Brands: Ogawa

Behind the curtains of OGAWA’s elevated concept stores, fuelled by 25 years of experience

[This is a sponsored article with OGAWA Malaysia.]

With 25 years under its belt, you’d be excused for thinking OGAWA Malaysia can rest on its laurels, carried by the strength of its branding. But that’s not the case for the team, who are now embarking on a gradual rollout to upgrade their physical stores across Malaysia.

Massage chairs have traditionally been a try-before-you-buy experience, and the new OGAWA concept stores have chairs and other products positioned strategically around, paired with the new rose gold and white aesthetics that now are the primary colour elements of the spaces.

OGAWA’s familiar green logo has also gotten a facelift to prepare for 2022, fading out the green for a chic white.

In terms of the offerings you’d see under the new concept’s banners, expect to find a range of the signature massage chairs, from massage sofas to their current flagship, the OGAWA Master Drive AI 2.0.

Besides the chairs, you can also browse the selection of their popular beauty and lifestyle devices on display.

PROMO: Ogawa is currently running a Christmas sale until December 31, 2021. Look out for discounts up to 50% (on selected products only) and 0% installment plans up to 68 months (applicable to selected products only).

Facelift and new concept aside, OGAWA’s true strength is that they have completely embraced end-to-end servicing. This means that everything from the research and development (R&D) of their products to delivery logistics, to post-purchase customer service, is handled in-house. 

Doing it this way allows the OGAWA team to have full control over every step of the customer journey, and more importantly, the quality of the products and services is under their purview.

The most recent culmination of their internal R&D is the OGAWA Master Drive AI 2.0, which you’ll see prominently featured in all their new stores.

The star of the show

AI can be a rather overused industry buzzword when it comes to massage chairs; most of the options on the market above a certain range would definitely include “AI” as a feature. Instead, what a discerning shopper should look out for is how the AI is used to elevate the experience.

AI done right should provide a customised and highly customisable regime that suits any user who places themselves into its hands. The Master Drive AI 2.0 is OGAWA’s offering to this market, and it comes with a plethora of features. 

We visited OGAWA’s new Concept Outlet @ Pavilion Bukit Jalil and tried it for ourselves. Our first impression is that this is a super solid, premium chair. It comes with 5,184 massage combinations, but don’t worry, you don’t have to personally navigate all of them. 

Instead, you can make use of the in-built Health Tracker and Scanner™ which is supposed to detect and analyse your body’s individual needs in real-time and then recommend the most fitting massage program.

The AI will continue scanning your body throughout the first and subsequent massages, and tailor the programs to match your current state to find what suits you best at different times.

The chair gives you an encompassing full-body massage experience, from the sides and back of your head down to the soles of your feet. This is made possible by the massage S+L-track, air compression bags, thermo rollers that can heat up according to preference, and additional AI sensors to provide more accurate positioning and pressure. 

Besides using the screen or the navigator console on the right armrest, you can also activate the chair using Voice Command Control, in English, Mandarin or Cantonese.

Another fun feature is its Face Recognition, which you can use to access your personal profile stored on the chair to go through your customised massage regime.

Besides the features highlighted before this, there are 2 standout programs on the chair which are the M.6 Deep Tissue Auto Program and the M.6 Sweet Dream Auto Program.

A joint research conducted by OGAWA and Universiti Malaya found that the former helped improve blood circulation by up to 81.32%, and the latter increased participants’ sleeping quality by up to 88.73%.

Running down a global track

OGAWA has received external recognition of their offerings, including winning the Most Promising Brand Putra Brand Awards, Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand – Gold Award, Sin Chew Business Excellence Awards, Malaysia Health & Wellness Brand Awards, and more.

The team is looking to continue to deliver their brand mission of bringing wellness to all globally, and they believe their new store concept is a key part of this goal.

As a Malaysian homegrown brand, they now have over 1,000 retail outlets and counters in more than 20 countries, and it seems that they are well on their way working towards their expansion to bring their products worldwide. 

• You can find out more information about OGAWA on their Facebook page, Instagram or website. Read more about their Christmas promo here. 

Also Read: 6 highlights from this insightful entrepreneur event, one of the first in M’sia post-COVID

We Pampered Ourselves From Top To Bottom With 7 Beauty Devices From Ogawa

[This is a sponsored article with Ogawa.]

