The Best Massage Guns - The New York Times

[massage]

Powerful, with a multi-grip handle: Therabody Theragun Prime

Photo: Rozette Rago
Our pick

Therabody Theragun Prime


The Theragun Prime offers powerful percussion in a compact package with a triangular, multi-grip handle.

Buying Options

Best for: Those willing to pay top dollar for a powerful, well-designed massage gun with an upscale feel. Anyone who appreciates some guidance should like it, too: The device is Bluetooth enabled, allowing you to pair it with your phone and follow guided programs via the companion app.


Why we like it: The compact Theragun Prime from Therabody has a triangular handle, allowing for multiple grip options meant to ease ergonomic strain. We found it nice to occasionally switch our grip, and doing so provided added leverage when we wanted to apply more pressure. The Theragun Prime has five speeds (from 1,750 ppm to 2,400 ppm) and a 16 mm amplitude—the highest of all our picks.


LED lights on the display show both the speed and the battery level. The control button is conveniently located on the handle and accessible with a thumb. We like the ability to cycle up and down through all five speeds, a feature that none of our other picks have. The Theragun Prime comes with four attachments—standard ball plus cone, dampener, and thumb—made of smooth, closed-cell foam, which resists moisture absorption and can be wiped clean easily. They fit securely and provide a bit of give, unlike plastic. (If you want a more advanced version of the Prime, the more expensive Theragun Elite has one more attachment and an OLED display.)

The Theragun Prime comes with four attachments (clockwise from top right): dampener, cone, thumb, and standard ball. Photo: Rozette Rago

Because the Theragun Prime is Bluetooth enabled, you can pair it with a phone and control its speed through the Therabody app, which allows you to make granular adjustments between the preprogrammed speeds on the device. (The Theragun Prime is the only one of our picks to have this feature.) We had no problems connecting. The app itself offers a bunch of guided programs for body parts, beginners, warm-ups, recoveries, and more. We tried several and concluded that they’re helpful if you’d like some instructional direction or want to tailor your usage to a specific activity or muscle group. As you get oriented with the device, though, you might find yourself losing interest in the app.


The Theragun Prime promises two hours of battery life, and in our tests it went the distance. Therabody covers it with a one-year limited warranty.


Flaws but not dealbreakers: The Theragun Prime sounds like a small power tool when it turns on and remains relatively noisy; we had a hard time simultaneously watching TV and tending to our hamstrings. It also does not come with a carrying case but does have a dust bag.


Speeds: five


Number of attachments: four (cone, dampener, standard ball, thumb)


Battery life: two hours


Weight: 2.0 pounds


Low-key massage, lots of attachments: Mebak 3

Photo: Rozette Rago
Our pick

Mebak 3


The Mebak 3, one of the quietest massage guns we tried, comes with seven attachments (the most of our picks) and has a touchscreen display. It delivers less of a punch, though.

Buying Options

Best for: People who want a quieter massage gun and are willing to trade some intensity for that quality, as well as those who want a wide range of attachments.


Why we like it: We enjoyed using the quiet Mebak 3, which has a touchscreen display. Despite its five speeds (640 ppm to 3,200 ppm) and 12 mm amplitude, the Mebak 3 felt less powerful than comparably labeled models, but that wasn’t necessarily a drawback. It’s a solid choice for someone seeking a lower-key massage gun for semi-regular use. (The Hypervolt 2, in comparison, has a lower maximum speed and the same amplitude as the Mebak 3 but delivers a stronger massage overall.)


The Mebak 3 has a main on/off switch at the base of its handle, which is rubberized and has widely spaced vertical ribs. You adjust the speed via the touchscreen display, which requires a lighter touch than physical buttons. It responded nicely for us. You cannot cycle both up and down through the five speeds (in contrast to the Theragun Prime’s interface, which allows for that); instead, each touch of the screen’s fingerprint icon advances the speed up. A pressure sensor uses green, yellow, and red lights to indicate increasing amounts of pressure being applied during use, but they’re tough to see when you’re using the device on yourself. (The Mebak 3’s specs do not list a stall force.) A number representing a percentage on the screen shows the battery level. As a safety precaution, the Mebak 3 shuts off automatically after 10 minutes of use; you can restart it immediately. To determine if continuous use would stress the motor at all, we ran the massage gun unattended for 15 minutes straight at various speeds, and we experienced no overheating.

