Talkin ’bout Massage Chair

Source: Bizjournals.com ()

West Wichita Therapeutic Massage will be having a celebration in honor of its first anniversary and recent expansion from 4-7 p.m. Sept. 6.

The facility, at 8629 W. Central, recently renovated a former home interior store next door and expanded from 483 square feet to 1,200. Owner Cynthia Bertha, a nationally certified massage therapist, says the expansion allows her give her a staff of two other therapists. She may hire more as her hours extend to 9 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.

Her event, called "Care-apeutic Celebration," will include free chair massages for donations of food or cash to the Kansas Food Bank. Bertha says those donating a large paper grocery bag of food will be given three one-hour massages for $100, a savings of $65.

"I feel really blessed by those who supported me through my first year, and I wanted to do something to give back to the community," Bertha says.

Bertha’s additional space will include a no-cell phone "quiet room" for before and after a massages. She says her service helps clients with headaches, arthritis and muscle pain.

Source: Gizmodo.com ()

Dear Panasonic. First of all, I’d like to say how fine that Real Pro Ultra massage chair looks, if a little scary. It reminds me of that robot thing in Aliens - you know, the one that Ripley straps herself into right at the end. I’m sort of waiting for the model (about whom, more later) to start moving about the room in it, shouting, “Get away from her you BITCH!” just for the hell of it.

But could I just make a few observations? Firstly, if you want us to buy this thing - and, at $4,799, you’re asking quite a lot - you need to do something to your press shots. Biscuit parquet covered by an even beiger carpet, and walls the color of biannually-cleaned fish tanks do not a sale make. What happened to the rest of the furniture? Perhaps she had to flog it all in order to pay for this vibrating mound of Pleatherâ„¢.

You will, I am sure, allow me to say a few words about the sleeping lay-dee, clad in what looks like a leisure suit (Is it softest Terry towelling? I bet it is) - sure, she may have assumed the “Do it quietly and gently, or you’ll wake her” position, but it’s just, not enough, is it?

No sirree. What you want is some shameless minx, clambering upside down on the chair, all tousled blonde hair extensions and PVC, oiled up, legs akimbo, proclaiming to the world that, yes, she likes 200 inches, she can TAKE two hundred inches, because that is what your massage chair can give her. 200 inches (square inches, obnoviously) of back massage! 460 inches of air massage - is that like air guitar, only more sensuous? The Giz must know now, please.

She must writhe and shiver, telling potential customers that the Real Pro Ultra does it Shiatsu-style, does Swedish, has a magic thumb that soothes away stiffness (oh, hold on, best not say that) erm, has a magic thumb that does unspeakable things, that grasps, that kneads, that can cater for up to four people*. Tell her to point out, breathlessly, that the chair is made of easy-wipe, synthetic leather, that it comes in either chocolate brown or black, and it’s exclusively available at The Sharper Image.

And if that doesn’t work, tell her to get her kit off and make an “Ooh” shape with her mouth. [Panasonic]
*Not at the same time, sadly.

Source: Gizmodo.com ()

Dear Panasonic. First of all, I’d like to say how fine that Real Pro Ultra massage chair looks, if a little scary. It reminds me of that robot thing in Aliens - you know, the one that Ripley straps herself into right at the end. I’m sort of waiting for the model (about whom, more later) to start moving about the room in it, shouting, “Get away from her you BITCH!” just for the hell of it.

But could I just make a few observations? Firstly, if you want us to buy this thing - and, at $4,799, you’re asking quite a lot - you need to do something to your press shots. Biscuit parquet covered by an even beiger carpet, and walls the color of biannually-cleaned fish tanks do not a sale make. What happened to the rest of the furniture? Perhaps she had to flog it all in order to pay for this vibrating mound of Pleatherâ„¢.

You will, I am sure, allow me to say a few words about the sleeping lay-dee, clad in what looks like a leisure suit (Is it softest Terry towelling? I bet it is) - sure, she may have assumed the “Do it quietly and gently, or you’ll wake her” position, but it’s just, not enough, is it?

No sirree. What you want is some shameless minx, clambering upside down on the chair, all tousled blonde hair extensions and PVC, oiled up, legs akimbo, proclaiming to the world that, yes, she likes 200 inches, she can TAKE two hundred inches, because that is what your massage chair can give her. 200 inches (square inches, obnoviously) of back massage! 460 inches of air massage - is that like air guitar, only more sensuous? The Giz must know now, please.

