10 Best Handheld Massagers 2020
Whether you’re an athlete who needs to work on your muscle tissue after practice or a business professional whose poor posture has caused a few uncomfortable knots to form, a great massage tool is your ticket to total muscle relaxation.
There are quite a few massage tools available out there. Have you noticed?
We sure did, and it made finding the best handheld massager a bit more time-consuming than we would have liked.
To help make your search go a bit quicker, we’ll be presenting you with the top 10 massage tools in our guide below and provide you with all of the useful shopping tips you’ll need to choose one.
Let’s get started!
Top 10 Handheld Massagers Table
| Picture | Name | Type | Price | Rating (1-5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 1. Physix Gear Sport Premium Massage Balls, Firm Lacrosse Ball Set | Manual | $ | 4.8 |
 | 2. Body Back Company’s Body Back Buddy Trigger Point Therapy Self Massage Tool | Manual | $$$ | 4.7 |
 | 3. The Happy Company Happy Massager | Manual | $$ | 4.7 |
 | 4. Nayoya Wellness Massage Ball Roller 2 Piece Deluxe Set for Massage Therapy | Manual | $ | 4.6 |
 | 5. Pure-Wave CM7 Cordless Massager Body plus Facial for Foot, Legs, Neck, Back, Shoulders | Electric | $$$$ | 4.5 |
 | 6. Body Back Company's Scalp Massager Gold | Manual | $ | 4.4 |
 | 7. Clinical Health TheraRUB® Percussion Double Head Electric Massager, 14 Foot Extra Long Power Cord | Electric | $$$ | 4.4 |
 | 8. The Original Palmassager by the Pressure Positive Company, Amethyst Purple | Manual | $$ | 4.3 |
 | 9. CandyHusky Set 6 Pcs. Reflexology Traditional Thai Massage Wooden Stick Tool | Manual | $$ | 4.2 |
 | 10. Homedics PM-50 Hand Held Mini Massager with Hand Grip, Battery Operated | Electric | $$ | 3.8 |
How to Choose a Massager
There are plenty of variations and styles available, so how can you determine which is the best handheld massager for your needs?
- Manual or Electric. We would start by deciding whether you want a manual massager or an electric massager.
- Electric. The vibrations caused by an electric massager are obviously faster than those that any human can produce and they’re great for stimulating blood flow in a particular area. They also create a temporary numbness if left in an area for short periods that can help relieve pain as the vibration works to relax the muscle.
You have two choices when it comes to electric handheld massagers: those with a cord and those that are battery operated.
Cords may limit you to a certain area (you have to be near an outlet for them to work), but on the other hand, they also provide you with a stronger vibration.
Battery operated massagers may start out with a strong vibration, but that will deteriorate as the battery loses its “juice.”
- Manual Massagers. You have a wider selection when it comes to manual massagers.
Some are great for deep tissue massage; you may find something suitable to use on your feet or other areas of your body; some are even great for relieving pressure points.
You’ll find solid balls, spiky balls, wooden massage tools and even something for your scalp (number 6, for example).
Check the Material
Keep the material in mind as you compare and contrast them.
If you have any sensitivities to rubber, latex or other similar materials, you need to make sure that the massager doesn’t contain any of the materials that usually irritate your skin.
Heat Settings and Different Heads on Electric Massagers
How do you want to use your massager? Do you want it to have a heat setting? Should it come with a variety of attachments so you can use it on different areas of the body?
Take the Pure-Wave CM7 Cordless Body Massager, for example (number 5 in our table).
It has six different attachments that allow you to target specific areas of the body; it can literally massage you from head to feet!
If you’re looking for a versatile electric massager, this is definitely worth your money.
Top 3 Best Handheld Massager Reviews
1. Physix Gear Sport Firm Lacrosse Ball Set
Massage balls like this are popular for a variety of massage styles, and if you’ve never used one, you should definitely give this a try.
They come in different firmness levels and sizes so you can choose a softer one for a regular massage and a firmer one for a deep tissue massage. All of those little spikes on the ball create a tingling sensation when you roll them over the skin. They help reduce muscle tension and increase body awareness, and you can use them in many different ways.
Use them to massage your feet (they’re great for those who suffer from plantar fasciitis), in reflexology, Pilates or whenever you have sore muscles!
The reason we like these particular balls is that they come with a free eBook that shows you how to self-massage with them.
2. Body Back Buddy Self Massage Tool
This is probably one of our favorites on the entire list.
While it may look like some medieval torture device, we can assure you that it is far from being so!
The unique shape and careful placement of all of the knobs allow you to access all of the pressure points on your back by yourself. It only weighs25 pounds, so it is light enough for physical therapy patients to use without tiring the muscles.
What’s so great about it is that you control the amount of pressure that is applied; something that you can’t do when someone else is giving you a massage.
You should really watch this video where the creator of the product – Paul Nash – explains how the idea of this tool was born and shows you how it works.
You’ll absolutely love it!
3. The Happy Company Happy Massager
The next best handheld massager is great for anyone who wants a simple tool made of natural material.
The happy massager is easy to use on yourself or on someone else to provide deep, targeted pressure to the sore muscles on the body.
The tool is simple, and it does require a bit more muscle strength and effort to knead the sore muscle by whoever is massaging you (whether that be you or the person massaging you).
If you have allergies to the rubber, latex or other material used to make many other traditional massage tools, this happy little massager friend is a great alternative.
