Healthy Wave Far Infrared Mat vs the Richway Biomat: Unveiling the Superiority of the Biomat

Introduction

The market for therapeutic mats has witnessed significant growth in recent years, as people increasingly seek natural and holistic approaches to their well-being. Richway International has been the gold standard when it comes to infrared heat therapy mats for 27 years. Healthy Wave mats have only been around for about ten years. This article aims to provide a thorough analysis of these two products, highlighting their differences and demonstrating why the Richway Biomat stands out as the superior choice.

Overview of the Healthy Wave Far Infrared Mat

The Healthy Wave Far Infrared mat is designed to provide users with the benefits of far infrared heat and negative ions. It combines the two technologies in an effort to promote relaxation, pain relief, and overall wellness.

Overview of the Richway Biomat

The Richway Biomat is a cutting-edge far infrared therapy mat that utilizes far infrared rays and negative ions to enhance the body's natural healing processes. It is renowned for its advanced technology and for being the gold standard of infrared devices, making it a preferred choice among health-conscious individuals and healthcare professionals alike. This mat's far infrared rays penetrate deeply into the body, promoting the relaxation of muscles, chronic pain relief, detoxification, increased blood circulation, and improved sleep quality.

Key Differences between the Healthy Wave Mat and the Richway Biomat

Technology and Construction

Healthy Wave Mat

The Healthy Wave mat copies the concept originally invented by Richway, in which gemstones are heated, creating far infrared radiation and negative ions. However, the technology used in the mat is not as advanced or effective as that of the Biomat.

According to its website, Healthy Wave "uses non-woven fabric wiring to directly heat gemstones". This type of heating is not only dangerous but also makes it impossible to heat the gemstones evenly across the face of the mat, making uncomfortable "hotspots" and making a good portion of the gemstones non-relevant. The whole concept of heating gemstones is meant to strengthen and elongate the far infrared rays that the gemstones naturally create and if a portion of them are not being heated, the mat is not using the gemstones to their full potential and the result is weak therapy. Given that all things are equal between the Biomat and Healthy Wave mat (which they are not, but just for conversation's sake, let's say they are), this one difference is monumental. Not heating all of the gemstones evenly (or at all) means that the output of far infrared heat is far less than a mat that does have evenly dispersed heat. Using wire to heat up the mat is a cheap shortcut that Richway is unwilling to take.

According to the Healthy Wave website, negative ions are produced by an "electric discharger" which is another name for an artificial generator.

Richway Biomat

The Biomat utilizes state-of-the-art infrared technology, including a unique combination of far infrared heat, negative ions, and amethyst crystals. This advanced construction ensures superior performance and optimal therapeutic benefits.

The idea behind using heated gemstones to produce far infrared heat was Richway's 27 years ago. Every other infrared heating pad on the market using this concept stole the idea (and some of the technology) from it. Healthy Wave is no different and is in the bottom tier of even knockoff brands.

Instead of using wiring to heat the amethyst in a Biomat, Richway has a patented heating plate that runs along the entire face of the mat so that all of the gemstones are heated evenly. This allows every square inch of the mat to produce infrared heat, unlike Healthy Wave mats. This technology is based on NASA and Nobel Prize-winning research. NASA uses similar heating plates to warm the space station. Healthy Wave claims its mats are "more flexible than Richway mats" and that is true, but it's because of the heating plates. So what would you rather have? More flexibility or more therapy? Hotspots that make lying on the mat uncomfortable or evenly dispersed gentle heat that you can sleep with?

Artificial negative ion generators like the ones Healthy Wave uses are outdated in therapy mats as far as Richway is concerned. Biomats used to have a negative ion generator inside the mat. But several years ago, Richway again discovered something that would revolutionize the way therapy mats produce negative ion therapy and introduced its ToCa (Tourmaline Catch Powder) layer. When tourmaline is crushed and infused into a special fabric and then heated, its production of ions skyrockets. To this day, Richway Biomats are the only mats with this special feature. The result? 1500 natural negative ions per cubic centimeter over the entire face of the mat. You can see the actual test for negative ions produced by the Biomat here. Where is the certification for Healthy Wave mats? We can't find it because it doesn't exist. The claim about its negative ion output is exaggerated.

