The Lowdown
The Vertiball Precision Massager does exactly what it sets out to do-you can massage specific areas by, well, rubbing your sore muscles against it.
Overall
Pros
- Sturdy construction
- Smooth-rolling movement
- Suction cup is strong
- Comes with a cover for the suction cup
- Compact and easy to transport
- Company offers a lot of educational videos to maximize your usage
Cons
- A little pricey
- Can look weird to outsiders when you’re rolling your back against a wall
Recovery is a key part of getting in shape. It’s when your body is resting that your muscles rebuild stronger than before. That’s why massaging and foam rolling are so important, but ever try to lug a foam roller on a trip? They’re a little bulky for travel. The Vertiball Precision Massager is a portable way to massage sore muscles without taking up space in your suitcase that you needed for clean shirts! Do you need one? Read on to learn more!
The Vertiball Precision Massager uses trigger point therapy to break up knots in your muscles, causing you discomfort. It’s basically a hard ball that rolls around in a socket that can be suction-mounted to any smooth surface, allowing you to lean against it with your back, shoulder, glutes, legs, or anywhere else that’s sore and needs some massaging.
When we were first offered the chance to review it, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and I certainly wasn’t expecting the compact package that arrived. It’s about 4.5″ across and just about 5″ in height, so there’s no reason you couldn’t easily tuck this into a gym bag or suitcase.
I was also impressed that they included a plastic cap to cover the suction cup portion when not in use, keeping dust and grime off of it that might impede the suction grip. The ball itself rolls very smoothly, and the best way I could describe it is that it feels like a slightly stiffer version of the ball in that arcade bowling game we all used to play in the 90s; it’s smooth but hard plastic, and there’s no skipping or sticking when it rolls around in the socket.
The hinge that opens and closes the suction is also very stiff, to the point where I had to really put some effort into it to unstick the Vertiball from my fridge at one point. Note that this doesn’t mean it will stay up forever.
I left the Vertiball Precision Massager stuck on the fridge for a few days, and my son freaked out when it spontaneously fell off and made a huge clatter. It was most notable because I was on the phone for work at the time, and it’s remarkably hard to gesture “it’s ok, it was just a suction cup massage ball that fell off the fridge; put down the toy sword and go finish your homework” to a 7-year-old. Still, it fell off after being stuck continuously for 3 days, so that’s pretty impressive suction work!
Attaching and detaching the Vertiball Precision Massager is easy. The ball and socket slide off the suction cup mount, and you open the hinge, then close it to tighten the suction against a smooth surface. Once the mount is secured, you slide the ball and socket portion on, and you’re ready to begin massaging your muscles. There are no motors or batteries; this is purely an analog way to dig into those hard-to-reach muscles.
I had a hard time finding a place to secure the Vertiball Precision Massager until I tried the refrigerator door since most of my home is painted walls. Tile, metal, or anything very smooth should handle the Vertiball just fine.
The Vertiball Precision Massager does exactly what it sets out to do-you can massage specific areas by, well, rubbing your sore muscles against it. It’s not something you’d want to do in public because I swear all I could imagine was that I looked like one of those bears caught on nature videos scratching their back on a tree. Also, you do have to either reposition your back or move the Vertiball to reach new areas.
On the other hand, I wish I’d had something like this when I ran half marathons. I can think of a few post-race recoveries that would have gone better if I’d been able to return to a hotel room and roll out sore muscles more easily!
The Vertiball Precision Massager is definitely a bit of a niche product. I think the audience falls into one of two categories; you’re either a diehard athlete who loves massage recovery, or you’re someone with a bad back or shoulder who could use this while traveling to target problem areas. The average person isn’t going to wake up one morning and think, “you know what my next business trip really needs? A plastic ball mounted to a suction cup.”
If you just laughed at that and thought, “yep, that’s weird,” then this might not be a product for you. On the other hand, if you own a foam roller and use it religiously, this is an excellent tool to augment recovery.
My only hesitation is that it’s a little pricey at $49.99, but recovery products tend to be a “you get what you pay for” situation. While it’s hard to say that a suction cup and some plastic feel like a $50 product, it is very sturdy. Vertiball took a 4′ kamikaze leap off my fridge, and there isn’t a scratch on it, so this strikes me as an investment that should last forever.
Vertiball also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren’t happy, as well as a slew of educational videos on how to maximize the product, so there’s value-added beyond the massager itself.
Take good care of your muscles and they’ll take good care of you; check out the Vertiball Precision Massager and roll away all those aches and pains!
The Vertiball Precision Massager sells for $49.99; it is available directly from the manufacturer and other retailers, including Amazon.
Source: Manufacturer provided review sample
What I Liked: Sturdy construction; Smooth-rolling movement; Suction cup is strong; Comes with a cover for the suction cup; Compact and easy to transport; Company offers a lot of educational videos to maximize your usage
What Needs Improvement: A little pricey; Can look weird to outsiders when you’re rolling your back against a wall
haha, yes, i also imagine looking like a bear scratching its back on a tree! I haven’t tried this type of massager before
looks small and convenient would be good to take to the gym
Would be nice for my back. This lockdown years was hard for body.
This looks like it would feel amazing! Especially after sitting all day at a desk.
This really does resemble a trackball.
This would be great for my lower back
Awesome review! Thanks for the great information.
Sounds good but im not sure i want something mounted
I can see this as being great to take along on long car rides as my muscles stiffen up quite easily
My back would like this!