The 6 Best Back Massagers to Get Tight Muscles in Check (2025)

A scarf-style massager that can hit any area you need it to. Our favorite for most low-level pain.

We love this thing because it's versatile, and the market for at-home back massagers doesn't show a ton of versatility. The options are usually a lumbar massager, a wrap for your lower back, a massage chair for the whole thing, and a massage gun that requires a secondary user. There aren't many products that one person can use and hit every problem area they have. But this Resteck massager does that.

The obvious use is on the shoulders. Lay it across your neck and slip your hands in the little ergonomic holders to keep it settled on a target area. But the real benefit of this design is that you can use it to massage everywhere on the back half of your torso. We found it worked well on the upper back and lats, as well as on the lower-back problem areas we have from sitting in an office chair all day. Choose from three speeds with the option of adding heat to your ideal massage.

The other great thing we noticed about the design is that you can adjust the pressure on the fly. You might not want to speed up or slow down, but you may want the massager to dig into a knot you have on the right side of your lower back. Just use the handles to pull on that side of the massager and add pressure to the target area. It's highly intuitive and incredibly effective.

This top-of-the-line Theragun will clear up all back pain, but it requires an extra pair of hands.

The Theragun Pro Plus is as close to a real massage as you'll get in your home. The world's most powerful massage gun can do the work of a masseuse, so long as you have help using it.

The fact that you need a second person is the only downfall with this massager, besides the premium price. Even with the triangular grip on the Theragun, it can be difficult to massage your own back. I could barely touch my upper back. And though I could consistently get my lats and lower back throughout a day of work, I'd have to ask my girlfriend to Theragun me if I wanted a proper massage.

Besides that, this is the best product on the list. The new Pro Plus, although expensive, is Therabody's first model to include heat as part of its massage. For back pain, that's life-changing. It loosens up stiff posterior muscles like nothing else. The 16mm amplitude, meaning the distance the head covers, creates enough force to loosen up any muscle you target.

It's as powerful as any professional massage you'll get. To help with the learning curve of how to massage yourself, Therabody has preloaded guided massages by muscle group. After a few days of guided massages, your at-home masseuse should feel confident enough to start freestyling during your treatments. There's a small learning curve, but the payoff is immense.

A heated, vibrating back wrap that does wonders to soothe pain. However, it doesn't target deep muscles like percussive or pressure massagers.

Even with the Theragun involved, nothing solves lower-back pain like this wrap from Hyperice. After a day of work when your lower back muscles and hip flexors tense up beyond belief, nothing feels better than this heat-plus-vibration wrap.

Unlike the first two suggestions—which use heat and pressure to relieve pain—this back wrap uses heat and vibration. The vibration doesn't penetrate as deep into your muscles as percussive or pressure massagers do, so it might not be the best solution for chronic back pain.

That said, vibration massages feel a lot better than percussive or pressure massages. They're more gentle, and they still get blood flowing to the general area. If this is the route you want to go, I'd do ten to 15 minutes of heated vibration massage while standing up. Then take the wrap off and do some bodyweight, or lightweight, good mornings to work the muscles and tendons that directly affect the lower back—hip flexors, glutes, and hamstrings.

A packable pillow that can be used to target every area of the back.

Shiatsu seat covers that claim to massage your whole back have always disappointed me. I'd always choose this little pillow over any of those.

The key here is that you can target where you want your massage. After a long day of my dumb nine-to-five office job, it's nice to do 15 minutes of this guy on my lower back. The day after a back workout, I'll do the upper back. If I'm stressed, I'll do neck and shoulders. The four massage nodes within the pillow are firm enough to hit your pressure points. They rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise, changing direction every 60 seconds. Depending on your body shape and size, you might have to adjust to get a proper massage. But on the whole, it works for everyone.

The other nice thing is that this pillow has a Velcro strap on the back. You can attach it to your office chair and get periodic massages throughout the day. The promotional materials show people using it while driving, which is ... a bit extreme for me. But if that's what you need, you can do it, and I don't think there are any laws against it.

An old-fashioned solution that works as well as it ever has.

No matter how deep into fitness gadgets I get, I will never give up a foam roller, although I actually prefer a cork roller for its density and sustainability. If you have money for only one product on this list, I'd buy this body roller.

The key to this thing's success is versatility, safety, and intuitive use. This one roller can massage your entire body in about 15 minutes. Putting pressure on your lower back may hurt in the moment, but you won't cause damage with a foam roller. And even though you can look up a million roller back massages on YouTube, you'd be surprised at how intuitive these things are to use. Lower back hurts? Lie on the foam roller where it hurts—without causing serious pain—roll yourself back and forth for a bit, and then finish with a stretch. It brings blood flow to sore muscles, reduces lactic acid, and gets you ready to stretch out.

There are two downsides to a roller, though. First, you have to be nimble enough to get on the floor and back up. For older users or anyone with bad chronic pain, that's tough. Secondly, it's tough to pack one of these on a trip. Besides that, it's the best deal out there.

A simple, cheap, and single-person solution to back massaging.

The alternative to a roller is this weird-looking thing. The Body Back is one of those As Seen On TV style of inventions that's worth thousands of hours of infomercial time. It's really that good.

It looks weird, but it's the shape that makes it so useful. Every area of the body has a dedicated little nub for applying pressure to it, and there's an equal place to put pressure on. (The user manual that comes with it gives you directions, don't worry.)

This isn't an endgame solution, but if you've got minor aches and pains or a few tight muscles, it's one of our favorites. Consequently, it's my favorite—besides the $600 massage gun—for massaging the shoulders solo. The top hook allows you to get a lot of leverage on a sore pair of shoulders. Though it's occasionally a little underpowered for the large muscles that dictate back pain, for $30 there's no better solution.

Here are a few selections that just missed the cut, each with reasonings for and against them.

Sharper Image Shiatsu Seat Cover - Great if you don't want to fool around with the placement of a massager. But ultimately, targeted massagers perform better and cost less.

Cork Peanut Roller - Phenomenal if you only get lower-back pain near your spine. But it has limited use. Pain anywhere else is tough to massage with this little guy.

Lumbar Acupressure Pillow - A low-effort, low-need back massager. This acupressure pillow helps loosen up your back muscles and improve posture, but it's not a stand-alone fix to any sort of back pain. Use this as part of a full routine.

What is the best massage for your back?

Deep tissue. Your muscles are dense, so you really need to apply pressure to get in there. The best option is to pay a professional to work you with their hands. If that's not in the cards, a percussive massager like the Theragun Pro Plus is the next best thing. After that, we'd suggest one of the kneading-node "Shiatsu" massagers.

Do back massages help back pain?

Yes, absolutely. The muscles around your spine and throughout your back can get tight and cause pain. Massages help loosen those muscles and direct blood flow to them, making you more limber and in less pain.

Are vibrating massagers good for your back?

Not as good as deep-tissue or percussive massages. Scientific literature generally sees vibration as secondary to massages that, quite frankly, hurt a bit more. If you want a gentle massage experience, go for vibration, but make sure you supplement it with stretching to really take care of your back muscles.

I knew we'd get here. Cupping, similar to massaging, is actually an ancient process. Though athletes have increased its popularity in the past decades, there's history of cupping therapy in several ancient societies. The measurable benefit is that cupping increases blood flow.

Should you do it at home? I don't think so. If you do, I'd use Therabody's Theracup, as it's the most straightforward and safest way to do it at home. But honestly, I'd leave it up to a physical therapist or acupuncturist, whichever you see more regularly.