Quality and Durability

Healthy Wave Mat

Healthy Wave is unclear about the number of layers in its products. In some places, it claims its mats have 21 layers and in others, 14. When something costs much less than another product that does the same thing, you have to ask yourself about the quality of materials and the manufacturing process. There is no place that we could find to see the actual construction of these mats or what the layers actually do.

Healthy Wave mats are made in Liaoning, China, which is where Phymat, HealthyLine, and several other knockoff infrared mats are made. It has no control over quality during manufacturing.  Recently, the New York Times did a story about the manufacturing of faulty medical devices in China.

Richway Biomat

The 17-layer construction of the Biomat is the result of almost three decades of research. Each layer has its own important function and the company is very transparent about how the mat is made.

The Biomat is known for its exceptional quality and durability. It undergoes rigorous testing and quality control measures to ensure long-lasting performance because the manufacturing factory where they are made is owned by Richway, making it a reliable investment for users. The company also owns its own amethyst mine so the quality of its mats is totally under its control.

Biomats are made in Seoul, South Korea at Fuji Bio, Inc, which is owned by Richway. South Korea, unlike China, is known for its stringent quality control laws when it comes to electronics manufacturing which is why big electronics companies like Samsung and LG manufacture their products there.

Gemstones

Richway Biomat

Richway owns its own amethyst mine and its own manufacturing facility so it can oversee every aspect of its production.  The amethyst is mined in South Korea, well known for its exceptional quality amethyst.  Certificates of quality can be found here.

Richway only uses amethyst crystal in most of its Biomat sizes because it is the number one emitter of far infrared rays among gemstones.  For the first ten years, Richway was in business, it used green jade because it emits infrared light waves.  However, studies were done that proved amethyst far outshines jade when it comes to infrared output so the switch was made. 

Tourmaline is the number one emitter of negative ions. Negative ions are produced by a layer inside the mat that has crushed tourmaline infused into a special fabric so there is no need to put it in the face of the mat.   The ToCa Layer maximizes ion output because this tourmaline layer stretches the entire length of the mat and reaches the entire body.

Healthy Wave Mat

Healthy Wave boasts about using jade as well as amethyst and tourmaline in their mats.  Tourmaline and jade are mixed together with amethyst on the face of the mat.  Mixing these two stones with amethyst, it takes away from the potential infrared radiation because tourmaline and jade do not emit far infrared rays as well as amethyst.  Putting jade into the mix only makes it cheaper for the face of the mat to be filled since it is less costly than amethyst.  Mixing the stones on the face of the mat also takes away from negative ion production as amethyst and jade do not emit as much as tourmaline.  

The origin and quality of the amethyst and other gemstones used are unclear as there is no certification to be found on the Healthy Wave site.  If the origin and quality were good, why not prove it and use it to market the products?

Safety Features

Healthy Wave Mat

The Healthy Wave mat incorporates certain safety features such as automatic shut-off timers and temperature controls. However, the effectiveness and safety of its controller are questionable when you consider it is made in China under no oversight from Healthy Wave.

The EMF protection that Healthy Wave offers is almost non-existent. Its controllers are outdated and don't do anything to stop EMF waves from entering the mat. On its website, Healthy Wave claims that, as far as EMF protection goes, "Since there are no present standards in the US, the Swedish Standard of 3 mG is used as the benchmark for the EMF Protection". In other words, since there is no set standard, Healthy Waves has put very little effort into ensuring the safety of its customers. Healthy Wave claims that they have one layer inside the mat dedicated to shielding the customer from EMF.

Richway Biomat

The Richway Biomat has advanced safety features, including an advanced EMF blocking system and an automatic shut-off timer. These features guarantee user safety and peace of mind during each session.

The Biomat controller, made by Texas Instruments, the oldest and most trusted electronics manufacturer in America, has the most advanced IC chip available that intercepts EMF waves and sends them right back into the outlet's grounding pin. For extra protection, there are three layers inside the mat that shield customers from EMF, even though the controller is designed to intercept all EMF.

