When you can’t turn to a professional masseuse, turn to your own hands to do the job with the help of this massage gun.
By Leslie K. Hughes
There is nothing like being massaged from head to toe by a professional masseuse. Unfortunately COVID has thrown a wrench in the fun and safety of a stranger lying you on a table, dousing you in oil, and rubbing all your pain and worries away.
So, unless you’ve got a sexy suitor, partner, or bestie willing to do the same, you’re gonna have to fend for yourself. Thanks to our new favorite accessory, being independent has never felt better.
Enter: Theragun. This tool isn’t new to the scene but its May 2020 rebranding to Therabody has brought with it some new devices to explore. The Therabody massager line offers four different devices to cover all your aching needs.
Today we are chatting the pros and cons of these devices so you can decide if this is the new fun toy for you.
Theragun Massager Pros
Coming in at the top is the Theragun PRO which delivers up to 60 pounds of force to your aching muscles. The Theragun Prime and Elite models are fairly similar, with the Prime offering 10 more pounds of force. And the newest member of the family, the mini, is perfect for easy on-the-go relief. However, the size and weight of all the Therabody devices make them easy to pack with you.
And can we take a moment to appreciate the design? Theragun came in with a massage gun that looks vastly different from anything that’s come before it, and manages to do so while mastering ergonomics and ease of use.
I’ve been hanging out with the Prime for the last few weeks and find myself looking for reasons to bring it with me wherever I go. As a cordless device, the only time you need a plugin for your Theragun is when you’re charging it, which only needs to happen for every 120 minutes of use (depending on the speed you’re working with). On top of that, this generation of Theragun devices claim to be 75% quieter than its predecessors, so I can still have conversations while not-so-casually blasting my muscles.
Speaking of blasting, the Theragun Elite manages to blast muscle pain away in a surprisingly comfortable way. There were certainly times and areas that were a bit painful to work through due to a build-up of lactic acid in my muscles, but it wasn’t something that a few minutes of patience and a PPM of 1750 couldn’t help.
The biggest thing I noticed with using the Elite is that my general soreness went down immensely. In addition to that, it served as a great way to wind down after a workout, and a way to still feel like I was doing something productive while scrolling on my phone.
It’s safe to say I’m obsessed with the Theragun Elite, and I have zero doubts you will be too. If you’re a serious athlete, I suggest upgrading to the PRO version for a more intense experience. But if you’re someone who works out regularly and doesn’t suffer from extreme muscle pain, any of the other models will work great for you.
The purchase of a device comes with access to the app which guides you through specific ways to treat different muscle groups and shows you how to optimize the tool for your body’s benefit.
Pros Recap
- Options for different levels of force
- Force that you can feel (sans the pain)
- Easy for on-the-go with cordless feature
- Holds charge for at least two hours
- High PPMs to rid of muscle pain
- Alleviation of general soreness even when not in use
- Access to app for step-by-step tutorials on how to target muscle groups
Theragun Massager Cons
The only hard pill to swallow with a Theragun is the price tag. The PRO rings it at $599, the Prime at $399, Elite at $299 and the mini at $199. But when you put that into perspective with how much money your average spa massage costs, you may feel differently about investing in a Theragun device.
Cons Recap
- High price
While a Theragun massager isn’t a one-for-one replacement for a spa massage, it’s something that is much more realistic and available during COVID times. Now that we’ve dropped the only con of the price on you, let that soak in for a moment and then head to Theragun’s website to see which device is right for you. We at Visceral fully believe a Theragun is a purchase you won’t regret.
Header image | @thenakedtiger
