One of the core principles of massage therapy is that people tend to store stress and other emotions as tension in their muscles. There’s certainly enough anxiety and frustration to go around: from morning rush hour traffic to unreasonable coworkers to the daily news, it almost seems like modern life is designed to frazzle your nerves.

How InvoSpa’s Shiatsu Massager Works

If you find that you’re often bringing home worries that should have been left at work, this neck and shoulder massager may be the antidote you need.

Normally, it wraps around the back of your shoulders and neck like a scarf while two knobbly heads rotate inside, giving a pretty good approximation of a shiatsu massage. You can select the speed at which they do so, turn on an integrated radiant heater for even faster relaxation, or apply more pressure by putting your arms in the two sling-like handles that hang over your chest.

It’s also useful for more than just your shoulders. You can, for instance, wedge it between your lower back and a chair, or let your calves rest on it while watching TV. Thanks to the 12 volt car socket adapter, you can even use it while driving. It’s also quiet enough to use in a typical office environment without anyone complaining, and the whole thing fits neatly into the included carry bag.

Shortcomings

It falls somewhat short of perfection, however. Unlike a “real” massager, it doesn’t have the power to stimulate tissues deep under the skin, limiting what it can do for you. It’s also, and this is the bigger issue, not cordless. The ability to use it in the car is certainly nice, but taking it to sporting events, on camping trips and even to countries where 120 V electricity isn’t available is a non-starter.

As something you can easily incorporate into your daily routine, however, this thing rocks. It also makes a fantastic gift for anyone who’s chronically stressed – chances are, you can think of at least three people like this without even trying.