Massage Chair Review: Sanyo SA 5000 Massage Recliner

This review covers the SA 5000 massage chair by Sanyo. We will evaluate the features, options and warranty of this mid range chair. There are many chairs on the market and many from small factories in China at very low prices. It is important to find good brands with strong warranties so you can have many years of peaceful and relaxing massage therapy. Let us take a look at this Sanyo massage chair.

Like any purchase of electronic equipment, the warranty is your protection against defects in manufacturing and workmanship. The warranty is especially important on big ticket items. Massage chairs are big ticket items and you as the consumer want sufficient protection. The stronger the warranty, the more peace of mind you will have after your purchase. Sanyo provides a basic warranty of 1 year on the parts, 1 year on labor and 3 years on the roller mechanism. Sanyo has also started in home technician service and covers this for a generous 1 year. Sanyo also has a 24/7 call center which is another good step. The call center is fairly responsive and since it is run by Sanyo, it is more effective than if you had to rely on individual retailers as before.

The mid range Sanyo SA 5000 has many of the same features as the higher end Sanyo. In addition to the remote control, Sanyo provides a wired sub remote. The sub remote allows operation of the chair back and foot rest. It also has the pulse and perspiration sensor to detect stress in the body. The SA-5000 comes with 4 automatic programs that can be started at the touch of one button. There are a variety of manual massages and also you can choose from preset manual courses. The manual courses target specific regions of the back or you can also pinpoint to hit one specific area.

One of the features rolled down from the higher end Sanyo is the perspiration and pulse sensor. This sensor is built into the wired sub remote. It detects areas of stress in the body. The sensor then feeds this information to the computer and the software will adjust the massage to target areas based on these readings. In order for this to function, the user must grip the sensor throughout the massage. Also, the sub remote allows you to change the position of the chair back and the leg rest. It also has a repeat function. The repeat function will command the chair to repeat the massage just given in the place it was given. This is convenient when it hits one of the key places and you need it to stay there a little longer.

This mid range massage chair has four massage treatments. You can choose from Stiffness, Recovery, Relax and Fine. Stiffness is a Shiatsu style massage for the back, neck, shoulders and legs. Recovery targets stiff and tight muscles. Relax is more tranquil and is focused on full body relaxation. Fine helps to increase circulation of blood and lymph. Each of these massages can be used in conjunction with the 3 stretching functions. These stretching functions work in conjunction with the full body massages.

This Sanyo mid range model delivers 5 manual massage treatments. The five manual massage treatments are Grip, Shiatsu, Kneading, Tapping, and Combination. Grip is a unique massage function from Sanyo. The Grip uses what Sanyo calls its GK rollers. The GK rollers are specially designed to reach out around the shoulder and neck areas. This brings the gripping sensation that provides effective relief in this area. The other manual massages include Shiatsu, Kneading, Tapping, and Combination. Shiatsu is for loosening tight muscles. The kneading massage is great for getting knots out of your back. Tapping targets loosening up tight muscles with a rapid target blows. The Combination massage consists of both the kneading and tapping.

Are you looking for lower body relief? Sanyo provides an air compression system to provide a great squeeze, hold and release massage. This compression style massage is perfect for loosening up the tight muscles of the thighs, calves and feet. The airbags are designed with shiatsu style nodes to stimulate your acupressure points. These acupressure points help to induce whole body relaxation. If that is not enough, Sanyo has built in heating elements to warm the soles of your feet. This is a very comprehensive and thorough massage chair recliner.

We like the SA 5000 massage recliner from Sanyo. It has some great integrated technology like the pulse and perspiration sensor and the GK roller system. These are innovations you would expect from a large electronics company. We are less impressed with the look of the chair as it is a bit industrial in design. The warranty is fair and the 1 year in home service is an added benefit. You should really look at an extended warranty if it is offered for additional protection. If you are looking for a mid range massage chair, then this one should be on your short list.