Amethyst Bio Mat Professional (Far Infrared BioMat)

I bought this mat specifically for detox (general organ healing from years of taking pain killers) and acute pain mitigation. I chose this mat over a far infrared sauna because:1) Cost - the Bio-Mat is less expensive2) Portable - I can move it to any room easily3) Compact - It does not take up so much space in my house4) I wanted to have the benefit of direct heat on certain body parts5) I wanted the negative ion benefits6) I wanted to be able to lie down, and sitting in a real sauna did not seem comfortable...I received the mat less than 24 hours ago, which was excellent timing due to the level of pain I am in. I have literally laid on this mat for almost 16 hours straight, it feels that incredibly good. As long as I stay on the mat, I am able to cut down my pain killers. After about 12 hours on the mat, I made the mistake of going to bed (without the mat) and 3.5 hours later awoke to acute pain... So the trick for me personally, is to literally stay on the mat as much as possible, during acute pain episodes. This mat is now my new best friend (and that of my dogs - they stick to it like Velcro). My body temperature is naturally very low, about 2 full degrees lower than 98.6, and this could be one reason why I am so attracted to the mat.The mat provides a very soothing warmth, which is hard to describe. It is a deep warmth, with no perceivable source, making the warmth experience almost surreal. I own an infrared electromagnetic TDP lamp (the kind you find in massage and acupuncture clinics), and the heat from this mat is very different from that of the TDP lamp. It is far more enjoyable for many reasons. First off, it is an all-over warmth, head to toe. I am 5'8" and the length of this mat is just fine for me, with room to spare. The TDP lamp only heats a very small area of your body. I would often find myself sweating under the lamp, yet have cold hands and feet). The length of the mat allowed me to heat my feet fully when lying on my stomach. When I am on pain killers I get terribly cold, and my feet and hands really suffer. So it was wonderful to be so warm, all over. It took a full 20 minutes to really get warm, so it is not an instant, hard heat. It occurs gradually and softly.Second, the warmth is highly adjustable, with many different levels, so I could very easily find a setting that was "just right", whereas with my TDP lamp, I constantly have to adjust the lamp's distance from my body as I warm up. I have also burned myself with the TDP lamp, and that does not seem to be possible with this mat as I had it on the highest possible setting for over an hour & had no skin burning. If I had children, I would not hesitate to lay them on it for long periods of time with a low setting.Third, there was no off-gassing, no funky smell to the unit as it heated up for the first time. Just clean radiant warmth.It also comes with a nice white cover that fits over the mat, as well as your massage table. This is nice as it will soak up sweat and dirt tracked onto it by my dogs. This cover appears to be cotton and easily washable. The only negative I could comment on at this time is that the power cord could be longer. However, the unit uses such little electricity, I would have no hesitation to plug it into a regular extension cord full time. Neither the electronic controller, nor the power cord, seemed to heat up at all, even after being on for such a long time. I also really love the fact that the mat is EMF protected, whereas my old heating pad is not.This is my first infrared heating pad of any kind, and I am truly in awe at how good it makes me feel. The electronics, wheeled carrying case, and the pad itself appear to be very well made, and give the appearance of being a high quality, luxury item.This mat is fairly hard, so I am not sure I will be able to sleep on it full time - but apparently the company makes a version of this mat just for that purpose, which might have more padding.In terms of customer service, I received the coupon code within an hour of requesting it, or thereabout. Chris offered excellent customer service, and was able to upgrade my shipping to 2-Day Air at a very reasonable rate.In summary, although I have only owned it for less than 24 hours, I would recommend it unconditionally. My only regret is that I did not learn about this product years ago. As I get older (and have more and more pains) I find I gravitate to well crafted, well designed, functional tools, and am willing to pay for them. This mat seems at this point to be everything they say it is, and may end up being a real bargain... Hope this in-depth reviews helps you make an informed decision. I found it hard to find reviews of this product...UPDATE: 10-14-11 Having owned this mat for a number of years now, I continue to love it. I now sleep on it full-time. It is a hard mat, so I do two things to make it more comfortable for full time sleeping use: 1. Decrease my Sleep Number Bed setting down, which makes for a much softer bed. 2. I put a nice memory foam bed topper on, then lay this pad on top of that. The combination of decreasing my sleep number setting, plus the memory foam makes for a very comfortable night. Most of my tossing and turning is now over. The heat on even the slightest setting does wonders to calm and lull me to sleep. I really appreciate this product.

I paid $1550.00 for a new BIOMAT from this seller. I received a DEFECTIVE item, the electrical panel does NOT function. It took numerous contacts to Amazon before receiving a response. The from Ivanbob was they were out of town and could only repair it...interesting. The seller must not have a cell phone or computer available to them, very odd. Included in the package with the Biomat was a GUARANTEE FROM RICHWAY however, only if you purchase through them, which was NOT explained. If this seller is a representative for Richway then they should be able to obtain a RA# and send a replacement. Their response is that they will only repair the $1,550 item that was received defective. Considering they are not affiliated with Richway, I do not think it is reasonable to think that a customer is going have someone with no knowledge of the wiring of this product fix it and that I should feel comfortable to sleep on a heated item under my body on my bed. I don't think so! Also, notice since my complaint a new seller of biomats by the name of Ivanlee has appeared on Amazon. BEWARE

I purchased my Biomat directly from Richway and after about a year the control panel went haywire. The unit changes temperature all of the indicator lights turn on without pressing any buttons. The woman on the phone was condescending and rude, and it took about a week and a half to even get instructions. Now I have to send the control panel to Hawaii (on my dime, no prepaid label), and wait weeks for the replacement part before I have a functional mat again.A better way to do this would be for Richway to send the defective part to the customer along with a prepaid label and return shipping box for the defective part to make things more convenient for the customer but Richway doesn't seem to have any interest in making things easy for their customers when their $1800 crap units fail after only a year.

Hello,i was shocked today, Feb 18, 2018, to see a number of small stones came out from my Richway Biomat. It is about 3 years old. I looked carefully with a magnifying glass at the seams but they were tight. Then i looked at the plastic strip and saw the plastic has deteriorated and spilt open and the stones have come out and will continue to come out of that place unless i fix it. I always use the provided pad on top of the mat and have not been rough with it. It always lies on top of my bed. The plastic is just deteriorating. For such an expensive item, this is clearly a design flaw. Soon the entire strip will need replacing. I am not prepared to throw away a leaking $600.00 mat, nor can i afford to ship it from and back to the South Pacific. How can i fix this at home? i gave it 3 stars because i have liked it for 3 years.

I had used this at the Naturopath's office and really enjoyed the feeling.I now do most of my bodywork with clients on pad. Some of the claims arepretty extreme, but I must admit, after a few sessions some of the questionable skin lesions I had disappeared.So I am not questioning, just asking what other things are really possible?Must tell you though, the pad can get uncomfortable. It is not down. lolIt can get heavy even though it comes with a rolling case.I am really using it with some great results.