Since November, Coway, known for selling its water filters in instalments with periodic aftermarket services, has been marketing its massage chairs under the Berex brand.

I recently tried the Coway Berex Pebble and Mine massage chairs at one of their roadshows.

The event also promoted the Massage Bed. It was recently featured in the news when 17 of them were installed in a cinema in the city centre. 

While I was told that none of the three featured products were hero products, the Pebble MC-C01 seems to be the one I have seen the most in their promotional media.

Pebble is a massage chair disguised as designer furniture. It is relatively small for a massage chair, comes in four easy-to-match colours, and is paired with an ottoman and heated massage cushion. While it has more advanced features than the Mine, its massage range is limited to the neck, back, and lower thigh. 

The 137-degree leanback was comfortable, especially with the ottoman. It has built-in speakers that can be paired with an audio source via Bluetooth. I like the idea of a massage while listening to a podcast. 

However, Pebble’s voice guidance makes the chair seem gimmicky. The controls are located where the hand would naturally rest when one is sitting in the chair, but once one leaned back, they were not easy to read. 

Each button has multiple options, but each must be toggled through with the press of the button. For example, to go to a lower intensity, the button must be pressed multiple times as it goes through higher intensities. 

The inclusion of a USB-C charging port on the armrest was odd because Pebble does not have space to put a device in. A slot or a pocket would have been nice. The heated massage cushion seemed odd, too, as it is independent of the Pebble. It has separate functions and charges separately, too. Maybe the next version would have them communicate wirelessly and in concert. 

Of the two, I prefer the MC-B02 Mine. This is Coway’s second massage chair after the full-sized MC-ST-1B. As most massage chairs have gotten bigger and more intimidating, Mine seems like the more welcoming and sensible option.

It is compact, takes less space, is easier to move, and fits with the furniture of most rooms. Despite being small, it has massage elements from the foot to the neck but no arms. 

The massages on the Mine is also more intense than the Pebble. The 141-degree lean back helps with relaxation, too. According to Coway, the chair detects the dimensions of the person sitting so it massages the right spots. 

Though the Mine supposedly has less advanced massage technology, I liked it more. I had the same control issues with the Mine as I did with the Pebble, and they were worse on the Mine. However, it does have a slot for a device, and the charging port is a full-size USB port.

It also has speakers located in a better position (sides of the head instead of built into the seat), and it does not talk.

Preferences aside, the aftermarket service makes these Coway Berex massage chairs worth investigating. 

The Pebel can be “rented” for RM145 a month for five years. That includes five years of service and a five-year warranty. The Mine is the same but for RM120 a month for five years.

The 5-year warranty means Coway is confident that the massage chairs would be good with regular use for at least that long, and the 5-year service means Coway would send someone to clean the massage chairs once a year. They would also change some covers and pads in the third year. 

There is an option to “rent” the Pebble (RM130) and Mine (RM105) without a service, but they still include a warranty. 

The option to outright buy the Pebble (RM8,000) and Mine (RM6,000) is the most attractive option to me; I do not like subscriptions and rents. However, they would be more expensive if the Service Membership was included (RM1,500 for Pebble and RM200 for Mine). They provide one additional free year of care service and parts replacements—sort of an optional annual subscription.