I Tried Two New Therabody Devices. Now I Have a Tension-Melting Routine

5 min readI carry my stress in my shoulders and my neck. I always have. It’s the last quarter of the year, when my job responsibilities tend to ramp up, and my family responsibilities have increased this year, too. Recently, I started running regularly again to help find some me-time, but instead of releasing tension, the activity has left my traps and neck stiff. No amount of meditation or yoga is releasing these burdens that have nested into my shoulders, upper back, and neck.Luckily, Therabody needed someone to try its newest massagers: ThermNeck & Upper Back and ThermFace Massage. I was their girl. Full disclosure: I’m a Theragun fan. It’s been helping me recover from workouts and race training for years. Products that target my stress zone sounded promising—and much-needed. I love my Theragun, but it can be unwieldy when I try to reach those areas myself. So I began working the two Therabody massagers into my after-work wellness routine. Here’s how it went.What Will Massaging My Face with Percussion Feel Like?First, I started with ThermFace Massage. When I initially heard about it, I wasn’t sure what to expect—or whether I’d like it. I live with migraine, so I was cautious about the prospect of vibration around my head.ThermFace Massage may look just like a smaller Theragun, but it isn’t. It’s Therabody’s first heated percussive massage device specifically engineered to handle the delicate muscles of the face, jaw, and neck. It has 5-millimeter amplitude, three speeds, three heat levels, and four specialized attachments—Heat, Cone, Dampener, and Wedge—that allows you to customize the experience. And unlike the Theragun, ThermFace Massage has a 45-degree ergonomic shape that makes it easier to navigate all contours of the jaw, face, and neck.The first time I used it, I chose the softest attachment and started on the right side of my neck. I turned it on at the lowest speed and moved slowly, paying close attention to how my body responded. The sensation was targeted but not aggressive. Once I felt comfortable, I guided it along the muscles of my jaw, where I hadn’t fully realized I was holding tension.That became my first lesson: Stress doesn’t always announce itself. Sometimes it shows up as a clenched jaw during a difficult email, a tight face at the end of a long day, or stiffness that seems to travel from the jaw into the neck.Next, I tested the heat attachment. ThermFace Massage offers three temperature settings ranging from 40°C to 55°C. This allowed me start conservatively rather than jump straight to the warmest option, which has since become my favorite setting. The combination of adjustable heat and focused percussion made the routine feel purposeful: I’m taking care of my overlooked, overworked muscles.Because I live with migraine, I remain deliberate about where and how I use the device, but I haven’t experienced an increase in episodes while using ThermFace Massage. Anyone managing a health condition should check with a medical professional before introducing a new device into their routine, as I did before I started this trial.Can My Known Stress Zone Release Its Tension?Next came the ThermNeck & Upper Back, a cordless wearable designed to target the neck, trapezius muscles, and upper back. If ThermFace Massage helped me notice how much tension I carried around my jaw, ThermNeck & Upper Back went straight to the place where I already knew my stress lived.It combines five complementary therapies in one device: kneading massage, heat, far-infrared, near-infrared LED light, and Theragun percussive therapy. Two built-in Theraguns are positioned over the trapezius muscles (located in the upper back), and the device includes three percussive speeds, three kneading patterns, and three heat levels.I slipped it over my shoulders while seated on my sofa and used the adjustable strap to fine-tune the placement and pressure. It’s wearable, but not completely hands-free; resting my hands in the straps allowed me to control how firmly the device sat against my muscles.That adjustability mattered. After a run, I may want a different intensity than I do after eight hours at my computer. Some evenings, I’m looking for targeted percussion. On others, soothing heat and kneading massage are more appealing. Depending on what my body needs on a given day, I can tailor my time with the device.ThermNeck & Upper Back should be used while seated or standing, not while lying down. I found sitting on the sofa to be the ideal setup—comfortable enough to decompress, but upright enough to keep the device properly positioned.My New After-Work Wellness RoutineNow when I get home from work, I change into comfy clothes, make dinner for my family, then slip on ThermNeck & Upper Body and watch television while the device kneads away the stress of the day that has built up in my neck and upper back. Five minutes is all it takes to transition from responsibility mode to evening mode, making me more relaxed and calm for the time that means the most to me: family time.The hour before bed, I brush my teeth, wash my face, use my TheraFace Mask Glo (told you I was a Therabody fan), then retire to my bed. There, I use the ThermFace Massage (usually the Heat attachment) to massage my jaw and neck for a couple of minutes on each side, followed by reading and then sleep.While none of the devices will erase my deadlines or family obligations, they do help with my running-related stiffness and ease the tension in the places where those pressures land. This routine has also created a better awareness around my head, neck, and shoulders: Am I clenching my jaw? Are my shoulders creeping toward my ears? Have I moved away from my screen recently?Meditation and yoga still have a place in my life. But sometimes my stress feels less like a thought I can breathe through and more like a knot sitting directly on top of my shoulders. This new routine allows me to use targeted heat and massage to help loosen that knot with a few intentional minutes at the end of the day.Carey Rossi is the Senior News Editor for Prevention and Prevention.com. You can follow her @CareyRossi.