Why the Richway Biomat Outshines the HealthyLine Inframat in Infrared Therapy

Introduction to Biomat vs HealthyLine

Infrared heat therapy mats have been around for exactly 27 years.  That's because Richway Biomats have been around for 27 years.  For many of those years, the Biomat was the only option available, especially in America.  As Richway's gemstone infrared mats became more and more popular, copycat companies stole their concept and made infrared mats with inferior design and construction so that they could have really low prices. The age of infrared mat knock-offs began and HealthyLine is one such company.  In this blog post, we will explore the truth about Richway Biomats and HealthyLine Inframats and learn how, when it comes to infrared mats, you get what you pay for.

There is a common theme amongst these copycat companies: Acknowledge that the Richway Biomat is the gold standard and then try to make their products seem comparable.  HealthyLine is no different.  On their site, they state, "If you read both HealthyLine and Biomat reviews from customers, you’ll see that nearly all of them have had favorable experiences. There’s no doubt that these are two quality brands." 

This comparison is like comparing a healthy, home-cooked meal to fast food.  Richway has spent 27 years researching, developing, and re-developing the Biomat into the most effective infrared mat in the world based on research from NASA and Nobel Prize-winning research.  HealthyLine has based its product on the Biomat.  When has a copy ever been as good as the original?  

Let's dive into the differences between these two companies and their mats.  We feel it's only fair to address HealthyLine's claims about Richway and the Biomat while we do so. Infrared mats are used for chronic pain and relaxation, to improve blood circulation and a whole host of other health issues.  They are an investment.  Make sure you are investing your money in the best possible infrared therapy device.

Far Infrared Rays (Infrared Therapy)

Richway

Infrared therapy mats are only as good as the output of infrared light.  Given that the mat in question has a layer filled with amethyst across the entire face of the mat, the amount of amethyst in the mat isn't as important as it is heated evenly throughout that layer of amethyst crystals.  This is where many mats fall short and this is due to Richway's patented heating system.  

One of the biggest advantages of buying a Biomat is that it is the only infrared heat mat that can evenly distribute heat throughout the entire face of the mat so that every bit of amethyst is used and the maximum therapy is produced.  

The heating system used in the Richway Biomat is based on NASA research and is patented. It utilizes a flexible conductive heating plate to distribute heat and is designed to provide the same heating technology used to warm space stations and vehicles. This innovative system ensures that the amethyst on the mat is effectively heated for maximum comfort and far-infrared heat.  The Biomat has been used in numerous research studies and featured in books and publications.

HealthyLine

On their site, HealthyLine has a video in which a woman cuts open one of their mats to show how its made but doesn't really show much.  However, what you can see is that the mat is heated by WIRES.  Wires that snake back and forth down the length of the mat.  But if you look closely, these wires DO NOT COVER EVERY INCH OF THE MAT.  In fact, they cover very little of the surface area.  This means the Inframat is heated in SPOTS. Spot heating will cause discomfort as the amethyst is only being heated in places and not evenly throughout the mat.  This also means that a lot of the amethyst that is in the top layer is going to waste and not being heated which means INFERIOR INFRARED THERAPY OUTPUT.  HealthyLine mats have never been used in any relevant studies.

American Company?

HealthyLine states that Richway is not an American company, that it is South Korean-based, and that HealthyLine is an American company.  We're not sure why this matters as South Korea is universally known as the "electronics capital of the world".  Many of the world's most technologically advanced, well-built electronics are made in South Korea, including LG and Samsung. However, let's explore the truth.

HealthyLine

HealthyLine states that they are an American company.  Their headquarters are in New York so yes, they are an American company, but their products are manufactured in CHINA.  They state that their products are made in a "certified factory".  What exact certification, you ask?  None.  Most Biomat knock-offs are made in Chinese factories which do not have the standards required in South Korea.  This is how they can make them cheaper.  Substandard materials are used with no oversight.  This information is hard to find.  We wonder why.

Healthy Wave mats are made in Liaoning, China, which is where Phymat, Healthy Wave, and several other knockoff infrared mats are made. It has no control over quality during manufacturing.

Richway & Fuji Bio, Inc.

Richway International is located in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Just like HealthyLine, its corporate headquarters is in America.  Its products, however, are proudly manufactured in South Korea for good reason.  South Korea is known for its stringent standards when it comes to electronics manufacturing, but the real reason is Richway owns its own manufacturing factory, unlike HealthyLine.  Not only that, but they own their own amethyst mine in South Korea.  So from the time the amethyst is taken out of the ground to the time the Biomat is shipped to the customer, Richway controls every aspect of research, development, manufacturing, and customer service so that they can oversee everything and ensure the quality they want to see in their products.  Fuji Bio, Inc., located in South Korea, is owned by Richway and is the manufacturing factory and research and development arm of the company.  

