I go to a therapeutic masseuse every two weeks. I was curious how close the "Human Touch" comes to a real massage.

The first think that caught my eye was the calf massager. My calves get really tight. It felt good but it massaged the side of the calf, not the back of it like my masseuse does.

I tried the different options of back rollers. It does a good job at a shiatsu style massage, but I was disappointed to see there was no adjustment for width of rollers or amount of pressure. Without such adjustments, it can't be called "human touch." (I actually own a Panasonic massage chair that costs about the same as the Human Touch chair and offers both options.)

There is no "tapping" function. All other chairs tried had this.

I liked the vinyl material used. It was much more "leather like" than any chair I've tried including my own vinyl version of the Panasonic. The Human Touch also available in all leather for an extra $300.

The angle of back adjustment includes almost upright to almost horizontal. The chair swivels left and right, which is unique among massage chairs. If I was looking for an office chair, I'd seriously consider this chair as an alternative to a normal office chair.

The styling is good except for the plastic side pieces of the calf massager. But it tucks back under the chair if you don't want to look at it or use it.

The price/performance combination is hard to beat. According to the salesman at Sharper Image, since the Human Touch chair appeared in the store, he's sold 80 of them versus zero of the $3195 chair by another company.

No massage chair at any price is a substitute for a real masseuse. However, if you buy it in place of paying a masseuse twice a month, you would likely for this chair in less than year.

Recommended: Yes