Wish Rock Relaxation's Joanna Walters Visits Luraco Technologies
I’ve been meaning to write this post for far too long! In fact, I originally intended to write this in November directly following my first visit to the Luraco Headquarters in Arlington, Texas and then later after the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show this past January. As any good business owner would do, I wanted to experience my best-selling products first-hand and to truly get to know my suppliers in their element.
Arlington is just outside of Dallas and should have been a very quick and easy commute from Denver. However, when I got to the Sixt airport car rental area, they ran out of vehicles as my turn came up. In an effort to get me out of there as quickly as possible, they graciously upgraded me to a new Cadillac SUV. As I was zipping through the city and its circuitous highway system, the car almost outsmarted me with its navigation system. 😉
As soon as I got to Luraco, I immediately noticed the large billowing United States Flag proudly flying next to the Texas State Flag outside as I made my way in. Right when I walked in, I was greeted at the front by Angie, someone that I have talked to many times on the phone. Robyn Readicker then joined me and we began my tour. The day that I was there was no ordinary day for Luraco, in fact, it was the photo shoot for the national campaign of the yet-to-be-released brand new Luraco Legend L-Track Massage Chair and the Luraco Sofy Theater Chair. If I was lucky, I’d be able to take a peek at the marketing campaign coming to life.
Robyn began by showing me the boardroom rich with the history and numerous awards. She explained that the company was originally founded in 2005 by two Vietnamese American brothers, Dr. Kevin Le, Ph.D and Mr. Tom Le. The brothers named the company from their two daughters, Lucy and Sarah with the mission of providing research, development and manufacturing of advanced products for the military, industrial and commercial sectors. What this really means is that Luraco is an engineering company at heart with 17 patents granted and another 15 patents pending in the military aviation sector, robotic massage systems, industrial motor controllers among others. Luraco is known for having the best 3D robotics technology in the industry; their attention to detail and quality assurance is unmatched.
As we walked through the bright and spotless facility, I was immediately impressed by the feeling of family among the entire team…and the fact that there were American flags near most workstations. Being a Navy Veteran, I definitely appreciated the “Made in America” pride displayed throughout.
I was intrigued as I walked by a small sounds booth with a line of i7’s and Legends waiting to enter through a trolley system. The Sound Engineer quickly ran out of his booth to greet me and answer all of my questions. When they say that Luraco chairs are Made in the USA, they really do mean it! Each and every chair is tested through a sound booth with multiple speakers and sensors to ensue that each chair leaves with less than 60dB of sound—in case you’re wondering, that’s the sound of a mere whisper in a library. I watched as one chair wasn’t quite up to snuff. They had to pull it out of the booth and make some tweaks to the arm—I believe that actually had to sand down a piece or two.
Check out this video of Luraco Sound Engineer, Calvin.
I met the R&D Engineering team behind the new Luraco iRobotics L-Track Legend Plus headed up by Varad Gokhale. Varad answered all of my questions and helped me to get all of the settings right. It's a unique experience when you get to spend time with the Engineer behind the design execution. I must say that the L-Track of the Legend is the longest in the industry at 58” massaging well into my hamstrings. I’m a mighty 5’4.5” tall. I was immediately impressed by the smoothness and length of the rollers, intuitive remote control and overall quiet operation. I felt like actually needed water after that massage!
After my Legend experience, we finished up the shop tour at the end of the line. I got to see exactly how the chairs look when they’re boxed up and ready to leave the facility. Even Luraco’s packaging seems to be superior.
I was able to meet the CEO of the Company, Mr. Tom Le and his brother and co-founder the Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Kevin Le. They were both very approachable and genuinely seemed grateful to meet me as one of their dealers.
From the warehouse, we headed into the marketing photoshoot. I watched as the talent (models) were prepped to get into the chairs. Tom Le, one of the founders, was shooting video of the event while an entire photo crew snapped perfect angles of the chairs on display. I finally got to sit in the iRobotics i7 during the photoshoot. As I sat down, they wrapped me in a warm, fleece blanket and helped me to select a good deep tissue program. I was immediately taken aback by the way the 3D rollers perfectly massaged my upper back muscles—I’m typically a tough customer in the upper shoulder area. After having been a Division I swimmer and former butterflier, I have pretty big shoulders that usually occupy a massage therapists attention or quite some time. The i7 gave me the deepest upper shoulder, back massage that I’ve ever had—even when compared to strong massage therapist. I also think that the pictures don’t do the i7 justice. It’s a very good looking chair in person with all leather touchpoints and a remote that is the size of a small tablet.
They let me enjoy my massage while I lazily watched as the stage was being set. As one of the models was getting ready for the Sofy shoot, they suggested that she wear taller black boots which she didn’t have. Thinking on my feet, I immediately handed her my boots. Now, when you see the pictures of the beautiful model in the Sofy, you’ll know that those are my famous boots on her feet.
The entire Luraco Company is a Team who treats each other as family. When I was there that day, they allowed me into their family. I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent their company and to have had the chance to spend some good time with them.
This past January, I actually was able to visit and help them at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas. They welcomed me with open arms as I jumped into the ring and began helping customers to experience both the iRobotics i7 and the new iRobotics Legend. And in true family fashion, amidst the craziness, the offered me lunch and water as we all chipped in to do what we love—take care of our customers.
