Table of Contents
A whole bunch of you asked for this chair to be reviewed, so here we are! I’m not all to familiar with the Kahuna series as a whole, but I have previously reviewed two of their models:
The Kahuna Hubot HM-078 is part of Kahuna’s HM series of massage chairs. If you’re on instagram much, you’ll have seen this particular model being endorsed by famous celebrities such as Johnathan Cheban & Martha Stewart. Kahuna’s HM series is comprised of 2 chairs:
Looking at the description on Kahuna’s site, I don’t think they do a good job explaining how the rollers on this chair function. In their promotional material they refer to the roller technology as KMS-08M-225L. As a consumer (in my case a reviewer), this means absolutely nothing!
Also the “massage ball” system isn’t explained properly either. If you ask me, I think it’s poor marketing. In any case I don’t wish to digress from this review so let’s talk about 3D rollers!
I categorize massage chairs in this manner: entry level chairs come with the most basic 2D roller technology; mid-level chairs come with 3D rollers, and advanced chairs come with 4D rollers.
2D rollers move up/down along the length of the back and side to side across the width of the back. 3D rollers are an extension to their 2D predecessors in that they can also move in and out of the back. It’s this additional protruding dimension that makes chairs with 3D rollers able to massage at a much greater intensity than the 2D chairs.
For the Kahuna Hubot HM-078, the rollers can protrude in/out a total of 3 inches. However, something very important to note about this chair is that you can’t adjust the protrusion. All of that is preset and the only thing you can change is the speed. This for me is a major shortcoming.
Probably my favorite thing about the Kahuna Hubot HM-078 massage chair is its incredibly long roller track. How long? I’m talking 51.2” from neck to glutes and hamstring. Not many chairs can match the Kahuna here!
So we know the rollers can traverse a massive distance, that’s why the “H for hyper” in “HSL” but what does the “SL” portion mean? In the world of massage chairs, there are 3 common roller tracks:
At this moment in time “SL” tracks are the most advanced you can find on a massage chair. That being said, the roller length and track is an area the Kahuna Hubot HM-078 doesn’t disappoint!
Another thing I love about the HM-078 is that it comes equipped with heating elements pretty much all over. You have heating pads on the upper back, lower back, legs, and feet areas of the chair. What this means is you get full body heat coverage as the rollers and airbags do their thing!
Application of heat during massage makes your muscles more workable, or in another words more pliable if you will. It’s akin to a therapist applying hot oil for certain Ayurvedic or Asian style massages. The idea is to reduce friction, muscle stiffness and rigidity, so that the massage is not only easier to deliver but it’s also much more effective!
Heat therapy is an area that’s lacking in most massage chairs. It’s common to only see lower back heating elements on majority of the chairs, so it’s nice to see Kahuna make an improvement in their design!
Auto modes, auto modes, and more auto modes! I cannot stress the importance of auto modes. Yes it’s true manual operation is also important, but 95% of people who are interested in buying a massage chair are doing so for the simple convenience of it!
Most of us just wanna sink into our chair after a long day of work, hit the power button, pick an auto mode and zone off to relaxation avenue! That’s why having auto modes becomes so important, and the more you have the better. That way you’re not bored of doing the same routines time and again.
A little more description around these 15 modes:
A lot of times I get asked the question: what is the difference between air cells and airbags?
Air cells or airbags are empty pouches or sacks that fill up with compressed air. The high pressure air causes the airbag to expand and push against adjacent muscle. This is in essence compression massage, or the action of “squeezing” or compressing muscle. It’s kinda like when you get your blood pressure taken at the doctor’s!
Not necessarily. Airbag surface area coverage is more important than airbag count in my opinion. I’ve seen chairs with only a few airbags but incredible surface area coverage for those few airbags. As a result you still get an awesome compression massage!
Kahuna have done a fantastic job in equipping the chair with airbags in all important areas such as the arms, neck, head, legs, calves, and feet!
The Kahuna Hubot HM-078 has the ability to be controlled directly from your Apple or Android smartphone. You simply download an app and you’re basically good to go!
I like smartphone control for 2 reasons:
How does this all work? Your phone pairs up to the chair via Bluetooth. By the way, the chair also comes built with Bluetooth speakers, so you can enjoy some tunes all the while sinking into a relaxing massage!
