Review: Therabody’s SmartGoggles Are The Strangest Recovery Gadget I’ve Ever Tried
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Earlier this year, Therabody expanded their product selection with a slew of new products beyond their signature massage guns that includes SmartGoggles, a recovery gadget for easing your face and mind. SPY has reviewed many Therabody products over the years, including their entire Theragun massage gun lineup, but we’ve never tried anything quite like the SmartGoggles.
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I’ve been using the new Goggles for the past few months and while I’m impressed with their design and functionality, they’re easily one of the strangest recovery gadgets I’ve ever tried.
Essentially, they’re a sleep mask on steroids with massage, vibration and heat features for relaxation. Cool in theory, sure, but I’m still a bit lost as to who and what they’re for.
The release of SmartGoggles coincided with a notable departure beyond massage devices for Therabody into other holistic recovery product categories and came alongside other funky gadgets like the TheraCup cupping device, RecoveryTherm hot and cold wearables and even a Therabody Lounger — essentially a giant massage chair for sound therapy.
In this piece I’m going to give my review of the SmartGoggles, a product designed to help you sleep through a combination of heat, vibration and massage that begs the question — are we starting to rely on technology too much for wellness?
Therabody SmartGoggles
Buy Now
The Therabody SmartGoggles are a wearable recovery device that are designed to use a combination of heat, vibration and massage to give you better rest based on your individual biometrics. They have three modes — SmartRelax Mode, Focus Mode and Sleep Mode each tailored for a different type of relaxation.
Pros
Face massage is therapeutic
Device is easy to use
Made of high-quality materials
Syncs with Therabody app
Cons
Mask is uncomfortable and heavy to wear
Can’t sleep in it
Overall a niche product
What Are The Therabody SmartGoggles?
So, what are these goggles? What are they supposed to do? They’re a puzzling recovery device that’s unlike anything we’ve tested before. Essentially, they use biometric sensors to detect your heart rate, and lead you through a facial massage complete with heat and various vibrational patterns to help you relax, focus or sleep.
After spending close to three months testing them I’d describe them as a high-tech sleep mask combined with a meditation device and a massager. Therabody first burgeoned into the world of face massage in 2021 with the release of their TheraFace PRO, a device inspired by testimony from their customers that they were using their massage guns on their faces (which you’re not supposed to do).
The SmartGoggles have three modes:
SmartRelax — Lower stress levels and anxiety with personalized vibrational patterns for lowering heart rate
Focus Mode — Release tension and lower eye strain with a combination of vibration and heat
Sleep Mode — Help you drift off to sleep with a relaxing temple massage
Here are a few additional technological elements that stand out about Therabody’s SmartGoggles.
SmartSense Technology
The SmartGoggles are made with a biometric sensor on one size that detects your heart rate and informs personalized treatments of varying temperatures and vibrational patterns based on it.
Portable and Foldable
The goggles also fold in half like a sleep mask does, making them easier to carry, pack and store efficiently.
App and Personalization
The Therabody app syncs with the Goggles and develops routines automatically so you don’t have to, but if you prefer a certain temperature, vibration or intensity of massage you can customize it at any time.
Therabody SmartGoggles
$199.00
Therabody SmartGoggles Review: Impressive and Niche
Everything Therabody makes is well-constructed, luxurious and very unlikely to disappoint you or yield buyer’s remose. Almost none of their products, save the RecoveryAir JetBoots which changed my whole recovery routine, are products everyone needs.
Massage guns are nice to have for muscle soreness, hot spots and soothing general aches and pains. These SmartGoggles don’t feel as pertinent, but whether that’s because their design is truly innovative or their supposed “benefits” feel a little too supplementary for my taste is something I, and the market, haven’t decided yet.
After spending a few months testing the SmartGoggles, they feel like a too-fancy gadget that’s largely irrelevant and unnecessary for most people. But, as the massage gun was at its inception, perhaps they’re ahead of their time and will one day become more rudimentary and useful in an obvious way.
Using the Therabody SmartGoggles
First Fit and Experience
Therabody’s SmartGoggles are like a sleep mask on steroids with added tech and functionality built in. When you first put them on, they feel tight on your face but not outright uncomfortable due to the soft leather interior. As soon as you press “play” on the mobile app, they start moving, vibrating and massaging your face.
The first few times I meditated with them on they gave me a bit of a headache due to the squeezing and releasing. However after the first few sessions, and loosening the thick strap that goes around the back of your head, I began to really enjoy using them.
Ultimately Relaxing
They definitely help relax the muscles around your eyes and eyebrows, and the heat feels nice after a long day of squinting over a computer. They do make noise while they’re moving at about the same level as a massage chair, but it’s not bothersome. Their shape and fit is also earbud-friendly so you can listen to music or a podcast while they work their magic.
Will I Keep Using Them?
I’m remiss to say that no, I probably won’t keep using them regularly after this review. I don’t suffer from headaches, sinus pressure or any other neck-up ailment for which they could be helpful, and I prefer other Therabody products, including the TheraFace PRO. However, if you love a face massage and are looking for a great everyday companion for meditations or a bedtime routine it’s worth a look.
Therabody SleepGoggles Review: Should You Buy Them?
For $199, they don’t have an egregious-enough price relative to what they do for me to say a definitive no. They’re definitely not a necessary purchase for the general public but that’s true of a lot of recovery equipment we write about, and a lot of the recovery gadgets Therabody makes. Does everyone need $1200 pneumatic compression boots? *Sigh* No.
However, as I said above, they’re worth looking into if you want a device that’s designed to give you heated massage and personalized recovery vibrations that relax, stimulate your brain and can even help you sleep.
The mask folds up very nicely in a nice carrying case for travel, is easy to charge and very easy to operate. It’s made of very durable materials and didn’t malfunction at all during our testing period.
Therabody SmartGoggles
$199.00
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