The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (2025)

Skip to main content

SearchSearch
  • Security
  • Politics
  • Gear
  • The Big Story
  • Business
  • Science
  • Culture
  • Ideas
  • Merch
  • Podcasts
  • Video
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Travel
  • Steven Levy's Plaintext Column
  • WIRED Classics from the Archive
  • Events
  • WIRED Insider
  • WIRED Consulting
  • Coupons

Boutayna Chokrane

Gear

Don’t cancel therapy just yet, but these portable, at-home massagers might be the hack you need after stressful days.

If you buy something using links in our stories, we may earn a commission. Learn more.

Featured in this article

The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (3)

Best Massage Gun (That Isn’t a Theragun)

Hyperice Hypervolt 2

Read more

The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (4)

A Mini Massage Gun

Gravity Move Heated Mini Massager

Read more

The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (5)

A Heated Back Massage

Hyperice Venom 2 Back

Read more

The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (6)

If Massagers Never Have Enough Attachments

LifePro Sonic Handheld Percussion Massage Gun

Read more

The best massagers should be as accessible as your morning coffee—not a luxury you save for special occasions. Between workouts, work stress, and the existential crisis that is life, who isn't carrying tension somewhere? I've spent countless hours trying every type of massager out there. Testing these contraptions might sound like the dream gig, but it's not all bliss. Some felt like a personal massage therapist. Others like they were designed to tenderize meat. A few made me question every life choice that led to this moment.

The good news? I've rounded up the best massagers for every body and budget. Ones that actually deliver on their promises to soothe, stimulate, and shiatsu. Let's get into our top picks—before I need a massager to recover from testing all these massagers. Read ourBest Theraguns and Therabody ToolsandEverything You Need for Your Yoga Practiceguides for more wellness recommendations.

Power up with unlimited access toWIRED.Get best-in-class reporting that's too important to ignore for just$2.50$1 per month for 1 year. Includes unlimited digital access and exclusive subscriber-only content.Subscribe Today.

Do Massage Guns Work?

Massage guns can relieve soreness, but they also increase blood flow for faster muscle recovery. Jacklyn Plonski, an outpatient orthopedic and pediatric physical therapist, likens percussive therapy devices to using a foam roller or getting a professional physical therapy treatment. Here's what she has to say:

"As we exercise and challenge our muscles, we cause breakdown within the muscle fibers, which in turn stimulates muscle growth and regrowth, hypertrophy (increased muscle size), and strength. Mechanical stimulation of a muscle causes increased blood flow and the release of histamines to the stimulated area. What this does is allow the increased blood flow to decrease the inflammatory response, decrease muscle soreness, and break up knots in athletes' musculature."

Plonksi says there are no apparent negative effects, but she recommends people always talk to a physician before trying a device.

  • The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (7)

Honorable Mentions

Turonic GM5 Massage Gun for $160: The Turonic is less than 2 pounds (much lighter than the LifePro Sonic above) and has one of the lowest intensity levels. That's good for people who generally feel that “low” isn't quite low enough on massage guns. It's still quite powerful, too, with around eight hours of battery life.

Synca Corron Rollup Massager for $190: The Synca has rolling nodes that knead into muscles with or without heat—think of those full-body massage chairs at the mall or nail salon. Giordano liked it for her back and shoulders, but it's not as easy to lie down on as some of the photos depict. It can actually kind of hurt that way, so it's better to lean against it. It's also not cordless, so you'll need to be near an outlet.

Boutayna Chokrane is a product writer and reviewer at WIRED. Before joining the Gear team, she was a music editorial fellow at Pitchfork. She also worked as a freelance journalist, covering fashion, art, and culture for Vogue, Rolling Stone, the Cut, and others. She graduated from Northwestern University with a... Read more

Product Writer & Reviewer

    TopicsShoppingbuying guideshealthfitness

    Read More

    The King of Ozempic Is Scared as Hell

    Now that Novo Nordisk is the world’s weight-loss juggernaut, will it have to betray its first patients—type 1 diabetics?

    Virginia Heffernan

    The 45 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now

    The Babadook, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, and Emilia Pérez are just a few of the movies you should watch on Netflix this month.

    Matt Kamen

    Top Wayfair Coupons for January 2025

    Get 10% off with a Wayfair promo code, up to 60% off furniture, and more top coupons.

    Molly Higgins

    A Spymaster Sheikh Controls a $1.5 Trillion Fortune. He Wants to Use It to Dominate AI

    Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan—the UAE’s chess-obsessed, jiujitsu-loving intelligence chief—controls vast sums of sovereign wealth. America’s AI giants are scrambling for a piece of it.

    Bradley Hope

    The 45 Best Shows on Max (aka HBO Max) Right Now

    Somebody Somewhere, Dune: Prophecy, and The Sex Lives of College Girls are just a few of the shows you need to be watching on Max this month.

    Jennifer M. Wood

    Nvidia’s $3,000 ‘Personal AI Supercomputer’ Will Let You Ditch the Data Center

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also announced new AI tools for creating autonomous agents during a keynote address at CES.

    Will Knight

    Meta Now Lets Users Say Gay and Trans People Have ‘Mental Illness’

    Meta rolled out a number of changes to its “Hateful Conduct” policy Tuesday as part of a sweeping overhaul of its approach toward content moderation.

    Kate Knibbs

    The Spectacular Burnout of a Solar Panel Salesman

    He thought he’d make millions of dollars selling solar panels door-to-door. The reality was much darker.

    Brendan I. Koerner

    This Company Wants to Build a Space Station That Has Artificial Gravity

    Founded by crypto guru Jed McCaleb, Vast Space will run two missions to the International Space Station and aims to launch its first space station, Haven-1, by the end of 2025.

    Emilio Cozzi

    4 Things Apple Maps Does Better Than Google Maps

    Apple’s platform for maps and directions, the perpetual runner-up to Google Maps, has improved markedly over the past few years. Here are the ways it currently bests its rival.

    Justin Pot

    How to Get Around the US TikTok Ban

    TikTok is now unavailable in the United States—and getting around the ban isn’t as simple as using a VPN. Here’s what you need to know.

    Lily Hay Newman

    New Superconductive Materials Have Just Been Discovered

    Three exotic new species of superconductivity were spotted last year, illustrating the myriad ways electrons can join together to form a frictionless quantum soup.

    Charlie Wood

    The Best Massagers for People Who Don’t Have Time to Relax (2025)

    References

    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Recommended Articles
    Article information

    Author: Delena Feil

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5995

    Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

    Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Delena Feil

    Birthday: 1998-08-29

    Address: 747 Lubowitz Run, Sidmouth, HI 90646-5543

    Phone: +99513241752844

    Job: Design Supervisor

    Hobby: Digital arts, Lacemaking, Air sports, Running, Scouting, Shooting, Puzzles

    Introduction: My name is Delena Feil, I am a clean, splendid, calm, fancy, jolly, bright, faithful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.