NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

New pod craze is fighting the fat

Herald on Sunday
16 Aug, 2014 05:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Spa Qua  does all the work for slimming hopefuls. Photo / Doug Sherring
The Spa Qua does all the work for slimming hopefuls. Photo / Doug Sherring

The Spa Qua does all the work for slimming hopefuls. Photo / Doug Sherring

Massage capsule uses water jets to pummel customers into slim shape.

Celebrities and the well-heeled are turning to a new machine to win the fight with fat - but it comes at a price.

Radio host Jay Jay Harvey is among a host of Aucklanders sliding into a massage capsule to slim down.

The Spa Qua machine is a pod offering fully clothed customers a full body massage using 32 water jets to pummel the body.

There is 95 per cent pure oxygen in the pod, which owner Evan Seber says supports lymphatic drainage.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The pulsation is very specific. It targets the areas where you want to lose weight," said Seber.

Harvey told the Herald on Sunday she tried the machine for about five weeks after getting a voucher as a birthday gift.

"When you're in the capsule, it feels like it's beating all the flab off you," she said.

"I generally go on for about six minutes where it targets my stomach and then I turn around and target my back and butt. I feel good afterwards."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Harvey has tightened her belt a notch, but she's not sure if the machine is the sole reason she has lost a few centimetres. She has also been doing Pilates, cut down on her alcohol and cut out carbs.

"I'm always trying new things because people always offer me new opportunities.

"Dom [Harvey, her husband] says you can't beat proper exercise but we're always looking for an easy way out, some of us busy girls."

I'd rather take a walk

It feels like an army of tiny men are stabbing me with tiny swords.

Discover more

New Zealand

Pulled weight loss ad back on screen

07 Aug 06:53 AM
New Zealand

New weight, same old life

07 Aug 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Noelle McCarthy: French women do get fat - and fooled

12 Aug 01:00 AM

On my back, fully clothed, in a massage pod, a bag filled with 32 water jets is pummelling my body.

"Just give me a thumbs-up when it gets to the bottom of your boobs," says owner Evan Seber. I'm uncomfortable.

The stream of water starts gushing over my ankles and moves up my body - slow and not unpleasant - I give Seber the thumbs-up with gritted teeth.

The soft massage turns into a vigorous pelting - sting by sting.

Meditation music plays through headphones for "relaxation".

After 10 minutes, Seber signals for me to turn.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I lie face-down and face a microphone-looking instrument to pump oxygen into my body to support lymphatic drainage.

The walloping lasts about half an hour then I wrestle my way out of the pod, light-headed.

People on treadmills look amused, disdainful. They know how to fight the war on fat.

I think I'd rather join them instead.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Lifestyle

Auckland ICU doctor's book exposes NZ health system crisis from the inside

14 Jun 08:00 PM
Lifestyle

Juicy pork roast recipe with walnut crust and sweet-spicy stuffing

14 Jun 03:00 AM
Lifestyle

One’s company: Why solo dining deserves more than scrambled eggs on toast

14 Jun 12:00 AM

BV or thrush? Know the difference

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Recommended for you
'Haunted by pain': Tourist campervan crash victim thankful to be alive
New Zealand

'Haunted by pain': Tourist campervan crash victim thankful to be alive

14 Jun 07:45 PM
Minnesota lawmaker killed in ‘politically motivated assassination’ - governor
World

Minnesota lawmaker killed in ‘politically motivated assassination’ - governor

14 Jun 07:11 PM
Adams signs $65m NBA deal
NBA

Adams signs $65m NBA deal

14 Jun 07:09 PM
Israel, Iran trade threats as conflict escalates
World

Israel, Iran trade threats as conflict escalates

14 Jun 06:48 PM
'Our home': Ex-rugby star's emotional plea as Western Springs consultation comes to close
Sport

'Our home': Ex-rugby star's emotional plea as Western Springs consultation comes to close

14 Jun 06:25 PM

Latest from Lifestyle

Premium
Auckland ICU doctor's book exposes NZ health system crisis from the inside

Auckland ICU doctor's book exposes NZ health system crisis from the inside

14 Jun 08:00 PM

Mismanaged priorities, hospital bullies, public vs private - Dr Ivor Popovich tells all.

Juicy pork roast recipe with walnut crust and sweet-spicy stuffing

Juicy pork roast recipe with walnut crust and sweet-spicy stuffing

14 Jun 03:00 AM
One’s company: Why solo dining deserves more than scrambled eggs on toast

One’s company: Why solo dining deserves more than scrambled eggs on toast

14 Jun 12:00 AM
'Far out, she's gorgeous': All Black and doctor share romantic proposal

'Far out, she's gorgeous': All Black and doctor share romantic proposal

13 Jun 10:00 PM
It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home
sponsored

It was just a stopover – 18 months later, they call it home

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week
Pay just
$15.75
$2
per week ongoing
Subscribe now
BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just
$449
$49
per year ongoing
Subscribe now
Learn more
30
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search