UFO Info Week-End

Adam Jackson advised against using it as the manufacturers suggest for the

Adam Jackson advised against using it, as the manufacturers suggest, for the limbs and abdomen Very expensive.STOCKISTS: Morphy Richards: 0709 585525. Carmen: 061 681 8321; Viva: larger Boots stores, department stores and selected chemists, health food shops and electrical shops; Pro-Shiatsu: Harrods, Selfridges, DH Evans in London, and some branches of Debenhams, Fenwicks, Allders and other department stores.NEXT WEEK: KNIFE SHARPENERS. JUST ONE hour with a professional massage therapist can cost pounds 20. It’s tempting to think that an electric gadget can do the trick of relaxing mind and body just as well.

We asked a panel, including two massage therapists, to test out five electric massagers. The manufacturers claim these devices can relieve all kinds of aches and pains. Perhaps not suprisingly, the two professionals thought these gadgets, which mostly rely on vibration for their relaxing effect, were a poor substitute for the real thing. ‘None of them remotely compares to a hands-on massage,’said therapist Adam Jackson. ‘They have yet to make a machine with the sensitivity and healing effects of human touch.’ Our other two panellists agreed: ‘About as sensuous as an inept lover who can’t find the right spot,’ said one.
Some of the devices may comfort because they provide heat as well as vibration – though, as therapist Catharine Scholnick reminded us, a soak in a warm aromatic bath would work just as well. But there are advantages in this type of massage, the main ones being convenience and low cost. You can use them any time in the comfort and privacy of your own home – and if you’re remotely squeamish or embarrassed by the idea of being pummelled by a stranger, this may be the answer.

Read on for our guide to the different types on the market.THE PANELAdam Jackson, physical therapist and author; Catharine Scholnick, bodyworker/massage therapist; Anne Walker, student; Marianne Reback, teacher.THE TESTThe panel gave the massagers marks for how good they were at relieving tension, how easy they were to use, looks and style, and value for money.***MORPHY RICHARDS FOOT MASSAGERpounds 29.99Fill with water, plonk feet in, and switch on. The nobbled floor of the footbath starts to vibrate, massaging the soles of the feet Another switch keeps the water hot. This staple device was very popular, easy to use and good value for money. According to Adam Jackson, it is especially good not only for foot and ankle problems, but also for ‘emotional and mental tension. Recommended’.Other panellists thought their feet felt pleasantly relaxed afterwards but that the massage sensation should have been stronger: ‘I found watching the patterns of the vibration in the water more relaxing than the effect on my feet,’ said Anne Walker.

Marianne Reback said: ‘Having experienced a foot massage recently, I can say that it does not even begin to compare.’CARMEN INTRA-SONIC MASSAGERpounds 49.99Although this device is supposed to reach deep into the muscle by combining vibration with ‘deep penetrating sound waves’, the panel thought it the least effective of all the gadgets. ‘It may be good for you in the long term,’ said Marianne Reback, ‘but the vibration was so small that a heavy lorry passing the house would have created a more beneficial effect.’ Adam Jackson was more disparaging still: ‘It looks quite nice but is almost totally ineffective. A complete waste of time and money.’ Anne Wolfe said: ‘With the strongest setting, the vibration seemed quite light and I could hardly feel anything on the lightest setting.’ She found the small massage head just the right size for the face and neck, though, and felt it was easier to hold than some others because it is light. The massager has attachments for different parts of the body, including a concentrator to stimulate pressure points on your feet, reflexology-style.