The best gift for busy parents, casual athletes, and anyone who carries a little extra tension in their shoulders is the gift of relaxation. And, thanks to at-home massagers, that gift can actually be wrapped up and tied in a bow.
Experts Say
Theraguns are great for “anyone who works out, to help relieve muscle soreness and prevent lactic acid buildup,” Casey Cohen, Certified Personal Trainer, and fitness influencer, tells PEOPLE. “I find [a Theragun massager] super helpful to improve mobility and reduce stress. Plus, it’s a time and money saver on massages.”
While lots of brands make handheld massaging devices, there’s one name that has become well-known for its arsenal of relaxing massaging tools. Theragun has become nearly synonymous with personal massage guns, but the devices can be pricey. That’s why we personally tested all of the best-selling Therabody devices for two weeks, massaging away our tension (who said work couldn’t be fun?).
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Three percussive massage modes
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Handheld, ergonomic design
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Small enough to travel with
With three different percussive massage speeds, the Theragun Relief is FDA-approved and helps relieve pain, stiffness, and tension. The massaging tool has the brand’s signature triangle-shaped handle that makes it easy to use it on arms, legs, and shoulders. The ergonomic design made it possible for us to reach spots on our back and shoulders that we wouldn’t usually be able to reach with our hands alone.
We almost named this device the easiest for beginners because it’s so simple to get started with — just charge it, press the button to choose your percussive mode, and apply pressure where you want it. But, because this hand-held device is also small enough to fit in a backpack or carry-on suitcase, we named it best for travel.
Massage Depth: 10mm | Designated Use Area: Back, shoulders, legs, feet, arms | Features: Three vibration settings, three attachment heads
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LED screen displays guided massage for back, feet, shoulders, and more
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Comes with four attachment heads
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Lightweight and portable
Similar to the Theragun Relief but with a few more high-tech features, the Sense is another amazing tool for relieving tension and pain. The device’s LED screen shows a visual guide to using the massager, with programs for feet, shoulder, back, thighs, and more, which worked great once we got the hang of it. The guided function made us feel more confident using the device — we especially liked the little animation that showed us exactly where to apply pressure,
The Sense feels lightweight in hand, making it easy for us to massage out the bothersome knots in our back. The settings are easy to flip through with the control button, and the four different attachments can be removed and replaced with a bit of force. Plus, it’s small and light enough to travel with.
Massage Depth: 12mm | Designated Use Area: Back, shoulders, legs, feet, arms | Features: LED screen, five guided massages with animated instructions, five vibration settings, four attachment heads
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Infrared light therapy setting
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7 attachment heads
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Three vibration settings plus heat and cold settings
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Deepest massage of any Theragun device
If you’re looking for a massage gun with all of the high-tech features you could imagine, then the Theragun Pro Plus may be exactly what you’re looking for. Not only does this device provide a percussive deep-muscle massage, but it also comes equipped with LED light therapy settings to help stimulate circulation deep in the muscles and joints. The Pro Plus also has a heat therapy setting and a cold therapy attachment head (which is, unfortunately, sold separately).
Compared to the smaller Theragun devices, we found that this one offered a much more intense massage. So, for any serious athlete, the Pro Plus is a great choice for relieving deep muscle aches and knots. The vibration settings felt marvelous on our lower backs, powerfully releasing the tension we stored there. We found the accompanying app easy to use, and we love that it asked us about our wellness goals before we got started.
This device is heavier and more expensive than the other Theraguns we tried, so we’d recommend it for athletes or anyone who plans to use all the extra features.
Massage depth: 16mm | Designated Use Area: Back, shoulders, legs, feet, arms | Features: LED screen, three heat settings, cold therapy attachment (sold separately), LED light therapy
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Massages temples, forehead, and brow areas
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Pressurized massage releases temple tension
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Relaxing heat and vibration settings
This facial massaging mask from Therabody provides relief for tension headaches. The curved mask wraps behind the head with an adjustable strap, allowing it to cover the temples, forehead, and brows. It vibrates, heats up, and gently massages the face, which helps relax facial muscles. The SmartGoggles offers three preset treatments: SmartRelax, Headaches and Eye Strain, and Sleep Prep.
