Review of the Ultimate Dual Core

An Independent Review of the Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core RT8900 (UK Edition)

March 23, 2022 by Dr. Alan Weidner

Every once in a while, something comes along in the massage chair industry that I would consider a "game-changer". Not just bells and whistles, but features that really change the direction of the development of massage chairs. A few that come to my mind since I've been in the business would be foot rollers, multiple airbags that don't just squeeze but also facilitate body movement, L-tracks, and arm rollers.

A year and a half ago, a new technology that impressed me right away has proven to be another game-changer that I expect we will see more and more of with subsequent massage chair models: split tracks.

In this article, I will review the Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core (this Model is known in the US as the Daiwa Supreme Hybrid ), the pioneer model of the split track feature in the USA.

The Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core massage chair was the first Model introduced to the US market with the split-track feature. It has two separate roller tracks…one roller track that extends from the base of your skull down to your lower back and another track that focuses exclusively under the seat, hitting the gluteal and piriformis muscles. Split tracks represent an L-shaped roller track (aka L-track) that is essentially "split in two" to facilitate a full-body extension stretch, the efficacy of which had only been previously seen in S-track chairs.

Since the Ultimate Dual-Core hit the scene in July 2020, it has become a very popular model primarily because of the split track and the associated stretch program. But there is quite a bit more to that chair than the split track, and I will go into depth now about the features that make this chair unique. Here are the pros and cons of the Dual-Core (I will break up all my points of discussion into bullet points to make it easier to follow along):

It is a unique feel to have rollers working on your neck while another set of rollers are working on your butt muscles. You can't get that with regular chairs or even with some split-track chairs. The depth/intensity of the back rollers can be adjusted, but the quad rollers in the seat are set at a fixed depth. In other words, the intensity of the seat rollers cannot be increased or decreased mechanically…only with and without pillows.

I have discussed the differences between the different types of stretches in other articles. Until this new technology came along, only S-track chairs could flatten out enough to give a firm "full-body extension stretch". L-track chairs could never flatten out completely, so their stretches were OK but nowhere close to the S-track stretch.

We call the L-track stretch a "hip distraction stretch" since the stretch only really pulls the legs, so you feel a bit of pulling of the hips. But, now, with the two separate roller tracks, the Supreme Hybrid is the first L-track chair that can give you that full body extension stretch. It is fantastic! The program on the chair for this unique feature is called "Thai Stretch" (in the US, it is named Hybriflex). If a stretch is essential to you (and it should be!), an L-track massage, you can't beat the inversion stretch of the Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core. You have to experience and compare it to regular L-track stretches to fully comprehend what I am telling you.

The Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core has a "pod" body style, similar to the Human Touch Super Novo. Coincidentally, both models are built in the Rotai factory, arguably the best massage chair factory in China (over 99% of the massage chairs come from China). The chair is also a wall hugger space saver. You can place it within 3 inches of the wall without fear of it hitting the wall when it reclines. This body design fits most sizes of people quite comfortably. It can handle users as tall as 6'4″ and as heavy as 300 lbs. Sometime, users with long legs might feel like the leg extension of the chair is too short. Actually, that is a problem with a lot of chairs when it comes to dealing with long-legged people.

A little tip for tall users who are sitting in this or any other massage chair model: when the chair has completed its scan, and you find your legs are not extended enough, a.) make sure that you have fully extended the leg rest and, if that still doesn't do it, then b.) lower the ottoman until your knees come down and your thighs are resting on the seat. This will work with most chairs, but something a lot of taller people don't think to do.

The Rotai Ultimate RT8900 currently comes in the following standard colours in the UK: grey/black and white case with champagne PU leather. They are usually a 2-tone colour scheme…one colour on the exterior body and another shade on the interior colour. The exterior of the chair body is a glossy plastic, while the interior material is faux (synthetic) leather.

The chair has Quick Keys that are located on the left armrest and give you the ability to turn on the chair, scroll through the auto programs, adjust body and leg positioning, pause any massage program/settings, turn on the heat, and put the chair into a zero-gravity position. I should mention that the heat function is provided to the back and the calves. This chair also has two options for charging your phones: on the right armrest is located a USB port into which you can plug your older model phone. There is a charging pad for the newer phone models on the left armrests.

A feature I really like is the palm supports in the armrests. When you put your arms in the armrests, your palms of your hands rest on airbags that protrude up into your palms. It is very comfortable, also providing a nice airbag compression massage.

As a 3D/4D massage chair, the Rotai Ultimate Dual-Core can provide more and less intense roller massages. However, it differs slightly from a more typical 3D/4D massage chair. If you look at a typical auto program display on the tablet screen, you will see 2 different things that appear similar and are related but are different. The "3D Strength" scale represents how strong the overall message is for this particular program.

There are 36 auto programs in this chair, each of which has a different configuration of massage intensity. For example, the "Sweet Dreams" program has a less intense roller massage. The intensity can scale from 0-5, 0 being the most gentle and 5 being the lowest intensity. The intensity of a program like "Sweet Dreams" will fluctuate from 0-5 but rarely hitting 5. It will spend most of its time in the 0-2/3 range. Now, if you go to the "Force" choices to the right of the "3D Strength" scale, you have the option of "Gentle", "Soothing", and "Vigorous". These choices make the "3D Strength" higher up the 0-5 scale more often. If you choose "Gentle", the 0-5 scale of 3D strength will stay close to the bottom range. If you select "Soothing", the 0-5 scale of 3D power will move higher up the scale, maybe hitting 5 once. If you choose "Vigorous", the 0-5 scale of 3D strength will move up the scale more often.

So, in summary, the roller intensity of each program is pre-set to run between 0-5 on an intensity scale. The name and description of the program will give you an idea of how intense it is. However, using the "Force" options will affect how often the 3D strength will go higher or lower up or down the scale. I hope that makes sense. The misconception for new users of this chair is that when you press "Vigorous", the assumption is that the whole roller track digs deep into the back muscles to give you a more vigorous massage. Or, when you press "Gentle", the entire roller track moves away more from the back muscles to give you a more gentle massage. The force options only affect how often the rollers dig deeper or less deep into your back muscles within the pre-set auto program. If you want a more intense or less intense massage, select a program that offers it.

You will see a setting called "Reset When Finished" just above the "Force" setting. If you switch that on, the chair will return to its full upright position when a program ends. If that feature is turned off, the chair will remain reclined after the program ends. If you want to stay asleep when your massage ends, turn that option off!

When you select the "Manual" menu icon, you can begin creating your own custom programme. Set the roller intensity you want, including the roller speed and 3D strength. You can then go to "Options" and select which airbags to deploy and with what intensity, turn on back & leg heat, and/or turn on foot rollers. If you go to the "Adjustments" menu option, you can change the length of the massage program, the zero-gravity positioning, and the leg & body positioning. You can also use the "Adjustments" options for any auto programmes.

I hope this review helps you decide about a new massage chair. I really like this chair. Feel free to contact my staff or me with any other questions.
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