We Tested Therabody’s TheraFace Pro 8-in-1 Facial Massaging Device — Here’s Our Honest Review.
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Therabody shook up the wellness world with their debut of the Theragun, and it’s aiming to do it again with their newest launch, the TheraFace Pro face massager. Yes, it’s a massage gun for your face (more politely referred to as a ‘percussive therapy device’), but it’s honestly so much more than that — an 8-in-1 product, if you will. If this sounds insane, that’s because it is, which only made us even more eager to test the TheraFace Pro out.
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What Is the TheraFace Pro?
TheraFace is Therabody’s brand-new facial skin care tool that harnesses several different energy and physical therapies into one device for an all-encompassing treatment. It features microcurrent facial toning and red, blue and infrared LED technology (like you see in LED face masks), along with percussive, hot and cold therapy, plus a pulsating facial cleansing brush, all designed to achieve healthier-looking and feeling skin. In other words, it can be an all-in-one solution to treat acne, fine lines and tense facial muscles, while lifting, sculpting and toning the face.
How Does the TheraFace Pro Work?
The TheraFace Pro is the best of two worlds: It features the Therabody’s beloved massage therapy, but shrunk down to an easy-to-use, handheld size to treat the forehead, cheeks, jaw, neck and honestly, anywhere you’d like.
The design is smooth, sleek and completely foolproof. The head of the device is interchangeable and magnetized, so you can quickly swap out the six heads and attachments (plus the hot and cold rings, if you purchased them) to customize your treatment every time you use the device.
Each treatment has three settings, from mild to more intense, which are displayed on the handle’s small digital screen with three buttons below. The top button controls the speed of the brush head, the middle changes the intensity of the microcurrent, LED and the hot and cold ring attachments, and the bottom is the on/off switch.
It sounds complicated, but truly, it’s a breeze — simply pop the attachment of your choice onto the circular head, press the on button and get to work. However, you can expect a bit of trial and error to find the speed and intensity that feels comfortable for you.
What Does the TheraFace Pro Do?
My first impression of the TheraFace Pro was that for such a complicated tool, I was surprised at the storage bag’s ability to house so many attachments, yet come in such a small, totally portable size. I immediately thought that if I liked it, it would be coming along with me everywhere, from short weekend jaunts to a weeklong vacation. Similar to the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, I was also struck by how many miniature attachment heads came with the device. Only the hot and cold attachments are sold separately.
Here’s the full suite of TheraFace Pro attachments and what they do.
Percussive Therapy Heads: There are a trio of percussive therapy heads: a cone-shaped head to target an area, like around the eyes or nasolabial folds, a flat surface with micro points to stimulate and increase circulation and a third, rounded head for all-over massage. Each is made of a soft rubbery material, just like Therabody’s traditional massage heads.
Microcurrent Attachment: Similar to the NuFace toning device, the TheraFace microcurrent attachment is designed to sculpt the contours of the face via two rounded nubs that emit electric currents to produce collagen within the dermis. A common gripe with other toning devices is not knowing the specific cadence (1 minute? 10 minutes? Who has a timer?) or pattern, but the TheraFace Pro guides you through the treatment, beeping every 15 seconds as a nudge to move on to another part of your face, without a set pattern to follow — you just freestyle all the way around your face and let the microcurrent do the rest.
Cleansing Brush: One of my life’s greatest heartbreaks was the news that Clarisonics were discontinued (RIP). Facial cleansing brushes, Clarisonic included, are polarizing, and say what you will, but I love them and I stand by my belief that nothing works better to slough off dead skin cells and grime. This silicone brush uses vibrations versus a swirly, circular rotation for less skin irritation and redness, and a more thorough cleanse.
LED Ring: One ring, but with three light color options — red, blue and infrared. Red targets fine lines and wrinkles, blue is best for acne-prone skin and healing existing blemishes, and the infrared firms, and surprisingly, also alleviates pain temporarily. One truly stand-out feature is the ability to pair one of the three percussive attachments with the LED ring in order to treat multiple concerns simultaneously. For example, you could set the LED light to red and pop on the micropoint head to treat fine lines and reduce tension and boost circulation — a total time-saver.
Hot + Cold Rings: For even more benefits and treatment options, spring for the set of cooling and heating attachments (which come in a temperature-controlled bag). Heating up in mere seconds, the hot ring is designed to improve blood flow and increase absorption of skin care products, while the metal on the cold ring retains its cooling sensation for several minutes — AKA, no more freezing cold ice globes or stashing skin care products and tools in the freezer.
What Its Like to Use Each TheraFace Pro Attachment
I tested each attachment of the TheraFace Pro at least four times (more on that below) over the course of a week, and I’m still using most of the attachments (although I have my favorites).
