HoMedics Shiatsu Massager

Nicepeach

Hi all:wave:

Been out & about today & tried a demonstration model of the above in a store. I was amazed, it felt great! ALMOST fell off the MSE wagon & bought it there & then for £79.99 but decided I didn't NEEEED it, I just want it & as I have recently got a new job I am thinking of treating myself I thought I'd be sensible & shop around &, of course, ask for recommendations on here!

The model I tried was a HoMedics Shiatsu Massager with heat SBM-179H I think as I have looked at it on b*oots.com & seen it for £69.99 so already £10 cheaper but there are no reviews on there I wondered if anyone had one/had tried it over a period of time. Just had a look on a*rgos & almost identical model is £179.99!!!

I am justifying this purchase as MSE as I wouldn't get 4 neck & shoulder massages from a therapist for this price & after 30 years of desk/keyboard/office work scrunching phones under shoulders I suffer terribly with stiffness/tension in upper shoulders & this really seemed to work. I even went back for a second try-out! Didn't even fall for a swanky sales pitch as it was just attached to a chair in a store & I sat there having a lovely time! I think my 18yo DS would also use it as he gets stiff shoulders too.

Any recommendations from anyone here gratefully received (good or bad) or would I be better posting on the I want to buy/do it place but thought that was more to do with pricing of the actual products?

Thanks for reading. x

lessonlearned

Hi

I have one of these and yes I do use it quite regularly - at least once a week, sometimes more when my back is bad. I don't know if its the exact model but it has the heating bit and it was around the same price.

I do find it helpful. I find that I do still need to have physiotherapy as well but not as often so I think it does save money.

I've had it about 2 years now.

Hope that helps.

Nicepeach

Thanks lessonlearned, really kind of you to respond & useful to know others' views.

I do have a lower back problem which causes me pain (slipped disc, very low down at S3) & sometimes go to the Chiropractor when this plays me up & the practitioner gives me a really good massage right up to my neck & shoulders but this is approx. £30 per session.

I have tried neck & shoulder massages for the shoulder tension at beauty parlour & physio type places & paid anything between £20 & £30 for a 30 minute neck & shoulder massage but, even when I ask for a good, deep massage, they seem reluctant to apply enough pressure to get out the "knots" & this HoMedics massager thingy got straight to work on the "knots" & felt great. The best massage I ever had was in Turkey years ago, full steam & massage in a traditional place for about £5, it was fabulous & my neck & shoulders felt so "free" I felt as if I could swizzle my head right around like a cartoon character!

Thanks again. x

AbbieCadabra

i've got long standing problems with my back, lower & upper. go for physio at least once a month & i've had one of these homedic massagers about 2 years, from costco about £70 i think.

no where near as good as a proper physio treatment, but very good for undoing a few knots as & when needed at home!

only this weekend i noticed all the lights on the the remote were all on at once, something not quite right, sure enough - it's stopped working, no sign of life at all now

i'll have to get in touch with costco & see just when i did buy it as i think it might have had a 2 year guarantee on it? i fear it could be for the bin though...

edit: just did a quick search on that model no. to see if it was the same one as mine, just noticed this at bigpockets, showing out of stock now but they might be having some more in?

Nicepeach

Thanks for the response AbbieCadabra & Wow! at that price, it does look like the exact same thing! How on earth can that price difference be justified!!!

Have you ever used this site before? I've only recently started to shop properly on-line & aren't "au fait" with all the best sites but am learning thanks to you lot on here!

Thanks again. x

Charliezoo

I've got a more portable version and it is lovely. The model you're looking for does seem to come up on ebay quite a lot, maybe its worth waiting to see if you can get a bargain.

AbbieCadabra

Nicepeach wrote: »

Thanks for the response AbbieCadabra & Wow! at that price, it does look like the exact same thing! How on earth can that price difference be justified!!!

Have you ever used this site before? I've only recently started to shop properly on-line & aren't "au fait" with all the best sites but am learning thanks to you lot on here!

Thanks again. x

that was a re-conditioned one though, just like a lot on ebay i would imagine. i have ordered off bigpockets before, only a couple of times, but no problems.

i've checked the model no. on mine & it's the SBM-300H, can't find anything online to tell me how long the warranty was though (the latest model which is similar to mine SBM-300HA-3GB has a 2 year warranty). will see what costco say when i pop in later...

depends where your particular issues are, but i can 100% recommend one of these little beauties, omni massage ball. it's saved me from a full blown muscle spasm on more than one occasion. i got mine from john lewis for £10 a couple of years ago. looking at their current range, i think i'll give one of these a try now.

AbbieCadabra

as i feared, my massager is destined for the bin! i actually got it from costco in Aug 2009 (how time flies when you've having fun!) so it's well out of the 2 year warranty period now...don't think i'd buy another one.

Raksha

AbbieCadabra wrote: »

as i feared, my massager is destined for the bin! i actually got it from costco in Aug 2009 (how time flies when you've having fun!) so it's well out of the 2 year warranty period now...don't think i'd buy another one.

Don't throw it away - that's the beauty of buying from Costco - if you are EVER dissatisfied with something purchased from them (I think there are limits on Computers and TV's) you can get an exchange or your money back. I had a 5 year old 4 slice toaster from them which stopped working, and they were happy to swop it. Don't need recipt (although they like it if you have it) as all the details are kept on your account.

HTH

AbbieCadabra

Raksha wrote: »

Don't throw it away - that's the beauty of buying from Costco - if you are EVER dissatisfied with something purchased from them (I think there are limits on Computers and TV's) you can get an exchange or your money back. I had a 5 year old 4 slice toaster from them which stopped working, and they were happy to swop it. Don't need recipt (although they like it if you have it) as all the details are kept on your account.

HTH

costco did have a great name for anything like this, we've taken stuff back before & got a replacement/refund with no questions asked.

however, i think their policy has changed recently (read it somewhere else, can't remember now) as their extensive goodwill was obviously making their balance sheet look unhealthy!

i spoke to them earlier & was told as it's out of warranty, nothing they can do (which is what i expected).

AbbieCadabra

Raksha wrote: »

Don't throw it away - that's the beauty of buying from Costco - if you are EVER dissatisfied with something purchased from them (I think there are limits on Computers and TV's) you can get an exchange or your money back. I had a 5 year old 4 slice toaster from them which stopped working, and they were happy to swop it. Don't need recipt (although they like it if you have it) as all the details are kept on your account.

HTH

after i'd replied earlier, your comments prompted me to try a little harder so i emailed Costco head office to see if they could offer any help.

replied really quickly & confirmed i would be due a refund if i just took it back! i double checked & said that's not what my local branch had said. reply was "yes, refund definitely due, show them this email if any issue & say you've been in touch with XX at head office".

result! :T thanks Raksha :A