I’ll talk about this more in the “cons” section, but I also wanted to mention it here as it’s important.
My issue is not so much with the weight rating. My issue is with the height range, and that’s because having 1 foot of variation/flexibility may not be enough.
If you’re like most people, you buy a massage chair not only for you to use, but also for your family (kids, spouse, grandparents etc.). It then becomes especially important to consider height/weight flexibility for all those individuals when deciding on a massage chair.
What should you do if you (or someone you know who will use the chair) are outside the 5’2-6’2 ft height range? Should you still consider the Kahuna Hubot HM-078? My recommendation is for you to consider something else. Don’t worry we’ll talk more about recommendations and alternatives later on in this post!
For those who don’t know, space saving technology is a common feature you see on newer massage chairs. It’s basically the chair’s ability to slide forward on a base while reclining backward. As you can imagine this greatly reduces the amount of wall clearance needed from the back of chair to the wall. Unfortunately the Kahuna HM-078 doesn’t have space saving recline.
Yes the Kahuna HM-078 is capable of reclining to a single zero gravity position. You can select/activate zero gravity directly from the remote control.
The restrictive height range of 5’2-6’2 ft means anything outside those bounds might be risky. Risky in the sense that it will either be too tight of a fit, or too large to fit in. Either way, massage will be ineffective in both these cases.
That being said, no I would not recommend you consider the Kahuna HM-078. There’s plenty of other awesome 3D chairs in the market. We’ll look at these in the comparison and final recommendation sections below!
Yes this can be done directly from the app. You have a choice of 1-5; 1 being the lowest intensity, and 5 being the most intense. I always recommend you start with a lower intensity and then build your way up over time!
A lot of massage chair models are now online exclusive, and unfortunately the HM-078 is no different. That being said, you can still try the chair if you happen to be in Cypress California. The address to the location is here.
Otherwise you will need to make a decision based on all the relevant information presented online. Hopefully this review provides some sort of guidance towards that!
As the Hubot HM-078 is a 3D chair, it’s only fair that we compare it against similar 3D chairs. That being said, let’s compare it against the Osaki Pro Admiral and the Titan Pro Jupiter XL. Both are 2 of the best as far as 3D chairs are concerned!
16 auto modes, 49” L-Track, 3 rows of foot rollers and much more! A phenomenal chair with a more than reasonable price tag!
Well well well moment of truth! Which of the 3 chairs should you pick? Based on the comparison above, there’s a few things to consider:
Price ($$$)—The Pro Admiral and Pro Jupiter XL are significantly cheaper than the Hubot HM-078.
User Flexibility—Both the Pro Admiral as well as the Pro Jupiter XL outclass the HM-078 in the user flexibility department. This there’s no question about!
Roller Track—The HM-078 has an SL-Track whereas the other 2 chairs have L-Tracks. HM-078 is the clear winner here!
Auto Modes—Pro Admiral is the winner in this department with 16 auto modes!
Space Saving—Pro Admiral is the clear winner here with an incredible 2” clearance!
Heat Therapy—HM-078 has the best heat therapy from all the chairs.
Why? 2 things in particular decide it for me. One is the price tag for both chairs which are significantly cheaper than the HM-078, and two is the user flexibility which is also better.
As I mentioned earlier in the post, the pricing on the HM-078 just doesn’t make sense. At the same time Kahuna don’t do a good job of explaining the roller technology, so that part is also iffy. If it were me, I would pick the Pro Admiral or Pro Jupiter XL and that’s why I advise you the same.
Now’s a good time to tell you that if you were to buy any of the 3 chairs discussed in this review using the links placed in this post, I would receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you got some value from this post, think of it as a way of showing your support and gratitude. It really does go a long way in helping me run this site!
That being said, I am able to offer you some perks!
5% might not seem like much, but it’s pretty significant when you do the math! For a chair that costs about $4K, 5% off will mean you save $200! Pretty darn good if you ask me!
If this review post was helpful to you, please consider sharing on the social platforms. Lastly, if you have any questions about this or any other massage chair, please do not hesitate to get in touch by leaving a comment below. Happy new year and I will see you next week!
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