Gaiam Restore 05-58255 Pressure Point Muscle Roller Massage Stick (Colors may vary)

I first bought one of these for my boyfriend, and the first time I ever massaged him with it he completely fell in love with it. He frequently has pain in his neck, shoulders and back and he also has RLS that affects his calves and feet and I have (with just a little practice) found ways to use this massager on all of his problem areas with great results. The big thing was getting some relief from his RLS, it had gotten to the point at which it was keeping us both awake way too often (him from the need to move and the discomfort, me from him accidentally kicking me when he would doze off out of sheer exhaustion but still be twitching.) We needed help! This massager has not "cured" his RLS but is sure has helped A LOT, more than either of us hoped or would have thought possible.The little pointy things on the orange balls are harder than I thought they would be and I was initially concerned that they would be irritating or painful, but this is not generally so. When I use the massager on the bottoms of his feet he has to have socks on or the sensation is too close to tickling for the massager to work for him. Otherwise, he is fine with it being used on his bare skin although it does seem to work a lot better if I have first put some skin lotion on him. (We tried a sweet almond oil based massage oil as well but just regular old body lotion like Lubriderm or Aveeno seems to work better for us with this massager.) It's MUCH easier for me to massage him with enough strength and pressure to give him substantial pain relief with this massager than it is without it, we both love this thing!Since my boyfriend and I have been so thrilled with this massager I ordered another one as a birthday gift for a friend who I know has some neck and shoulder pain and he is very happy with his too. He told me that he either has to have something like a t-shirt or some kind of thinner, soft fabric between his skin and the pointy balls of the massager or else the pointy things are too painful and irritate his skin. He still likes it, says it works great and uses it often, he simply wears a t-shirt (he pulls it up over the back of his neck when he's getting his neck massaged with it) and that solves any pointy thing pain/skin irritation issues perfectly.Anyone using this massager is probably gonna need another person to massage them with it, especially if they are wanting their neck/shoulders/back massaged. I have tried using it on my own neck and shoulders a couple of times when home alone and though I was able to get some pain reduction, it was a difficult and frustrating process and it didn't get anywhere near the relief I'd have gotten if I'd had a 2nd person to massage me with it. I have also tried massaging my calves, thighs, feet, and upper arms with it just to see how easy it is or isn't, and although it was definitely easier to reach these areas than it was to reach my neck, shoulders and back, it would still be much easier for someone else to reach and massage these areas. Another thing: if you have hair that is any kind of long at all, you will want to get it up out of the way before having someone massage your neck with this thing. If it grabs your hair, it will not let go of it easily at all and it will pull like hell and hurt. This is not a problem with me, I usually put my hair up securely before having a neck massage anyway as I don't want massage oil or lotion getting in my hair. I did try to massage my own neck with this thing once without thinking about the state of my hair (it was up but loosely enough for some to get caught up by the massager) and was rewarded by having a small amount of wispy escapees ripped right out of my head. Body hair is not a problem unless you are sasquatch or have body hair like a sasquatch, as far as I can tell hair has to be at least 3"-4" long to get caught up in this thing.Gaiam Restore got my order to me promptly, it was appropriately packaged and in perfect condition. I received my massager on time and exactly as pictured/described by the seller. The amount I was charged for shipping was very reasonable. I would recommend this massager to anyone looking for a good massage tool to help with tight muscles or to get some pain relief from muscle cramps/knots and I would happily do business with Gaiam Restore anytime. I am actually wanting to try more Gaiam products in the near future, this massager has worked out so well I'm thinking their other stuff is probably pretty good too.

This thing was a GREAT ADDITION to my tool box as a person working in the physical therapy field.Here are 3 things that can persuade you…1. EASE OF USE: Sometimes when I got tired of massaging patients with my hands, I’d use this tool as a back up. It did the job of relieving muscle tension with half the work and half the time had I used my hands. Don’t get me wrong, using your hands for massage is #1 but sometimes a change in routine is always good. I would also use this tool as a warm up or cool down after my hands on massage which served as a nice addition.2. PATIENT SATISFACTION: I’ve had many patients request that I use this tool to help with their nagging injuries…they just loved the feel of a prickly device rolling up and down their leg or back. Sometimes it’s not what you think is best but what the patient wants at the end of the day. It’s funny…sometimes patient’s wouldn’t hurt as bad and still would want me to use this tool on them.3, STIMULATE PRESSURE POINTS - I think the reason why this device feels so good is that it stimulates a number of pressure points in the body that regular hands on massage can’t really do in comparison. My hands roll over and pull up muscles but it can’t really penetrate like this device can.*** *** *** ***1 thing that did BOTHER me was that this device was not a good enough size to handle larger/wider patients. I felt the 3 balls were not enough so I searched the internet for something wider. It turns out there is another device that looks the same as this but has 5 prickly balls. I’ve since transitioned to that device and it has made a world of difference.

I got this because I fell in love with the tiny green Rubz ball after a foot injury, and found the little ball felt great on any achy bit of your body. I had hoped to find a Rubz product on a stick, like this, but they didn't have anything so I gave this a try. It's okay - feels pretty good - but not what I was hoping for.Here is why this isn't the perfect tool for me:The balls are just a little too pokey and/or don't have quite enough give. The Rubz ball is very firm, but it has flat, tiny "spike" nodes and either it has more give to it or the difference in the "spike" shape makes... all the difference?I really wish for a stick with adjustable and/or removable balls. I was hoping to find a stick that would work like a cross between a shiatsu massage tool and the Rubz ball, i.e. something with two balls that I could roll up and down the spine to realign discs, relieve pinched nerves and knotted muscles. This can sorta kinda do that, and I knew it had three balls when I bought it obviously, but it just isn't perfect. Being adjustable would be a huge step in making one of these things perfect for more people and for more needs, but I digress. :-/Between the less-than-comfortable spikes, and the three balls instead of two, this doesn't do what I hoped for. That said it still feels great across the shoulders, on the quads and glutes, etc. The harsher massage is a bit much for me without a lighter touch, but my boyfriend loves this thing rolled across his shoulder knots and on his legs. So still a good product, deserving of a good review and your consideration if you need a massage roller stick.Side note: If YOU find my perfect shiatsu-esque massage roller stick-- give a holler in a comment! :DBest of luck to you in relieving all your aches and pains! :-)

LOVE IT! It does slightly hurt a bit, but it really helps tight muscles & I’ve also noticed it decreases cellulite. Just need to use it for a few minutes every day.