The 10 Best Massage Tools Money Can Buy
Everyone needs a daily massage to relieve the thousand natural shocks their flesh is heir to. Only most people don’t realize it or admit it, not even to themselves. You’re not like most people. You realize the aches and pains you experience today have been recurring in one form or another your whole life and you’re ready to do something about them. That’s evidence of one thing: you’re smarter than most people. Congratulations! Now all you have to do is find the right massage tools that will consistently deliver the goods to help you feel better fast.
The Best Tools in the Galaxy
Hands down, the best massage tools are your hands. They’re strong, supple, and smart. If properly trained they can make your body feel wonderful. They’ve got limits though. They may not reach far enough, be hard enough, or heat up fast enough to relieve your aches and pains. It turns out, even your hands can use a helping hand. Maybe one of these marvels:
Or maybe one of these electric massagers?
Or maybe one of these rollers?
So many choices, so little time.
What Are These Things?
Massage tools are, in essence, healthcare devices that should be part of your every day healthcare, wellness, and recovery routine. Something you can reach for whenever you need a quick fix. Why? Because they work.
Which Ones Will Do You the Most Good?
All these tools were designed with one purpose in mind: to get you to buy them. There are thousands to choose from. You can’t buy them all. And even if you could most would disappoint you.
My job is to help you make the right choice. Based on twenty years of using, studying, writing, and reading about hundreds of massage tools, I have concluded that a few are really fabulous, and the vast majority are, well, just average.
Don’t settle for mediocrity. While showing you the tools that work best for me, I’m going to show you how to find instruments that will effectively relieve your aches and pains. I’ll also show you how to determine if they’re really working, so you won’t have to rely on my word but on your own body and what it tells you. But first some background on all that’s out there.
Finally a great massage at a fair price
Vibrating Roller
Roller
Presser
Glider
Squeezer
Drummer
Battery Power
Types of Tools
While there are thousands of different massage tools for sale, they can be divided into a few basic categories. There are Rollers, Pressers, Gliders, Squeezers, and Drummers. Some massage tools use electricity, some don’t. Let’s talk about the most important ones first: the rollers and the pressers.
Rollers come in various shapes and sizes. There are long ones and short ones, skinny ones and fat ones, soft ones and hard ones, straight ones and curved ones, smooth ones and bumpy ones, battery-powered ones and human-powered ones. But they all do one thing: they roll. They can roll on you or under you. If they roll under you, they use gravity to exert force. If they roll on top of you, they rely on your arms to provide the force. While you may think of them as being log-shaped like foam rollers, the most effective rollers are often balls…things like tennis balls, lacrosse balls, golf balls and even footballs, which can touch parts of you in ways your hands and log-shaped rollers cannot.
Pressers too come in various shapes and sizes. But basically they are of two types: long ones and short ones. The short ones fit in your hands and impart extra force when pressed into your body. The long ones can travel to places your hands cannot, such as your back, where they release trigger points and activate pressure receptors under your skin. In doing so, they liberate a flood of endogenous chemicals that may relieve suffering in parts of your body you didn’t even know you had.
Let’s not forget the gliders, squeezers, drummers and power tools. The gliders can slide over your skin any where on your beautiful body and may look like the exquisite jade stone glider pictured to the left. The squeezers are infrequently used tools that wring your limbs and may look like the squeeze tool pictured at left. The drumming tools, also called percussions, hit you over and over again like drum sticks with a light rapid tapping. They look something like the two Bongers on the left.
Finally there are a whole species of massage tools powered by electrical current. Some are juiced by batteries, others plug into the wall. Electric massage tools may merge many stroke sensations in a single magical gadget offering gliding, pressing, rolling, percussion, and heat.
How to Choose the Right Tool
Now that you know the types of tools available, let’s focus on you, your body, and your needs. Know yourself. If you don’t like rolling on the ground, a foam roller won’t work for you. No one knows your body better than you! So what do you need and what do you like? Where do you ache? Shoulders, knees, feet, neck, upper arms, upper legs, lower legs, wrists, elbows, all over? Once you determine which part of your body needs repeated care, all you’ll need to do is decide where you want to perform the massage. Do you want to massage while sitting in a chair or rolling on the floor, while standing or moving, or all four? Do you want to use a tool powered by gravity, your hands, or electricity? Do you want a tool that’s portable, or will you work with it in one place, like your home or work place? The answers to those questions will direct you to the tools you’re most likely to use.
How Effective Are Your Massage Tools?
The best massage tools are the ones you use. But not all massage tools will work for you and your specific needs. The only person who can tell you whether a massage tool is effective is YOU. Here’s what you need to do. Measure the amount of relief you get from the tool. Use the 1 to 10 scale to assess how you feel before your massage and how you feel after it. Ten represents the best you could possibly feel and 1 the worst. How many notches does your massage tool move you up the scale? How fast is your relief and how long does it last? Give yourself a couple of weeks to learn to use the tool by recording before and after results with each use. If you don’t feel better after using the tool than you did before it, send it back or change the way you’re using it.
