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Of All The Body Parts That Cause Me Grief….
Of all the body parts that cause me grief, neck and shoulders top the list. It’s the one area I demand most attention from my masseuse, and it’s also the one area that needs continuous work. I’ve been told it doesn’t take much to tense your neck and shoulders. For example, did you know driving with your hands in the 9 3 position may tighten your shoulder muscles? Don’t believe me? Change your position to a lower 8 4 and see how you feel in a month!
There’s tons of other reasons for neck and shoulder pain: bad posture, incorrect sleeping positions, stress, and sport injuries to name a few. Age is another very important reason. As we age, our bodies no longer function like they once could. Our spinal discs deteriorate and over time they lose their flexible, elastic tendencies. This condition is medically referred to as degenerative disc disease (DDD). I’ll spare you the spiel, but if you want to read more about neck pain and aging, click here. There are a lot of ways to relieve achy neck and shoulders; one of my favorite ways is to use an electric neck massager, so that’s what this post will be focused on. We’ll look at what to consider before buying one, and then later in the post I’ll discuss my best neck massager!
5 Things To Think About Before Buying!
This list of 5 is what I personally would consider before buying a neck massager. It’s not exhaustive by any means, but it covers the majority of things you should think about (Infographic created using Venngage).
Before I talk about my best neck massager, there’s one more thing i’d like to mention. For those of you who already own a handheld percussion massager, you can use that to massage your neck and shoulders. No point wasting $$$ on buying another massager!
Nekteck Shiatsu Is My Best Neck Massager!
After much thought, my #1 pick is the Nekteck Shiatsu. Why? It checks out for pretty much everything I talked about in my consideration section above! I breakdown the pros and cons below!
***CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE***
Pros—Why I Love It So Much
Speed/Intensity Control
You’d be hard pressed to find many neck massagers that come with speed control, so seeing this got me excited. There’s 3 levels of intensity you can choose from: low, medium, and high. I always recommend you start off with the low setting and build yourself up over time.
Heat Can Be Toggled On/Off
You’re able to toggle heat either on/off as you desire. I spoke about the importance of heat previously, so I won’t repeat the same here. My advice: leave the heat on at all times, unless it’s causing you discomfort.
At 3 Pounds, It’s Not Heavy
Slightly more than a kilogram, the Nekteck is far from being too heavy or uncomfortable to carry. Lightweight neck massagers are generally more comfortable to use, and allow users to massage either while standing or sitting. With some of the heavier devices, you have no choice but to massage while sitting.
6 Feet Long Cord Is Good Enough
When it comes to neck massagers, I am okay with corded options; that’s because I don’t see myself carrying the massager on my travels. However, there’s one thing that always irks me if it’s not proper….and that is the cord length. Too short a length is a pain in the rear every time! The Nekteck has approximately 6 feet of cord length to work with, which in my opinion is ample. Although, 9 feet would’ve been perfect in my opinion!
You Can Use It In The Car!
Nekteck have thrown in a car adapter so you can plug this into your cigarette lighter and get a massage going while driving. Definitely an added bonus, but not sure I’d use it much, and that’s because I don’t find myself driving for long hours. If you spend lots of hours behind the wheel, this could prove very useful to you. Either way, it’s definitely a nice feature to have!
Auto Shut Off After 10 Minutes
Some might find the auto shut off inconvenient, but I think it’s an awesome safety feature because:
- It ensures the device doesn’t overheat. This protects both the device as well as the end user.
- Allows the user to decide if he/she would like to initiate another massage, or end.
A True Bargain!
Yup….price is on point. An absolute steal in my opinion. Who says you can’t find good deals online!?
Cons—What I Dislike About It
I Can’t Use It While Walking Around
I’m being a tad picky here. This is just one of those things you lose out on when you select a corded option. Oh well….there’s always going to be a trade off I guess. All things considered, still the top pick for neck massagers!
Nekteck Shiatsu Common Questions
Q1. Can this work if I live in a 220 volt region?
Answer: Yes the adapter works on a 110-240 volt range, so you definitely don’t need a transformer. However, you may need an adapter so you can plug into the 240 volt outlet. You can find these adapters for cheap pretty much everywhere!
Q2. Can it be used as a heating pad?
Answer: Strictly speaking, no it can’t be used as just a heating pad. When turned on, the massager will automatically have some pressure/intensity, so you can’t just toggle heat on/off with zero pressure.
