Chicago, March 21, 2022 — Many things are out of people’s control in today’s world, making things for them, including muscles, tense. The need for relief from tension caused by stress, exercise, sports, and other muscle workouts, has helped the hand-held massager category grow sales by 347% over the last two years, reports The NPD Group. Units of hand-held massagers sold were up 60% last year over the prior year when the devices were up 43%, according to NPD’s continual tracking of home industry retail sales. 

Hand-held massagers use vibrations to warm muscle tissue and increase blood flow, delivering fast relief to areas of the body where people carry stress, muscle soreness, and pain. Based on unit sales, the most popular type of hand-held massager is a tapper, something like a small hammer, repeatedly impacting the soft tissue and decreasing tight muscle tissue. Over 2.8 million tapper hand-held massagers were sold in 2021, up 95% from the prior year when units were up 140%, reports NPD.

As for who is buying these massagers, women edge out men purchasing hand-held massagers, with females representing 56% and men 44% of dollar sales. Hand-held massagers appeal to a broad range of ages, but adults ages 25-44 hold the most significant dollar share. According to NPD’s buyer analytics, two-person households tend to buy more hand-held massagers than other household sizes. 

“Hand-held massagers are another great example of the home industry solving a problem for consumers,” says Joe Derochowski, NPD Home industry analyst. “Everyone has sore, tight muscles from time to time, and a massage therapist isn’t always accessible. Hand-held massagers provide a convenient solution, and the devices’ tremendous growth over the last two years proves it.” 

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