Panasonic has its newest line of massage chairs. The Real Pro Ultra series incorporates some of Panasonic’s newest technologies in massage therapy. The subject of this review is the EP-30004 shiatsu massage recliner. This model is a high end luxury massage chair model. We will take a look at some of the new features and warranty coverage for this shiatsu massage recliner.
First, we want to look at the long term protection given to the customer. You want to make sure you get adequate warranty coverage. It is just like an insurance policy. You hope you don’t need it, but if you do, then it is there. The other factor is to make sure you go with a name brand company. You want to make sure the company will be there down the road as well.
What type of warranty coverage is provided with the EP 30004? You get 3 years parts coverage and 1 year labor coverage. Panasonic now provides in-home technician service with the Real Pro Ultra series and covers that for 1 year. They also cover shipping expenses during the first year. We like the 1 year in home technician service which is great coverage. We see the labor of 1 year is fairly short compared to other manufacturers. If possible, try to get an extended warranty to get greater coverage. This is especially important on big ticket items like massage chairs with many moving parts.
There are some outstanding new features incorporated into the Real Pro Ultra massage chair series. The EP 30004 has both a lower body stretch and a shoulder stretch. There is also a new massage technique called Junetsu. The Junetsu massage technique literally means ultra fine kneading in Japanese. The Junetsu massage technique uses small circular motions and a one second of thumb-like firm pressure. The effect of this massage is to reverberate through the muscle and penetrating to the surface of the bone.
The EP-30004 comes with an arsenal of massage therapies for your enjoyment. There are four pre-programs which are shiatsu, deep, Swedish and stretch. There is also a 5 minute Quick pre-program for which covers a variety of massage techniques and functions. You can use the some massages in manual massage mode for a total 8 possible manual massages. These include ultra knead (Junetsu), shiatsu, kneading, Swedish, stretch, tapping, rolling and grip. There are also 5 ways to target certain regions of your back including: neck, shoulder, middle, lower and full back.
You can also create self-programs to target specific regions with particular massage techniques. These are fairly simple to create. For example, you can select the lower back and a deep tissue massage. You then select the time duration and the massage intensity that you desire. You can also save these programs. It will save programs for up to 4 different users. There is also a voice guidance system for those less inclined to read through the user manual to figure these things out.
The EP-30004 make use of an air massage and compression system. Air is pumped with an air compressor to airbags. These airbags provide a squeeze, hold and release action. This soothing compression massage covers the calves, feet, hips, shoulders, arms and hands. This air massage system provides adequate coverage to the major muscle groups. There is also a shoulder stretch and a lower body stretch function.
We will say that the style of the chair is very sterile and industrial. This unfortunately is a Panasonic trait. Function over form one might say. Anyway, it is certainly functional. The EP 30004 has the arm massage concealed underneath a lift up arm rest pad. Open it up and slide in your arm for some invigoration. At least they got this right. Other than that, one ergonomic feature is an extendable leg rest up to four critical extra inches for us Americans.
Overall, the Real Pro Ultra series has some excellent features over its prior series the Real Pro Elite. We like the direction that Panasonic is going with their massage chairs. We would like to see better warranty protection and better design aesthetics. However, the massage therapy is very effective and the chair is fairly well designed. This is definitely a shiatsu massage chair that is worth considering at the high end of the market.
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