This Homedics Shiatsu Massage Pillow is neatly packaged and easy to carry in a box with a handle for that oh-so-smug “Yes I’m going home with a massage pillow and you are not” bus ride.

The very charming slip in the protective packaging congratulated me on my purchase and assured me of the ‘weird smell’ that may emanate from the packaging is natural and not harmful. There was a very basic manual – essentially, ‘plug it in, turn it on, well done’ – which was pleasing.

The inoffensive beige covering meant this really can be used anywhere in the house without detection if necessary and the material was soft and irresistibly strokey. It was compact and not bulky so it was easy to manoeuvre about the room if necessary. The power cord was impressively long so it could stretch across the bed, to the sofa, along the ground with no difficulty.

It was so easy to use – you can plug into any wall-socket and there is one button on the cushion itself. You push it once to turn it on, press it again to give you HEAT (takes 3 minutes to heat up), and then once again to turn it off. It automatically switches itself off after 15 minutes, in case you fall asleep and don’t want to short-circuit your house (or indeed your shoulders).

THING IS, the massage wasn’t great. Like most people, tension tends to build up in my neck, and on a particularly stiff day I was looking forward to settling in with a nice kneading. Although the balls rotate with strength and a pleasing, slow rhythm, and the heat feature is a great addition, it didn’t really hit the spot. Also, part of the mechanism below the balls has an edge that digs into the top of your spine. It took a lot of manoeuvring around to locate a satisfactory position that was not uncomfortable, and even then it was only OK. Sitting upright with it on your back is also a little strange – the large rotating balls are quite well-positioned on either side of your spine, but the movements are too big for any targeted relaxation to occur.

Anyone could use this simple gadget and it could make a great gift for someone to use on their lower back for instance. What it lacks in aesthetic beauty it makes up for in easy storage and a no-nonsense appearance, so you feel it is to be utilised instead of displayed. It’s a pleasing little thing, but not an essential indulgence.

Available from Amazon, Argos, Boots, Comet, Debenhams, House Of Fraser, John Lewis and Selfridges, with an RRP of £49.99

See www.homedics.co.uk for more details

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