HoMedicsGel Shiatsu Massage Pillow with Heat - Rechargeable Massaging Cushion for Legs, Lumbar, Shoulders and Neck, Massager Support Pillow with Built-in Controls, Includes Travel Bag - Grey

As described

Bulky, not fit properly..use with less pressure.. Returned the product because one of the light blinks after couple of days and one of the rotating ball makes some noise.

After 45 days is starting making funny noises

Doesn't get warm as advertised, bit bulky, which i could live with if it got warm. Sort of does 50% of what it should

Comfortable to use. This is perfect for neck and shoulder knots

I returned this because it wasn’t as described. It was supposed to give out soothing heat but it wasn’t even warm. We couldn’t tell the difference from when the heat was on or off. Shame because apart from that it was nice.

If you can get this into a good position, it can give a pleasant, gentle massage. Silicone-esque domes rotate on turntables beneath the fabric on the face of the pillow, which produce a gentle and soothing kneading effect. It could potentially go a bit deeper and start to work on those aching muscles. Potentially.However, getting into the right position is truly a challenge and there are no instructions to speak of save for a safety pamphlet. There is a gentle curve on the topside of the pillow which seems to suggest it would fit to a certain extent around the back of the neck, but it doesn't really sit there. Resting it against the back of your neck supported by the backrest of a chair means that the remainder of your upper and lower back are away from the chair, which means you are obliged to hold your core muscles quite rigidly, where they ought to be fairly relaxed if you are to actually benefit from a massage. It's far too solid and bulky to lie on (it hurts!) and it doesn't really do anything if you try to sit it on your shoulders whilst lying on your front.I also have no idea what this has to do with Shiatsu.If you can find someone (a willing partner perhaps) to hold it gently but firmly against your back, or if you have sufficient handy skills to build a chair that this can slot into, then you're onto a winner. IF you can get yourself into a position where the massage does indeed feel just right, then this will also be for you. But if you can, please do tell me how. Or if there is a kindly Homedic staffer reading this, please feel free to comment with some suggestions. And please, please, ask whoever is responsible for producing your manuals to include some sort of guidance about how to actually use the thing.I will continue to experiment. For now, the best I can get is a pleasant but ineffectual shoulder rub, like being comforted by a well-meaning friend - akin to the sort of massage usually accompanied by essential oils and elevator music. Not really a massage, in my book. But if that's what you're after - go for it.

We already have a Homedics massage unit that fits into a chair and it’s great but this smaller rechargeable unit is a bit of a disappointment. It’s a well-made and equipped unit that comes with its own drawstring bag and a dedicated mains charger, although you can’t use it while it’s connected and charging. The first problem is how deep the unit is which means you can’t lie on it comfortably and it can be awkward to position in a chair because it takes a lot of room. We found embedding it into a cushion or two helped keep it securely located and comfy to use but it’s not very convenient.The other issue is the weakness of the motors running the massage function and if you apply too much body weight against the device it slows down to the point of being pointless. The massage effect, when it works, is good and the kneading Shiatsu-style can be quite therapeutic but it takes a bit of pressure to be really effective and it’s hard to get the balance between pressure and speed right. It really doesn’t take much weight or pressure to slow the action down to a crawl, even resting a thigh on top of the device slows it to a crawl.The massage heads inside the unit are tipped with flexible gel that’s firm enough to give a deep massage but softer than the hard plastic used in most of these devices. Those tips also glow red and get (slightly) warm as part of the therapy although you can override the heat function if you prefer. The massage runs for 15 minutes then cuts of automatically and it reverses direction every few minutes automatically. If you can get the position and pressure right then it’s beneficial and I got noticeable relief from a stiff back using it recently. It may be because the unit runs from rechargeable batteries that’s the underlying problem and means it’s just not powerful enough to be really effective. If your budget can stretch to it Homedic’s own chair-sized (and mains-powered) massage pad is much better but otherwise I think this one is just too clumsy and underpowered to really recommend.