To be very frank, I do the absolute bare minimum when it comes to self-care. General cleansing is good enough for me, but I’ve never had the opportunity to use beauty tools that take your physical self-care to the next level.

So when Habo by Ogawa asked us to try 7 of their top beauty devices for women, my colleague Faye and I were up for a new experience to try them all out in 1 day.

Since there are 7 products to review, let’s start with the most popular and best-selling ones first. Do note that these are rated on first-impressions, and not long-term usage.

At-Home IPL Hair Removal Device 

Rating: 4/5

Favourite Feature: There’s only one button to press, which makes it extremely easy to use, and its auto-sensor that adjusts its intensity to your skin is a great safety measure.

The Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) device basically can result in permanent hair removal.

It comes with a shaver and a pair of shades (to protect your eyes from its bright flashing light). We first used the shaver on my left arm, and then proceeded with the IPL.

I’ve experienced laser treatments before, so the feeling of the light zapping on my skin’s surface wasn’t too much of a shock. It felt more like a rubber band snap. If you’ve never had it done before, Faye did share that she was surprised at first but got used to it very quickly.

The device is able to automatically adjust the light intensity levels based on the patch of skin you press it to. According to Habo by Ogawa, their goal is to give users silky smooth skin within 7-8 weeks of usage. After that period, you can manage any regrowth you see with touch-up treatments using the device..

Body Slimming & Massage Device 

Rating: 3.5/5

Favourite Feature: Its easy-to-hold design that lets you pinpoint exactly where you want it on your body.

Using Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS), heat (47°C) and ultrasonic vibrations, this device is meant to help you firm up fat in areas like your upper arms, waist, belly, and even lift breasts.

Do note that in order to see results, consistency is key. During our experience with it, we tested its different vibration strengths, and the heated core starts up very quickly so there’s no long waiting time to get the effect you want. 

It’s relaxing to use, and since you hold it to targeted spots on your body, you can also do it while chilling in front of the TV or even while you’re sitting down for a long work call.

Automatic Foaming Facial Cleansing Massager 

Rating: 5/5

Favourite Feature: The way it allows you to squeeze your cleanser into the device itself and foam it up automatically in just a few seconds, no messy dripping everywhere.

I’m more of a “wash face with hands” kind of person, but the Cleansing Massager was pleasant to use. It fits nicely in the hand and is easy to hold, and there are only 2 buttons to press.

The left “M” button controls the foaming function and acoustic vibrations, and the right “L” button controls the vibration intensity, which can go quite high.

The medical grade silicone bristles felt gentle enough on my face, and it foams up very efficiently. Adding just a few drops of water is sufficient enough to create a thick, foamy mix too (of course, this would still be dependent on your type of cleanser).

Cleaning the device after use was simple since I could just run it under water until all the soap was washed out of it, then leave it to air-dry.

Wireless Charging Blackhead Remover 

Rating: 4/5

Favourite Feature: Its multiple strength options and different heads that allow you to customise the blackhead removal experience, and the fact that it actually works.

I tend to be quite sceptical about any blackhead removing devices, since a lot of ones reviewed on YouTube never seem to work. So, when I could actually see our blackheads pulled out of our very own noses, I was pleasantly shocked.

Even the more stubborn, deeply lodged blackheads were definitely being loosened up in the pores over time, from what we could see. With some patience, you’d be able to clear any major blackheads you have.

Peony Ion Cleansing & Infusing & Cooling Device

Rating: 4/5

Favourite Feature: Definitely the Cool feature, because it’s so rejuvenating on tired eyes especially.

This device enables you to carry out your skincare routine from cleansing all the way to moisturising with 4 different modes: Deep Clean, Fully Absorb, Moisture and Cool.

Deep Clean is not meant to be the first step of cleansing. Rather, it’s the second cleansing step after you’ve already washed your face in order to get rid of any extra makeup residue the first round left.

Personally, as I’m not a heavy makeup user, I don’t find it necessary to use Deep Clean every day especially if I’m already using the Automatic Foaming Facial Cleansing Massager. That does a great job of leaving my skin well-cleansed, and Deep Clean can be done just once or twice a week instead.

Using this device for moisturising and faster absorption of skincare products worked well, and we think the vibrations definitely had something to do with it.

Cool is the only feature on this device that utilises the back face, and it was really pleasant around the eyes since it felt like running an ice cube that would never melt all over your skin.