Our favorite feature — and the feature that any fellow migraine sufferers may appreciate most — is the mask’s pressure setting, which gently squeezes the temples to provide relaxing relief. Though this is designed similarly to a sleep mask, we found it too big and bulky to sleep in. But, as an addition to your pre-bed rituals, this mask is a relaxing tool that helps melt away the stress of the day.
Designated Use Area: Forehead, brows, temples | Features: Heat, vibration, three preset treatments, biometric heart rate sensor
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Thick, padded eye area is super comfortable to sleep in
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Completely blocks out light
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Stays in place all night
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Light vibration massage
The Therabody Sleep Mask does a great job of blocking out light and provides a relaxing vibration as you drift off into slumber. We found the thick padded eye area to be incredibly comfortable, and the mask stayed on all night while we slept, even for our testers who move a lot and sleep on their sides. The back strap is thick and adjustable, which helps to keep the mask in place. We also love that the fabric piece that goes over the eyes is removable and easy to throw in the wash.
The “massaging” function of this mask is really just a light vibration, which may be relaxing for some but didn’t really do much to relieve our tension. But if you’re looking for an ultra-relaxing sleep mask that makes a great gift, this one has our vote!
Designated Use Area: Face | Features: Three vibration settings, machine-washable inner layer, non-slip strap
What to Know About Therabody
Device Type
At-home massaging devices can be useful tools in helping anyone relieve tension, soothe aches, and improve blood circulation right from home. However, not all Therabody devices have the same strength and features, and certain devices may be better suited for those with specific lifestyles, activity levels, or physical needs.
The Theragun Relief is a great device for anyone because it’s lightweight, easy to use, and provides light percussive massage. Theraguns do require a little bit of work on the user’s part because you need to guide the device around your body to get the massage where you need it. If you’re looking for a hands-free option, then the relaxing, temple-massaging SmartGoggles may be better for you.
Percussion Level
Theragun devices use percussive therapy (a.k.a., a rapid vibration-like massage) to increase blood flow, improve range of motion, and reduce soreness. Therabody researches the effects of this type of therapy in their own labs and with third-party research partners and found that using a Theragun massager for two minutes provides the same results as a 15-minute manual massage.
People / Joy Kim
Behind the Scenes
In order to find out which Therabody devices are really worth the money, we tested the most popular devices from the brand. Our testers each have different levels of daily activity, and each looked at the following qualities:
- Ease of Use: First, we took our devices out of the box and read any included instructions. For devices that came with a compatible app, we downloaded the apps and made accounts for ourselves where necessary. We played around with the buttons and settings to see how easy it was to get started with the device.
- Settings: After we got the hang of using the device, we tried out all of the different settings, using every vibration setting, trying out the heating options, and using all of the attachments that were included with our chosen device.
- Effectiveness: Throughout the course of our two-week testing period, we used the devices multiple times and took careful note of how well the massaging tools relieved tension, eased muscle aches, and aided in recovery. Those of us testing out massage guns used the devices after both moderate and intense exercise to see if the tools could help decrease soreness and help speed up recovery time. The testers evaluating the sleeping devices wore the masks to bed multiple times, rotating every other night in order to compare the quality of sleep.
Why Trust PEOPLE?
Cai Cramer is a shopping writer who loves to write about health technology and has been rock climbing, running, biking, and hiking since she was a little kid. She personally tested multiple Therabody devices and also relied on testing insights from PEOPLE editors who used the massage guns and provided their feedback. Cai also spoke with a professional trainer who personally uses Theraguns to aid in recovery.
Our Expert Panel
Casey Cohen is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach, NASM CPT, who teaches 20 cycling and HIIT classes a week at Life Time Fitness.
What Is PEOPLE Tested?
We created the PEOPLE Tested seal of approval to help you find the very best products for your life. We use our unique methodology to test products in three labs across the country and with our network of home testers to determine their effectiveness, durability, ease of use, and so much more. Based on the results, we rate and recommend products so you can find the right one for your needs.
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