Massage Heads
I have a traditional Theragun at home that I use regularly, and I loved the idea of using a more gentle massager on my face, despite my very sensitive skin. Each one feels mostly nice — although the highest intensity setting was too much for me — but my favorite was the flat head because of its versatility; you can truly use it anywhere on your face and neck. I even used it on my upper shoulders and traps, because why not? The micropoint head also delivered a jolt to my face and it definitely felt like my circulation was on the move during the treatment and after. I didn’t love the cone shape. It was designed to hyper focus on one area, which it did, but a little too well; I found it uncomfortable even on the lowest intensity setting.
Microcurrent
This was another favorite attachment. After cleansing my face and applying my skin care (you could also use the conductive gel they give you for extra slip), I put on the microcurrent attachment and, without any strategy, I began moving the tool around my jawline, starting at my chin then nestling my jawline between the two nubs and going up toward my ear. I repeated this until it beeped at me, then I moved to the other side, then my cheekbones and forehead. If you have sensitive skin like me, I won’t say this is exactly a walk in the park because you do feel something lightly pricking your skin, yet it is very satisfying to feel it actually working. And because it’s an ultra-focused microcurrent, you’re literally done with your whole face in 90 seconds (if you move on after each 15-second beep). I could also see an immediate difference in my facial contours after each use that remained through the next morning. I’m a sucker for immediate gratification.
Cleansing Brush
Pokey bristles dot the cleansing brush head, which taps the same percussive technology to lightly vibrate across your face while removing debris, dirt, oil and dead skin cells. It was like a Clarisonic, but way better. I really liked the pulsating, massage-like sensation and unlike the harsh Clarisonic, which left my skin bright red after each use, the TheraFace cleansing brush head was far more pleasant and gentle, and never once left my skin with a red flush. Plus, the Clarisonic’s head was honestly kind of gross — you’d use the same head for extended periods of time — but this silicone head is hygienic and easy to clean with soap and water. I used it with a variety of oil-based, cream and gel cleansers and they all paired well; the only exception is that it can’t be paired with a gritty exfoliant or a soap with microbeads.
LED Ring
LED lights have been proven to be beneficial for your skin in many ways, and honestly, each light option on the ring attachment was dreamy, even if I didn’t see super immediate results. My chin is acne-prone, so I used the blue light, moving it all around my chin (again, freestyling here) to target and clear up my blemishes, before switching over to the red light to focus on my eye area and nasolabial folds. My skin didn’t look immediately firmer and my blemishes were obviously still there, but one thing I have noticed is that I don’t have any new blemishes or blackheads since I started to use the blue light. It was also fun to pair the red light with the different massage heads to see what felt nice, although a massage head definitely should not be paired with the blue light because acne-prone areas are already sensitive.
Hot and Cold Rings
For $99, these supplemental rings deliver nearly spa-like results. The hot ring felt seriously heavenly on my facial muscles and its cone shape let me really dig into every facial crevice. It’s also intended to reduce tension (yes), pain (not applicable) and increase blood flow (probably), but all I cared about was how great it felt to run across my chin and cheekbones at the end of the day, especially when I used it to soften and prep my face for the flat massage head so I could reach muscles more deeply.
The cold ring feels less luxurious, but for my dreaded daily foe, under eye puffiness, I haven’t found anything that works as effectively, efficiently and immediately. By dilating the skin’s underlying blood vessels, it instantly and visibly relieved my under eye puffiness after each use. It feels cool without even turning it on, but once you turn it on, it stays cool, unlike other cold-therapy devices or ice globes, which tend to warm up as you move them around your face, leaving a watery trail after each motion.
Is the TheraFace Pro Worth It?
A $399 price point isn’t exactly trivial, so feeling confident about any product or tool’s efficacy before you purchase is crucial here. And honestly, it’s incredibly rare that any product is truly universal, or “has something for everybody.” Yet, between the six attachments (or eight, if you get the cold/hot rings), the TheraFace Pro actually is universal and does have an attachment or therapy for everyone, regardless of age and skin type, texture or concern.
The best part about the TheraFace is that it combines so many different technologies and therapies into one tool, so even if you’ve never used a facial device before, you could snag this one and you’d be set. It’d also be a steal, as most of these therapies on their own cost upwards of $200 each. Plus, it’s a facial device that is great for young and old alike, meaning that it’s a tool you can keep using as you age to preventatively address any future concerns you may have about your skin, like fine lines or skin laxity.
It’s truly a do-it-all tool that has improved upon the existing LED light and microcurrent science and designs to make this new innovation stand out above the rest. If you’re a fan of facial tools — or immediate gratification and results — it’s worth splurging for this multi-functional facial device.
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