ThermoCryo Facial Lifting Device

Rating: 4/5

Favourite Feature: Its “cryo” function that’s refreshing to run all over your face thanks to its area of coverage too.

Straight up, we have to say the best part about this vibrating device was the “cryo” part of the name. Setting it to the cryo function (blue light) felt like we were running metal that had been cooled in the freezer on our face, which was really refreshing.

We can see how this would be good for depuffing in the morning, especially around the jaw area. Its surface area is thin but long in width, so it’s pleasant to run it all over the contours of your face. According to Habo by Ogawa, this device’s specialty is in helping users get an enhanced v-shape to their chins.

For the “thermo” function, it’s supposed to promote better blood circulation and help in the absorption of skincare products. If you like having a hot towel on your face to calm you down after a long day, this handheld device feels very similar to that.

Other than the hot and cold temperatures, it has a neutral function of just vibrating, which is relaxing in its own way to use on your face.

Wireless LED Light Therapy Device

Rating: 3.5/5

Favourite Feature: Its intuitive function of letting you know when to move the device to another part of your face to prevent overexposure.

This device is supposed to do reduce inflammatory acne by combining red and blue light beads that have their own purposes:

• Blue to lessen oil secretion and eliminate acne bacillus;
• Red to accelerate blood circulation and increase skin elasticity by promoting collagen production, among other things.

To use it, we put on the pair of dark goggles provided to protect our eyes, before turning it on and putting it to our faces.

Since the surface area of the device is quite large, it can easily cover half a cheek. Thanks to its sensors, the light also only turns on when it detects that it’s pressed to skin.

It takes 5 minutes for a cycle on each section of your face, which the device counts for you. Once 5 minutes is up, you’ll hear 3 beeps that tell you it’s time to move to the next section of your face.

Because you’d need to use this for weeks on end, our one-time use of the device didn’t show any immediately noticeable results. 

However, research has shown that LED light therapy does indeed work to a certain extent, and it’s an acknowledged method to improve one’s facial acne, particularly with consistent usage.

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Overall, this mass review was an eye-opening experience, especially for two young women who carry out very basic skin and body care, and have never used such beauty tools before.

Our favourites were the skincare ones because we could clearly see how using them could elevate the effectiveness of our facial routines.

All the devices we tested also charged up quite quickly, so if you suddenly want to pamper yourself last-minute but forgot to charge them, a good half-hour of charging will ensure they have juice for several uses.

It’s amazing to see how far beauty technology has come, whereby devices and treatments that were once only available in spas can now be within an arm’s reach at home.

Furthermore, since we’re always at home now due to the ongoing pandemic and the ability to WFH, these handy tools can bring the quality of your self-care routine to the next level.

• You can learn more about Habo by Ogawa here.

Also Read: This Cyberjaya Accelerator Equipped 75 Startups To Go Commercial In 7 Years And They’re Not Done Yet

We Got A Chiropractor To Judge These 5 Typical Sitting Positions In The Office

I took a brief look around my office today and it hit me in the face: many of my colleagues sat in ways their mothers would not be proud of.

Let’s just say, they looked like slobs. One colleague was even leaning so far back it looked like he was entering light-speed.

Can’t blame us though, we spend about 8 hours a day every day, hunched in front of our computer screens, and as modern office workers, we’re not alone. We’d likely have developed ways of sitting that are comfortable to us, but may not be good in the long term.

But that’s all conjecture, which is why I got an expert on my side. I snapped some shots of my colleagues and sent the pictures to Dr Dansen Wong, a chiropractor and owner of Bangsar Chiropractic located in Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar.

Dr Dansen Wong has practised chiropractic for more than 7 years now.

The big question? I wanted to know what are the issues that we may have in the future if we continued treating our bodies like floppy bean bags, and also, a quick “help us, what can we do better?”.

Disclaimer: Dr Dansen Wong and his clinic are not affiliated with any of the products or brands listed below. He is merely acting as an advisor to tell us about our seating positions and what are the negative effects.

The Sitting Positions We Adopt

1. The Intense Worker

Dr Dansen’s Thoughts: The forward head posture puts extra strain on the cervical spine and the upper back, causing it to be fatigued faster than normal.

When the head is not square above the shoulders, abnormal leverage is placed on the cervical spine, leading to misalignment, damaged muscles and ligaments. 

