Is there anything more luxurious than a face massage? We don’t think so. In many cities, salons aren’t open yet, and even if they were, professional facials and massages could get expensive. That’s why face massagers can be such a lovely little purchase. They allow you to bring the spa home and give yourself your very own pampering face massage.
If you’d like to enjoy the skin-soothing, firming, and relaxing effects of a face massage, you’re in the right place. We’ve selected the best face massage tools you can try, from simple gemstone rollers to high-tech vibrating devices. Then, we give some advice that’ll help you choose the best facial massager for you. Finally, we answer a few common face massager questions to get you ready to use the one you buy.
In this article:
- Our Picks for the Best Face Massagers
- What to Look for in the Perfect Face Massager for You?
- Face Massager FAQ
Best Face Massagers Overview
- Best Overall: NuFACE Trinity Facial Toning Device
- Best Budget: Yeamon 2-in-1 Face Massager Roller
- Best Luxury Bar: Jillian Dempsey Gold Sculpting Bar
- Best Cleansing Massager: Foreo Luna 3 Sensitive Skin Facial Cleansing & Firming Massage Device
- Best Gua Sha: Mount Lai Gua Sha Facial Lifting Tool
- Best Jade Roller: Herbivore Jade De-Puffing Face Roller
- Best Ice Roller: PUR Botanicals Ice Roller Face Massager
- Best Rose Quartz Roller: BeautyBio Contouring + De-Puffing Rose Quartz Roller
- Best for the Eye Area: Foreo IRIS Illuminating Eye Massager
- Best Wand: Nurse Jamie UpLift Facial Massaging Beauty Roller
- Best Heated: Ms.W Face Massager
- Best Mini Microcurrent: Foreo BEAR mini Facial Toning Device
- Best Sculpting: Skin Gym Face Sculptor Beauty Roller
Our Picks for the Best Face Massagers
From (literally) buzzy electric massagers to traditional stone rollers and gua sha, here’s our selection of the best facial massagers available right now.
If you’ve got some extra coins to spend, this toning device is quite the treat. It’s a dramatic face massager that delivers a microcurrent to the skin. It has generated a lot of buzz since being released thanks to its FDA-cleared technology meant to tone the skin and eliminate signs of aging, like fine lines and loss of tone.
Actual research on the effects of microcurrents on aging skin are limited but promising, as we explain below. Researchers posit that by energizing the skin cells and stimulating muscle, devices like Trinity can offer real anti-aging results. In the short term, the Trinity visibly firms up the skin, although results are temporary. The long-term results are a little more debatable.
The device comes with a primer gel that helps it glide over the skin. The gel is an amazing hydrating serum all by itself, thanks to hydrating hyaluronic acid. If you’d like to try it, you can purchase it at Sephora.
Key Features
- Material: Plastic and metal
- Vibration: Electro-current settings
- Other Details: Comes with primer gel
Pros
- Powerful firming effects through microcurrent
- Immediate results
- Comes with a hydrating gel
Cons
- Expensive
- Debatable long-term results
Despite being very affordable, this face massager set looks incredibly luxurious. The set comes with two face massagers: a vibrating bar and a vibrating double roller. The bar is an ideal choice for smooth expanses of skin, like on the forehead and cheeks, while the double roller fits nicely over curvy or angled areas, like the jawline or over the eyes.
There is only one vibration setting available for each massager, and it’s at about medium strength. For some, that’s perfect, but if you’re picky, you might prefer a massager with multiple vibration settings.
As can be expected from the low price point, this massager set isn’t perfectly constructed. It’s durable, but some users find that they have issues with small details, like how the on/off button is constructed. Overall, however, if you want something usable, budget-friendly, and Instagrammable, then pick this up from Amazon.
