There’s a reason why Theragun is synonymous with massage guns as a whole—it’s amazing at what it does. From its ergonomic design to the educational Therabody app, and even to its sleek, professional-looking packaging, Theragun has all of its bases covered. Featuring five speeds, five attachments, and a handle that makes it easy to reach most places on the body, it is the top massage gun on the market.
When I tested the original Theragun G3 model last year (which is no longer available), one of my main complaints was that it sounded like a jackhammer on your body. The Theragun Elite tones down the noise—it still isn’t quiet, but while using the most intense setting, you won’t have people coming from another room asking if construction is happening outside. Its five-speed levels and attachments provide a wide range of sensations and pressure levels that should satisfy everyone from the professional athlete to the casual runner. It also has a triangular ergonomic handle that sets it apart from the rest. Other guns’ handles don’t fit as easily in the hand, which makes reaching the back, neck, and shoulders tough, but the Theragun’s handle lets you get to those spots with ease. It's also simple to go up or down intensity settings, with the small control panel at the top of the gun that can easily be toggled with your thumb while you massage your muscles, while most other massage tools require cycling through all the settings to get to previous ones.
The biggest gamechanger that this product offers is Bluetooth capability with the Therabody app. The app connects to your Theragun and offers preset programs, so all you have to do is pick a warm-up or recovery treatment and the settings automatically ‘play’ right on the Theragun. When you go into the app, you can choose from different warm-ups and cool-downs for specific sports, like running, cycling, or yoga (just to name a few). You can also look for treatments that will help you with specific muscle issues, like carpal tunnel, sciatica, even “tech neck” (or neck pain caused by gazing downward at computers and phones for long periods of time), which is a lifesaver if you work at a desk all day. From there, you click on the treatment, make sure your Theragun is on, and the app guides you through. It shows you where on your body you should hold the Theragun, how you should be moving it, how to hold the handle, and for how long you should keep it pressed to your muscles. If the recommended pressure is too much for you, you can tweak the intensity from the app with more nuance then you get from pressing the buttons on Theragun. The app also suggests the ideal amount of force and what attachments you should be using while targeting certain muscle groups.
A few tiny downsides: I sometimes experienced small issues with the app, with pictures not loading or having to restart the entire treatment session after it shut off when I tried to switch attachments. Still, even though it isn’t perfect, it’s close enough for me to think it’s the best massage gun out there.
All in all, this experience blew me away, as it took all the guesswork out of the massage. The app made me feel like I had a health and wellness coach at home, with videos, straightforward images, and helpful information posted. All that makes it more than worth its higher-than-most price. When it comes to the Theragun Elite, you definitely get what you pay for.