2. The Megalax

Dr Dansen’s Thoughts: Sitting at the edge of the seat while leaning back puts unnecessary strain and pressure on the tailbone. Weight of the body should not be borne by the tailbone but instead by the sitting bones of the pelvis which is thicker and stronger.

Sitting with your legs stretched puts a lot of stress on the low back and pelvis bones, leading to the low back and pelvic pain.

3. The Office Thinker

Dr Dansen’s Thoughts: Leaning to a side will cause strain on the entire spine, twisting towards one direction. Folding your knees back behind the chair will also put a lot of strain on the knee and hips, leading to knee and hip pain.

Leaning on the arm may cut off nerve and blood circulation, leading to numbness, pain and weakness in the affected arm.

4. The Ultimate Comf

Dr Dansen’s Thoughts: Folding both legs towards one side causes a lot of rotational force on the hips, pelvis and lower back spine.

This will cause misalignment not only in the lower half of the body but also in the upper back, neck and shoulders. Arms and wrist are not aligned and that increases strain on the wrist joints and fingers, causing muscle fatigue and pain to set in.

Will also lead to repetitive strain injuries like carpal tunnel, golfers elbow or tennis elbow.

5. The Working Sukhasana

Dr Dansen’s Thoughts: Folding both legs up onto the chair for prolonged periods will cause extra strain on the pelvis, hips and the lower back, especially if you have tight hamstrings (which most people do).

Leaning forward will also put pressure on the spine. With the arms reaching forward, it could cause the shoulders to round forward, causing shoulder pain, hunchback, neck pain and numbness in the arms and hands.

Listen To The Sifu

Dr Dansen then chimed in and gave a few suggestions that we should follow:

• Wrist: Should be in line with the forearm, not bent upwards or downwards
• Elbow: Forearm and arm angle should be close to 90 degrees, straightening it to 110 degrees is alright
• Shoulder: In a resting position, not shrugged or hunched
• Neck: Head should be balanced on the spinal column, not tilted nor rotated
• Back: The spine naturally assumes an S-shaped curve when viewed from the side
• Thighs: Parallel to the floor
• Keyboard: Directly in front of you, with 4 to 6 inches of space between the edge of the keyboard and the desk so the wrist will have room to rest when you type
• Monitor: Top of the monitor should be eye level
• Regular breaks: Even with perfect postures, you should take a break for 30 seconds every 30 minutes
• Invest in ergonomic equipment: A chair with adjustable height and lumbar support, an adjustable laptop stand, external keyboard and mouse if you are a laptop user, and a footstool if your feet are dangling

With our limited equipment, this was the “best” attempt we could have for a perfect posture. However, Dr Dansen did say that the model could sit closer to the table and utilise a higher chair. This does mean having an adjustable chair and monitor height is crucial for improved posture.

What Else Can We Do?

After a long day of sitting around at work, we will want a way to relax and destress our body. This is where a brand like Ogawa comes in. They have products that are primed for relaxation and enjoyment.

Disclaimer: The Ogawa Luxe Amour Sofa is not going to do what a chiropractor or physiotherapist does, nor will it solve all your muscle issues if you have an underlying problem. Ogawa makes products to ease relaxation and for enjoyment, but the chair will not fix or heal your issues.

But, what does the Ogawa Luxe Amour Sofa do to achieve that claim? Well, it has a host of features that could help you relax and be comfortable in.

1. Hitting It Where It Feels Good

Our calves are usually one of the sorest parts of our legs. When you’re sitting down for too long, especially in a cramped position, your legs will turn to jelly when you try to stand up. Ill-fitting shoes or high heels could even be the cause of it.

The ‘Frequency Tapping’ feature of the sofa will gently tap on the back of your thighs, all the way down to your calves.

2. Heat-enabled Air Bags

The airbags on the sides of the sofa will expand and provide heat to the waist, thighs and legs. Heat therapy is said to decrease joint stiffness and reduce muscles spasms. When using the chair, it feels like your lower body is being pushed around by gentle bullies.

3. Be As Intense As You Want It

Unlike some massage chairs, this sofa allows you to choose the intensity you want to be massaged for. There are three levels to choose from: Green, Blue and Red. The levels are low, medium and high respectively.

4. Cradle You Like A Baby

You can also trigger swing mode on the sofa. Once activated, the sofa will emulate a slow cradling motion, rocking you back and forth. Everyone wants to be cradled every now and then.

