HoMedics SBM-200 Therapist Select Shiatsu Back Massaging Cushion with Traveling Action

We immediately fell in love with this purchase. It does a very good job of relaxing the back. I just wish it included the neck. I am large and muscled...240 pounds...and it works great on me. My wife is very petite...5'2" on a good day and 114 pounds...and I think she enjoys it more than I do. She has to place a towel over the rollers. It is a strudy unit. It sits well in the chair we selected for it. (It is always waiting for us.) I don't feel like I have to keep my weight off of it. I purchased it for $79 with a coupon. My only complaint is there isn't a button that allows me to force it to concentrate on one area. I turn the "lower back" button on and off to force it to stay down there. Then I let it fly over the rest of my back after a while. We both love the fact that it shuts itself off after a certain number of series. (It feels like about fifteen minutes, though we've never timed it.) Don't wait. Buy now. I wish we had one years ago.

This thing is great. It feels like it vibrates while it rolls up and down your back in an almost circular motion while alternating the pressure it applies. It felt a little funny at first on the shoulder blades but great on the lower back. If you're slim like me it can feel a little too pokey at times but if you lay a towel on it as the manual suggests it helps alot.It comes pretty much ready to go out of the box. You basically remove a screw, strap it in your chair, and plug it up. Just make sure the chair you put it in has a somewhat flat back as I don't think its intended to bend or recline.I have mine sitting in my black leather desk chair and it doesn't look out of place at all other than the cord running from it but it has to get power somehow and you can unplug it at the chair when its not in use.The only thing I think needs improvement is I wish it included the option of keeping the massager in one place instead of constantly going all the way up the back and then all the way down.I'm satisfied with this one but if you're willing to spend more money there's several upgrades (I think SBM-300 and SBM-400) that may interest you.

i read a lot about people who had problems with this product and still bought it, thinking they had been doing stupid things or using it wrong. unfortunately, during use on the first day it broke, the little gears got hung up at the top and didn't go back down. we unplugged it and left it for a day and my girlfriend got it to work the next day, but as soon as i sat in it it did the same thing. now it even does it for her. very frustrating, total waste of money.

Homedics Shiatsu Massager This product is very good when it works. However, in a short space of time, and with very infrequent use, it stopped working and there is no way of getting it fixed. So disappointed because it really helped with my muscle spasms. Needs to be a sturdier product. 4 star for effectiveness, no star for durability.

I bought the SBM-200 as a gift for my wife after she tried it at a local store and loved it. After getting it and using it, I noted a few things about these units to be aware of.The upper back and lower back programs also massage the mid back. I wish there was a way to limit the movement to only the lower or upper back, and have a separate program for mid back instead of the demo mode button.There are 3 zippers on the back near the upper and lower seat fold, and 1 zipper on the seat bottom. Unfortunately, the zipper bodies have sharp metal edges and the seat cover does not have flaps to cover them, so they might damage the upholstery of your chair. The instruction manual warns of this, and says not to use it on wooden chair surfaces. I placed a folded towel underneath the unit to protect my leather recliner. This slightly adds to the height and further reduces the depth of the seating area.The seat bottom does nothing at all except for being a cushion and a holder for the wired handheld remote.The unit is not comfortable to sit on when not in use. However it is somewhat clunky to remove, transport, and store with the 12 ft of power cable, transformer (which sits on the floor), and the various seat fastening straps.Given these facts, the slightly shorter SBM-100 might be a better and more economical choice. Since the SBM-100 does not have a bottom seat cushion, it offers some leeway in positioning the unit against your back.Homedics also offers the slightly more expensive SBM-300 and QRM-400 which feature rolling massage, adjustable massage width, and the ability to hold the massage heads at a specific point. The SBM-300 also has vibrating seat massage while the QRM-400 has 4 heads. Adjustable width is nice as I feel the SBM-200 massages too close to my spine.Note that all of these units have the sharp zipper bodies. Homedics should really redesign them to use velcro or position the zippers on the sides and top where it won't contact and damage the chair.They should also try to package the power transformer into the back cushion to make it easier to transport and store.I opened the zippers and took a peek inside the back. It is mostly plastic. A single motor rides on a track and simultaneously drives the 2 rotating nylon heads. The gears are nylon. Limit switches on the track determine the points at which the motor reverses for each of the programs. Each head has two "nubs" which do the massaging. The heads rotate against a thin nylon cover. A vinyl flap covers the nylon cover. The massage action feels pretty good, but it is hardly "state of the art" and I hope it lasts. The manual warns against putting your weight on the heads while they're in motion.

This is an excellent chair for the price!At first I was skeptical of this chair. I had tried the Panasonic massage chairs that are a few thousand dollars and loved it - but the price just wasn't right. I gave this a try at a store and found it just as good. The metal balls roll around, and it was quite easy for me to find the right spot on my back. One thing to note here is if you are over 6' tall or have a long torso, you may want to try it at a local store before making the purchase - the upper-back massage reaches slightly above my shoulders, and I am 5'6".Each massage session lasts a few minutes, and I have used this chair multiple times continuously without any mechanical/electrical problems. The AC adapter does heat up slightly, and you want to make sure the cords do not get tangled, especially in a chair that spins around.I have used this for about 6 months with no problems, and I have purchased another unit for my aunt as a Christmas present.