a hard day's work or a poor night's sleep but are not designed for chronic problems that may require more serious relief. In other words, don't expect an inexpensive massage chair to substitute for the very expensive therapist in relieving the pain associated with the car accident you had a few years back.
With those restrictions in mind, the Homedics SBM-200H is an excellent inexpensive low level massage chair that does exactly what it is designed to do - relieve back tension with a combination of rotating massage and heat to basic areas of the back. The two rotating heads can be set to do the upper, lower, or full back and has the additional option of applying heat from the rotating heads. Depending on your sensitivity, the heat may become a little uncomfortable for some and it may help to use it until it begins to reach your tolerance, turn off to let it cool, and then reapply the heat again. Given the very competitive pricing, it is an excellent investment for the relief of back tension and pain due to normal levels of stress.
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