A review of the OSIM iSymphonic massage chair

Despite being founded and managed in Singapore, when you buy an OSIM massage chair, you are actually buying a product designed and made in Japan. This is because all OSIM chairs are made by the Family Inada company in Japan, the makers of some of the best and most advanced massage chairs in the world. So considering who actually built it, how does OSIM rate iSymphonic?

Ron Sim founded OSIM in Singapore over 20 years ago. Initially, the company sold electrical products, but during the recession of the mid-1980s, Sim realized that in order to survive and prosper, the company had to have its own brand name products. Sim saw that there was a growing international demand for home wellness products and therefore decided to market and sell robotic massage chairs under his company name.

OSIM had no history in chair manufacturing, so design and production was outsourced to Inada in Japan. This was a cunning move. Inada was already a market leader in selling high-quality chairs to the Japanese (and international) market. By using Inada to manufacture the chairs, OSIM ensured a brand that would be respected and place their chairs at the top and high value of the market.

So when you buy an OSIM massage chair, you get the same technology and components of an Inada chair. They share many of the same features, such as infrared sensors to accurately measure you before a massage to find the correct shiatsu pressure points, powerful motors, the same massage modes, and build quality.

Both companies have launched a chair with an integrated music therapy system on the market. There is the Inada W.1 massage chair and the OSIM iSymphonic: the OSIM chair was released before the Inada.

The music therapy system in both chairs is not a simple matter of listening to your favorite music during a massage; it is much more sophisticated. Essentially, the massage is synchronized and orchestrated by the music that is being played. So if you play something like ‘hard rock’ you’re going to get a good beating, but if you play something by Brahms you’ll get a much more relaxing massage.

It should be noted that this unique system was developed by Inada and not OSIM and took several years to develop. It works by automatically altering the intensity of the rollers and altering the type of massage mode in response to music. The rollers on the back respond to bass sounds and the leg vibrators respond to mid frequencies. Sounds in the high-frequency range trigger shocks and vibrations near the spine.

The OSIM iSymphonic comes with 5 health care programs and you can set your own massage courses, giving you complete control of your personal massage – each program lasts 15 minutes. The motorized recline has a range of between 120 and 170 degrees. There are airbags in the legrests and in the seat. The leg massager uses vibration along with the airbags. The chair has no arm massage, which is a real shame.

If you are wondering how the OSIM compares to the Inada, I would have to say that in terms of functions and features there is no difference, which is not surprising since Inada makes both. What will sway you in either direction is style. Personally, I prefer the OSIM look. Another consideration is headphones. With the OSIM you get a pair of headphones that you wear; with the Inada, the headphones are integrated into the headrest. Once again, what is preferable is a subjective matter. Some do not like to wear headphones during a massage, as they may feel somewhat restricted. I prefer headphones because the only sounds I want to hear during a massage are the music I’m listening to; using headphones does this better than the built-in ones.

As for the price, there is very little in it; OSIM is a bit cheaper.

The OSIM iSymphonic massage chair is undoubtedly a very good chair; It gives a good back and shoulder massage, although the airbags and vibration on the leg massage aren’t the best I’ve ever had. But the real selling point is the music therapy system; Once you’ve tried the chair out, you’ll want to have it brought right home to you.