If you are a potential massage chair buyer, then finding an unbiased review of a given massage chair can be helpful. Here are 5 important categories to evaluate the total massage chair experience. This system gives equal weight to each of the 5 categories with each category having from 0 to 20. A 100 point score means the chair and the company has achieved total excellence. The 5 categories are Warranty & Customer Service, Comfort/Ergonomics, Ease of Use, Features and Massage Therapy. The discipline of a systematic approach provides for balance help those seriously considering a massage chair. The Panasonic Real Pro EP-3222 is the subject of this review. This luxury shiatsu massage chair is in the $4,000 to $5,000 range.

Warranty & Customer Service: It is important that the manufacturer stand behind its product. The warranty coverage is always a good benchmark of the manufacturer's confidence in its product. Panasonic has a 1 year labor, 1 year parts and 1 year in-home service as well as 1 year shipping. Panasonic has a machine hour counter and the warranty expires after 1,000 hours of use. Panasonic has average warranty coverage. Customer service is through your retailer or national service centers. Service time and quality is variable and dependent on where service is obtained. Our Rating in this category is 15.

Comfort & Ergonomics: The comfort and fit of a shiatsu massage chair is important. Otherwise, the chair will only be used for massage. The chair back and armrests of the Panasonic Real Pro Elite are comfortable and the upholstery is well padded. The head pillow is soft and the thickness is appropriate. The footrest is comfortable, but cannot be adjusted. If you are 5' 10" or more, then your knees must be bent when the footrest is raised. This is the least ergonomic part of the chair. The average person in the US is taller than in Asia, so the footrest can be an issue. Our rating in this category is 17.

East of Use: Massage Chair manufacturers are adding more technology and features into their chairs every year. Users need to be able to quickly, easily and intuitively understand how to use the product. The Panasonic Real Pro Elite has many advanced features as well as manual options. The main remote control has the auto programs in an easy to use location. The manual controls are located inside the side panel of the remote control. Overall, this remote is fairly intuitive. The Panasonic Real Pro Elite comes with Voice Guidance which can be helpful, but usually only in the beginning or for new users. Another good feature is Focus, which enables the user to repeat the massage that just occurred. It is a repeat function, which is great if you have an area that you want to concentrate on. The Panasonic Real Pro Elite is a 17 in Ease of Use.

Key Features: The most prominent features of the Panasonic Real Pro Elite are the 33 airbags in the lower body air system and the Swede-Atsu massage system. The lower body airsytem has a total of 33 airbags and provides great coverage for the hips, thighs, buttocks, calves and feet. The compression air massage gently, but firmly squeezes the lower body to release tension and soreness. The Swede-Atsu uses rubber massage heads. These rubber massage heads coupled with the software replicate the stoking of the palms of the hand, pressing by the heal of the hand, or the kneading with the thumbs. The massage is solid and does a thorough job of relieving tension and stress. Our rating of the Panasonic EP-3222 in this category is 19.

Massage Therapy: The massage functions are included in the Real Pro Elite EP-3222 includes Four 14-minute Pre-Programs, One 5-minute Quick Program and One 14-minute Self Program has 4 full body automatic courses, 5 massage speed settings for a total combination of 14 massage courses. The automatic massage functions include the following: Shiatsu, Gentle, Deep and Refresh. Panasonic equips the EP-3222 its exclusive Swede-Atsu massage system providing a thorough and realistic array of massage therapy choices. The lower body has 33 airbags of coverage and three programs to choose from. This shiatsu massage chair provides good tension relief for the lower body and increased lateral coverage on the back. Overall Rating for the Panasonic EP-3222 massage recliner for massage therapy is 19.

How does the Panasonic Real Pro Elite EP-3222 stack up? Overall, our rating of the Panasonic is an 87/100. Panasonic continues to expand the range of capabilities of its massage chairs with greater back coverage, voice guidance and its Swede-Atsu massage system. The massage chair design is very modern, perhaps, too much so, but that is a matter of taste. Panasonic massage chair technology for both the mechanical and pneumatic provide for a thorough, firm overall massage. Panasonic needs to add an extendable footrest to accommodate taller people. Otherwise, the Real Pro Elite is a solid all-around therapeutic massage chair.