The Mebak 3 comes with seven attachments, the most of our picks. Clockwise from top right: round, bullet, fork, cushion, shovel, flat, and bump. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Mebak 3 has a touchscreen control display, where a number indicates battery percentage. Photo: Rozette Rago


The Mebak 3 comes with seven attachments, the most of our picks. Clockwise from top right: round, bullet, fork, cushion, shovel, flat, and bump. Photo: Rozette Rago

The Mebak 3 comes with seven attachments: five made of smooth, matte-textured plastic (bullet, bump, flat, fork, shovel), one made of light foam (round), and one made of a soft rubbery material (cushion). This is the most we came across. The selection includes two shapes that we don’t always see: shovel (a blade-like silhouette that can work the length of a muscle) and cushion (which provides a softer, more muted massage). The Mebak 3 is quiet, too, as we were able to hear a TV show while we massaged, even at the tool’s highest speed.


The Mebak 3 promises two to three hours of battery life, and in our tests it lived up to that billing. It has a one-year warranty.


Flaws but not dealbreakers: During our first few uses, we noticed lubricant leaking out of the attachment point (we experienced this with only one other device, the cheapest model in our test pool). We wiped the substance away, it dissipated completely soon after, and it wasn’t a problem again. The massage gun also comes with a slightly flimsy carrying case.


Speeds: five


Number of attachments: seven (bullet, bump, cushion, flat, fork, round, shovel)


Battery life: two to three hours


Weight: 1.8 pounds


Lower-price, entry-level massager: HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager

Photo: Rozette Rago
Our pick

Best for: Those who’d like to try a massage gun without spending hundreds of dollars—as well as anyone who would prefer a simpler, less-intense option.


Why we like it: Light and comfortable to hold, the HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager offers three speeds, the fewest of our picks, topping out at 3,000 ppm. Its 7 mm amplitude is the lowest of our picks, too. In our tests, its overall effect was slightly more vibratory in comparison with that of our other picks, and overall it delivered a less-powerful massage than other devices we tried. But the experience was pleasant, and this massage gun does the job for significantly less than the Theragun Prime.

The HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager comes with four attachments (clockwise from top right): round, fork, flat, and trigger-point. Photo: Rozette Rago

A thumb-oriented power button controls the speed adjustment, and three LED lights indicate the speed. (The device has no battery-life indicator.) The button is a bit stiff and makes an audible click when pressed. The handle—one of the slimmest among the models in our test group—is rounded at the bottom, a design that we found comfortable to grip. This massage gun’s specs do not list a stall force, but the device does have a pressure sensor (represented by a display of five LED lights). We noticed that when we applied increasing pressure, the motor surged a bit.


The package includes four attachments: three made of plastic (flat, fork, trigger-point) and one made of lighter foam (round). The attachments fit securely. This massage gun is solidly built and relatively quiet—we could hear a TV show while massaging. Like the Ekrin, Mebak, and Opove models, this HoMedics massage gun has an automatic shutoff (after 15 minutes of use) and can be turned back on right away. We ran the device unattended until the auto shutoff kicked in, and we felt no indications of overheating.


The HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager promises a battery life of two and a half hours; one charge lasted through our three-week testing period. It has a two-year warranty and comes with a carrying case.


Flaws but not dealbreakers: This model is less powerful and less versatile than our other picks, with just three speeds and four attachments—though not everyone will miss those extra options.


Speeds: three


Number of attachments: four (flat, fork, round, trigger-point)


Battery life: two and a half hours


Weight: 1.9 pounds