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Out of all the massage chair manufacturers I’ve been exposed to, Osaki are one of the few that frequently put out new chairs throughout the year. They’re quick to make changes, improve existing designs, and release newer more innovative units!
At first glance, I am pretty impressed. For all that it offers, and considering its current price tag, not bad at all! Since you’re probably dying to see what the Pro Paragon is all about, let’s dive in and talk features!
Okay there’s a lot going on here, so let’s take a moment to break it all down so it’s understandable. First things first, what are rollers?
And that’s because the rollers are responsible for delivering 75-80% of massage. The rest is achieved by pulsating airbags. If you’ve ever sat on a massage chair before, you’ll have experienced a firm contraption moving up and down your back, these are rollers.
With the rapid evolution of massage chairs, roller technology has drastically improved over the years. Back when massage chairs were first being sold, the basic rollers were 2D AKA 2-dimensional. 2D basically means the rollers are restricted in motion to move in only 2 dimensions of space. For a 2D chair, this is up/down and side to side.
After 2D rollers, the next big thing was 3D AKA 3-dimensional. 3D is the exact same thing as 2D but with one added dimension: in/out protrusions. This in/out protrusion was revolutionary because for the first time it allowed massage chairs to be able to deliver a deep tissue massage!
As great as 3D rollers were, consumers wanted more, and manufacturers like Osaki were more than happy to oblige! Step forth 4D rollers. 4D, in addition to having the same dimensions as 3D rollers, also have something known as automatic speed control which serves as the 4th dimension.
The idea was to make the massage chair as “human” as possible. Automatic speed control means the rollers in many ways behave like the human hand of a trained massage therapist. That is, speed is never constant but always varying according to massage stroke. In this sense, 4D chairs were able to deliver a massage closest to a human therapist.
The Pro Paragon comes equipped with 4D rollers. What makes the rollers on the Pro Paragon so special, is that they are heated! This isn’t the first time Osaki have designed chairs with heated rollers. The Pro Maestro, another 4D chair from Osaki also has heated rollers.
Heated rollers are massive if you ask me. The reason I say this is because application of heat makes massage just that much more effective. It makes the muscles less rigid, more flexible, and as a result more pliable. To conclude, application of heat primes the muscles for receiving massage.
Most massage chairs have heating pads. These do work okay, but heated rollers offer a ton more coverage because heat is applied everywhere the rollers traverse.
We know what rollers are but what’s a roller track? Think of it as a simple contraption that allows the rollers to move from point A to point B. You have a train and a train track that allows a train to move from A to B, similarly you have a roller system and it’s corresponding track!
However, the 49” L-Track on the Pro Paragon is special because it’s able to push up and wrap underneath the back of the thighs. In conventional L-Tracks, this is not possible and coverage is reduced.
Because of its ability to do this, you get maximum massage coverage from the rollers. It truly makes a world of difference!
In #1 we spoke about the main back rollers and how they are heated. The foot rollers on the Pro Paragon are also heated. The bottom of the footrest is equipped with spinning reflexology rollers that are responsible for providing massage to the soles, toes, and heel of the feet.
The techniques employed are mostly kneading and rolling, although adjacent airbags help pin the feet down and also provide a compression massage. What differentiates the foot rollers on the Pro Paragon from other chairs is that they are heated. Most chairs do not have heat in the foot area, and if they do, it’s usually more common to see heating pads and not heated foot rollers.
Space saving is a feature you’ll find on majority of massage chairs. It’s especially common on all the newer models being released. What is space saving?
It works like this: as the chair reclines backwards, it also slides forward on a base. This sliding forward movement allows us to place a chair much closer to a wall without having to worry about clashing during recline. For the Pro Paragon, the required clearance from backrest to wall is only 3.15 inches.
Important: Space saving only accounts for clearance from backrest to wall. It does not consider/improve anything else! You still need to carefully ensure you have enough space in the front and sides.
This is the most marketed feature of the Pro Paragon, and Osaki are showing it off on all their promotional videos. It’s definitely a cool feature to have and I can see how it might be useful.
A better alternative I’ve found is to operate the massage chair from a smartphone (most massage chairs have this capability). However, this too causes a bit of disruption because you still need to adjust settings on your phone. The least disruptive method is definitely being able to command the chair via speech/voice.
While this list of 9 might not be everything we need, it still is a very positive step towards improving massage chair operation. As I said earlier, the main purpose is to make operations as less disruptive as possible. If we are looking to mimic the real thing (AKA human massage), then this is of utmost importance!
Another thing I absolutely love about the Pro Paragon is that it comes loaded with 13 auto modes. These have been categorised as regular and special programs. Auto modes can be activated directly from the remote control.
Auto modes are important because they directly contribute to overall user experience. Obviously, the more auto modes, the better, but it doesn’t end there. You can have 20+ auto modes, but if they’re poorly designed, then they’re no good because they won’t be effective. So how do you know this?
You don’t have the ability to try out the auto modes and see how they feel to you. So should you always buy a massage chair in store so you’re able to try it out before buying? Well it’s not always that simple. Many chairs are online exclusive, so you may not be able to try them out. Also you may find better deals online than offline. Honestly, it’s a trade off.
(Note: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
(Note: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Or should you consider something else? Well there’s a few things you need to carefully consider. Firstly, you need to ask yourself:
Knowing this right off the bat will save you $1000’s, because if you’re not looking for a 4D chair, you can probably get away with a 3D one which still is capable of delivering deep tissue, high intensity massage. Please think this through carefully!
If you are looking for a 4D chair, then the best way to go about it is to research what’s available and then compare one chair to several others. If you’ve narrowed your search down to 5 or 6 chairs and there’s one you really like, take that chair and compare it against others. Put it to through a litmus test and see how it fares!
It may take some time to do research, but your wallet will thank you! For this example, I will be comparing the Pro Paragon to the Osaki OS Pro Maestro, and the OHCO M.8. Both of these are known to be the crème de la crème of 4D massage chairs!
When I write reviews on entry level massage chairs, typically making a final recommendation is not that difficult because it’s easy to identify distinctions. However, when you get to the more expensive, advanced chairs, it’s very difficult because all of them are so so good that making a final recommendation is very challenging.
Even still, I will provide a final recommendation here so you have something to go off of if you choose to.
(Note: This is an affiliate link to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.)
I hope this review has been beneficial to you. If it has, please consider sharing on the social platforms. If you have questions, please leave them down below and I’ll be sure to get back to you as early as I can. Take care, stay safe, and I’ll see you next week!
Osaki OS Pro Paragon images were used with permission from Osaki Massage Chair
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