Inada:
Inada introduced its CUBE at the 2009 Fall Las Vegas Market. Inada has been making massage chairs since 1962, creating therapeutic chairs for the home and office. It has been a leader in this industry with many firsts to its credit being the first to offer a massage chair and has distribution outlets in more than 60 countries .
It has kept on developing and innovating since then. Its Sogno DreamWave chair won the Consumer Electronics Show award for innovation in 2008, and Inada's sales have been climbing year over year, bucking the trend in this troubled period for the furniture industry.
Inada's CUBE:
The recently debuted CUBE is a multifunctional piece which doubles as furniture and foot massager. The compact unit folds up to become an ottoman, or a surface that can be used as a small table, and takes up very little space.
As a massager, it has four pre-programmed massage sessions with high and low adjustments which can deliver air-driven kneading and compression. It can deliver acupressure massage to the soles of the feet, a full foot massage, calf massage, and seat massage too.
The Inada CUBE Experience:
The CUBE is literally a cube when it is folded up. In this state you can use it as a table or ottoman, or simply slide it into a corner. Opened up, it is a chair which provides a reasonably comfortable seat, but I doubt that you will use it just to sit on it. It's attractive enough, too, but its real purpose is to deliver a massage to your seat, legs, and feet. I would use it at the end of the day to relax after work.
You sit on the chair with your shoes off and use the controls to deliver the pre-programmed massage of your choice. Your legs are placed in what looks like a specially designed slot. Once the massage begins, you forget about what the CUBE looks like, and you focus on the soothing sensation in your calves and feet. You can get a seat massage, too, but it was the foot and calves massage that I found remarkably relaxing. I think it would be easy to fall asleep.
You can lie down on your back on the floor and insert your feet in the massager for another soothing massage. I tried it out on a carpeted floor, but I suppose you would need a rug or a pad to lie down if you place your CUBE on a hard surface.
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the soothing experience. The only drawback is that this massage is just for the lower part of your body, but a good foot massage is nothing to scoff at.
Limited distribution will begin around Christmas 2009, and if you are interested in finding a dealer, you can look for one on Inada's website. The CUBE is set to retail around $799.
Dimensions when closed: 18.1"H x 21.6"D.
Dimensions when open: 27.5"H x 38.6"D x 19.3W.
Weight: 49.6 lbs.
