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Therabody, the brand behind the Theragun massage guns, is now looking to tackle the tension above your shoulders. The Therabody TheraFace Pro is a new facial health device that proves skin-focused beauty isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The wellness brand is a frontrunner when it comes to self-massages that “hurts so good,” with its beloved at-home massage tools; now it’s taking on beauty with skin care as a natural adjacent category.
With more than two years of a pandemic behind us, we’ve been brought further into the idea of health-focused beauty rather than makeup-first beauty. We’ve started using more topicals, treatments, tinctures, and tools to combat the physical manifestation of stress on our skin instead of just covering it up with pricey foundation. Now, we’re not just focused on our zits, dull complexion, or newly minted fine lines, but also on how we feel, and how that translates to our skin’s health.
Perhaps you’ve dabbled a bit with facial massage using your hands, picked up a gua sha tool, or tried a soothing ice roller. The new TheraFace Pro is a more efficient 4-in-1 device that is, essentially, a souped-up massage gun for your face.
What is the TheraFace Pro?
Lest you think you don’t have space for more beauty tech gadgets, this one is handheld, ergonomic, and fills the role of up to eight other facial tools. The TheraFace Pro comes with four magnetic attachment heads: a flexible silicone cleansing ring, a microcurrent ring, an LED light ring, and three soft and squishy percussive massager attachments (cone, micropoint, and flat). Once you pop on the desired attachment, use the simple buttons and digital interface to customize your treatment.
The percussive massager attachments use the same proprietary tech you know from your handy Theragun to help you release tension in your facial muscles. The pointed head delivers targeted stimulation to smaller spots like your eyes, naso lines, and pressure points (to tackle jaw pain); the flat head can be used for your face, neck, and chest; and the micropoint head helps to increase circulation. If you think the heads look, well, scary in the photos—this author did—know that each is made from pliable, easy-to-clean silicone. You can choose from three massage intensities, each hitting a 3mm muscle depth (compared to your massage gun, which has an amplitude of 16mm).
You can use the percussive heads in tandem with the targeted LED light therapy attachment, which offers red light to help reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, blue light to kill acne-causing bacteria, and red light with infrared to reduce the look of wrinkles and provide warmth to temporarily soothe any sore spots.
The gentle silicone cleansing ring can be used for deep cleansing and exfoliation—though we’d encourage you not to use it every day as physical exfoliation can be harsh on the skin. The microcurrent therapy attachment can, if used consistently, create a “lifted” and toned contour effect in the face and neck. Just be sure to slather on the Conductive Gel before use, you cute little glazed donut, or else you’ll get zapped—literally.
TheraFace Pro Hot and Cold Ring Attachments
You can purchase hot and cold ring attachments separately if that’s your jam. If you’ve ever put a spoon in the freezer and used it to depuff your eyes or used a warm compress to soothe inflammation, you know of the sweet, sweet cryothermal powers. The Therabody cold ring helps to reduce puffiness, while the warm ring can help your skin absorb the goodness from your creams and serums and make you look glowy.
The tech is FDA-cleared for safety and efficacy and comes backed by multiple dermatologists. But we still encourage you to chat with your derm before starting specific treatment with the device. According to Dr. Rahul Shah, a board-certified orthopedic spine and neck surgeon, you should “avoid usage of massage guns in the areas where there are torn muscles, skin tears, or other ulcerations which may predispose you for more significant damage.”
With the Therabody TheraFace Pro, you have the ability to perform a handful of facial treatments from the comfort of your bathroom (this author has even used it while laying in bed). At nearly $400, it isn’t cheap, but for all of its bells, whistles, and modalities, it can easily be added into your skin-care routine daily—instead of collecting dust like your other complicated wellness tech devices.
[Editor’s note: At the time of writing we have not fully tested the TheraFace Pro to comment on long-term use.]
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