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I can’t tell you how long I’ve waited for this chair to release so I could finally review it! There’s much to love about Human Touch’s newest bad boy, and I can’t wait to share it all with you.
For those of you with zero knowledge about massage chairs, you’re probably thinking the Super Novo is just another massage chair. If that’s what you think, you’re dead wrong buddy!
In fact the Super Novo is 4th in the generation of Novo Ascent series. The Novo Ascent series or generation of massage chairs consists of:
The original “granddaddy” of the lineup. This bad boy was released way back when and comes with 2D rollers.
Because we couldn’t get enough of the XT, Human Touch decided to improve the design further in this release known as the XT2!
In case you’re wondering the original Novo is still available for sale online. However, Human Touch have discontinued the Novo XT. I think this was because they felt it didn’t make sense to have both the XT & XT2, 2 similar chairs both on the market at the same time. The XT2 is the better chair and it’s available online.
In fact I previously wrote a detailed review on the XT2, so if you’re interested in that chair, check out this post!
The Super Novo is undoubtedly the best chair from all 4 in every single area, whether we’re talking user experience, massage technology, or just about anything else. In fact, I’d even go as far as saying that the Super Novo is quite possibly one of the best massage chairs presently on the market!
When it comes to specs and features, there’s a ton of stuff to talk about! In this section i’ll only be touching on what I think are the 7 most important features of this chair.
THIRTY EIGHT! It’s so incredible that I had to spell it out! For those who don’t know, auto modes are simply pre-programmed massage routines that can be activated directly from the remote control.
If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know my favorite massage chairs are those that pack the most auto modes. And the reason for this is simple: picture yourself coming home from work after a hectic 10 hour day…..all you want at this point is a massage!
Would you prefer to a.) reach home and jump right into that bad boy, pick a mode and start massaging or b.) get home, spend a solid 20 minutes adjusting the settings on your remote control only to find out while being massaged, that it’s too intense!
That’s why I love auto modes. It makes things simple, and having many modes ensures the experience of massage stays fresh and interesting over the years!
Here’s the deal when it comes to activating an auto mode:
What you see in the image above is basically how the auto modes have been categorised. Human Touch have 7 core auto modes, and within each one you’ll find several variations. Let’s look at each of these in greater detail!
Now that you know what each category is, you can drill further down depending on what you like. For example, if you’re in the mood for something soft and relaxing…..go with the “Tension Relief” category!
From there you can pick from Shiatsu, Swedish, Sports, or Thai! All 4 are relatively soft to medium intensity massages, except maybe Thai which starts off pretty intense and then gets softer as it progresses!
Last but not least, you’ll need to pick your approximate height so that the shoulder width can be correctly set for the rollers. That’s it, sit back, relax and prepare for ultimate relaxation!
This is definitely one of the standout features of the Super Novo! There’s not many chairs on the market that have 4D rollers at this time, and that’s because 4D is a new technology that’s quite expensive to design and implement.
To understand and appreciate 4D rollers, you first need to know 3D rollers. In theory and operation, 3D rollers are actually pretty simple. Let’s look at both 3D & 4D in greater detail!
At this present time, 4D rollers are the most advanced you can find in any massage chair. That’s why 4D chairs carry such a hefty price tag!
You’ll notice that I give a lot of focus and emphasis to a chair’s roller system; there’s a reason for this. The most integral component in a massage chair is its roller system.
In #2 we spoke about the Super Novo’s 4D rollers and how they function. In this section I want to divert your attention to roller track. What is roller track?
Specifically roller track looks at 2 things:
For the Super Novo, the total distance is 43”. That is, the rollers can move 43” from the neck all the way right down to the hamstrings. While it does this, it forms two shapes: initially you get a tight “S” shape contour with the spine, and as the rollers reach the hamstrings, you get an overall “L” shape.
One of the things I love most about the Super Novo is its ability to deliver an incredibly high intense massage.
This kinda goes hand in hand with what we’ve been discussing all this while. Because the Super Novo comes with such a powerful roller system, super deep tissue and high intense massage routines are possible!
At the same time, you don’t lose out on the flexibility of getting a low to mild intensity massage. The rollers can deliver whatever you require!
User flexibility is all about how well a chair is able to accommodate various body types.
Some chairs are more flexible and can accommodate a wide range of user heights and weights. Other chairs aren’t as flexible, and as a result may be restrictive to certain body types.
It’s got a stupendous user height flexibility ranging from 5’0 all the way to 6’9! That’s almost 2 feet of height range the chair is able to accommodate. As far as weight is concerned, the Super Novo can accommodate a maximum weight load of 285 lbs (pretty standard on most massage chairs I’ve reviewed).
Most people were stoked to know that the Super Novo can be controlled by voice commands. To be honest, it’s definitely a cool feature but it didn’t have me “head over heels” so to speak!