However, we're still confused about the claim that Richway is not and HealthyLine is an American company.  If they are based in New York and manufacture their products in China, while Richway manufactures in South Korea and is based in Hawaii, how does that make it any less of an American company?  You have to wonder about the integrity of a company that will make comparisons that have no basis in fact.  Now, go Google "Where are HealthyLine's Inframats made?" and see what comes up...nothing.  You really have to dig to find the country of origin of their products.  Now Google "Where are Richway Biomats made?" because you will see the information is readily available. Richway is very proud that its products are made in Seoul, Korea.

Gemstones

Richway

Richway uses amethyst and tourmaline gemstones in their BIomat because they are the most powerful emitters of far infrared rays and negative ions. Other companies may use cheaper or fake gemstones for aesthetic value or to save money. Richway's gold standard is based on the effectiveness of their gemstones, not on variety or tricking customers.

Green jade was used instead of amethyst for the first ten years Biomats were made.  However, eventually, it was proven that amethyst emitted more far infrared rays than jade so the swtich was made.  Giving the customer the best possible therapy has always been the number one priority.

Richway only uses amethyst and tourmaline because only amethyst and tourmaline supply the most infrared rays and negative ions. Again, all you have to do is Google, "What gemstone produces the most negative ions?" or "What gemstone emits the most powerful far infrared rays?"

HealthyLine

HealthyLine brags about using 3 different stones in their infrared products: amethyst, tourmaline, and jade. Tourmaline and amethyst are two of the most valuable semi-precious gemstones. Jade, on average, does not cost as much.

HealthyLine uses jade because it helps bring down their cost but doesn't give the customer the best possible infrared experience. Jade does not emit far infrared rays as well as amethyst.

Mat Types

HealthyLine

HealthyLine boasts 100 different types of mats.  

Richway

We're confused as to how the amount of different types of mats someone makes has any relevance to how well they perform.  The best products in the world usually don't come in 100 different types.  Richway has spent almost three decades researching and developing one product that comes in five different sizes.  It sticks to what it does best because trying to be everything to everyone makes for inferior products.

Other Therapies

Richway

Richway believes that quality is better than quantity.  There is no other infrared therapy mat on the market that delivers the strength of therapy of the Biomat.  It is the gold standard of far infrared therapy mats and negative ion therapy mats.  These two therapies complement each other in a way that provides the ultimate experience of healing, pain relief, relaxation, and increased circulation.  Adding therapies to the Biomat would take away from the powerful results these two therapies combined give to the customer and only serve the idea that "more is better", which is just not true in this case.

HealthyLine

The Inframat boasts five different therapies.  The question you have to ask yourself, at their price point, is how effective could any one of those therapies actually be?  "More is better" is usually not the case when we talk about health.  There isn't any science that backs having all of these therapies together. It isn't known that, in fact, these therapies don't contradict each other.

Customer Service

HealthyLine

HealthyLine

On their site, HealthyLine says "We sell and support our own mats".  Really?  Because if you look up at the top of the page, it has a category for "Join Us" that has two links, one for "affiliates" and one for "resellers".  Those two things scream "distributors".  HealthyLine doesn't make its own mats as Richway does, but it does allow resellers to sell and support their mats so that claim is false.

Richway

The HealthyLine website also says Richway "Does not sell their own mats."  That is correct.  Richway has a network of distributors who have dedicated their lives to knowing their products like the back of their hands and helping the customers with anything and everything they need.  Most distributors have been selling Biomats for over a decade.  

Delivery Times: HealthyLine states that they deliver in 1-7 days.  Even Amazon Prime members don't get one-day deliveries, so we can assume that's a lie.  But they also state that Richway products take up to 3 months to deliver.  This is also not true.  Most products are delivered within a business week.

Purchase Price

HealthyLine

Before you buy a HealthyLine product, ask yourself why they are so cheap. The answer to that is easy.  Their products are made in China, the gemstones (jade) are inferior emitters of far infrared rays, the materials are cheap, and they don't do any research and development but instead copy Biomat technology enough to produce a product that is unsafe (no real EMF protection), and they use false claims to market instead of making a quality product and paying the money and taking the time to get it FDA approved for actual health issues.

Richway

27 years of research and development, FDA approval for actual health issues, the highest quality gemstones that produce the best therapy, high-quality construction overseen by the company itself, and rock solid EMF protection.  These are just some of the reasons Richway Biomats cost what they do.  We hate to say it but when it comes to your health, you really do "get what you pay for" most times.

Money-Back Guarantee & Warranty

HealthyLine

On its website, HealthLine states that it gives a 45-day money-back guarantee.  It can do this because its products are cheap.  They suffer very little loss if it comes back damaged.  

HealthyLine has a 5-year limited warranty on their products.  Only the first year is unlimited.  If you have warranty issues after the first year, you pay a fee for the other four years, incrementally getting more expensive as the years go on until years 4 and 5 in which the deductible is 30%.  Their distributors hide this fact.  There is a fee for their warranty after the first year.

Richway

Richway gives what amounts to a 14-day trial period because its products are worth more.  But Richway is so confident in the effectiveness of the Biomat that most people will be able to tell within that time period if it is right for them.

