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Best Theragun for Serious Athletes
Theragun Pro Plus
A Nearly-Silent Theragun
Theragun Sense
The Cheapest Theragun
Theragun Relief
For Your Eyes
Therabody Smart Goggles
Theraguns are massage guns, but not all massage guns are Theraguns, even though the name has become synonymous with the category. Therabody, the brand behind the massagers, has evolved beyond muscles and now makes gadgets for soothing your eyes, cramps, and skin. We haven’t tried everything the brand makes, but we have tried a bunch, and these are our favorite tools.
Theraguns are expensive, but you can get a great massage gun for less. If you’re not married to the brand, see our Best Theragun Alternatives guide. If you decide to get a Theragun, there are accessories available. Most importantly, you can buy foam tips separately, so don’t think you have to buy the Theragun Pro to get the relief you need. Just be sure to check each one’s compatibility.
Updated February 2024: We now have a separate guide for non-Theragun massage devices. This guide is for all our favorite Therabody tools.
Julian Chokkattu and Jaina Grey also contributed to this guide.
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Photograph: Theragun
Best Theragun for Serious Athletes
Theragun Pro Plus
Theragun Pro models are always the most expensive and the kind of devices used by college athletic departments and professional sports teams. This Pro Plus adds a few welcome features over previous years, like heat therapy. If you also want cold therapy, however, you have to purchase an attachment for $89, which seems excessive given the $600 price. A vibration head offers less intense massage so you can treat sensitive areas. There’s also near-infrared LED light therapy to help promote circulation and speed up recovery. We can’t independently verify if this was actually happening inside our bodies, but studies have shown positive benefits.
I like the breath-work feature that walks you through deep breathing via the LCD screen, paired with a heart rate sensor. This is also on the Theragun Sense device (below) if you don’t need all the other features here. Compared to the 6th-gen Pro, you get a better carrying case but lose the rotating arm.
Comes with seven attachment heads and a carrying case.
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Photograph: Theragun
A Nearly-Silent Theragun
Theragun Sense
The Sense is slightly smaller and lighter than the Pro Plus and it’s also significantly quieter. Some settings are almost completely silent. It has the same LCD screen for controls, which includes several guided routines. You’ll also find the same breathwork feature with a heart rate monitor on the handle. There are three fewer attachments here but the Sense is more the average person needs.
You don’t need the Therabody app (iOS, Android) to operate any of the Theragun massagers, but if you’ve never used something like this, it can be helpful. It walks you through exactly how and where to use your device for treating specific ailments, like leg cramps or lower back pain, or to accompany workouts, be it pre- or post-session. You can select certain ones to show up on your device’s LCD screen too. There are also tutorials for all of the specific attachments.
Comes with four attachment heads and a carrying case.
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Photograph: Theragun
The Cheapest Theragun
Theragun Relief
The Theragun Relief is the last of 2023’s new devices and is the cheapest one so far—even cheaper than the Mini, and I like this one more. The Relief is lighter and does feel a bit more plasticky but doesn’t seem like it will break easily. It keeps the same triangle design that makes holding and maneuvering Theraguns comfortable and easy.
For the price, you’re losing the screen and fancy extras, but you can still walk through recovery routines by watching in the app. There are three attachments and three speeds—the other two have five speeds—and no carrying case. You can find cheaper massagers on this list, but it’s a solid device for the price if you want to stick with the brand.
Comes with three attachment heads.
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Photograph: Therabody
For Your Eyes
Therabody Smart Goggles
My eyes are frequently sore, whether it’s from a headache or working on a computer all day. I’ve started regularly using eye massagers, and it’s often the most peaceful 20 minutes of my day, where I’m not thinking about something else.
Therabody’s SmartGoggles (9/10, WIRED Recommends) ease away pain with vibration, massage, and heat. Like most of Therabody’s gear, you can connect to the app or control it with the on-device buttons. In this case, you get more customization with the app, like controlling the exact level of heat you need. Gravity has since made its own eye massager that we really like. It’s a bit cheaper, but it’s been sold out.
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Photograph: Therabody
For Your Skin
Therabody TheraFace Pro
The Theraface Pro includes six detachable magnetic heads for cleansing, microcurrent, percussive massage, and LED light therapy—blue light for acne, red light and infrared for anti-aging. One WIRED writer tried the fancy facial device and said her skin was softer and brighter, but she noted that no studies prove that microcurrent is an effective facial treatment.
You don’t need to spend $400 on a skin-care gadget, but if you can afford it and like to pamper yourself—and you won’t use it for a week and then forget about it in a drawer—it’s nice to have a bunch of tools in one.
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Photograph: Amazon
For Cramps or Super-Sore Muscles
Therabody PowerDot 2.0
The PowerDot 2.0 Muscle Stimulator uses neuromuscular electrical stimulation and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation to ease muscle pain or spasms and can even soothe period cramps.
A reusable pad (or pads) sticks to the part of your body that’s sore, and the actual devices attach to that pad magnetically. Through the app you can control the intensity or choose a dedicated session. I was scared it was going to hurt or feel like a shock, but it didn’t. Just start low and slow. The Uno is probably all most people need, but the Duo can work on more places at once.
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Photograph: Therabody
For Foam Rolling
Therabody Rollers
Foam rolling is great for releasing tension and soothing sore muscles. You can buy a perfectly fine foam roller for significantly less, but if you want to combine rolling and vibrations, Therabody has three options.
The Wave Roller is the most similar to a traditional, textured foam roller. This one is best for full-body rolling. The small Solo and the Duo (we tried the latter), are both more portable and designed for more pinpointed treatment. If you’re debating between the two smaller ones, consider spending the extra $20 for the Duo.
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Photograph: Therabody
What About Older Theraguns?
More Massagers We Like
Therabody still sells a few older generations as well as refurbished models directly. Those are all likely still great. You may find even older models for sale on Amazon. While we haven’t tried them all, we think it comes down to price. Anything older than 2019 or 2020 releases might not be worth it unless the price is shockingly low. You’re better off buying some of the other brand massage guns brand-new for less.
- Theragun Pro 5th Gen for $599: This Pro came out in 2022, so it’s still a solid device for athletes. If you can find it on sale and don’t need all the latest updates, you should be happy with this one over the Pro Plus.
- Theragun Elite 4th Gen for $399: This held our top spot for being the quietest before the slightly cheaper Sense took that title. If you can find it for less, it’s a good buy.
- Theragun Mini 2nd Gen for $199: The Mini is as bare-bones as a Theragun can get, and it’s much more portable than its siblings. It’s powerful, but the size makes it awkward to use on your back. The Theragun Relief is now cheaper, and it’s a better buy.
- Theragun Prime 4th Gen for $299: We did not test the Prime, but based on its specs, it’s right in the middle of Theragun’s pack. This probably isn’t the best fit for a professional athlete constantly working their body to the max, but for everyday aches and pains it’s more than sufficient.
