Panasonic has its new line of massage chairs. The Real Pro Ultra series incorporates some of Panasonic’s newest technologies in massage therapy. The subject of this review is the EP-30004 shiatsu massage recliner. This model is a high-end luxury massage chair model. We’ll take a look at some of the new features and warranty coverage of this shiatsu massage recliner.

Panasonic is a household name in electronics, so you don’t have to worry about your warranty being honored in the future. We like to advise potential massage recliner chair buyers to also go with a trusted brand. There are many small importers offering cheap massage loungers with great guarantees that are never honored in the future. That being said, Panasonic will be there in the future.

What type of warranty coverage is provided with the EP 30004? You get 3 years of parts coverage and 1 year of labor coverage. Panasonic now provides in-home technical support with the Real Pro Ultra series and covers it for 1 year. They also cover shipping costs for the first year. We like the 1-year in-home tech service, which is great coverage. We see that 1 year labor is quite short compared to other manufacturers. If possible, try to get an extended warranty to get more coverage. This is especially important on expensive items like massage chairs with lots of moving parts.

There are some notable new features incorporated into the Real Pro Ultra series of massage chairs. The EP 30004 has a lower body stretch and a shoulder stretch. There is also a new massage technique called Junetsu. The Junetsu massage technique literally means ultra-fine kneading in Japanese. The Junetsu massage technique uses small circular motions and one second of firm thumb-like pressure. The effect of this massage is to reverberate through the muscle and penetrate to the surface of the bone.

The EP-30004 comes with an arsenal of massage therapies for you to enjoy. There are four pre-programs which are shiatsu, deep, Swedish and stretch. There is also a quick 5 minute preset that covers a variety of massage techniques and functions. You can use some massages in manual massage mode for a total of 8 possible manual massages. These include ultra knead (Junetsu), shiatsu, knead, Swedish, stretch, tap, roll, and grab. There are also 5 ways to target certain regions of the back, including: neck, shoulders, mid, lower, and full back.

You can also create autoprograms to target specific regions with particular massage techniques. These are pretty simple to create. For example, you can select a lower back and deep tissue massage. Then select the duration time and intensity of the massage you want. You can also save these programs. It will save programs for up to 4 different users. There’s also a voice guidance system for those less inclined to read the user manual to figure these things out.

The lower part of the body is covered with an air compression massage system. This system uses strategically placed airbags throughout the massage recliner to target the hands, arms, feet, calves, thighs, and buttocks. The massage technique is a squeeze, hold, and release style of compression. This is very calming and relaxing for the extremities of the body. Additionally, there are stretching capabilities for both the legs and shoulders. These are great to help increase flexibility by lengthening the muscles.

The design of the chair has a rather industrial look to it, which is probably the most disappointing aspect of the massage recliner. The leg rest can be extended another 5 inches which is a nice feature. The air massage for hands and arms is hidden under the armrest covers. These armrest covers open to the side and your hands or arm can be placed inside. It is good to hide this device inside the armrest and not make it visible.

Overall, the Real Pro Ultra series has some great features over its previous series, the Real Pro Elite. We like the direction Panasonic is taking with its massage chairs. We would like to see better warranty protection and better design aesthetics. However, the massage therapy is very effective and the chair is quite well designed. This is definitely a shiatsu massage chair worth considering at the higher end of the market.