Key Features
- Material: Gold-coated metal
- Vibration: Yes
- Other Details: Requires batteries
Pros
- Affordable
- Looks luxurious
- Two different rollers fit over different parts of the skin
Cons
- Only one massage setting
- Small design issues
From Jillian Dempsey (celebrity makeup artist and Patrick Dempsey’s wife), we have a real luxury face massager. If you like the look of the Yeamon vibrating bar, but you want a genuinely luxurious product, well, here you go. This tool is very expensive, but it’s made of nicer metal with real 24k gold plating, so it’s quite fancy and also more appropriate for those with metal allergies.
The design is hefty, so it can provide a bit more pressure to the skin with minimal pressing. The vibration itself is relatively soft, so it’s ideal if you find the vibration on other tools too intense. You can expect firm, glowy skin after the first use! Find it at Sephora.
Key Features
- Material: 24k gold-plated
- Vibration: Yes
- Other Details: Requires battery
Pros
- Incredibly luxurious design
- 24 karat gold suitable for metal allergies
- Heft aids in lymphatic pressure
- Gentle vibration
Cons
- Extremely expensive
If you have sensitive skin, the Foreo Luna 3 is an excellent massager to choose. It’s designed to massage the skin as you cleanse, which is extremely convenient for most beauty lovers. The silicone bristles are extremely gentle but help to clean the skin deeply.
The device is larger than other Foreo models, offering faster use. It connects with Foreo’s app, which does give you some control over vibration patterns, but it never gets too strong. The vibrations are gentle, helping to invigorate the skin but not necessarily offering the deep lymphatic drainage of higher-pressure massagers. However, unlike those other massagers, it also helps to gently exfoliate the skin, leaving it smoother and brighter. Buy it from Nordstrom!
Key Features
- Material: Silicone
- Vibration: Yes
- Other Details: Connects with app that helps control massage settings
Pros
- Gentle for sensitive skin
- Cleanses and exfoliates
- Convenient to use thanks to size
- Settings controlled via app
Cons
- Too gentle for lymphatic drainage
Gua sha is amazing when you want a more intense face massage, maybe even with a hint of exfoliation. Gua sha stones are thin, and they’re designed to scrape against the skin. This creates more targeted pressure when compared to other face massagers. The added pressure is great for a bit of lymphatic drainage, which makes the face look more sculpted.
It also helps with exfoliation, leaving the skin a little smoother. However, the exfoliation also makes it a little too rough for sensitive skin. If your skin tolerates physical exfoliation, feel free to use it up to 3 times a week.
This Gua sha tool from Mount Lai is as good as it gets. It’s made of real jade, which has a wonderfully cooling touch on the skin. Shop for it at Sephora!
Key Features
- Material: Jade
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: N/A
Pros
- Gives an intense lymphatic drainage massage
- Helps lightly exfoliate
- Made of cooling jade
Cons
- A little pricey
- Too intense for some users
Made with ethically mined stone, this face roller is a choice you can feel good about. It’s from the luxury natural beauty brand Herbivore, but it’s relatively affordable compared to a more high-tech face massager.
The design looks like a classic, but the stone used is actually aventurine. It keeps its coolness, helping to massage the skin. Whether the massage with it is simply light and relaxing or intense and face-contouring totally depends on how much pressure you apply on the skin.
The jade roller is durable and smooth-gliding, with two ends. You can use the larger end over most of your face and then flip over to the smaller roller to treat the eyes and sides of the nose separately. You can find it at Sephora.
Key Features
- Material: Aventurine
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: Face & eye roller
Pros
- Made with ethically mined jade
- Relatively affordable by face massager standards
- Double-ended to treat both eyes and face
- Great for a gentle massage but can also be used with pressure
Cons
- Requires manual pressure
If your skin is sensitive, or you get easily overheated, an ice roller is a dream. Cold temperatures are incredibly soothing to the skin and muscles, so this device combines the benefits of facial massage with that icy touch.
As with other face rollers, the main benefit of using this device is that it helps to firm up the skin in the short term while aiding in skincare absorption. Because of the cold, it can also help relax muscles, so you can use it on your neck and shoulders.