What is the Ultimate Goal?
The holy grail is the massage tool that makes you feel better fast and stay better until you over-do or under-do it again.
It’s the tool that fixes all your muscle soreness fast and maintains that fix until the next time you exercise too much, sit too much, screen too much, or sleep in the wrong position or with the wrong person.
Tool Description: At a time when you can take a fab photo with a phone, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn, you can get a powerful massage with a car polisher. The Black & Decker WP900 delivers a wonderful full-body massage in minutes. That’s been my experience and that of thousands, maybe millions, of others.
The WP900 weighs 3.4 lbs, sports two handles, is electric and has a 10-foot power cord. It’s made and marketed by Black & Decker as a floor, furniture, boat, and car waxer/polisher. The buffing pad is made of soft wool and oscillates at 4400 orbits per minute. As car waxer/polishers go it’s a rather weak machine but for massaging the human body it’s just about perfect.
What it massages best: sore muscles.
While it works best on your muscles it might also polish your car, floor, and furniture. But Amazon reviewers give it higher ratings as a massager than as a waxer/polisher.
It’s on the list because it’s effective…ok surprisingly effective…ok AMAZINGLY effective.
How to use it: It’s simple. It has an on-off switch and two basic massage modes.
Mode #1 Gliding: Hold the WP900 parallel to your body so its wool bonnet is face down. Let it hover on your body gently guiding it as it glides on you. To add heat, press it into your body.
Mode #2 Percussion: Hold the WP900 perpendicular to your body so the side of its wool bonnet is touching you. Slowly guide it over your muscles. To go deeper, add pressure.
Together these two modes work wonders on my body and they may do the same for yours.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you’re active, have sore muscles, no serious injuries, and want to feel better fast.
Nice Touch: The WP 900 has two handles that allow you to massage most of your back. You can reach over your shoulder and massage your upper back holding one handle. You can hold both handles and massage your lower back.
Stroke Type: The random-orbit massager heats, glides, presses, and taps your body.
Power Source: electricity
You will love this tool if you want an effective, inexpensive power massage.
Specs:
Type: Dual-action/Random-orbit
Dimension: 13.8 x 6.2 x 8.6 inches
Net Weight: 3.4 pounds with bonnet per my scale
Power Cord: 10 feet
Variable Speed: 4400 OPM
Speed Settings: 1-speed setting
Backing plate: 6 inches
2 ergonomic handles
It comes with 2 wool polishing bonnets and a blue foam applicator bonnet. I use the wool bonnet for massage.
Tool description: It’s a ball 5 inches in diameter with a unique hard but soft feel. You roll on it, and it rolls away muscle pain and soreness. That’s all there is to it. As Einstein said, “a thing should be as simple as possible, but no simpler.”
What it massages best: The fleshy and muscular parts of your body.
While it works best on your large muscles according to the manufacturer, Triggerpoint, I find it works best anywhere I want to use it.
It’s on the list because it’s the perfect size and density to massage my muscle pain away any time I want to get down on the floor and roll with it.
How to use it: Just get down on the ground and roll on it. It’s more effective than a basic foam roller because it’s a ball and not a log. A ball gives you more control than a log. You can direct it to the exact spot on your body that needs massaging and apply as much pressure to the spot as you like by shifting your weight. That’s my theory. Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you’ve been using a foam roller and aren’t happy with it.
Nice Touch: The colored stripes on the ball denote different foam densities.
Stroke Type: The massage ball rolls and glides under your body’s weight.
Power Source: Gravity and your ability to roll on the floor.
Dimensions: 5 inch diameter, 5.8 ounces. “Firm layered EVA Foam, slip resistant material.”
Instructions: Take it with you and have a ball with it.
You will love this tool if you try it.
Tool description: The Backnobber is an elegant solution to a universal problem: aches and pains that hands can’t reach.
What it massages best: Your back.
While it works best on your back, it can touch everywhere on your body and release trigger points, knots, pressure points, acupressure points, and myofascial conundrums.
It’s on the list because it’s a simple brilliant piece of technology that never fails to make me feel better.
How to use it: Sitting, standing or lying down, press one of the rounded knobs at the end of the giant “S” into a spot on your back that needs release. The spot, a trigger point, will feel exquisitely tender when pressed. Apply a slow, calm, or varying pressure twisting the knob for as long as it takes until the trigger point releases. You can apply this same technique anywhere on your body providing SMR (self-myofascial release) to your feet, IT bands, hamstrings, neck, and more. As a special treat, lie supine on a yoga mat and allow gravity to press your body into the knob at the end of the “S” while the rest of you relaxes into the release. Repeat until every trigger on your back has been released and you feel a sense of bliss.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you need a back massage and are too cheap to pay for one.