5. Single Button Activation

Hitting the “Mode” button will automatically toggle between a few preset modes. If you wish, you can also select the massage mode that you want the sofa to focus on. 

You can toggle between a “Combination Massage Technique” where you choose between kneading, tapping or rolling massages, or an “Auto Massage Program Selection” where it will automatically massage either your upper body, lower body or full body.

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“Prevention is better than cure” is a saying that can be heard echoing for years and it still rings true. If we just practised better posture when we are sitting, many issues can be avoided and you would not need to spend boatloads of money on fixing said issues. It also doesn’t hurt to be pampered by a massage sofa though.

• You can check out the Ogawa Luxe Amour Massage Sofa here. The sofa comes in two colours of Blue and Pink.
• Together with Shopee, Ogawa is having a promotional sale for the Ogawa Luxe Amour Massage Sofa. You can purchase it for RM3,299 now (N.P. RM6,999).
• For the month of October, you can collect vouchers on Shopee for further discounts.
• This deal is only exclusive for Shopee and the promotional price is subject to change.

Everyone In Our Company Used This Massage Chair For 3 Weeks, Now We’re Too Spoilt

Recently, our office was told that we were going to get a massage chair for our use. Three weeks straight, no questions asked.

Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve had a massage chair in the office (I know, perks of being in the media industry).

But this massage chair comes with 7 auto-programmes, 4 massage techniques, the ability to fully recline, and is worth RM11,999. Right now, it’s an online exclusive at RM6,599 and keep an eye out for upcoming festival promotions to get extra discounts. 

For a chair of this size and price, Ogawa is branding this Smart Vogue Prime as affordably luxurious. We asked the Ogawa team what this means, and they explained, “We know many consumers assume that good massage chairs are expensive premium products. For the younger generation, they tend to assume that quality chairs are out of their budget, and they won’t buy one for themselves, or even their parents.”

“Because of this, we launched the Smart Vogue Prime to combine a premium experience with a more affordable price tag,” they said.

But we know even with its lower price point, it’s still not exactly an everyday purchase.

We were understandably nervous about anyone carelessly wrecking the chair, and even had a mini briefing to learn how to use it properly.

You’d think as the writer assigned to this piece, I’d be delighted. After all, I’d have the perfect excuse to spend long periods of time on the chair, and I’d get to call it work.

Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

I have always associated massages with pain, whether human or machine. This chair was no different, at first.

I never really got over the first bout of pain every time I used it, but I did finally find the setting that fit me perfectly.

(For the curious, it was the manual mode with the Kneading function, on the lowest speed, concentrated around my shoulders, with the calf and foot rollers turned on.)

Here are some basic facts about the chair:

Dictionary Time: In massage chair terminology, the S-track allows the rollers to move up and down the back of the user, following the curvature of the spine. The L-track is an extension of the S-track, beyond the low back to the seat and top of the hamstrings. This means that the SL-track is a continuous roller track from head to hamstrings.

The remote itself comes with an LCD screen, which I found very helpful as it lets me see exactly what area is being targeted, making it easy to adjust to my very specific liking.

Massages All Day Err’ Day

For obvious reasons, the massage chair soon became a crowd favourite.

As one colleague, Evelyn described it, “I already have two favourite auto-settings: the Night mode and the Circulation mode. They just hit the right spot, and I feel refreshed after.”

She likes the whole body massage provided by the Circulation mode as a great pick-me-up in the middle of the day, as she feels a lot more energetic.

Matt chimed in to add that he mostly used the Night mode for his neck and back. As someone who does have issues with insomnia, he told us that he tried the chair one Friday, and felt so relaxed that when he returned home, he ended up oversleeping the next day. 

The footrest massager with its dual rollers (calf and foot) and additional airbags was a big hit, and almost everyone who used the chair agreed that it was one of the highlights. 

One other thing we found was that the chair is great to nap in. 

There is also a Bluetooth music function on the chair, where speakers can play music right next to your head. 

I personally loaded up a “Relaxing” playlist from Spotify each time, but we also did use the Bluetooth feature to prank unsuspecting colleagues the first time they were in the chair.

Looking A Little Closer

For those of us with back issues, the heating function combined with the L-track focus (on the lower back and glutes) was a big relief.

However, especially if you’re not used to massages, we’d advise you to use lower strength intensity settings, as some of us did feel our backs hurt a little the first time we tried the chair. 

