Read all posts matching 'massage chair' in Crave
This week's episode is inspired by Natali's incredibly appropriate (if not unintended) comment from last week's episode. Really, if you haven't heard it, check it out. Then listen to today's show where we discuss a wide array of chairs on which to sit. That's right, chairs are the "it". Why, what were you thinking?
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Episode 143 |
Patio furniture for eating in the pool
Spray can caps make for unique chairs
Chair Socks: The 1970s flatter your furniture
Acoustical resonance massage chair
F-4 Phantom Ejection Seat office chair is the perfect way to dramatically exit a meeting
Hot Asian gadgets
Barista Bot
It’s about time
Cool, infuriating watch
Gender gap
Go plate (Thanks Tyson!)
Pretty
Terranium – Interactive installation
Tool time
Sleeve Tattoos – Slip On Tattoo Sleeves
Kill me
A prop for your boobs
Convergence: The occurrence of two or more things coming together. In this case, cars and couches, shoes and bathtubs, and last but not least, showers and aquariums. Try to wrap your brain around that!
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EPISODE 137 |
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(Credit:
Slippery Brick)
In the hypercompetitive business of game chairs, it's easy to get carried away. But at least one manufacturer is sticking to the basics.
Rather than adding more external bells and whistles, Capcom's "Reactor Video Game Chair" has concentrated on the chair itself with "eight high-impact vibrating motors" positioned in the upper and lower back as well as the seat "so that every bump or blow is felt by the gamer."
It also comes with head-mounted 3D speakers, according to Slippery Brick, but the best feature in our view is its "variable massage mode" to unwind from a particularly stressful session.
(Credit:
O2 Planet)
(Credit:
DEG)
After having witnessed their rise in the bacchanalian heydey of the dot-com boom, we've always had an odd fascination with oxygen bars. And yes, we admit that it probably has something to do with Dennis Hopper's character in Blue Velvet too.
That aside, the "Entertainment Oxygen Lounge" may prove too difficult to resist even for skeptics like us. Not only does it have the requisite stress-reducing and mood-enhancing equipment, according to BornRich, but it combines that system with a massage chair. And we all know how we feel about those.
It gets even better: Add a DVD player, stereo, and high-end earphones for "audio/video therapy" to an "Aroma O2 Headset," and it's Bliss City. Come to think of it, we'll skip the oxygen and have a beer instead. Pabst Blue Ribbon, of course.
(Credit:
Nemorelax)
As fond as we are of massaging chairs, beds, or anything else that's shiatsu-enabled, the "Nemorelaxer" seems to take the concept a bit too far.
It's not that we have anything against its restorative properties, mind you; it's the venue that has us a little weirded out. These modules--equipped with recliner chairs, sound insulation, folding desks, and touch-screen monitors--are planned for airports, according to Luxist. Although they're designed for suites with staffs that will watch your luggage and wake you up, we'd be too nervous to fall asleep in the 30-minute rental slots now envisioned. These things look like a cross between The Matrix and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, with some elements of an MRI chamber.
Even if we were able to fall asleep, chances are the attendants wouldn't be able to break our slumber. And with our luck, they'd probably pull out a "Clocky."
(Credit:
Ace Bayou)
We have a soft spot for furniture maker Ace Bayou, because one of its media chairs appeared on Crave just days after we launched. In fact, we were hoping that our bosses might take the hint and buy us one to celebrate. We're still waiting.
Now the company has updated that model with its new "Wireless Audio Recliner," which has all the accoutrements of the earlier version (except for the leather), including a built-in 2.1 sound system, two speakers, and a subwoofer. But it does it one better, by doing away with those unsightly wires.
It's not clear what type of wireless technology it uses to connect to media players and game consoles, according to Slippery Brick, but the company claims that the chair itself somehow amplifies and improves the sound quality. Whatever. What we really want to know is whether this model, like the previous one, gives massages.
As a tech writer, it's not uncommon to see a press release or a photo of some new gadget and have an instant sensation of "I need that."
But, I'm not sure the words have ever been more true than when I saw the info on Inada's latest massage chair, the Sogno.
Inada's latest massage chair sounds perfect. If only it were here...
(Credit: Inada)I've been in a colossally bad mood today, for no particular reason. But I am sure 15 minutes (OK, 30 minutes) in this baby would do the trick. It uses an infrared body scan to determine a particular individual's central acupressure point as well as "full shoulder/neck air massage with neck traction capabilities, shoulder to fingertip arm massage, arching full body stretch," and something called total relaxation Dream-Wave Technology. Not sure what that is, but it sure sounds good.
Now all I need is the teleporter and a time machine to get it here now. Inada is showing it off to reporters at next week's Las Vegas Winter Furniture Market.
Alas, I'd even settle for Inada's earlier music-synching W.1 Masssage Chair. But it's not to be. If anyone needs me, I'll be downstairs using CNET's iJoy massage chair and feeling sorry for myself.
(Credit:
Popgadget)
We should have seen this one coming after learning of Matsushita's plans to make slimmed-down massage chairs. Now another Japanese company has developed what appears to be the ultimate fat-analysis machine.
Tokyo-based Tanita--whose slogan is "the body fat experts"--has gone well beyond its bevy of smart scales to produce "a precise electronic, abdominal fat meter that can measure the amount of fat deep inside of you, even around your organs," according to Popgadget. The AB-101 does seem more civilized than being assaulted by those inhumane calipers, but it still looks like a cross between a TSA scanner and an MRI machine.
Perhaps it's all part of a national obsession to make sure that the Wii Fit doesn't become known as the Wii Fat, at least in Japan.
(Credit:
Luxist)
What a relief. For a minute we were worried that a disturbing new trend might be in the offing after coming across a lounge chair that doubles as a fitness machine. But luckily, the gold standard of laziness has assuaged our fears--and with the first line of La-Z-Boy luxury spas, no less.
We've seen all manner of media-equipped spas, of course, including one that comes equipped with a 61-inch LCD. And truth be told, La-Z-Boy's "Premier Collection" doesn't appear to offer a whole lot that's new--except for one crucial difference: reclining seats. Yup, you read that right.
Just kick back and watch the game on the retractable TV while the bubbles do their magic, with "14 built-in jet massage patterns that replicate professional masseuse techniques," according to Luxist. We won't ask what distinguishes them as masseuse vs. masseur.
(Credit:
Mizuno)
Manga and Cup Noodles aside, clearly not everything from Japan translates so easily to American culture. And this item is a classic example.
Mizuno is about to release a lounge chair that doubles as a fitness machine. Obviously, its creators aren't familiar with the La-Z-Boy lifestyle that makes this country great.
It's bad enough that other Japanese companies are trying to shrink the size of our beloved massage chairs, but a recliner that does sit-ups? That'll be about as popular here as Pink Lady.