It’s very affordable, which is another nice bonus! The only thing to note is that you’ll want to be careful when using it in combination with moist skincare. If the roller is too cold from the freezer, the combination with the watery ingredients can be too intensely cold. That said, you can use it on dry skin easily, and you can also use it after it’s had a few minutes to warm up. You can order it from Amazon.
Key Features
- Material: Undisclosed
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: N/A
Pros
- Icy temperature soothes skin
- Massaging helps firm and tone
- Affordable
- Can be used on aching neck and shoulders
Cons
- Can cause issues if used with skincare when too cold
If you like the idea of a manual face roller but prefer pink to green, then a rose quartz roller will be the best face massager for you! This offering from BeautyBio is a luxurious, beautifully designed option. It’s made with ethical quartz, which explains the higher price point.
The design is durable and elegant, with well-designed construction that prevents squeaking or breakage. The super-smooth quartz cools and massages the skin, and you have total control over the level of pressure. As with the roller from Herbivore, this massager also comes with a smaller head for massaging puffy or tired under-eyes. You can get it from Sephora.
Key Features
- Material: Rose quartz
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: N/A
Pros
- Gorgeous design
- Ethically mined rose quartz
- Double-ended to treat the eyes
- Cooling and gentle
Cons
- Expensive
If you’d like to seriously treat your eyes, this massager is your best bet. It’s designed with a series of settings that go from gentle and soothing up to powerful and seriously skin-firming.
The massager works by breaking down lymphatic fluid from just below the eye area, specifically to provide very targeted relief against puffiness. It may also help with certain types of dark circles by improving circulation.
It’s definitely a high-tech tool, which explains the high cost. If your main concern around the eye area isn’t puffiness, then this tool is hard to justify. However, if puffiness is an issue that really bugs you, it’s a worthy purchase since it’s hard to achieve the same improvement with a manual eye roller. Buy it at Sephora.
Key Features
- Material: Silicone
- Vibration: Yes
- Other Details: 8 massage settings, waterproof
Pros
- Targets under-eye puffiness like nothing else
- Variable massage settings
- May help with dark circles
Cons
- Very expensive
- Limited range of effects
This face massager wand is a pretty cool option for anyone who wants a truly multi-purpose manual massager. It’s a little like a regular face roller since it’s manual and relies on a rolling motion. With that in mind, it’s relatively expensive for a manual tool, although it does offer something unique.
What makes it different is that it’s shaped like a wand, so the rolling component takes up a lot more space. This makes massaging the face a much faster process and also makes it a reasonable massager for other parts of the body like the chest and shoulders.
The cool thing is that despite being longer, the roller is still thin, so depending on how you hold it, you can still get into the crevices of the face. The roller is also dotted with acupressure stones that offer a slightly deeper massage and better lymphatic drainage as a result. You can pick it up at Nordstrom.
Key Features
- Material: Metal
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: N/A
Pros
- Longer rolling component for faster massager
- Can be used on the body easily
- Stones add a touch more acupressure
Cons
- Expensive for a manual tool
This unique massager heats the skin rather than cooling it. It also has massage and LED settings, making it a truly multi-functional tool. The elongated shape fits along the curves of the face easily, although it doesn’t lend itself to an acupressure massage. Fortunately, this device comes with 3 vibration settings that massage the skin nicely.
In general, heat (as long as it’s not too intense) helps the skin absorb products, so this massager is worth trying if you want better skincare absorption. The LED lights in this massager likely aren’t strong enough to make a dramatic difference in the skin, but they don’t hurt.
Overall, the brand makes some incredible claims about the potential firming effects of this device, of which we’re pretty doubtful. However, it’s definitely a nice occasional addition to the skincare routine at a very affordable cost. Order it from Amazon!
Key Features
- Material: Plastic
- Vibration: 3 Settings
- Other Details: Also has heat settings
Pros
- Multiple functions, including vibration settings
- Heat helps skin absorb products
- Very affordable
Cons
- Overblown claims
From Foreo, this is a unique massager. Like the NuFace, it also relies on microcurrents to firm up the skin. In fact, the two devices are compared very frequently. If you’re hoping specifically for a microcurrent massager, it’s between these two.
