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Today we look at one of Osaki’s newest chairs for 2019; step forth the Pro Soho! An incredibly well designed chair that’s both fashionable and produces solid results.
There’s a lot to talk about when it comes to features, so let’s jump right in!
In case you didn’t know, rollers are the most important component to a massage chair. In many ways it’s the set of rollers that determines how good/bad a massage chair performs! That being said, there’s 3 types of rollers you can find on massage chairs today. These are:
The most oldest and basic of roller technology. 2D rollers move up/down vertically from neck to back, and horizontally from side to side. The image above illustrates this.
3D rollers are a step up from 2D rollers in that they have 1 extra dimension; In addition to the horizontal and vertical movements, 3D rollers can also protrude inward/outward.
The creme de la creme of roller technology. 4D rollers are an improvement to their 3D predecessors in that they offer automatic speed control for a more “rhythmic” massage.
Now you know why the Pro Soho carries such a hefty price tag. It’s mostly because of the advanced 4D roller system! Is it worth paying extra $$$ for a 4D chair?
If high intensity massage is not as important to you, you can probably get away with a less expensive 2D or 3D chair. However, if you want to experience the best a massage chair has to offer, then you definitely want a 4D chair no question!
The 4D rollers on this chair can traverse a total distance of 32” from neck to back. Osaki have designed the rollers to tightly trace or contour the spine’s natural “S” shape. In the massage chair industry, we often refer to this as “S-Track”.
Note: The roller intensity can be varied to 5 different levels. The higher the intensity/speed, the deeper the massage!
Probably one of my least favorite things about the Pro Soho is its inability to comfortably accommodate taller and heavier users.
Not the most versatile of chairs unfortunately. While this isn’t something that impacts me (I’m 5’3 ft and 110 lbs), I do realize that it could impact most of you, especially if you’re nearing 6 feet and over! If you are taller than average, I recommend you strongly consider other options!
The Osaki Pro Soho comes fitted with a total of 30 airbags strategically placed in various areas around the chair (arms, calves, shoulders, glutes, feet etc.).
Airbags generally serve 2 main purposes:
In layman terms, it’s a fancy way of saying more is less! When manufacturers talk about next gen airbags, they’re basically saying the chair has fewer airbags with the same coverage and a reduced power consumption (as a result of fewer valves and pumps).
This one had me stumped, and here’s why:
As mentioned earlier, the Pro Soho can only fit individuals from 5’0-6’0 ft., so not quite sure what purpose an extendable foot ottoman serves, but in any case!
What’s neat about this chair, however, is that the foot ottoman can be rotated inwards when the calf and foot massager is not in use, so that the end result is a standard foot ottoman!
I love this feature for 2 reasons:
This is by far one of my favorite features in the new Osaki chairs! (FYI, this feature is also present in Osaki’s high end Pro Maestro).
There’s 2 forms of heat therapy present in the Pro Soho:
Unlike 99% of massage chairs, the Pro Soho’s rollers are designed to heat as they traverse the 32” from neck to back. What I love most about this is how evenly heat is distributed around the back. Unlike conventional heating pads, you’re not subjected to overwhelming heat focused on a single area!
Located in the calf region on either side of the foot rest are 4 heating pads (2 per side). These work in tandem with the pulsating airbags, and provide heat to loosen up the calf and feet muscles, so massage is most effective. Aside from massage, heated calves are especially comforting on a cold day!
More manufacturers need to take note and learn from Osaki on this one! Heated rollers are a genius innovation!
For a chair that costs $4,499 (current pricing on massage chair deals), 6 auto modes is a little disappointing. To be honest, I was expecting more. In any case, the 6 auto routines are:
Note: Each of the 6 auto modes can be selected directly from the remote control.
2 other noteworthy features worth mentioning are space saving recline and Bluetooth compatible speakers.
This is quickly becoming a standard feature on most designs. It’s a simple improvement where during recline, the chair slides forward on its base. Being able to do this means you only need a few inches of clearance from the back of the chair to the wall.
Like most chairs, the Pro Soho comes fitted with built in Bluetooth speakers located on either side of the headrest. All you gotta do is get your smartphone paired up and you’re good to go! If successfully synced/paired a blue light will display on the speaker system.
The best way to gauge a chair’s performance is by comparing it to similar chairs in the market. This not only provides a price reference, but it also helps you see a chair’s strengths and weaknesses. In this particular instance, we will be comparing the Pro Soho to another Osaki chair, the 100% Japanese manufactured and designed 4D Pro JP Premium, as well as the APEX Pro Regent.
As far as 4D chairs are concerned, the 4D Pro JP Premium is my personal favorite. It’s incredibly powerful, jam packed with features, and best of all…..it’s reasonably priced for a 4D chair! (currently $3,999 on massage chair deals with a 5 year warranty!).
About $500 more than the Pro Soho, but not sure it’s worth the extra money. Yes there are some areas where the Pro Regent does better than the Pro Soho (auto modes, user flexibility), but there’s also areas where it does worse (no foot rollers, or zero gravity)!
Is the Pro Soho worth $4,499, and should you buy it?
All in all, the 4D Pro JP Premium is a fantastic chair. The fact that it’s 100% designed and engineered in Japan by one of the best massage chair names (Fujiiryoki) is more than enough reason to buy it! If you went on to look at price, you’re not going to find a 4D chair for $3,999, that too with a 5 year warranty!
Don’t get me wrong, the Pro Soho is an awesome chair. It’s just the pricing that doesn’t quite make sense to me. It might be priced this way because it’s a new chair only released a couple months ago, so maybe a few months down the road the price drops, and that definitely impacts my final recommendation. In any case, my recommendation for now stands, and that is to instead go for the all Japanese 4D Pro JP Premium!
It’s always nice to hear from you guys! It’s interesting to see how we all have differing opinions on how one chair is better than another. That being said, leave me a comment letting me know what your thoughts are on the Pro Soho. Buy or pass?
Osaki OS Pro Soho 4D massage chair images were used with permission from Massage Chair Deals & Osaki Massage Chair.
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