How to Choose the Best Shiatsu Back Massager?

Table of Contents
Top Best Shiatsu Back Massagers Based on Reviews and Price
Why You Need a Good Shiatsu Back Massager?
Everyone loves a good back massage, from professional athletes to office workers. We might need a massage from time to time, but the massager isn’t always available whenever you need it.
Having a shiatsu back massager is the alternative to visiting a professional massager. This alternative will always be at home waiting for you after work and ready to provide relief of your back pain.
Buying a shiatsu back massager seems like a pretty straightforward job – you visit any store (online or brick mortar type), and you buy one. Well, it looks pretty straightforward in theory.
However, if you want to buy the best shiatsu back massager you can afford, then there is a lot more than just that.
The thing is the market for shiatsu back massagers is quite big. It’s super easy for you to get confused about which is best and why to choose one model over the other.
At least, you need to know a few things about shiatsu back massagers like what makes them great, which feature doesn’t matter that much, and so on. That is the only way to make the right selection.
Here is a selection of all the top criteria and features to take into consideration when searching for the best shiatsu back massager.
Top 12 Factors to Know When Buying a Shiatsu Back Massager
1. Kneading Massager Feature
If there is one feature to consider, then you should completely focus on kneading. Thanks to kneading, you will get a massage from the spine’s center featuring outward movements. You will get the same sensation as two hands rubbing your back. It is an easy and fast solution to an aching and sore back.
The advantages of this feature are mentioned below:
- Treats tight muscles
- Relaxes the muscles and increase their flexibility
- Lowers muscle swelling
- Improves and stimulates blood circulation
- Treats symptoms of arthritis
- Stimulates the user’s nerves
- Beneficiary to muscle growth
2. Rolling Massager Feature
Rolling is also a very popular feature, associated with top shiatsu massagers. The roller makes rolling movements over the spine, downward, upward, and sideways. Thanks to the rolling action, muscles are soothed and stretched, while the bone spines are gently massaged. The result is the user feeling abundantly relaxed, and the back relaxed.
Some of the top benefits of the rolling feature include:
- Helps manage chronic back pain
- Loosens up the skin and make it look healthier and younger
- Increases blood circulation
- Relieves tension and relax back muscles
- Helps lower muscular tension
- Helps with muscle spasms
- Helps with arthritis
- Speeds up injury recovery
- Improves the overall well-being
3. Tapping Massager Feature
Tapping is also quite an important feature to consider when choosing shiatsu back massager, which is also known as percussive massage. One of the best things about it is that in addition to making the user feel amazing, it also improves blood circulation.
4. Heating Massager Feature
Very often, professional masseurs use heated stone in their procedures. A heated massage can achieve the same effect and, in some sense, can be even better than heated stones.
Some of the top benefits of a heated massage include:
- Help with muscle stiffness and improve blood circulation.
- It can provide excellent muscle relaxation. The warmth is nicely spread all over the user’s back, where it targets all the essential muscle groups located next to the spine. The muscles tend to relax very fast, and the results are always excellent.
- One of the greatest benefits of heated massage is that it can penetrate deep into the body. That makes it very effective in treating arthritic pain.
- Leads to more balanced blood pressure
- Heated massages increase muscle flexibility
- Helpful with symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
- It decreases fatigue
- It’s very beneficial to the stamina.
5. Vibrating Massager Feature
A vibrating massage can have all sorts of effects on the human body, depending on the vibration intensity. Quick and firm moves can have a stimulating effect, while lighter and slower can soothe the body.
The best way to understand this feature is through its many benefits:
- A vibration massage can ignite the production of endorphins, which is a chemical that can reduce the pain in the entire body, not just the back. So, reduced back pain and pain, in general, is one of the main advantages of having this feature.
- It stimulates the production of the so-called “feel-good” hormones – serotonin and dopamine. That makes this massage very beneficial to people suffering from chronic pain, depression, and anxiety.
- It helps remove toxins like lactic acid that is associated with chronic pain.
- Helps with insomnia
- If there is a hurt area, it can dull the pain that surrounds it.
- Improves posture
- It increases and improves blood circulation.
However, pregnant women should restrain themselves from getting a vibration massage. Also, some back massagers are not designed for children of all ages.
6. Portability
How about bringing your massager everywhere you go? Some models are more portable than others. If you travel a lot or you have a sitting job, then portability is a feature to take into consideration when choosing a new shiatsu massager. For example, if you spend your lunch break at your office desk, why not get a back massage while on your break.
Some of the top features regarding portability are as below:
- The massager has a compact design, which means it is easy to carry around or stack it in the car.
- Weight can become an issue if you carry it in a bag or a handheld suitcase. So, the more lightweight the shiatsu massager is, the better.
- Built-in handles make carrying the massager easy. That way, you don’t have to bring an extra bag just for the massager.
7. Car Adapter
Speaking of portable units, having a massager with a car adapter can make all the difference in the world. Especially if you have a long commute to work and back, you are a trucker, taxi driver, or anyone that spends a lot of time in the car.
The biggest downside to this is that it doesn’t work while you are driving. The reason for that is because, during the drive, a muscle spasm can occur, which can lead to an accident.
But then again, anyone that is constantly on the road knows how it is to be stuck in traffic over long periods. During those periods, there is no reason why you shouldn’t relax your back with a massage.
8. Remote Control
Having a remote means easier control over the massage experience, as well as the features that accompany the shiatsu back massager. Even though the remote controls are not wireless, there is a lengthy cable that makes controlling easy. One of the best parts about having a remote control is that they allow you to control the massage experience on the go and adjust the settings according to your preferences.
9. Safety Feature
Most, but not all massagers come with overheating safety. So, before you make a purchase, make sure that the model you are considering has a safety feature.
As a result, some models automatically turn off after some time. The turn off time varies from model to model, ranging anywhere from five to twenty minutes. That feature protects the cushion from getting overheated while at the same time, it ensures it doesn’t consume too much power. Sometimes, the user might forget to turn off the massager, and that’s when this feature comes handy.
Typically, the length of this period is predefined by the manufacturer. But some models allow the user to set the shut off time on their own.
10. Memory/Recall
Thanks to this feature, the back massager can use the last settings as adjusted by the user. All that with a press of a button.
In addition to this, some shiatsu back massagers come with predefined massage programs. Therefore, no adjusting is needed. All you need to do is relax and test the different programs so that you find the one that suits you most. That way, you can choose that one every time you have a massage.
11.Versatility
Even though shiatsu back massagers are designed primarily to provide relief from the lower and upper back, some of them can also be helpful for other body parts such as the thighs, neck, feet, and calf. But, this is something limited to certain models and not all. So, if you want this, you better check whether it is an option with your preferred model.
12. Consider the Number of Nodes
Generally speaking, the more rotating nodes the massager has, the better. Don’t buy a massager that has less than four nodes. More nodes mean the massager is penetrating deeper, which makes it more effective.
For example, eight nodes can lead to a top massage that mimics the touch of a professional masseuse.
Wrapping It Up
Finally, after absorbing the content from our mini-guide on how to choose the best shiatsu back massager, the selection process will be a breeze. Simply stick to what you’ve learned here, mind your personal preferences, budget, and you won’t need to worry whether you’ve made the right or the wrong pick.