She must writhe and shiver, telling potential customers that the Real Pro Ultra does it Shiatsu-style, does Swedish, has a magic thumb that soothes away stiffness (oh, hold on, best not say that) erm, has a magic thumb that does unspeakable things, that grasps, that kneads, that can cater for up to four people*. Tell her to point out, breathlessly, that the chair is made of easy-wipe, synthetic leather, that it comes in either chocolate brown or black, and it’s exclusively available at The Sharper Image.

And if that doesn’t work, tell her to get her kit off and make an “Ooh” shape with her mouth. [Panasonic]
*Not at the same time, sadly.

Source: from $6.50 - Sydney Morning Herald ()

HAIRCUTS come in all shapes, sizes and prices these days. But
it’s a fair bet that you won’t find a cheaper hairdresser in Sydney
than Mr Kwan.

A scissor-cut for men costs just $6.50 at Flower and Grass
Hairdressing in Regent Street, Redfern - cheaper than the $7
haircut for male pensioners offered in two barber shops at the
Haymarket end of George Street or the $8 clippered crew cut done by
Marwan, who did not want his surname revealed, in Mary Street,
Surry Hills. In contrast, a “style cut” from Just Cuts will set you
back $22.

Mr Kwan, who has 30 years’ experience, also cuts women’s hair.
The price: $8. A sign at the front of his salon offers “hair perm”
for a very reasonable $28; a handwritten notice next to a
wall-mounted mirror inside states that other services are
negotiable. However, he said most of his customers opted for the
basic short back and sides.

Mr Kwan’s salon lacks the flash interior, pulsating music,
complimentary lattes, scalp massage and pre-cut shampoos of
upmarket hairdressers. There are no apprentices to sweep up fallen
hair nor questionnaires to fill in about hair aspirations. And he
keeps his consultations short and sharp. “OK? OK?” he asked one
customer, as he snipped away.

Apart from a spray bottle of water, Mr Kwan does not use fancy
products. He uses clippers sparingly to deal with unruly sideburns
and keeps his customers hair-free with a pink barber’s cloak. Total
time for a $6.50 do? A shade under 10 minutes.

At the other end of town, customers will spend 45 minutes or
more in Stephen Foyle’s chair and pay at least $77 for a bloke’s
haircut, including beverage, shiatsu massage, shampoo, top-shelf
hair products and the benefit of his 14 years’ experience.

“The main difference is the time factor,” said Mr Foyle, the
creative director of Detail for Men in Sydney and winner of this
year’s American Crew Face Off men’s grooming competition. “If you
break it down, it’s not that expensive to get a decent haircut,” he
said. “They last longer and you get a tailor-made approach rather
than a hair removal process.”

Source: PR Newswire (press release) ()

Exhibit to Show how the Video Massage Chair Can Act as the New Sales and
Marketing Medium to Influence Consumers at TradeShows

WASHINGTON, July 25 /PRNewswire/ — Video Massage Chairs (VMC)
announced today the exhibiting of the Video Massage Chair at TS2 2007
conference and expo — the industry event for exhibit and event
professionals held in Washington D.C. on July 31-Aug. 1. The patent pending
new Video Massage Chair combines the traditional ergonomic massage chair
with the entertainment feature of a flat screen television monitor equipped
with an integrated DVD player. The Video Massage Chair is poised to become
a new platform for sales and advertising campaigns — allowing users to
enjoy a back massage while watching a short tailored video. The Video
Massage Chair serves as a tool for businesses and exhibitors to gain
consumers’ attention, leading to increased brand awareness and sales of
their products and services.
“The idea for the Video Massage Chair actually emerged from my own
problem of getting tradeshow attendees to pay attention to commercials at
my tradeshow exhibits with my other business,” said Robert Baschnagel,
president of VMC. “Before I invented the Video Massage Chair, tradeshow
attendees would come by, look at a television screen for a brief moment,
and move on. There was no motivation for them to stay, but with Video
Massage Chairs the attendees receive a massage while watching a short
tailored sales video. Not only do they stay for the whole video, but they
also give the video their undivided attention which leads to better
absorption of the message.”
How the Video-Massage Chair Works
The headrest of the massage chair supports the face and has an opening
that provides a scientifically proven vantage point that is angled
perfectly toward the television monitor. The monitor is capable of cable
hook-up as well as its primary function — reading DVDs. When the monitor
is hooked up and ready to go, the (optional) headphones extend to the
resting support surface so that both the auditory and visual experiences
are maximized.
New Medium For Sales and Advertising
Over the course of a year, Video Massage Chairs operated a
demonstration and study at several highly attended tradeshows throughout
the country with their chair. VMC soon learned that tradeshow attendees
would wait in line at kiosks and exhibitor booths just to get a massage and
watch a marketing and sales video. An unscientific study of more than 500
tradeshow attendees showed that people were more receptive to going inside
an exhibitor’s tradeshow booth to get a massage and watch a promotional
video than to stand in a competing vendor’s exhibit and listen to a
salesmen preach about a particular brand, service and product. Not only
were the tradeshow attendees that used the Video Massage Chair more
relaxed, they were also highly receptive to the marketing and sales video
they watched and listened to while getting a massage.
Pricing and Availability
Video Massage Chairs rentals start at $650 a day. Rentals over multiple
days receive a discount. Once orders are placed, the Video Massage Chairs
are shipped within a custom box, which contains setup and return delivery
instructions. Orders may be placed securely on VMC’s web site at the
following URL: http://www.videomassagechairs.com.
Location and Hours of VMC Exhibit at TS2 2007
Washington Convention Center
Washington D.C.
Exhibit Booth # 263
Tuesday, July 31 - Wednesday, Aug. 1
Exhibit hours: 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Video Massage Chairs
VMC is the premiere provider of Video Massage Chairs for organizations
and tradeshows looking to advance their sales and brand awareness. The
company helps organizations of all sizes and exhibitors at tradeshows
increase brand awareness, improve sales and in-store customer retention by
way of its unique Video Massage Chair, which is capable of delivering the
same information but higher value and results than traditional sales and
advertising means. For more information, please visit
http://www.videomassagechairs.com.
Media Contact
Wendy Parish
Freestyle Public Relations
515-223-4343
wendy@freestylepr.com