Certifications and Medical Approvals

Healthy Wave Mat

The Healthy Wave mat lacks certain certifications and medical approvals, which can raise concerns regarding its safety and effectiveness. While they claim to be FDA-approved, they are actually not. The FDA has approved the type of mat (infrared heating pad) as a medical device but that doesn't mean that the Healthy Waves mat specifically has been approved for any actual health issues because it has not.

Richway Biomat

The Biomat is 510k approved, unlike Healthy Waves, and has obtained FDA approval for actual health issues. So the mat itself is approved by the FDA, unlike the Healthy Wave mats. The Biomat has been specifically approved for temporary relief of minor muscle pain, joint pain, stiffness, arthritis-related pain, muscle spasms, sprains, strains, muscular back pain, muscle relaxation, and temporary increase of local circulation. No other infrared therapy mat has these approvals which is why the Biomat is the only mat used in studies, publications, and books.

Warranty

Please read this section carefully and you will see that in the long run, you are much better off purchasing from Richway.

Richway Biomat

Richway offers a 1-year unlimited warranty. In years 2 and 3, you can extend that unlimited warranty if and only if something goes wrong. In other words, you don't pay unless you need it. If you should need it, a nominal fee is charged and the customer is covered for that entire year. Here's where it gets a lot better, however...

After year three, the customer has lifetime protection from ever having to purchase that Biomat again at full price. This is Richway's Care Program where if anything happens after year three, the customer throws that mat away and can purchase a brand new one at 30% of the current cost of a new one.

Healthy Wave Mat

Healthy Wave's warranty is confusing but they boast a 5-year warranty. However, just like Richway's warranty, after year one the customer must pay a fee. Some of their mats are covered under this warranty and some are only covered for 15 months. Either way, after year five the customer must purchase a new one at full price.

Number of Offered Products

Richway

The quality of a product is not determined by the quantity of products a company offers. It is possible for a company to have a wide range of products but lack in terms of quality, innovation, or customer satisfaction. Additionally, focusing on a smaller range of products allows a company to specialize and excel in those specific areas, providing better quality and value for customers.

The best products in the world are usually made by companies that focus on one or just a few products and spend time in research and development to keep them at the top. This has been Richway's philosophy for 27 years. While they do offer a few other products, the Biomat has always been their number one focus.

It has been proven that infrared heat and negative ions work synergistically to heal and alleviate pain and this is why Richway focuses on these two therapies in its mats.

Healthy Wave

Healthy Wave uses the fact that they have not only dozens of different sizes but also many types of mats with different therapies. With such a wide range of product offerings, we wonder how any one of them could be a quality product. There is no research and development going on at Healthy Waves. They get an idea for a new mat and they send that idea to China and a factory makes it for them. The idea is that the more different types of mats they offer, the more likely they are to make sales from sheer variety. And honestly, this strategy does work. But what it means for the customer is that none of the many therapies they offer are quality or at the top end of products they could get for that particular therapy. There are no studies to support that adding any of the therapies Healthy Wave offers together produces results or is even good for the body.

Conclusion

After a comprehensive comparison between the Healthy Wave Far Infrared Mat and the Richway Biomat, it is clear that the Biomat stands out as the superior choice in terms of technology, construction, and health benefits. While the Healthy Wave mat attempts to replicate the concept and technology of the Biomat, it falls short in terms of advanced construction and even heating of gemstones. The Biomat, on the other hand, utilizes state-of-the-art technology, including a patented heating plate that ensures all gemstones are heated evenly, resulting in optimal therapeutic benefits.

Furthermore, the Richway Biomat has been the gold standard in the market for 27 years, while Healthy Wave mats have only been around for about 10 years. This longevity and reputation speak to the trust and confidence that health-conscious individuals and healthcare professionals have in the Biomat.

In conclusion, when it comes to choosing a therapeutic mat that promotes relaxation, pain relief, detoxification, increased circulation, improved sleep quality, and other numerous benefits, the Richway Biomat emerges as the clear winner, and comparing it to Healthy Wave mats is comparing apples to oranges. Its superior technology, construction, and therapeutic benefits make it the preferred choice for those seeking natural and holistic approaches to their well-being.