OSIM massage chairs are among the most technically advanced on the market and are in direct competition with Japanese manufacturers like Sanyo, Fujikura and Inada. There are also among the most expensive. What follows is a review of the current range of OSIM massage chairs and how they rate in terms of features per dollar.
OSIM isn’t a Japanese company; it was founded and still run by Ron Sim in Singapore. The company has only been in operation since 1980 but has quickly established itself as a big player in the manufacture of the robotic massage chair. Currently, the company offers 4 models of chair; the NORO Harmony, iMedic, iSymphonic and iDesire. Let’s take a look at what each offers and how it compares to other brands.
The OSIM NORO Harmon massage chair (NR-75) is the cheapest, retailing at around $900. The chair comes with an integrated calf massager and is upholstered in faux suede. I have to be honest and say I don’t like this chair. I know it’s been designed to cater for the cheaper sector but it just looks very unstylish. It reminds me of the iJoy range of massage chairs that are also cheap chairs that try desperately hard to look chic but fail miserably.
Anyhow, it’s a lot better than any iJoy. You get 5 massage modes; rolling, kneading, tapping, dual (rhythmic percussive tapping with the kneading massage), and combination 3 manual modes (kneading, tapping or dual with full or partial rolling). You can adjust the rollers manually to get them positioned just how you want them. Each massage program lasts 15 minutes.
It’s an adequate chair but if you can stretch you budget to around $1,500 you’d be better advised to take a look at the Human Touch HT 100 massage chair. This chair looks better and also comes with a calf massager than can be manual repositioned to give a foot massage as well. You get pretty much the same massage modes but you also get full, partial and spot functions.
The OSIM iMedic massage chair is a better bet. It retails for around $2,000 and looks pretty good in faux leather upholstery. There are 3 massage programs; a 30-minute Healthcare program that gently kneads its way from neck and shoulders to the base of the back while air bags massage your calves; a 20-minute Well-Being program with a gentle tapping massage all along the back, shoulders and neck while simultaneously massaging the legs; finally, there’s a relax program that last anywhere from 10 to 99 minutes.
What I really like about this chair is that before each massage the rollers glide along the length of the back to calibrate the massage for a more sensitive, therapeutic experience.
What I really don’t like about this chair is that is completely lacks any sort of foot massage. The Fujikura 2000 massage chair is a much better option and costs less. You get calf and foot massage as well as arms massage (the iMedic doesn’t), more air bags and it comes with a built-in music system. For its cost, the OSIM iMedic disappoints.
The OSIM iSymphony, on the other hand, doesn’t disappoint. It retails for around $3,500. Again, it lacks a foot massager, but it comes with infrared scanning that scans your build and automatically adjusts the rollers to give you the best massage. It also, comes with a music therapy system but it’s far more sophisticated than the system that comes with the Fujikura mentioned above. The massage is directly influenced by the music you play. If you play loud and fast music you get a very strong and intense massage, but if you play something a little more slow, you get a far more gentle massage.
The OSIM iDesire may just about everything you could ever want in a robotic massage chair. It retails for around $4,500 but it’s feature and function packed. At last we have a calf and foot massager – the foot massager comes with a Reflexology Map and uses extrusions to press on vital reflex points on your soles. And while you’re enjoying your foot massage you can also be enjoying a tri-action arm massage. There are 8 Healthcare programs or you can program individual massages of your choosing, combing up to 9 massage actions.
Of all the ISOM massage chairs the only models I would be the iSymphony and the iDesire; both offer something a little different from their competitors and although being expensive, they do offer good value for money.