Source: International Herald Tribune ()

BANGKOK, Thailand: Hometown favorite Danai Udomchoke gave Bangkok's new — and sweltering — National Tennis Stadium a fitting opening Thursday by winning gold at the World University Games.

Danai, who had dropped only 11 games in five matches going into the final — six of those in the semifinal — had his hands full with South Korean An Jae-sung before prevailing 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6).

Both players required medical timeouts in the third set as Danai came from 5-2 down to force a tiebreaker in which he again had to rally from a three-point deficit to win a match that went over 2 1-2 hours.

“The crowd is what made me win,” said Danai. “The first set, I put so much pressure on myself, I made too many errors. But I've never seen him (An) play tennis this great.”

The University Games provided a dry run for the new center, located in the Bangkok district of Muang Thong Thani. In October, the stadium will host the WTA's Bangkok Open and the Asian Hopman Cup team event in November.

The stadium, which seats 1,500, will be expanded for the bigger tournaments, but the small confines and large, rowdy crowd made for interesting tennis Thursday.

The Korean complained to the chair umpire several times about the noise, produced partly by a drum-beating and cymbal-clashing fan and another flag-waving spectator dressed in a black Batman cape, leotards and wearing a pith helmet.

With thunderstorms brewing in the distance, An started quickly, breaking Danai in his first service game to take a 2-0 lead and comfortably took the opening set.

After holding serve to open the third set, An, who appeared to be cramping, called for the trainer. Ice packs were placed on his legs and he received a back massage from a trainer. After a 10-minute delay, a revived An, who has played Davis Cup for South Korea, came back to break Danai and take a 2-0 lead in the deciding set.

Trailing 4-1, it was Danai's turn for a medical timeout and he also received a back massage. Danai roared back to 5-4, breaking An to love when the Korean was serving for the match, then held to level the set before breaking An again to go up 6-5.

But An broke back, forcing the tiebreaker. The Korean quickly went up 4-1 in the tiebreaker, but Danai fought back to 5-5. At 7-6 in the tiebreaker, Danai took another medical time out before the Thai won the match when An's forehand went out.

Danai, exhausted at the end, grabbed a Thai flag and walked slowly around center court.

An, who said he suffered from back pain throughout the match, said through a translator he tried to block out the crowd, “but at the important points, I became distracted.”

In the women's final, No. 3 seed Alisa Kleybanova of Russia beat fourth-seeded Margit Ruutel of Estonia 6-1, 6-2 for the gold. The match started at midday in even hotter temperatures than those experienced by the men.

“It was one of the most difficult tournaments … the weather conditions were very tough,” said Kleybanova. “For me it was more difficult to stay alive than to play tennis.”

Elsewhere at the Games on Thursday, Chinese diver Zhang Xinhua won the men's 1-meter springboard and the Ukraine took the men's team sabre gold in fencing.

China swept all the table tennis singles golds — four Chinese players contested the men's and women's gold finals.

The wins helped China pass Russia in the gold medal count for the first time in the Games, which end Saturday. China has 27, Russia 25.

Japan beat the United States 9-1 in softball, ending the Americans' chances of winning a medal at the Games. Canada will play in the softball gold medal final Friday against the winner of the game between Taiwan and Japan.

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