Nice Touch: The Backnobber divides in half for easy travel.
Stroke Type: The Backnobber presses into your body releasing trigger points and a cascade of feel-good, endogenous chemicals.
Power Source: Your arms and gravity if you take it to the mat.
Dimensions: 24 x 13 x 1 inches; 1.3 pounds. Made from durable fiberglass reinforced nylon.
Instructions: It ships with a fully illustrated 36 page User Guide.
Video on use: This video on the Theracane is helpful.
You will love this tool if you use it.
Almost as good: Theracane, Body Back Buddy. The Backnobber is a bit more elegant and portable.
Tool description: The R3 is a tiny device that feels solid, dependable, and almost sublime any where you roll it.
What it massages best: Your feet.
While it works best under foot while seated, you can get down on the floor with the R3 and get a kick-ass, full- body massage. Because it has 3 curved ridges it can press deeply into muscles and release trigger points in a way a foam roller can only dream of.
It’s on the list because it’s sensationally versatile, feels fabulous, and I use it daily.
How to Use It: While seated, place it under your foot and roll it, gliding back and forth, or press your foot into one of its 3 rounded ridges.
While lying on a mat, you can place the R3 under any part of you that needs a massage. Move gently over it and let gravity have its way with you. For a tiny roller, it goes pretty deep and can deliver cross fiber massage to your hip flexors, lats, quads, and calves. Move your body in small circles over the R3 to allow its rounded ridges to press into and massage your muscles.
The R3 can do a number on your glutes and impart a satisfying shoulder massage. Lie face down and extend your arm overhead and roll R3 under your shoulder.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you want a fantastic foot massage while sitting, or a powerful full-body massage while undulating on the floor.
Nice Touch: It’s portable so you can take it to the gym, and use it during yoga or Pilates class. While the rest of the class is waiting for something to happen, you can cop a great massage.
Stroke Type: R3 glides over and presses into your body.
Power Source: Gravity and your body.
Dimensions: 5.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 inches; 0.875 lbs
You will love this tool if you use it daily.
Tool description: Whether you are a novice or a pro, the Knobble lets you do deep tissue massage without straining your fingers and wrists. Its gently rounded top can provide more intensity and a different sensation than your hand. It’s not intended to replace your hand, but to help it do more. Like all great massage tools, when used properly, this device can give you a feeling of intoxication.
What it massages best: Any part of you your hand can reach.
While it works best on your entire body it will work wonders on a friend.
It’s on the list because it is one of my all-time favorites. There’s a Knobble in my backpack and on my desk.
How to use it: Place it over a tender muscle and press. Hold the press and roll it a little until the pain dissipates and disappears. In addition to pushing the Knobble into your body, you can press a part of your body into the Knobble and roll your body slightly.
You’d be crazy not to try it if your hands could use some help.
Nice Touch: This healthcare device not only relieves trigger points it improves mood. When applied liberally throughout the body, it can work as an anti-depressant. At least that’s been my experience.
Stroke Type: The Knobble glides, presses, and presses & rolls.
Power Source: Your hand.
Dimensions: 2.5 x 2 x 2.5 inches; 8 ounces. Made of durable polymer with a band of non-latex, Santoprene.
Instructions: You don’t need no stinking instructions for this tool, but an instruction card ships with the Knobble II.
You will love this tool if you use it daily.
Note: There’s a wooden Knobble available.
Ultra running champ Scott Jurek calls this roller: “By far the most effective foam roller I have ever used.” It’s also by far the most effective foam roller this non-ultra-runner, me, has ever used.
Tool description: It should be called the YO roller because it has 2 Y-shaped ridges on its body and 2 O-shaped ridges on its ends. The YO ridges transform it from ordinary rolling to fabulous rolling. The ridges can go deep and across fiber to deliver a magical massage. The YO roller is of medium length and firmness.
What it massages best: Your back.
While it works best on your back, it is also effective on your hip flexors, butt, lats, shoulders and pretty much any place you can take advantage of those rigid ridges.
It’s on the list because it’s a much more effective massage tool than any traditional foam roller I’ve tried.
How to use it: Lie on the roller with the part of your body that needs relief, resting on one of the ridges, and roll and wiggle a little to allow the ridges to loosen your tight fascia and muscles.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you want a foam roller that could massage your back and help your posture while seated.
Nice Touch: You can roll the YO Roller or use it as a back rest on a hard-backed chair by placing it between your back and the chair.
Stroke Type: The YO Roller glides and presses into your body.
Power Source: Gravity and your ability to roll on the floor.