That’s why I try not to dwell on features like this. In any case since it’s the first massage chair I’ve seen that has voice control, let’s discuss it a little more.
How does the voice control work on the Super Novo? Heard of this thing called Alexa? Alexa is a virtual assistant AI developed by the folks over at Amazon. If you own an iPhone, it’s basically like Siri but the non-smartphone version. If you’re interested in reading more about Alexa, here’s an informative post to check out!
Coming back to the point, the Super Novo comes pre-loaded with Alexa, and that means you can speak to Alexa and give it all sorts of voice commands. I’m not familiar with all of them to be honest, but I imagine you’d have pretty much the same level of control as you would with the remote control and control panel.
What I can confirm for sure is that the virtual assistant will start of by asking you a series of questions about your massage preferences. It stores this information and then retrieves it next time you wanna get a massage.
Important: There’s a few different ways to control the chair. You can use the Alexa enabled virtual assistant, the LCD remote control, the built in control panel (which is on the hand-rest), or you can download the Human Touch app and control directly from your smartphone (iPhone or Android).
Human Touch have designed the chair with a total of 36 airbags, each of which are strategically placed to massage various parts of the body that the rollers are unable to target.
Airbag intensity can be adjusted from various levels ranging from weak to strong. This can be done pretty easily on the remote control.
Important: When starting out on a massage chair, it’s always a good idea to take things easy when it comes to massage intensity. That is, start off with low intensity settings and then build your way up when you start to feel more comfortable. I found this out the hard way after using my own massage chair!
The Super Novo is not an online exclusive model. That means you can purchase it either online of offline (in-store). If it were me, I would 100% without a doubt try the chair before buying. You’re spending a stupendous amount of money, so you’d better test drive the thing before deciding!
Well it really depends. Reviews like this one can only help you to an extent. It’s up to you to do your research and determine what the most cost effective option is.
If online is cheaper (usually this can be the case), than search out the best prices online and buy online. Conversely, if buying in-store is cheaper and more convenient, then buy in store!
Important: here’s a link that’ll locate the closest stores where you can find Human Touch products in your area!
It’s a pretty big chair, and so you’ll definitely need to review and consider the dimensions prior to buying.
In addition to the above, Human Touch have designed the chair such that it only requires 2” of wall clearance from back of the chair to the wall. Here’s a few other technical specs you should know about:
You have a choice of 6 different colour schemes: saddle, espresso, cream, gray, red, and black. My 2 favourites are the saddle and the red, as they’re both unconventional/unique from what you typically find on other massage chairs!
Before we even begin to answer this, it’s important to ask yourself:
If you are indeed looking for a chair with 4D rollers, keep reading! If it’s the latter, then there’s a ton of much cheaper 3D chairs that are incredibly effective. Check out my reviews on the following 3D chairs:
Another fantastic model that was only recently released by Osaki (mid 2019). 16 auto modes, 3D rollers and a whack of other features!
If you’re hell bent on buying the creme de la creme of massage chairs, that is buying a chair with 4D rollers….then stick around!
The only way to fairly answer this question is to compare the Super Novo against other similar chairs on the market. Because of how advanced the Super Novo is, there isn’t many chairs we can compare it to……except one….step forth the pride of Osaki, the Osaki Pro Maestro!
What’s not to love about about this chair!? It’s got 4D rollers with a whopping 52.8” SL-Track, great user flexibility and a low rate of power consumption. Oh and the roller system is fully heated!
This is the first time it’s not quite as clear to me on what chair i’d pick. Up to this point, i’ve reviewed 40-50 chairs and I’ve always been able to provide a final recommendation! Let’s look at this a little closer.
It’s pretty clear to see that the rollers on the Pro Maestro are more superior to the rollers on the Super Novo. The winning difference for me is in the roller track. 52.8” (heated rollers) in the Maestro versus 43” (non-heated rollers) in the Super Novo. Pro Maestro is the clear winner here and in a big way!
The Pro Maestro is slightly cheaper than the Super Novo, but not by much. Even still, the Pro Maestro is the winner here.
I’ve listed these all in a single point, but that should not take away from the fact that these are 3 major areas! The Super Novo is the clear winner in all 3 of these departments!
And the winner is…..
If rollers are most important to you, pick the Pro Maestro; if user experience, auto modes, and flexibility are most important to you, pick the Super Novo. One thing is clear: both of these chairs in their own right can be called the best massage chair currently on the market!
If you choose to buy using any of the affiliate links in this post, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions are used to offset costs needed to run this site and continue to able to write these reviews, so if you enjoyed reading and have decided to buy, using my links would be massively appreciated!
That’s it from me folks. I hope you enjoyed reading this review post and got some value out of it. If you did, a share on the socials would be hugely appreciated. Leave your questions and comments below. I’ll see you next week!
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