The Wish Rock girls were in San Diego last week to celebrate the 4th of July holiday--we spent a lot of time at the beach and on the go. I was able to break away for a few hours to head up north to check out all of the new Human Touch chairs at their headquarters in Long Beach, CA. The drive up went quickly and was punctuated by the fact that I was popping in on their 4th of July company potluck on July 3rd.
They welcomed me in as part of the Human Touch family which really made me feel good considering that I was crashing their party. I finally had the chance to meet my new(er) account rep, Cathy Lou, in person and also got to spend some more time with Dale Shepherd and Mark Moritz. Mark is the gentleman in all of the Human Touch videos--he helped to point out some hidden features of the perfect chair line that even I wasn't aware of including demonstrating how the articulating head rest works (pretty genious).
I got to finally meet the all-star customer service team that took such good care of my account this past year. The team had gotten to know my voice and name because they had helped me in assisting our customers so much. It was really nice to finally put faces to the voices I've grown accustomed to working with.
Right from the get-go I noticed that they have really settled into their new Headquarters building. Last year when I visited, they had just completed the move a few weeks prior. The showroom was not really set up yet and they were clearly still moving in. This time, the showroom looked amazing with a company timeline on the wall and all their new chairs proudly displayed and ready for me to experience first hand. The culture is evident as you walk through hallways--I was really impressed by the constant reminder of their culture throughout the space.
Check out this Perfect Chair WordArt found on the stairwell leading up to their offices and conference rooms. By the way, as you're walking through the halls, you just might bump into CEO David Wood as I did.
I was able to try out the all-new Human Touch Novo XT2 and really fell in love with the crisp sound system provided by Altec Lansing--especially the sounds of nature. The Novo XT2 is now the flagship chair replacing the Novo XT and features an S-L Track chair (will allow for a better stretch than just a straight L-Track), 35 auto-wellness programs, an upgraded remote and all of the other premium features you've grown to love and expect.
I also learned quite a bit while I was there about the overall design and manufacturing process. For example, all of the Human Touch chairs are designed and engineered in their Long Beach facility. In fact, one of Human Touch's lead designers cut his design teeth at Nike. The company's massage chairs are then manufactured in China while the Perfect Chairs are all manufactured in Thailand and made of the solid Brazilian Rubber Tree wood--one of the strongest and most durable woods available today. This was also the first time that I was able to really get my hands on all of the Perfect Chair accessories and to see them in action. They actually look even better in person than they do on the site and are very high-quality additions. The spanner wedge table actually has a row of plugs in the back--how convenient! it's also nice to have your accessories match the wood of the chair.
The first time that I sat in the manual Perfect Chair PC-420, I had difficulty returning the chair back to its normal position. I'm 5'4.5" with shorter arms. Reaching the lever while fully reclined was a little tough at first, but once I learned the trick of leaning forward and lifting my head a bit on the way up, I easily swung myself back up to the neutral position. The 420 base is now available not only in the normal premium/top grain/SofHyde options, but also in the upgrade LiVE version with built-in memory foam and jade heat kit.
I also spent quite a bit of time in the newest addition to the hybrid Zero Gravity Recliner / Massage Chair line--the Human Touch Gravis. I was very impressed with the softness of the leather, smoothness of the roller, heat and memory foam. This new zero gravity recliner will not disappoint with its clean design elements and superior therapeutic elements. The Gravis will be released in the next month by Human Touch. I can't wait for you all to see it.
If you ever find yourself in the Southern CA area and want to check out Human Touch, please let me know and I'll make sure that we have someone waiting to meet you!