Q3. What about using this on other areas of the body? For example, foot, back, and legs.
Answer: Absolutely! One of the cool things about the Nekteck is its versatility. You can use it to massage different parts of your body, and not just your neck and shoulders.
Q4. What type of massage technique does this do?
Answer: It has a total of 8 massage heads (4 on each side) that do a kneading shiatsu style massage.
Q5. Is it comparable to a massage from a qualified therapist/masseuse?
Answer: This question is always difficult to answer, but I’d say yes and no. Allow me to further elaborate. No if you have a good masseuse who knows how to work deep tissue. If you have a good masseuse/therapist, there’s no single automated massager in the market that can come close to comparison. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. On the contrary, if your therapist is just mediocre to average, then yes the Nekteck will probably produce a more invigorating, relaxing massage.
Here’s 2 More Awesome Massagers!
My #1 pick for the best neck massager is the Nekteck Shiatsu, but below are my picks for 2nd and 3rd place respectively!
Zyllion ZMA13BK Shiatsu Pillow Massager—2nd Place
My favorite thing about this massager is its portability. The ZMA13 is a fairly small device (about 6 cm wide), and because of this it’s easy to carry on the go. In addition, it has most of the other features I always look for: heat, which can be turned either on/off as desired, overheat protection and auto shut off (after 20 minutes), and adjustable straps. What are it’s drawbacks? There’s a couple:
- No adjustable speed/intensity control. Unfortunately you’ll have to make do with a preset intensity.
- Because it’s a smaller unit, massaging the neck and shoulders all at one time can be a little tricky. You may have to do each shoulder individually.
Final thoughts: Overall a decent device that’s reasonably priced. Its size definitely gives it an advantage over other massagers. If you’re concerned with getting just a neck massager (minus shoulders), this is something you may wanna consider.
***CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE***
LiBa Cordless Shiatsu Massager—3rd Place
For those of you looking for a travel friendly option, this is it. The LiBa cordless massager makes use of a rechargeable battery, which when fully charged gives a good 2 hours of use. Having this sort of flexibility is great for anyone who is constantly on the go. The fact that you can use this on a 3-5 hour plane haul is remarkable! If there’s one time I could really use a massage, it’s when I’m flying. If you’re not one to carry a neck massager on your travels, pick one of the corded options mentioned previously. As far as features are concerned, it does heated massages, and performs a shiatsu technique by using 4 kneading nodes. Drawbacks?
- You don’t have the ability to adjust speed/intensity.
Final thoughts: A great alternative for frequent travelers, or anyone who wishes to carry their massager on the go. It does cost a little more than the previously discussed massagers, however.
***CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON BY CLICKING HERE***
So How Do They Compare?
Below is a table showing a comparison of all 3 massagers.
| Massager | Option To Heat? | Adjustable Intensity? | Approximate Weight | Number Of Massage Nodes? | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nekteck Shiatsu | Yes | Yes (3 Levels) | 3 Pounds | 8 | $$ - CLICK TO CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON |
Zyllion ZMA13BK | Yes | No | 3.5 Pounds | 4 | $$ - CLICK TO CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON |
LiBa Cordless | Yes | No | 4 Pounds | 4 | $$$$ - CLICK TO CHECK LATEST PRICING ON AMAZON |
Looking at the rankings above, hopefully you can see why I chose the Nekteck Shiatsu as my best neck massager!
How Do I Relieve Tight Neck & Shoulder Muscles?
There’s obviously more than just massage when it comes to relieving tight neck and shoulder muscles, and I wanted to briefly mention some of the tips that have worked for me. Let me start of by saying I’m no doctor, so this shouldn’t be taken as medical advice. These are 5 tips and tricks that’ve worked wonders for me in the past, so I figure they may be useful to you. It’s 100% your responsibility should you choose to follow the methods prescribed below. Guys, last but not least…..please consult with your physician if you continuously suffer from neck and shoulder pain. It’s easy to dismiss as muscular, but you can’t be sure until you get a professional to look at it. Perform your due diligence! (Infographic created using Canva)
You Now Have All The Information You Need!
I hope you enjoyed reading this post and got some useful insight. If you did, a share would be hugely appreciated! Now that you know my best neck massager, what’s yours? Have you had good/bad experience with a particular product? I’d love to hear, so please leave me a comment below!