Dimensions: 15.5” x 5.75” diameter, 1 pound. Made of “Elastomer-a high density, durable foam.” It is durable! I’ve had my YO Roller for 6 or 7 years and it just keeps on rolling.
You will love this tool if you use its ridges to roll out trigger points or put it on your hard backed chair to help with posture, which is what I do with mine most of the time.
Tool description: Yes they are just what they look like: solid rubber balls attached to thin metal strips with wooden handles. And yes, you hit yourself with them. It feels surprisingly good. It’s also therapeutic. When nothing else relieves my muscle, joint, or fascia problems, the Bongers often do.
What it massages best: Anywhere on your fabulous body.
While it works best anywhere on your body, it works even better every where.
It’s on the list because sometimes it feels good to bounce hard rubber balls on myself and friends. I’ve had Bongers for more than 10 years and use them when nothing else works. They’re especially effective on my shoulders.
How to use them: Play yourself like a drum.
You’d be crazy not to try them if you ever wondered what it feels like to play your body like a drum while listening to the drum solo from In A Gadda Da Vida.
Nice Touch: They make a great gift for a person who has everything or nothing.
Stroke Type: Bongers deliver a drumming, percussive stroke. Massage therapists call it tapotement.
Power Source: Your arms, wrists, and hands.
Dimensions: 12 x 3 x 3 inches; 1.5 pounds.
Instructions: If you need instructions for this tool, you should get something else.
You will love this tool if you want to give your body an energizing treat.
Tool description: This jade tool has a strong and delicate feel that may touch you in a way others won’t.
What it massages best: Face and neck.
While it works best on your face it can be counted on to deliver an effective gliding stroke any where your hands can reach. It’s especially good at massaging your hands.
It’s on the list because it feels so nice to the touch.
How to use it: Glide it over your body using enough force to move your skin. According to research from the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, that is enough to improve your health and mood. You can also release trigger points by pressing and twisting one of its two tails into your fascia.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you’ve heard the hype and myths about Gua Sha and want to test the tool to see if any are true.
Nice Touch: Gua Sha has been around for thousands of years as part of Traditional Chinese medicine. It’s reputed to be good for the skin and produce a healthy youthful look. It’s a claim supported by Amazon reviews.
Stroke Type: It’s primarily a gliding tool whose edges, when pressed into you, can be used for myofascial release.
Power Source: Its gentle power is in your hands.
Dimensions: 3.5 x 2 x 0.12 inches; 1.5 ounces.
You will love this tool if you leave it on your desk and pick it up once in a while.
Note: This thing is a fabulous face massager and I don’t even want a face massage. If it’s on my desk I pick it up and use it for a couple of minutes every day, not because it makes me look better but because it makes me feel better.
Tool description: Just a little bigger than a golf ball, this hard-rubber massage tool sports a forest of tiny knobs to add more pizzazz to your massage.
What it massages best: Feet
While it works best under your feet, if you roll it fast and hard between your hands for 30-seconds, it’ll make your mitts feel like they’re glowing from within.
It’s on the list because it lives under my desk and delivers a fantabulous foot massage.
How to use it: Take your shoes off, sit down, place the green sphere under one of your tootsies, and roll it touching every sense receptor in your trotter. From time to time press your foot into the ball. Two minutes per foot is about right. While seated, you can press and roll it into your upper leg for a decent quad massage.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you fancy an easy daily foot massage or want to see if it will relieve your plantar fasciitis.
Nice Touch: It’s most effective on the areas of your body that have the highest concentration of sense receptors: hands, feet, and face. The green foot ball is marketed as relieving plantar fasciitis and Amazon reviewers support that claim.
Stroke Type: The tiny orb rolls and glides on, presses into, and under your body.
Power Source: Gravity or hand pressure.
Dimensions: ~1.75 inch diameter, 2.2 ounces.
You will love this tool if it’s the best massage tool you own. It won’t change your life, but if you’re on the fence, it may make it worth living.
Tool description: 180-page ebook that will open your eyes to the power of your hands.
What it massages best: Your mind.
While it works best on your mind, it’s your body that will reap the rewards.
It’s on the list because after reading it, a great massage will never be further away than your fingertips. And yes it’s on the list because I wrote it.
How to use it: Read it with an open mind and test it with open hands.
You’d be crazy not to try it if you want to change the way you feel about yourself.
Nice Touch: SMFA will help you relieve the every-day aches and pains that come with exercise, too much sitting, too much time bending over a screen or sleeping in the wrong position. Learn to erase much of the pain that comes from modern life. SMFA is not intended to treat serious injuries.
Stroke Type: All 7 massage strokes are described: Gliding, Squeezing, Squeezing & Rolling, Pressing, Pressing & Rolling, Drumming, and Rock’n Roll.
Power Source: Your mind and body.
Dimensions: It may expand your consciousness.
You will love this tool if you want to feel better fast.