The Best Massage Guns for Quick-Fire Workout Recovery

We love the January fitness boom as much as the next guy, but if you’re only just getting into the gym for the first time or have ramped up your training to another level, you’re probably suffering with some pretty major DOMS, or delayed onset muscle soreness, at the moment. And you’re not alone. In fact, there’s a whole wellness industry out there trying to make your recovery and post-workout life better with supplements, sleep products, and—our personal favorite—massage guns.

A dream for those who might suffer from muscle tension following an intense CrossFit class, soreness from a sudden return to weights and cardio, or just those who experience back pain from less-than-ideal WFH conditions, a massage gun is a true gym bag must-have. Still unconvinced? You’ll just have to try out one of the best massage guns yourself.

The Best Massage Guns, According to GQ

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In This Guide

Best Overall Massage Gun: Hyperice Hypervolt 2 Pro

The Hypervolt 2 Pro is Hyperice’s strongest massage gun to date, now with five variable speeds and a swanky new digital dial to quickly cycle through them. With five head attachments, a handy storage pouch, and plug adaptors, you can boost your recovery wherever you please. Combined with the Bluetooth-powered Hyperice App, your aching muscles will be in safe hands.

Best Travel Massage Gun: Theragun Mini

If you still want the power and functionality of a Theragun but are planning to take your massage gun out and about with you on a regular basis, or want to travel with it, the Theragun Mini is your best bet. The most travel-friendly of the Theragun family, the Mini lets you pick from three speeds and will run for more than two hours to give you a sizable amount of time to target those aches. It uses Therabody’s QuietForce motor technology to keep gun noise to a minimum and you have a plentiful array of attachments when you need to deliver more effective massaging to different parts of the body.

Best Luxury Massage Gun: Theragun Pro Plus

Therabody

Theragun Pro Plus

One of the best massage guns now has a newer fifth-generation version, complete with a built-in display which provides visual guidance on specific routines, designed to help you along your muscle-soothing journey. With 20% quieter operation than its predecessor, it won’t disturb you or anyone else in the vicinity either. Sticking to Therabody’s tried and tested design, the unique shape of the Theragun Pro means you can hold it in numerous ways, to help find the best angle to target specific niggling pain points.

Most Innovative Massage Gun: Rally Orbital Massager

A new entrant into the massage gun game, Rally released its Orbital massager in 2025 and easily became a GQ Tech Awards winner in the same year. The massager head pounds muscles in a circular motion as not to hit the same spot over and over again. This makes Rally much more gentle on muscles, so you’re not as pained, especially if an area is particularly sore.

More Massage Guns We Love

Renpho

Massage Gun with Heat and Cold

Our second Renpho pick retains the convenient USB-C charging and ramps things up with a heated massage head. The head itself is also charged via a USB-C port, after which it will heat up when turned on to further soothe and relax tired muscles. With four additional non-heated head attachments for targetting specific spots, it offers a mixture of different ways to alleviate aches and knots.

Hydragun

Massage Gun

A massage gun favoured by athletes and Olympians alike (we’re talking Tokyo 2020 gold medalists here), the Hydragun is one of the most technologically advanced massage guns around. Designed with a Smoothdrive motor, it’s as quiet as massage guns come, making between 30 to 50db of noise with each use (which, to put that into context, is just slightly louder than a whisper). The 12mm amplitude sits below the Theragun Pro’s 16mm, but it still has plenty of depth to target your aching muscles, and you can choose between six-speed settings to ensure you’re getting the right amount of pressure. And with its three-to-six-hour battery life, you’ll only have to charge it up every few weeks.

Massage Gun FAQ

Which brand has the best massage gun?

According to personal trainer Jack Claxton, “The Theragun is considered one of the best in the business and I can see why—developed by personal trainers, engineers and scientists, the product has a sleek look, premium feel and great intensity.” If that’s the sound of all your boxes being ticked, then scroll down to see our selection of top Theragun models.

What are the benefits of using a massage gun?

Percussive therapy—and in some cases, a combined touch of temperature treatment—is employed by massage guns to help with muscle soreness, increase blood flow and improve your range of motion ready for another session in the gym or pounding the pavements. Speed and depth are both used to treat muscles, in what Theragun, the brand that pioneered the technique, calls a powerful alternative to the foam roller.

Of course, it isn’t only athletes or even the active who can benefit from a massage gun: sedentary office workers can employ the gadget on sore necks and backs to relived built-up tension and laptop-related niggles. Many massage guns will come with different head attachments, with flat heads designed to cover large muscle groups such as glutes and hamstrings, while angled pressure heads are perfect for targeting specific problem areas.

Are massage guns good for deep tissue massage?

If you’ve got a powerful enough massage gun, you can effectively hit areas of deep tissue with great effect—most of the time. There are some areas and muscles that are, however, simply too deep to reach with much success. The psoas, the muscle that connects your spine to your legs, is one example of an area that’s tough to reach with a massage gun alone.

How long should you use a massage gun for?

Theragun recommends using a massage gun for at least 15 seconds and up to a maximum of two minutes per muscle group, with a full-body session not exceeding 15 minutes. Carried out two to three times a day, your aches and pains should feel noticeably better, and you’ll be well on your way to muscle recovery.

Can massage guns get rid of knots?

Massage guns can help increase blood flow, by pommelling a specific area of muscle with high-powered vibrations. In doing so, this process can contribute to decreasing muscle inflammation and tension, which can include breaking up annoying knots. They’re also a great tool for warming up your muscles ahead of an intensive workout, further reducing the risk of injury.

What is the best Theragun?

Since it’s one of the most widely known brands of massage gun, it’s worth giving Theragun a short shout out. Premium models (in order of most to least expensive) currently include the Theragun Pro, Theragun Elite, Theragun Prime, and lastly, the Theragun Mini. For most ordinary gym-goers, the 2,400 RPM of the Mini should be enough to make a difference, though if you’re on the hunt for something with Bluetooth capabilities or customisable speed ranged, you’re looking at one of the more expensive from the bunch.

How We Tested

When I first starting researching for this piece back in 2024, I was in the deep depths of marathon training, meaning I was suffering from next-level DOMS almost every single day. When you’re making the stupid decision to consistently follow your Sunday long run with Monday interval training at the track (sadly my schedule left me with only this option), let me tell you, I’ve never been more grateful for a job that let me test massage guns. We tested all of the recommendations listed below both before and after long workouts, looking at how they would prevent, relieve and reduce any post-exercise soreness.

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