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The 10 best massage guns for pain in 2025
Bolstered by celebrity athlete endorsements and viral slow-motion Instagram videos of users pummelling their quads, the best massage guns – the ‘percussive therapy’ devices that look (and sound) a little like a power drill – are more popular than ever with the fitness crowd.
If you care about fitness and wellness, a fitness gadget that promises to boost your performance, speed up your recovery from strength training and rid you of aches and pains certainly has its appeal. But they don’t come cheap. Massage guns from leading brands such as Therabody, which manufactures the Theragun range and counts Trent Alexander Arnold and Maria Sharapova among its ambassadors (and Rihanna, Jay-Z and Marcus Rashford among its investors) start from £175 and run much higher.
Before we get into the details of how they work, what they are used for and how to choose the right one for you, here’s a quick look at our top five. The full reviews are further down.
Which is the best massage gun in 2025? At a glance
How to choose the best massage gun
Choosing the right massage gun comes down to how you plan to use it and how it feels in your hand. Start with comfort: look for an ergonomic handle that you can grip easily and use on your back and shoulders without straining. Check the weight too; a lighter device is easier to manoeuvre during longer sessions.
Next, look at power and speed. A good massage gun offers several intensity settings and a decent amplitude, which is the distance the head moves with each stroke, so you can move from gentle relaxation to deeper muscle work as needed. Multiple attachment heads are useful for targeting different areas, such as large muscle groups or smaller spots around joints.
Battery life and noise level matter more than you might think. If you travel or use it daily, choose a model that runs for at least an hour between charges and does not sound like a power drill. Finally, set a sensible budget and avoid the cheapest options, which often feel rough and lack control, but do not assume the most expensive professional model is necessary for casual home use.
How we test massage guns
Using massage guns over the past few weeks, I have become a convert. Sitting at home, hunched over my desk that’s definitely not ergonomically ideal, I could feel tension building up in my back and shoulders by the day.
Five minutes with a massage gun worked wonders. Suddenly, those knots started to melt away. I tried using each device for five to 10 minutes before and after my workouts, and I could actually feel the difference: less soreness (that dreaded DOMS, which stands for delayed onset muscle soreness) and faster recovery.
I paid attention to how easy the guns were to hold, whether they reached every spot I needed, and how quickly my muscles felt soothed. Each model was also tested for how comfortable the grip felt and how simple it was to change the settings mid-routine. After all this hands-on testing, I’ve come to rely on these gadgets for daily relief, and found clear favorites among the best massage guns on the market.
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The best massage guns
