Panasonic MAJ7 Real Pro Ultra Premium 3d Luxury Full Body Heated Massage Recliner Chair, Brown

This is one of the the premier massage chairs available in the US today.Panasonic was able to reduce the price significantly by moving manufacturing fun Japan to China. They passed that along to the consumer: this chair retailed in Japan for about $4000 when it first came out in 2016.Obviously it is experience to ship such a heavy product to the US so the price is higher here; however, the massage chair market in the US is controlled by just a handful of companies that distribute many Chinese and Japanese brands that have to compete everywhere else in the world. They have been able to fix the prices artificially high and retailers must agree to never advertise prices lower than the exorbitant price set by the distributor.Therefore, you are always better off going to a real brick-and-mortar store and trying to negotiate the price than buying online.

Now before I go review the chair, I'd like the mention that my massage preference is on the firm and harder side that focuses around pressure points, so those who prefer soft soothing type of massage chair, this is probably not for you.I've tried several massage chairs before purchasing this and did not like the lack of strength and quality of the massage. I've read a lot of other reviews and people seemed to highly recommend this one.So I'm going to name some pros and cons to this chair that I've found so far!Pros:-We bought the Beige color and it is such an elegant look, it fits perfectly into our living room.-This chair gives strong to very strong massages, it really gets deep into the tissue-It is able to find pressure points that I didn't know I even had-The air pressure is very firm and I especially love it on the arms and hands-Air pressure strength is adjustable for each individual body parts, so if you want strong pressure on the hands but lighter on the shoulder, it's possible-The feet/sole massage is the strongest I've ever experienced! At first I had to tone it down b/c it was too hard, but after several days, my feet got used to it and I can hit it max-This is one of the few chairs that can do your glutes and does it very well!-The chair has a "padding" for esthetic use for when not in use. When getting massaged, you need to flip the padding over.-Overall it has the best back massage I've ever had.-The remote control is very intuitive and easy to use. You can enable the voice, and she guides you through-It's a lot quieter than other chairs I've used-lastly, my friend has a Panasonic massage chair that he bought 10 years ago and it's still working great, I like the fact Panasonic chair is made in Japan (recently started manufacturing in China but quality control is still in Japan), their products are high quality and long lasting!Cons-The air pressure around the calves are very weak-19min is the max limit per session, the chair shuts off after that-Hip massage tends to be a little painful as I feel like it massages your bones, so I skip that-I feel like that the chair doesn't stretch far enough for me, especially when it's stretching my back.Overall, this is a great massage chair and definitely worth the money

This is an impressive massage chair. At the time of this review (Nov 2018) the MAJ7 has been on the market for less than a year. I am confident in my decision that this is the best or one of the best chairs available right now. I find myself using it multiple times per day when I can. The strong massage heads combined with powerful airbags can really stretch you out and provide a deep massage that will have you uttering groans of relief. The massage heads are stronger than many other chairs I tried, so this is a good chair for those who enjoy intense deep-tissue massages. The choreography really stands out compared to other chairs. The combination of kneading, tapping, rolling, and shiatsu is excellently timed with the movement of the massage head and it just feels great. The foot massage is often timed so that massage strokes coincide with massage stroke on your back, and it is very nice.PROSThe head, neck, and shoulder massage of this chair is the best of any top-of-the-line chair I tried. The kneading on the back of the neck is wonderful, and the way the massage heads stick out and massage the trapezia is unmatched by other chairs.The upper and lower back massages also feel amazing. The massage head does a great job getting between the shoulder blades; better than some massage therapists. It unexpectedly discovers knots you didn't know you had all over your back, working them out with its carefully-designed twists and turns. Again, the choreography of it all is really what makes it work so well. It's not just a sequences of massage A then B then C. Instead it goes back and forth, letting areas rest a few seconds before giving them another go. You can really feel the way it is designed to "roll the stress around" until it melts away.The foot rollers combined with airbags are far superior to the airbag-only foot massage offered by some other chairs. These rollers work wonders, stretching your feet and deeply massaging the arches and the base of the heel. The majority of the work is done by a large roller and an accompanying small roller that I slightly preferred to the four-small-rollers design I found on other chairs (those could not massage as deeply).CONS#1 - The intensity adjustment on the 3D massage heads definitely needs to go a bit lower, especially on the lower back and the sole of the foot. Even on the lowest setting I regularly find myself having to disable or skip the feature to avoid pain.#2 - You must use the chair without the padding or headrest to take full advantage of the amazing head/neck massage techniques it employs, or else you will feel the rollers moving but they just won't quite reach your neck/head. Unfortunately this makes your head lean back a bit further than is comfortable (like sitting in the front row at a theater). I wish I could use the headrest and still have the rollers reach far enough forward to enjoy the full massage.#3 - I am 6'0" and it reaches just to the base of the skull. I have hit the maximum upward limit while adjusting the rollers so anyone taller may miss out on a bit of the head/neck massage.#4 - The chair shuts off after 19 minutes, period. Hope you are paying attention in time to un-recline before the power is shut off, otherwise you have to power the chair back on to do it. It makes no sense to set such a forceful time limit and make the user turn the chair back on. If you want a 40-minute massage you have to be interrupted halfway through so you can power the chair back up and start the second half.#5 - I think this is true of all chairs I tried, but the arm massage from the airbags is a useless gimmick. It does nothing for me except uncomfortably trap my arms. It is not used effectively as part of any of the stretching, and there are no rollers to simulate the relieving hand/arm massage that you would receive from a massage therapist.WISHLISTPanasonic could take the shoulder massage a step further if the rollers could reach over to the front of the trapezius (currently it uses airbags on the front of the shoulders to push them against the rollers)I wish there was some roller action for the ball of the foot, which is currently neglected.The addition of a one-touch button to go in or out of Zero-G would be nice, rather than making me hold down the button.