One function that received more mixed reviews and reactions from the team was the airbags.

These airbags are located at 4 different areas on the chair, and are meant to help with relaxation. However, for some, the expanding airbags were more associated with a slight impending claustrophobia as they squeezed us in, at 4 different locations (the shoulder and arm airbags, in particular).

But some of us enjoyed the squeezing, and the pressure actually helped us relax. Luckily, these can be turned on and off at will, so if they’re not your thing, just do without them.

Verdict

I’m not going to hold back, having a massage on-demand in the office does feel amazing.

And as someone who actually hated massages before this, I found myself making time for an occasional massage. Not every day, but probably about twice a week.

I’m still quite on the fence of having one personally, but I can definitely see why it’s a luxury that many would enjoy having around. 

As for my office, I know I’m speaking on everyone’s behalf to make this request: Ogawa, can we please keep the chair? 

Ogawa is currently offering a special buyback programme with the Smart Vogue Prime. Customers can trade in any old massage chairs (which are still working). You will receive a RM1,000 Ogawa cash voucher (which can be redeemed on the Ogawa website). Just select the “Trade In” option when purchasing the Smart Vogue Prime on Lazada and pass the old massage chair to the transporter when they deliver the Smart Vogue Prime. Terms and conditions apply, and you can contact the Ogawa team in the Lazada chat for more information.

• You can purchase the Ogawa Smart Vogue Prime for RM6,599 from Lazada. Keep an eye out for special festival promos to get extra discounts (e.g. The 9.9 Mega Sale is coming soon!) **Promotion price is subject to change. 
• For the month of September 2019, use the discount code SVPSEPT on Lazada to get a further RM300 discount.

VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.

Also Read: Booking Lucky Wedding Dates in 2020 Is Competitive, This New KL Venue Helps You “Silently” Win

The Best Perks From These 4 Co-working Spaces In KL

• We put together some of the best benefits that co-working spaces around KL provide.

The vast majority of working-adults spend at least 9 hours a day seated at their work desks, 5 days a week.

And millennials (now an estimated 35% of the workforce) are notorious for wanting more out of work and life: they want to be fulfilled at their jobs, and not seen as mindless drones toiling away for the company.

Modern offices are often more than just a collection of cubicles and computers— they focus instead on solutions that can help to curb employees’ stress and increase happiness.

Co-working spaces, growing in popularity amongst SMEs and startups, have followed this trend by implementing perks and benefits within their spaces with the general aim of improving employees’ happiness at work.

So if you’re thinking of sprucing up the happiness of your employees, or just want to see how your very own office stands up against the benefits offered by co-working spaces around KL, here’s a list of some of the best things you can enjoy if you decide to work there and why they matter.

1) Gaming Stations

To cater to the millennial generation that forms a large part of the startup and SME ecosystem, co-working spaces such as Co-Labs provide areas for employees to kick back and have gaming sessions while taking a break.

According to this BBC report, playing computer games at work increases employees’ general happiness and productivity, with conventional corporations starting to hop on the bandwagon.

And for employers who are worried that employees will demand to spend hours on the gaming consoles just to relieve stress, another 2014 study showed that even with just 1–2 minutes of gaming, people are already reporting increased happiness.

2) A Swimming Pool

Yes, a real swimming pool at work. Whether you’re a fitness junkie who appreciates having a convenient way to get in a workout or just someone who enjoys taking a break by the pool, co-working spaces like Colony provide that option for you.

According to research commissioned by leading swimwear brand, Speedo, swimming regularly reportedly reduces stress-levels, while leaving swimmers feeling mentally refreshed.

“Getting in the pool is the perfect way to unwind after a busy day, with 74% of those surveyed agreeing that swimming helps release stress and tension.”

3) Showers

Possibly the best thing to keep one awake during a particularly drowsy day after coffee, co-working spaces including Co-Labs, WORQ and Sandbox have installed shower rooms where you can shower (obviously) and refresh yourself mid-day.

With the traffic situations around the Klang Valley progressively worsening over the years, many employees are now opting to shower before their drive home. And if the office or co-working space already has conducive places to exercise (or even classes or group activities like yoga), a shower is a big plus to have around.

4) Nap Rooms For “Napping”

Nap rooms in co-working spaces can range from simple bunk beds to fully fledged pull-out couches. In fact, Colony even has giant hammocks where you can sleep to your heart’s content—in privacy.

