Review: MindSpa
light and sound machine

I think I "get it" now. They're VERY relaxing!

I find myself looking forward to "trying this 'mind' machine again" (kind of like having to try another delicious piece of pie just to make sure it really was that good). I've taken it up to bed with me the past couple of nights. With all the lights off, and the optional CalmBlue™ Deep Relaxation Glasses I got for it ... Ahhhhhhhh, I just drift off. (The CalmBlue glasses cost an additional $29.95. Very nice!)

As you lie there, you might move your eyes around a little. This causes beautiful patterns to form in front of you. With the blue-light goggles I had on, there were wavy, luscious blue clouds moving around in front of me. It's quite a sensation, and very pleasant.

(The goggles shown in the picture are also excellent. In fact, they are part of the newly upgraded features listed at 3 Pound Universe.) 

These brand-new 12-light CrystalWhite Multi-Purpose Eyesets have holes in the lenses for open-eye stimulation, if desired, and MindSpa is the only company that offers this feature. They also make it easier to see while you're getting set up. The open lenses don't take away from the pulsating effect at all. They also feature a tangle-free auto-winder, which works really well; another attractive feature.

These glasses are the only 12-LED glasses on the market. The new design has been developed through intensive research in conjunction with a major university and in consultation with psychologist Ruth Olmstead, Ph.D. It was found that the peripheral design provides superior results and benefits. The research also showed that by placing six lights per eye along the outside edges in an oval pattern, the most powerful results ever were created, according to 3 Pound Universe's product description page.

 Last night, I listened to a deep Alpha session. (Yum!) When you start the program, the unit gives you 10 seconds to get settled before the session starts. That's a nice feature, too, and it can be bypassed if you're already settled in.

My unit came with regular, over-the-ear headphones. The model available today comes with upgraded high-response ear buds, again with the auto-winder retractable cable feature.

Although you can play AudioStrobe CDs through the auxiliary input on the MindSpa, it doesn't offer the poorly named "ColorPulse" feature, like the Sirius Mind State Optimizer does. (Poorly named because it has nothing to do with color.) The ColorPulse feature on the Sirius unit allows you to play non-AudioStrobe CDs and MP3s through the unit, and the light pulses to that. That was a little disappointing to me, because I enjoy that feature on the Sirius. The Sirius unit also has the ability to pick up the ambient sound in the room and allows the light to pulse to that (say, at a concert, for example).

I was thinking I'd recommend the Sirius over this unit, especially because the Sirius mind machine costs about half as much. But then I realized that the Sirius unit has only 21 sessions total, whereas the MindSpa has 12 professionally tested sessions onboard, as well as 75+ additional AudioStrobe programs (40 hours!) available as downloads, plus free MP3 music!

The company justifies their higher price because they say their sessions are better designed - by a psychologist (again, Dr. Ruth Olmstead), who has performed years of research to create them. They are considered "better" in the sense that the frequency combinations of both the light and the sound are said to be more effective.

A battery-save auto-off feature is included, and they've added the ability to plug it in with an optional DC adaptor. Everything about the MindSpa is professional and high quality.

There's lots more information available at my favorite "brain" store: 3 Pound Universe.

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Check out my other reviews!

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Dream Maker DreamMask

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Sirius Mind State Optimizer

MindSpa Light and Sound Machine

ThoughtStream Performance Feedback System

Proteus Advanced Light Sound Stimulation System

Proteus and ThoughtStream Package

Wendi Friesen hypnosis programs