Guide
The pelvic floor chair: what it is and how it works
A pelvic floor chair is a seat with a magnetic coil in the seat surface. The coil generates a pulsed electromagnetic field that contracts and relaxes the deep pelvic floor muscles without you having to do anything yourself. A session at Good Vibes lasts 28 minutes, and you stay fully clothed the whole time.
- The chair has a magnetic coil in the seat. It generates a pulsed field that contracts the deep pelvic floor muscles.
- You sit on it for 28 minutes, fully clothed. You don’t have to tense anything yourself.
- Typically six to eight sessions, two to three days apart, followed by occasional top-up sessions.
- A single session at our studios costs between €34.99 and €50. At many studios, the first session is free.
- Statutory health insurance doesn’t cover it. It’s a wellness offering, not an insurance benefit.
- If you have a pacemaker or metal in your pelvis, or if you’re pregnant, the chair isn’t for you.
How does the technology work?
There’s a coil in the seat. It builds up and releases a pulsed electromagnetic field, many times per second. The technical term is HIFEM, short for high-intensity focused electromagnetic field.
This field reaches the nerves that control your pelvic floor muscles. The muscles then contract and relax. This happens without any effort on your part, similar to a reflex.
The field passes through clothing and tissue. That’s why you don’t have to undress, and there are no electrodes on your skin. That’s the difference from electrical stimulation, which needs skin contact.
According to the manufacturer, one session produces around 12,500 contractions. This figure comes from the device documentation. It says something about the number of stimuli, not about what you’ll get out of it.
How does a session work?
Come in your normal clothes. Jeans, a skirt, sportswear, anything goes. Just set aside belt buckles, keys and your phone for a moment.
At your first appointment, the studio takes a few minutes for a conversation to clarify whether there’s any reason you shouldn’t use the chair. This step isn’t needed at follow-up appointments.
Then you sit down on the chair. The studio sets the intensity and increases it slowly until you feel a distinct but comfortable pulling sensation in your pelvis. Speak up if it becomes uncomfortable; the intensity can be turned down at any time.
For the 28 minutes, you simply sit there. You can read, make a phone call or look out the window. Afterwards, you get up and carry on. You don’t need to shower or take a break.
Some people feel a pulling sensation after the first one or two sessions, like after exercise. It usually goes away after a day.
How often, and how many sessions are typical?
A typical series is six to eight sessions spread over three to four weeks. There are two to three days between sessions so the muscles have time to recover.
After that, many people come in for a single session every four to six weeks to maintain their level. This is a recommendation based on the studios’ practical experience, not a rule derived from a study.
How many sessions make sense for you is something you discuss at the studio. We deliberately don’t name a fixed number after which something changes. Nobody can seriously make that kind of promise.
How much does a session cost?
Each partner studio sets its own prices. On September 18, 2026, prices across our network were as follows: a single session costs between €34.99 and €50. A five-session card costs between €199 and €248.
Most studios offer a free trial session. That way you can see how it feels before you decide on a series.
You’ll find the exact price on the page of the studio you choose. It also lists which cards that studio offers.
Does health insurance pay?
No. Sessions at Good Vibes are a wellness offering and not a benefit covered by statutory health insurance. You pay for them yourself.
With private insurance or a civil-servant benefits office (Beihilfe), it’s decided case by case. If you want to clarify this, ask them beforehand and get the answer in writing.
Things are different if a doctor uses the method in their own practice. That’s then a matter between you and the practice, not between you and us.
Who is the chair not for?
A magnetic field affects metal and electronics. That’s why there are clear cases in which you should not sit on the chair:
- Pacemaker, defibrillator or another electronic implant
- Metal in the pelvis or lumbar spine, for example screws, plates or an artificial joint
- A copper IUD or another metal-containing contraceptive in the body
- Pregnancy, including suspected pregnancy
- Fever, acute inflammation in the pelvis or a fresh surgical wound
- A serious pre-existing condition, as long as using the chair hasn’t been cleared by a doctor
How is this different from doing your own exercises?
Your own exercises mainly reach the layer you can control voluntarily. You can barely feel the deeper fibers, and that’s exactly why it’s hard to target them.
The chair does the controlling for you. That’s convenient, but it comes at a price: you don’t learn to use your pelvic floor yourself in everyday life. And that’s exactly what you need when you cough, sneeze or lift something heavy.
That’s why our position here is clear: the chair complements your own training; it doesn’t replace it.
How to practice on your own is explained in our guide to pelvic floor training.
What does the research say?
We’re telling it like it is here, even if it doesn’t help sales. The evidence on electromagnetic stimulation of the pelvic floor is thin.
The guideline puts your own training first
The German clinical guideline with AWMF registry number 015-091 (version 1.0, as of December 2021) classifies electromagnetic stimulation as a method that may be considered. That is the weakest level of recommendation. Pelvic floor training, on the other hand, should be offered, for at least three months. That is the strongest level. In addition, both recommendations are an expert consensus, not a systematic review of the evidence.