Sleeping at work, once a taboo, is now encouraged. (in moderation, of course.) Surveys show that more and more companies are starting to encourage mid-day snoozes, with the connection between the well-being and mental state of employees and productivity levels becoming more apparent.

So yes, napping = good business.

5) A Hungry Man Is An Angry Man

Most modern office pantries come equipped with a microwave, stove, and even a rudimentary coffee machine. However, co-working spaces are gravitating towards decked out cafes instead, with coffee and snacks becoming such a vital component of the average professional’s day.

Some co-working spaces even provide a free-flow of beer, while others do coffee and tea. Whatever the beverage, modern office spaces have taken note of the importance of employee morale and addressed it through the most obvious avenue: our stomachs.

6) Get A Massage

Some co-working spaces even have on-call massage therapists for those of us that feel the lumbar strain from sitting at our desks.

We attended WORQ’s recent launch of their Subang branch, where we noticed that they provided a massage chair instead.

It’s common knowledge that sitting down at a desk for the majority of your day/week/month/life can cause chronic back pain, and the implementation of options such as massage chairs or even therapists can be a lifesaver for many workers out there.

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Despite the general acceptance that employee wellness is a hugely important factor to the success of a team/company, some of the perks mentioned above can be highly costly to implement in your own offices.

There are always cheaper alternatives that still provide an avenue for employees to de-stress such as the massage chair that WORQ provides, which would probably be cheaper than a full-time massage therapist in the long-term.

Then again, regular massage chairs themselves can very costly—premium branded models can go up to 5 figure sums.

One reasonable alternative would be Ogawa’s newest massage chair, the aptly named Ogawa iCuddle. It utilises a down-sized 3D gearbox, which basically means that the chair is smaller in size (and more affordable) than a conventional massage chair.

There are 3 main modes for the chair; rolling, tapping, and shiatsu. Ogawa sent us a unit for the office, and quite a few of us have literally fallen asleep on the chair during a short “break”.

Does this mean that a massage chair might be the best perk of them all? No, not in a definitive sense. But what it does offer employees is a simple method to just sit back and relax.

In the words of a member of the Vulcan Post team, “It feels like someone’s actual hands are massaging me.”

• You can find out more about the Ogawa iCuddle on Ogawa’s website.
• The iCuddle will be released in conjunction with 12.12 sales for a special price of RM1,999. (RRP: RM3,999)

Also Read: I Got A Massage Every Day For A Week To See If It Would Help My Chronic Insomnia

I Got A Massage Every Day For A Week To See If It Would Help My Chronic Insomnia

As someone with chronic insomnia, I’ve done a lot for the sake of getting better sleep.

You name it, I’ve tried it. I’ve turned my phone off, taken sleeping pills, tried following military soldier techniques to fall asleep, and even hypnotism. All I got from these were a few days of an early night in before I inadvertently returned to that vicious cycle of staying up till 4AM and automatically being awake by 6AM.

I know it’s bad, but acknowledging the problem does little to help lull me into slumber. At this stage, I’ll try anything that could help.

An opportunity came in the form of an e-mail when Ogawa Malaysia approached us with their latest product called the iCuddle to review.

I’ve heard of people falling asleep during massage treatments, what with its therapeutic nature and calming vibes. Why not give it a shot?

So for a week, I sat in the iCuddle for about 30 minutes every day and each night, I checked to see if it changes my sleeping hours in any way.

Day One

First things first, I have to bring up the design of the iCuddle.

When we first received it, the compactness of the iCuddle really made it appealing. It fits most regular-sized adults without needing to be bulky and huge, so we didn’t have any issue placing it in our office. When not in use, the massage nodes also don’t protrude so it can double as a lounge chair.

Design aside, let’s talk about the functional part. The main controls for the iCuddle were located at the side.

I’m one of those annoying people that’s extremely ticklish, so massages can be a little intimidating. I wanted to start slow, so I chose the “Spot/Area” function.

Pressing it once, it started targeting my neck and the sensation was… quite surreal. It literally felt like there were a pair of human hands pressing down rhythmically on my neck over and over instead of a machine.

It took about five minutes before I got used to it (and until I stopped laughing). I then switched the setting to other spots like my back and beneath my buttocks. The next 20 minutes were then spent drifting in and out of a drowsy trance.

