I swapped my massage gun for the Rally, and I’m not going back

What You Need To Know

Me and massages? We go way back

KARL: When I lived in New Jersey, I used to go to a masseuse every few months before big races to get tuned up. I would only ever get a 90-minute deep tissue massage (Swedish massage? Get out of here with that vacation BS). It was a costly expense, but I found it necessary because certain muscle groups got so tight and sore. I also had a little massage gun to get me by that my parents bought me for Christmas, and while it was fine, I felt like it never really did much for me.

When I moved down to Baltimore to start working at BITR full-time, the one thing I noticed was how many massage guns and recovery rollers we keep scattered around the office. I mean, it makes sense with all the shoe reviews we do. It feels like a necessity in case an emergency niggle or cramp creeps up at any time. To me, though, most of the massage guns I’ve tried all felt the same. The percussive “punch” — a signature feel to the Theragun and other brands like it — can be quite aggressive at times. And as much as I love a good ol’ beating on my muscles after a long week of training, sometimes it can feel like too much, and quite frankly, it feels like it’s more damaging than helping.

Ready to Rally

KARL: Admittedly, I’d never heard of Rally before or even seen a massager that looks like this. But apparently, my colleague Barefoot Brady, who also has a history of powerlifting, told me that guys at his gym used to use car buffers as massagers. I looked online and saw that it actually is a common practice in the bodybuilding world. From what I gathered, the oscillating motion, combined with the higher power output, made for a smoother, human-massage-like experience that also covered more surface area.

The Rally Orbital Massager can’t be used to buff and wax your car, but the principle is more or less the same. When used straight on, you get a very smooth “waxing” experience with tons of coverage, akin to a masseuse using their hands to apply pressure and rub on the area. But when you tilt the Rally to the side, you get that familiar percussive feeling, but it feels a bit more uniform and fluid than massage guns that just drive into your muscles with the “knock-knock” sensation.

The Rally Orbital Massager feels robust and has some heft, though I wouldn’t call it heavy (it weighs 2.4 lbs). Depending on the area you use it in, it can get a bit unwieldy at times — especially at higher speed settings — but it’s still overall manageable and comfortable to use.

The device’s design is very simple, offering only one button to turn the machine on and off when you long-press, and a single press to cycle through the three speed settings (1600 / 2400 / 3200 RPM). I honestly find myself staying at the 1600 and 2400 RPM settings most of the time, but even at the highest setting, the experience is still very soothing and pretty quiet.

I’ve used massage guns that sound like a lawnmower ripping through tall grass, but for a device this large and powerful, the noise level is quite low. Rally touts a 40dBA rating — “as quiet as an air purifier.” I can attest to this, having used it in the same vicinity as my Winix air purifier.

What attachments come with the massager?

KARL: The standard head attachment is called The Flat, which is your smooth, soft, all-around-use type. The Echo has a bit more depth in its shape, which Rally says “mimics lymphatic drainage techniques for a soothing, fluid massage,” and is described as medium-soft. I found this one to be okay. I wasn’t feeling too much of an overall difference between The Flat and The Echo.

Then, there’s The Peak, my personal favorite, which has lived on my Rally for 99% of the time I’ve owned it. As someone who has only ever gotten deep-tissue massages at spas, this attachment head is the one for me. It’s the firmest of the heads and truly does a number on knots and breaking up muscle tissue due to its very targeted design (I really want to call it the nipple attachment, but I will stay an adult for the sake of keeping decorum).

Changing the head is a very simple process that requires a bit of force to pull off, then lining up the attachment’s grooves with the device and firmly pushing down. It literally takes a minute — at most — to swap.

The highs and lows of Rally-ing

KARL: I’ve used this all over my body, and it certainly feels great all around, but man, when I use this on my calves and traps, it’s game over for me. Those two areas are by far the tightest muscle groups I have to deal with (I’ve actually gone to physical therapy for my tight traps), and after a session with the Rally Orbital Massager, it really feels like I just hobbled out of the masseuse’s room.

But the important thing for me and why I love this device so much is the instant relief I feel after a session. Just a few minutes leaves me feeling refreshed and virtually eliminates the muscle soreness that would’ve accumulated without it, which in turn allows me to show up for my runs feeling my best. Isn’t that the goal, after all?

I’ve been incorporating this massager into my recovery regimen over the last two months, and I honestly feel a difference.

Although this is by far the largest massage gun I’ve owned, the only real con is the charging dock. I know the device is big, but the dock is also, if not more cumbersome. I would’ve loved to see a USB-C port onboard for fast charging, but instead you’re left with a magnetic pin configuration and a blocky DC adapter power plug that you have to connect to the dock underneath, tuck the wire in, and route it outward. It’s quite annoying to say the least. It’s not a deal breaker by any means, and with the 90-minute battery life, you’ll be able to go a while without a charge.

However, as of writing this review, I noticed that Rally has created a new Compact Dock that eliminates the bulk and adds a USB-C port for power delivery. Huzzah! But it does cost an additional $49, so I was hoping Rally would make this the standard charger. Again, not a deal breaker for such a powerful device.

Is the Rally Orbital Massager worth buying?

KARL: Speaking of prices, the Rally Orbital Massager retails for $449 for the single-attachment starter kit. It may seem like a steep cost up front, but when you consider the fact that deep tissue massages for 60-90 minutes at most places are around $125-$200 (before tip, of course), you’ll see the value adding up right there. Not to mention, most of Rally’s competitors’ products are also in that same price range.

Using it for just a few minutes a day without having to set an appointment and drive to a wellness spa or other massage location? I’ll take that. If you follow Rally on Instagram or check out its site often, you’ll see it sometimes runs discounts. This past Memorial Day, Rally knocked off $100. And as of writing this review, they’re running a Zero Risk Try-at-Home trial: it’s $0 to try for three weeks, and if you want to keep it, Rally will knock $100 off, bringing the price to $399, the same price as Memorial Day.

I’ve had the Rally Orbital Massager for almost two months now. With my summer training block starting for the autumn marathon season, it’s quickly gained a spot in my gear bag and recovery routine. I don’t think it’ll completely eliminate the possibility of going to a masseuse (I don’t think any massage gun would), but the Rally Orbital Massager significantly cuts down on the number of times I would go.

If you’re someone who trains hard but has kind of been put off by the same monotonous punching motion most of the massage guns in the market tend to output, I highly recommend checking out the Rally Orbital Massager — which you can do at the button below.