Your very own Shiatsu Massager in your home

Ever felt like you really need a good shoulder and back massage but there is literally no one around or willing to give you one? This is where a massager is worth its weight in gold.

Over the years, I’ve always been prone to pulling my neck, so anything that claims to help with tension is music to my ears! I’ve had periods were my neck has been so bad that I’ve not had much movement at all and it often resulted in me paying a visit to an Osteopath.  An episode could be brought on by anything from sleeping in an awkward position, moving my head too quickly, stretching my arms up and even just getting too cold which in turn makes my neck muscles tense up.

A few years back I had a course of acupuncture and although I was dubious of its effect at the time, I definitely turned a corner after the treatment finished and (touch wood) I haven’t suffered with a stiff neck half as much as I once did.

However, I do still strain my neck from time to time but I’ve finally learnt over the years how to manage it.  It’s always heat that helps for me and manipulating the muscles in my neck and shoulders as soon as I notice that something isn’t right.  Sometimes I can have tense areas in my shoulder blades that if I don’t relieve, will eventually manifest into neck pain – it’s my weak point for sure!

I was very intrigued to try the Donnerberg back and neck massager as it’s designed primarily to release tension in your back and neck but it is also useful for other areas, such as your shoulders, upper and lower back, arms, hands, stomach, hamstrings, legs, feet, calves and thighs.

It’s based on the principle of Shiatsu massage that brings balance back into the body. The aim is to give you the feeling of a ‘natural’ hand massage and I have to say that it’s pretty close to the feeling of having an actual massage (with human hands!). What is really great though is the fact that it’s up to you how strong the massage is, if you want it to push more firmly, then you simply pull the downwards with your arms.  If you naturally let it sit on your shoulders then it’s reasonably gentle.

The massager sits around your shoulders and is supported by you placing your wrists through the loops. It’s heavier than I thought it would be but once it’s in place, it’s actually quite comfortable.

It is operated via a cable and plug socket, so you do need to make sure that you’re positioned near one to be able to use it. It also comes with a car charger, so you always have the option to use it in the car too and take it on your travels. Great for those long journeys.

The massager has 8 massage heads, 3 speeds, 2 massage directions, infrared heat function and vibration. The infrared function and vibration are adjustable to enable you to set it to what suits you. Whether you want to unknot lots of tension or simply relax after a long day.

The added bonus of the infrared feature is to increase blood circulation, relieves muscle cramps and stiffness, relieves neck, shoulder and back pain, helps at post exercise muscle pain, helps induce restful sleep and stress reduction, helps stimulate body’s energy system.

It’s made of PU leather and comes with a zipper so that the mesh fabric part can be washed and it also has spare mesh panel too.

 

Although when I do have problems with my neck, I usually ask my husband to help massage it but I’ve found on occasions he’s not known how firmly to rub my neck and has inadvertently made it feel worse. What I love about the Donnerberg is that although I was initially worried that the rotating heads would do more harm than good around my neck, I was pleasantly surprised that when they sit on my neck, the pressure is fairly light.

Again, I was sceptical about it’s use around the belly area, but it’s fairly gentle and it’s great to have the infrared feature there if you have some tummy discomfort and need some warmth.

It’s also pretty amazing for tired feet! Simply place it under your feet and let the massage heads do their work. No more begging for foot massages…

If you suffer from niggles like I do from time to time then this massager is pretty impressive where you’re in control of your own massage.

Nb. I was sent the Donnerberg back and neck massager in return for this review. All views and opinions are entirely my own.