The chair that could put masseuses out of a job

Dog tired after your afternoon dragon boating? Enervated by economy class syndrome? Then, why not drop your tired bones into Panasonic’s US$4,500 massage chair and let it rub, knead and even heat your aching limbs into submission?

On sale in Japan at the end of April for around ¥400,000, the EP-MA70 massage chair raises the bar for unnecessary luxury in the home by adding heat therapy to the usual space-age rollers and air cushions designed to replace the hands of a skilled masseur.

Panasonic claims that the chair, which uses ceramic heating elements to warm specific body parts as they’re massaged, enhances the therapeutic effects of a half hour on the throne.

It also reckons the "3D motion” of the various mechanical balls that probe those knots of muscular tension in the back and shoulders combines perfectly with inflatable cuffs to massage the legs and a revolutionary new kind of pelvis manipulator (really).

It might all sound like bombast and overkill, particularly at that price, but with 108 different massage programs available from the chair, who’s to argue? And have you seen the remote controller? Master that and you’re eligible for a place on the next moon mission, we reckon.