I crawled into bed at 12AM that night. I didn’t know what to expect but oddly enough, my body seemed to remember the motions of the iCuddle massage and before I knew it, my eyes shut and I was knocked out.

When I opened my eyes again, it was almost 3AM. Though I didn’t sleep as long as I wanted to, I did sleep almost four hours earlier than my usual schedule so that was a good sign.

Day Three

My sleeping pattern wasn’t facing a drastic change, but my mind was starting to chill and relax when it came to bedtime so I had higher hopes with this iCuddle experiment.

Something that I thought would help was moving the chair to a cosier corner as it was originally just placed in the center of our studio. Perhaps in a nook that’s sheltered from harsh lighting and noises.

It may not look like it, but the iCuddle only weighs about 28kg, so even I could easily move the chair on my own.

Once it was in its new position, I pressed the “Manual” button to test it out. According to Ogawa, there are 6 modes to this setting, which are all variations of kneading, tapping, rhythmic tapping, and rolling.

Having these varieties was nice, especially when used in conjunction with the spot/area function. I was particularly fond of the rhythmic tapping mode so I left it at that for the next 30 minutes.

The real test came at night. Again, by midnight I was already drowsy and my mind seemed ready to just shut off. This time however, I woke up around 4AM. This probably meant my body was slowly becoming accustomed to this routine.

Day Five

I was surprised at how much I started looking forward to these little massage sessions.

Just being in the chair itself actually made it easier to fall asleep, probably because of how it’s designed. According to Ogawa, the iCuddle is shaped in this ergonomic L-track that basically follows the curve of the back of your body to provide a satisfying massage experience.

As the end of the week approaches, I wanted to try out the “Auto Program” function which consists of 3 settings:

• The 1st program focuses on the neck & shoulders. It’s suitable for office workers/desk jobs or generally those who strain their shoulders.
• The 2nd program is more of a light refreshing massage which is suitable for people who are not used to strong massages or those with lower pain tolerance.
• The 3rd program is a full body rejuvenation which uses medium to strong intensity levels to relieve the user from their neck to their buttocks.

This option ended up being great for days when I couldn’t be bothered with the other settings and just wanted to combine everything. I spent 10 minutes on each mode and by the end, my body was a combination of relaxed and rejuvenated.

I had also recently joined the gym and my personal trainer doesn’t know the word “mercy” during our training. So the iCuddle became a nice treat for myself after those intense workout sessions.

Not too sure if it’s because of the proper full body massage or a combination of that with going to the gym, but I actually slept earlier that night.

I was gone by 11PM and only woke up around 4AM, meaning I got close to 5 hours of sleep. To any insomniac, that’s an achievement.

Day Seven

For the last day, I wanted to end this experiment with a bang. So I went through all the modes with the intensity set at the maximum level.

I regretted it—considering my low tolerance of pain and general avoidance to massages in general.

Safe to say that night, I was kept up until about 2AM before I managed to sleep, and not because of my insomnia.

No blame to the chair though, just to my own ambitious stupidity.

Verdict

So is this approved for my fellow insomniacs? Perhaps, if you’ve tried it all and are a fan of massages.

From my personal experiment, it did help relax the muscles of my body, and the repeated motions of the massage chair actually helped calm my mind which is usually plagued with constant anxiety.

I went from constantly getting only 2 hours of sleep a day (or sometimes none at all) to already drifting off to sleep by midnight or so.

I will say though, If I wanted to see a drastic improvement, I’d probably need to keep up this routine, which I honestly don’t mind. If sitting down for a 30-minute massage will help me get at least two more hours of sleep, I’ll take it.

If you’re keen on checking out the iCuddle for yourself, Ogawa will be launching this product first on Lazada Malaysia for their 12.12 campaign.

The launch price will be RM1,999 (RRP: RM3,999) and if you purchase during the campaign, you’ll get a RM100 Lazada voucher that can only be used during 12.12. There will also be 1 unit of the iCuddle available at RM1 on the “Slash It” deals.

After 12.12, you’d still be able to purchase the iCuddle for RM1,999 with no voucher until the end of December.

• To find out more information on Ogawa and their other range of products, you can click here.

VP Verdict is a series where we personally try and test out products, services, fads, and apps. Want to suggest something else for us to try? Leave a comment here or send the suggestion into our Facebook page.

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