The Foreo BEAR mini is not as expensive as the Trinity, but it still costs a good chunk of change. Since this is the mini version, it’s also very travel-friendly, although gliding over the entire face with it takes a little longer.
The BEAR offers both microcurrent stimulation and vibration, so it incorporates massage a lot better. It also has a slightly stronger charge, which means potentially better results, although it can also lead to a bit of stinging during treatment.
As with other Foreo products, it connects to the device’s app, where there are pre-made training programs. Shop for it at Sephora!
Key Features
- Material: Silicone and metal
- Vibration: Multiple massage electro-current settings
- Other Details: Connects to Foreo app
Pros
- Microcurrent and massage in one
- Slightly more affordable than NuFace Trinity
- Travel-friendly
Cons
- Takes a little longer to use
Made of metal, this is an ultra-cooling face sculptor that keeps a low temp even when it hasn’t spent a night in the fridge. It’s designed with two rolling balls meant to mimic the touch of an aesthetician. This shape fits perfectly over the contours of the face for a nice sculpting action. More than that, though, is that it’s deeply calming and enjoyable. That said, it’s still a manual device, and it’s undeniably pricey, but it’s gorgeous and well-made. Pick it up from Ulta!
Key Features
- Material: Metal
- Vibration: No
- Other Details: N/A
Pros
- Cooling, soothing metal
- Rolling balls are extra soothing and sculpting
- Beautiful and well-made device
Cons
- Pricey
What to Look for in the Perfect Face Massager for You?
There are a lot of different kinds of face massagers with diverse effects and massive price differences. Which will be the best face massager for you? It totally depends on what your skin needs and what you personally prefer. Read this section to try and narrow down your choices.
Major Concerns
The first question to ask yourself is, what do you want your face massager to help with? These are the main concerns that face massagers can address.
Loss of Tone & Puffiness
Some days, the skin just looks sad. It can look a little puffy or just tired and saggy. Surprisingly enough, sometimes it’s easy to experience both, especially after long, wild nights of indulging. Face massagers are fantastic for addressing this kind of sagginess or puffiness!
Look specifically for tools that can help with lymphatic drainage. Lymphatic fluid tends to build up when we’re not at our best, so by massaging it away, the skin instantly looks firmer and tighter. This is especially effective for countering under-eye puffiness.
Many tools can deliver the necessary pressure for firming up the skin, including the Jillian Dempsey Gold Sculpting Bar, gua sha tools, and even regular jade or quartz rollers.
Fine Lines & Wrinkles
When it comes to signs of premature aging like fine lines and wrinkles, massage can be a tempting solution. However, the reality is that the anti-aging benefits of a facial massager, while real, are actually fairly minimal. A 2017 study on a specific Clarisonic device showed that massaging regularly can offer some anti-aging benefits, although the mechanism of action wasn’t described.
It’s possible that by stimulating blood flow and circulation, facial massage can give the skin a bit of a collagen production boost. In the short term, using a face massager can also slightly firm the skin, which will make you look temporarily more youthful.
If you use anti-aging products in your skincare routine, a massage will also boost their effects by helping your skin absorb them. A face massager doesn’t compare to proven anti-aging practices, like using a daily sunscreen or retinol, but it can still be a lovely addition to an anti-aging routine.
If you want the best results possible, and don’t mind spending extra cash, a microcurrent massager like the NuFace or Foreo Bear is your best bet since it may also help to work the muscles under the skin for added firmness.
Sensitivity
Face rollers, specifically, can be amazing for sensitive skin. Cool temperatures help to soothe the skin, and even your most basic stone or metal roller will stay naturally cool. It’s important to avoid overly aggressive massagers, of course, as they may tug on your skin and lead to irritation.