An independent review body remains cautious
The portal medizin-transparent.at by Cochrane Austria reviewed the method on February 13, 2023. The verdict reads, word for word: “möglicherweise ein bisschen” (possibly a little). According to the review, there are indications of a benefit, but this is not well established; guided pelvic floor training is much better supported.
The newer studies are small too
An example from 2026: 44 women, randomly divided into two groups. Both groups did guided pelvic floor training for eight weeks; one group also spent 28 minutes on the chair twice a week for six weeks. Both groups improved clearly, the group with the chair more so on three measures. So the comparison was training versus training plus chair, not chair versus training. A second study from 2025 followed 27 men after prostate removal, but without a comparison group.
What these numbers are missing
Neither study had a sham treatment. People who know they are being treated often report improvement for that reason alone. Both groups were small, both were followed up for only a few weeks, and a published letter to the editor about the 2026 study criticizes inconsistent participant numbers. Percentages from such small studies cannot be applied to individual people.
The chair complements active pelvic floor training. It is not a substitute for it and not a substitute for a medical evaluation. If something is on your mind, talk to your doctor first and to us afterwards.
Sources
- German clinical guideline AWMF registry number 015-091, version 1.0, as of December 2021, published by DGGG, OEGGG and SGGG. Recommendations E4-10 and E4-13. register.awmf.org/de/leitlinien/detail/015-091
- Kilicoz Bakar M et al., International Journal of Women’s Health 2026, volume 18, article 612726. 44 women, randomly assigned, without sham treatment. doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S612726
- Letter to the editor criticizing the data in this study: Joshi M, Bhullar GK, International Journal of Women’s Health 2026, volume 18, article 647497. doi.org/10.2147/IJWH.S647497
- Tosun H et al., Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management 2025, volume 21, pages 1309 to 1315. 27 men, without a comparison group, one-month follow-up. doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S534674
- medizin-transparent.at, “Beckenboden stärken mit Magnetstimulation?” (Strengthening the pelvic floor with magnetic stimulation?), February 13, 2023, Cochrane Austria. medizin-transparent.at/beckenboden-magnetstimulation/
All sources accessed on September 18, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pelvic floor chair?
A pelvic floor chair is a seat with a magnetic coil in the seat surface. The coil generates a pulsed electromagnetic field that contracts and relaxes the deep pelvic floor muscles. You sit on the chair fully clothed and don’t have to do anything yourself.
How long does a session on the pelvic floor chair take?
A session lasts 28 minutes. For your first appointment, allow a few extra minutes for a conversation. You don’t need to change; you stay seated in your everyday clothes.
How many sessions are typical?
A typical series is six to eight sessions, two to three days apart, spread over three to four weeks. After that, many people come in for a single session every four to six weeks. How many make sense for you is something you discuss at the studio.
How much does a session on the pelvic floor chair cost?
Each partner studio sets its own price. On September 18, 2026, a single session in our network cost between €34.99 and €50, and a five-session card between €199 and €248. Most studios offer a free trial session.
Does health insurance pay for the pelvic floor chair?
Statutory health insurance doesn’t pay for sessions at Good Vibes. It’s a wellness offering, not an insurance benefit. With private insurance or a civil-servant benefits office (Beihilfe), it depends on the individual case, so ask them in writing beforehand.
Who shouldn’t sit on the pelvic floor chair?
The chair isn’t suitable if you have a pacemaker or other electronic implants, metal in your pelvis or lumbar spine, a copper IUD, if you are pregnant, or if you have a fever or acute inflammation. If in doubt, check with a doctor beforehand.
Does the pelvic floor chair replace your own exercises?
No. On the chair you don’t learn to use your pelvic floor yourself in everyday life, for example when coughing or lifting. The chair complements your own training; it’s not a substitute for it, nor a substitute for a medical evaluation.
A studio near you
Good Vibes has 21 partner studios in Germany and Austria. Most offer a free trial session so you can see how it feels before you decide.
Legal notice
Important information about our sessions:
The sessions offered at Good Vibes with the electromagnetic chair (HIFEM technology) serve exclusively to activate the body, support general well-being and promote muscle tone. They are a wellness and lifestyle offering.
Our sessions are expressly NOT medical treatment, NOT curative treatment and NOT therapy within the meaning of the German Therapeutic Products Advertising Act (HWG). They replace neither a visit to a doctor nor medical diagnostics or therapy.
We make no claims about curing, alleviating or preventing diseases. We cannot guarantee any individual effects; they depend on numerous personal factors.
In the case of health complaints, existing conditions, pregnancy, a pacemaker, metal implants, acute inflammation or other medical concerns, please consult your doctor or therapist before every session.
Participation in our sessions is at your own risk. We accept no liability for health consequences resulting from failure to consult a doctor or from concealing contraindications.
Last updated: September 18, 2026. Prices collected on September 18, 2026.