The best massage guns (and why these 6 made our list)

Massage guns make percussive therapy possible at home, which is essentially a more professional term for “your muscles like it rough.”

Athletes turn to professional deep-tissue massage, which involves forceful, rapid thumps to a specific area of the body to stimulate a specific set of muscles, for quick pain relief and faster recovery times. A massage gun lets individuals perform a similar type of penetrative tissue attention on themselves without extra help (and in minutes instead of an hour).

Treating something that hurts like a punching bag may seem like the last thing it needs. But beating that damaged deep tissue into submission has a desensitizing effect, and if you’ve ever begged someone to rub your neck for a few minutes, you know it takes some elbow grease to feel anything. These vigorous pulses soften knots, enhance blood flow, and accelerate the repair of muscle fibers, all of which can lead to better-prepared warmups and overall decreased soreness. Your mood might see a spike, too.