CONSUMERS : Massager Gives Aching Muscles Good Vibrations
Body Vibes is a flexible, tubelike massager you can manipulate over sore, hard-to-reach muscles in much the same way you use a bath towel to dry your back.
The lightweight massager, which is 46 inches long and three inches around, pulsates at two speeds. It’s quiet, so you can drape it around your neck or wrap it around your waist while sitting in the office, or while on a plane or a train. You can even tie a loop in it and massage a sore leg.
Body Vibes, which comes in blue, yellow or pink, operates on two C batteries that fit in each end of the tube. Manufactured by Conair Corp. in Stamford, Conn., the massager has a suggested retail price of $32.99 and is available nationwide at drug, discount and department stores. In the Los Angeles area, Body Vibes is available at K mart, Revco, Sav-on, Thrifty and Fedco. If you can’t find it in your area, call Conair’s toll-free hot line, (800) 326-1236.
Football Lovers Will Appreciate FanDomes
Need a stocking stuffer for the professional football fan in your life? Take a look at FanDomes, plastic snowdomes that represent the 28 National Football League teams.
Each 3-inch-high, water-filled FanDome features an NFL team’s logo displayed on a miniature helmet sitting on a tiny football field. There are also goal posts and a free-floating football inside.
Shake the FanDome, and you’ll think you’re watching snow fly at a late-season game in Cleveland, Green Bay or Denver. If you shake it carefully, you just might be able to get that football through the goal posts for a field goal.
Developed by Los Angeles entrepreneur Ron Kaiser, a football fan and snowdome collector, FanDomes are available nationwide in sporting goods stores, stadium shops, department stores and gift shops. In the Los Angeles area, FanDomes can be purchased at Scoreboard stores, J.C. Penney, Pro Image and at the Pro-Jersey departments in Montgomery Ward. They retail for about $6.50.
If you’re a fan of another professional sport, hold on. Kaiser plans snowdomes for teams in the National Basketball Assn., the National Hockey League and in Major League Baseball by late spring.
Butaflame Candles Light Up Parties
If you’re planning holiday dinner parties, you might want to consider Butaflame butane candles, which are long-burning and won’t leave wax drippings on your tablecloth.
Manufactured by Tampus Gifts Inc. in Irwindale, Calif., the aluminum candles come in 12- or 15-inch lengths, are available in 18 colors and fit most candleholders. Tampus president Kirit P. Shah says the company also offers matching candleholders in 3-inch or 8-inch heights.
The candles will burn about three to five hours. A pair of 12-inch candles costs about $30; a pair of 15-inch candles, about $36. The candlesticks range from $38 to $75 a pair.
A can of Butaflame butane fuel provides about 15 hours of burn time and costs about $3.50, but you may use other brands of butane fluid. Simply fill each candle from the bottom with the butane, wait 10 minutes and light it to ensure an even flame. To clean, use a soft cloth dampened with water and a mild detergent.
The butane candles are available in Southern California at Wilshire Fireplace stores in Beverly Hills and Costa Mesa, and Wicks ‘n’ Sticks in Ventura. If you can’t find them in your area, contact Tampus Gifts Inc., 6020 N. Irwindale Ave., Unit P, Irwindale, Calif. 91702; (818) 812-4438.
Swiss Army Knives as Fashion Accessories?
There’s a new twist to the classic red-and-silver Swiss Army knives that come in handy when opening a bottle or trimming a fingernail. This year, they come in pastel colors and are designed to be “practical fashion accessories and convenient tools for women.”
Pastels are made by Wenger, an official supplier of knives to the Swiss Army since 1908. Available in mint-green, blue, pink or slate, the knives are 2 1/2 inches long when closed. In addition to the pocketknife blade, they feature scissors with a springless mechanism and self-sharpening, serrated-edge blades; a nail file / cleaner; a toothpick; tweezers, and a key ring.
The suggested retail price is $18, which includes a lifetime warranty. Pastels are sold in Southern California at King’s Luggage and Gifts in Buena Park, Glendale, Pasadena, Montebello, Westminster, Lakewood and Riverside; Beckel’s Luggage in downtown Los Angeles; Lazar’s in Sherman Oaks, and John’s Fifth Avenue stores in San Diego and Escondido. In other areas, call (800) 431-2996.