If you want an extremely soothing touch, choose a cryo-roller that’s kept in the fridge or freezer, like the PUR Botanicals Ice Roller. That will do the best job of countering redness and irritation! Additionally, make sure to follow a great skincare routine for sensitive skin, as well.
Types of Technologies
From ultra-luxurious microcurrent devices to simple rollers that you run over your skin, face massagers come with all types of technologies. Here’s a quick explanation of each technology and how it works.
Manual
If you’re on a budget and looking for simple massage benefits, a manual face massager or roller is probably the best massager for you. With manual massagers, you decide how much pressure to exert on the skin, depending on how intense of a massage you want.
Because they do require a bit of effort on your part, and because they’re not very complex, manual massagers are usually cheaper unless they’re made of luxury materials. Overall, they’re a great choice that tends to massage the skin well, be easy to use, and, depending on the material, might keep cool or have other skin benefits.
Vibrations
On the other hand, vibrating massagers do a lot of work for you. These pulsating or vibrating tools are just like massagers for the back or shoulders. They massage the skin all by themselves, and you don’t have to work too hard to press them onto the skin.
If you’re the kind of person that likes to feel more relaxed or that enjoys owning cool electronics, a vibrating massager is a great option. They’re also a little bit better at lymphatic drainage, so you’ll enjoy faster skin-contouring effects.
Microcurrents
Microcurrent massagers are the most complex tools to consider. The nodes on these devices emit a weak electric charge. The good news is that they’re so weak that they don’t hurt – you likely won’t even feel them.
By slightly electrifying the skin, the microcurrents do two things. In the short term, they slightly plump up the muscles below the skin for an overall firmer appearance. Some users (including research subjects in one fairly limited study) note that they also experience long-term firmness and decline in fine lines with regular use.
In the long term, it’s also possible that microcurrents work by stimulating the skin cells into producing ATP. ATP (or adenosine triphosphate) is a molecule responsible for a wide range of biological processes, including protein production. This means that more ATP may lead to better production of collagen and elastin!
Note that the science behind microcurrent devices and their effect on the skin is mostly theoretical. While users can see some promising results, others haven’t noticed a difference. The good news is that you can tell if a microcurrent device is working for you pretty quickly, so while the devices are expensive, it’s always possible to return them to the store.
Face Massager FAQ
If you still have some uncertainties about face massagers, we hope we can clear them! In this section, we answer the most burning questions you might have about these fun devices.
As a category, face massagers have two main benefits: they are super relaxing to use, and they help give the skin a firmer appearance through lymphatic drainage. Specific massagers may have additional benefits, like eye massagers that help with under-eye puffiness or cold massagers that soothe the skin.
If you deal with puffiness or loss of tone, and you want a quick solution, a face massager is a simple solution! Otherwise, the benefits of face massagers are pretty simple and also come with other massage techniques, like using your fingers or a cold spoon.
However, the practice of using a face massager can be deeply relaxing and enjoyable. For many, it turns the skincare routine from a chore into a meaningful practice of self-care. It’s definitely not an essential part of every routine, but it can be a fantastic enhancement for the right person.
You can use a face massager at any point in your skincare routine, either in the morning or at night. You can’t overuse most facial massagers (with the exception of some more intense devices), so every day or even twice a day is fine!
The skin-firming benefits of a facial massage are not very long-lasting. If that’s your primary reason for using a massager, you’ll want to use it when you really want to look your best. This may be in the morning before you do your makeup or whenever you get ready for special events.
Each facial massager is a little different, but in general, here’s how most devices should be used:
• Start with clean skin.
• Apply a serum, oil, or cream that will act as a massage aid, helping your face massager glide more gently over your skin. Some massagers can also be used over a sheet mask!
• Starting from the jawline (or even the neck), gently work your face massager in upward motions, pulling the skin upwards and outwards.
• The specific motion may differ, depending on whether you use a face roller, gua sha tool, or a vibrating device, so always pay attention to the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Once you’re done massaging your skin, finish off the rest of your skincare and beauty routine as normal.
Photos via Sephora, Nordstrom