Michael & Paul: B&B Owners Managing Back Pain and Helping Guests

Can you tell us about yourselves?

Michael: My name is Michael Worobec, and I'm an artist.

Paul: And I'm Paul, the other co-owner of Crescent House. We run a boutique B&B, and we have a hybrid venue. So really excited about BackHug.

What back problems were you both experiencing?

Paul: I've always had problems with my back because one leg's longer than the other. What really attracted me to BackHug is that, you know, you've got your own personal masseur on demand whenever you want. So it's just been fantastic for me.

Michael: I've never really had problems with my back till literally about a year ago when I was walking down the street and I got this sudden grasping pain that literally stopped me in my tracks and I thought, oh, it's come at last, kind of the phantom back thing. So what I find with this is it just keeps it in check. You know, I do it 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes four times a week. And I just feel it strengthens me. It gives me a better posture. It just loosens things up. And I just feel it keeps that searing pain I had at bay.

Paul: The big thing for me, I think, is that I've got so much more mobility. You know, I was never able to turn as far as I can now. I've never been able to do that and especially during the last couple of years, we've all been sitting on Zoom calls all the time. And you really feel it. It just gives you that release in the back, which is great.

How does back pain affect you?

Paul: You never complained about back trouble, as you said. But then once you have back pain, there's nothing worse.

Michael: It is so debilitating and it kind of makes you feel old. And it makes you feel that you're vulnerable. And it can affect you psychologically as well, because you just take so much for granted until the day it just stops working. You know? And it's great just to have BackHug and then have a bath afterwards. It feels like you've got kind of a spa on tap almost, you know, it's really convenient and it's just there when you need it. And there's something about the shape and the hug, you know, it's a nice correlation at the end of the day.

What's the experience like using BackHug?

Paul: It certainly gives me a lot of relief. It's very, you know, it's relaxing now. At the beginning, you know, a deep tissue massage is quite intense. It's got about 27 or 28 robotic fingers. So, you know, you really do feel it. But actually, I fall asleep now, quite often.

Michael: Yeah. I just assumed you'd wake up the other day, but you didn't. I thought when the legs went down you'd wake up but you just lay there for a little while.

Paul: Until half one in the morning...

What benefits have you noticed?

Paul: Yeah. I think for me, the things that I find the best about it is the mobility now that I've got back. So, you know, being able to turn right round like that, I've never been able to go that far. And it's just really comfortable. I sit a lot at the desk, you know, on the computer all day. So I get that thing under my shoulder blades at the back. So I really find that helps and I've got so much more mobility.

Michael: I mean it makes you just sit up as well because, you know, it keeps you thinking about your body. You think about your posture, you think about your back. It makes you think about "is it the upper back or the lower back? Is it my neck?" So because you can choose, you can do the zigzags. You're trying to think of the things you've done and the benefits you got from them. At first I was trying to do them all differently. And I thought, well, actually today I'm feeling a little bit more stress at the bottom, so I'll focus on that. So that's a good thing. You're in control.

How is BackHug different from other massage devices?

Paul: The big difference with BackHug is it's not like one of those machines that you sit in a business lounge and it sort of massages your back a bit. Because of gravity and your legs are up, it really gives you that deep tissue massage which I think is really important.

Michael: It isn't kind of an automatic relaxation thing. It's a beneficial thing as a deep tissue massage. So I was quite worried about that at first, but I did it a few times. And also we've had my mum, who's pushing 90, we've had different age groups, you know, different sexes and all that, and they've all had a little go and absolutely no one's had an issue with it. So it's kind of reassured us that it has the ability to be really beneficial for any age group and different sizes as well. My mum is quite a large Italian woman, and it just suits them all.

Paul: I think as well that the way we introduce it to people, we very much describe it as much more like a deep tissue massage or sports massage. It's not like a Swedish massage, which is more of a tickle really, in comparison. So, you know, you do get some red marks on your body, but that's the same as if you're using deep tissue. You're going to get some red marks. So we explain that to people.

Michael: Yeah it's quite reassuring actually. And I always check and it doesn't last for any period of time and I've been using it regularly so yeah, quite confident about it.

How has it worked for your guests?

Paul: Well you know we obviously run a hospitality business. So on my mind was the risk of people using it, you know, guests coming. But actually I've been really reassured because the good thing is people sign up with the app, they're in control the whole time, we let them experience it. And, you know, it's actually been a great bonus. We actually had one guest who is a runner and really fit person, and he came and stayed with us. He arrived with, I think it was like a trapped nerve or sciatica. That's what he was complaining of. And he canceled his dinner reservation, canceled, you know, the first day of his holiday. And I said to him, why don't you give the BackHug a try and see. He used it probably about five times during the three days, 20 minutes every day, and it just kept it in check for him. And he actually said to us in his review afterwards that it saved his holiday, so you couldn't get a better recommendation than that, really.