One of Theragun’s newest devices, the Theragun Sense, combines percussive massage therapy with calming breathwork to ease pain and promote mindfulness. Though most massage guns are known for helping to jackhammer the knots and tension out of your muscles, the Sense was created to add some relaxation to that experience. Similar to the Therabody Smart Goggles, it combines massage, haptic vibrations and even sound therapy to help you reduce stress — except the Sense is small enough to stash in a bag and subtle enough to use pretty much anywhere.
The question is: Can a massage gun really chill you out? We put it to the test, doing multiple routines each day for a week, to find out.
A smaller, gentler massage therapy device, Theragun’s newest massage gun adds guided routines for both diminishing pain and reducing stress. Plus, it’s small enough to fit in a bag and take anywhere you need some relief.?
What we liked about it
Guided routines
Right at the top of the Theragun Sense is an LCD screen, and when you power up the device, you can cycle through preprogrammed routines, including Sleep Prep, Back Pain, Tension Relief, Low Body Recover (which we especially appreciated while recovering from a marathon) and Recovery Breath. Even better, each routine comes with visual guides. For example, during Back Pain, the screen shows you exactly where to place the Theragun for each step, from the right and left sides of your lower back to each individual glute, to both traps, ending at the lower back again (the Theragun automatically pauses between each step and waits until you press play to start the next one).
The Sense is also Bluetooth-enabled, which allows you to follow along with additional guided routines — like Yoga Recovery, Desk Relief and Tech Neck — in the Therabody app. You can even save your favorites from the app to the device for easy access without taking out your phone; since we’re in the post-marathon recovery phase, we swapped a few routines for Pre-Walk Warm-Up and Walk Recovery (it’s super easy to change these up in the app). Even with the screen, the Sense still offers 120 minutes of battery life, same as the new Relief and just 30 minutes less than the Pro+.
Biometric sensor
Just like a fitness tracker shows you your heart rate after a workout or a night’s sleep, the Theragun Sense uses a built-in biometric sensor — tucked just opposite the power button on the inside of the device — to generate personalized insights that include on-device heart rate readings. The screen on the device guides you through the breathwork routines designed to increase relaxation and reduce stress, and shows you your heart rate at the end. In fact, when we did the Recovery Breath routine, our heart rate dropped from 69 beats per minute to 42 over the course of two minutes. We did wish the sensor showed you your heart rate in real time instead; we measured ours at the start with an Apple Watch.
What we didn’t like about it
Breathwork feels a little awkward
To do the Sense’s breathing exercises — which are paired with TheraMind audio and relaxing visual aids in the Therabody app — you hold the Sense with two hands, placing your index finger over the biometric sensor, and hug the device to your chest (it’s only 1.6 pounds). For what it’s worth, we didn’t find cradling a massage gun like a teddy bear to promote a mindful state. But in that position, haptic vibrations act as breathing cues so you don’t have to look at the app or the screen or even keep your eyes open: The motor will rev up as you’re supposed to inhale and vibrate a little more quietly as you’re supposed to exhale. It took us three tries to get our first reading from the sensor; the key is a gentle touch, not a death grip (whoops).
How it compares
The Theragun Sense — with its 12mm amplitude and five speeds to manage massage speed and force — is the middle-of-the-road option from Therabody’s three newest devices. The Theragun Relief is less powerful and more affordable, while the Theragun Pro+ has all the bells and whistles but costs double the price. It’s also lighter and cheaper than the $329 Hypervolt 2 Pro from Hyperice, Therabody’s main competitor; that device is a little more powerful, penetrating your muscles up to 14mm, but it doesn’t offer a screen (although you can follow guided routines in the partner app).
Bottom line
The Sense shares a few features with the Pro+ (including the screen and the biometric sensor) that may make it a worthwhile investment if you’re not focused on peak fitness performance. The addition of guided breathwork is a nice touch — mindfulness can be such an important part of recovery, and if a device makes you more likely to do it, that’s awesome. We’d recommend this device for massage gun newbies and experienced users alike.
