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14 best massage guns for 2024, from just £39.99
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This article was updated in April to reflect the latest prices of all products, including 40% off the HoMedics Pro.
If you haven’t tried percussive therapy yet, where have you been? Massage guns have taken the wellness world by storm over the past couple of years – search #recovery on Instagram and you’ll find everyone from runners to dancers pummelling their muscles in the quest for peak performance. Even the likes of Miranda Kerr and Gal Gadot, Wonder Woman herself, are fans.
Invest in one of the best massage guns out there and you can use it before exercise to activate your muscles and increase blood flow, or post-workout to release tension and ward off DOMS. It will help you recover faster, boost your circulation, increase flexibility and extend your range of motion. Phew! You can also use it to soothe WFH-related niggles, or for a spot of relaxation after a stressful day – trust us, it feels pretty darn good.
With so many muscle guns on the market however, it can be hard to know where to start. Hence, we've tried and tested the best models for you. Looking for one without the high-end price tag? Don’t worry, we’ve found some great budget massage gun buys, from HoMedics to Therabody, Pulseroll to Hyperice, including a Boots device for as little as £49.99 (bargain)!
What is the best massage gun?
The Women’s Health Lab has put some of the top massage guns to the test to bring you its favourites for banishing post-workout pain. When buying a massage gun, the best one comes down to personal preference. But as a rule of thumb, you’ll want to consider power, design, portability and battery life.
As for cheaper massage guns, these tend to have harder attachment heads (which make for a slightly less comfortable experience), a shorter battery life, or are less durable. If there's a choice between a cheap muscle gun and a more expensive massage gun that's on sale, we'd always suggest going with the one that looks like it will last the longest and is the most specced out. If it comes with a warranty, even better.
Do massage guns work?
Much like going for a massage, a muscle gun helps to reduce inflammation by flushing out your muscle tissues of the fluids built up by exercise and daily bodily stress. They use percussive therapy – repeated strikes to help relax muscle tension and alleviate soreness, which, if you suffer from regular DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), can be a real lifesaver. And whether they work as claimed? Our experts have put this to the test!
How to use a massage gun
Use in a similar way to a foam roller; either before exercise to activate muscles and increase blood flow, or after to release tension and prevent DOMS. Or, simply when you feel your shoulders creeping up towards your ears and tension setting in.
Try to keep the gun's head straight onto the body as you work, while the face of the muscle gun head or attachment should be in contact with the muscle you're trying to massage.
Massage guns are best for use on larger areas such as the lower back, glutes and hamstrings. They also work better on targeted muscle groups where you are experiencing soreness, as you can adjust the settings to cater for your individual needs.
How we test
The muscle guns below, marked with our Women’s Health Lab Approved logo, have been put to the test in our lab. Our expert tester has trialled them over a three-week period, using them around their hectic exercise schedule — made up of weightlifting, running, HIIT, yoga and more — to see how well each one helped muscles to recover.
Each massage gun was judged on overall effectiveness, as well as how well they could glide over muscles, how easy they were to control, the practicality of their design, and their strength. Bonus points were also on offer for any innovative features or smart additions like carry cases.
14 best massage guns to shop in 2024
Get set to level up your recovery routine.
Priyankaa is our senior health and wellness writer, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones.
Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist’s Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges.
She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more.
Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills.
Bridie is Fitness Director at Women's Health UK. She spends her days sweating over new workouts, fitness launches and the best home gym kit so you have all that you need to get fit done. Her work has been published in Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan and more. She’s also a part-time yoga teacher with a habit of nodding off mid savasana (not when she’s teaching, promise).
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Yanar has spent 15 years as a health and wellness editor and writer for national titles such as Women’s Health, Men’s Health and Runner’s World. Yanar is a 580-hour yoga therapist, 200-hour yoga teacher and level 3 personal trainer at Yanar Mind & Movement. After years of running races and marathons, she discovered CrossFit and Olympic lifting in her mid-30s and fell in love with training and competing. She now advocates strength training for women to build a stronger body for life and the benefits of nervous system regulation for better physical and mental health. When not training, teaching or writing, she can be found experimenting in the kitchen.
Jodie is our Health and Fitness product tester. She runs tests on a wide variety of products, including gym leggings, walking boots, fitness trackers and more. Jodie has managed the testing for 577 products to date, including working with over 600 panellists.
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