Should you decide to keep your Biomat, Richway offers a three-year warranty in which, like HealthyLine, the first year is unlimited and the following two years come with a small fee to extend the warranty SHOULD SOMETHING GO WRONG.  In other words, you don't pay for years two or three until you need it.  If you don't need it, you don't ever pay for it.  BUT WAIT!

Richway also offers the Care Program after the three-year warranty period.  This means for the LIFE OF THE CUSTOMER, if that Biomat ever breaks, we will replace it for 30% of the cost of a new one.  FOR LIFE, NOT JUST FIVE YEARS.  HealthyLine's website doesn't mention the Care Program, conveniently.

FDA-Approval

Richway

One significant advantage of the Biomat is its status as a certified medical device. It is registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a Class II medical device, ensuring its safety and efficacy.

It is very hard to get FDA-approved for actual health issues.  Each health issue is a lengthy and costly process.  The FDA has approved the Biomat 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 mat, including HealthyLine, is approved for actual health issues.

HealthyLine

HealthyLine states their mats are "FDA-approved" but fail to state they are not FDA-approved for any actual health issues.

EMF Protection

HealthyLine

HealthyLine states its EMF (electromagnetic fields) protection "starts with wiring".  Actually, that's where it starts.  You can't really expect a product that does everything HealthyLine says their products do to also protect you at the price they sell their products for.  Cheap construction equals cheap protection.  Silicone-coated wiring isn't going to protect you from electromagnetic radiation completely and neither is their "system".  It's just fancy-speak for "we coat our wires and hope for the best". What they are admitting to is that EMF actually gets into the mat which then means it gets to the user.

Richway

Richway's EMF protection starts at the CONTROLLER, which has the most advanced IC chip available that intercepts EMF waves and sends them back to the grounding pin in the outlet.  It also has multiple layers to shield the user should any magnetic field escape into the mat, but that never happens.  Biomats have been tested multiple times and absolutely NO EMF comes off of their mats.

Negative Ion Output

Richway

Richway Biomats have negative ion therapy built-in to every mat.  The output is 1500 ions per cubic centimeter.  This output has been certified.  The ions are produced by the ToCa (Tourmaline Catch Powder) layer, which is one of 17 layers of the Biomat.

The point to notice is that Richway is very up-front about its products.  There is no mystery about how it works or what exactly it does.

HealthyLine

On its site, HealthyLine states that its mats have an output that ranges from 300-3000 ions per cubic centimeter, however, nowhere on its site does it state how the ions are generated or what mats have which output.  We could find no certification of ion output.  That's a huge range of output.  There's a big difference between 300 and 3000 ions per cubic centimeter.  Why isn't there any information about which mat produces which output? 

Mat Construction

HealthyLine

On its site, HealthyLine states that its amethyst heating pad has "up to 21 layers", but doesn't have a diagram showing the layers of any mat.  How does a mat have "up to" a certain amount of layers?  The amount of layers isn't as important as what they do but there is very little information on that as well.

Richway

Richway is transparent about its mat's construction.  The Biomat has 17 Layers, period.  You can see a diagram of each layer and a very detailed description of each layer's purpose here.

Controller Manufacturer

Richway

Richway controllers are made by Texas Instruments, the oldest electronics company in America.  The controllers not only do everything the HealthyLine controllers do but they also have additional functions like intercepting Electromagnetic waves (EMF) and they have a step-down function when the mat warms above the set temperature for safety and consistency of therapy.

HealthyLine

HealthyLine controllers are made in China. Yet, they boast about being an American company while claiming Richway is not.

Copies are Never as Good as the Original

We invite you to look at pictures of both the Richway Amethyst Biomat Professional and the HealthyLine Inframat Pro. The Biomat was invented and on the market in 1997.  HealthyLine was established in 2013.  That's a sixteen-year difference and yet HealthyLine went out of their way to make the Inframat look as close as possible to the Biomat. Why would they do that?  Surely there was another design that would have set them apart from the industry leader, right?

Because HealthyLine knew their product was inferior and always would be, the smart marketing decision was to make it look as closely as they could to the Biomat.  This is a time-honored tradition with knockoffs.  People will think they are getting the same thing if it looks the same. 

Why add two or three more therapies to a device that is great the way it is?  To compete with the Biomat.  If people see they have more therapies, they will opt to buy theirs thinking they are getting a "bonus", when, in reality, none of the therapies are as good as mats that focus on one or two therapies.  More is not better, especially when you consider the price point.  Ask yourself how, exactly, can five therapies cost less than two?.  Costs must be cut somewhere, most likely in materials and design and this then greatly impacts the efficacy of the therapies themselves.

Richway and its distributors have refrained, for the past ten years or so, ever since copycats started emerging, from engaging in comparisons or responding to the claims these knockoff companies make.  However, at some point, if you tell lies often enough, the truth gets blurred.  

Richway Biomats have been, for the past 27 years, are now, and will always be, the excellent choice when it comes to infrared heating pads.  No other mat compares, especially HealthyLine's Inframat.