These JetBoots Made Me Feel Like I Was Going to Blast Off. Here’s What They Did to My Legs

CNET’s key takeaways

• The JetBoots Professional Plus are expensive at $1,150, however could possibly be value it for those who spend a variety of time in your ft.
• They mix pneumatic compression, infrared LED gentle and vibration therapies to fight muscle soreness and fatigue. 
• Battery life may be complicated, and the boots are clunky to deal with, however I am unsure there is a approach round that. 

After I visited the first full-scale, AI-powered gym in Los Angeles, I ended my expertise by utilizing the Therabody JetBoots Pro Plus, that are supplied to all members for recovery after their workouts. 

These inflatable boots lengthen out of your foot to your thigh. They stimulate blood movement with compressive pulses, cut back irritation with LED light therapy and reduce muscle stiffness with vibration. I loved my expertise utilizing them, however I hadn’t had sufficient time to develop a robust opinion. 

Therabody then loaned me the FDA-cleared JetBoots Professional Plus for at-home use. I spent the final month testing them to see in the event that they profit my restoration after figuring out. 

As a wellness editor who frequently checks well being know-how to see if it stands out in the marketplace, I’ve to say that the JetBoots are one of many coolest units I’ve examined. They appear to be a product straight from the long run and made me really feel like an astronaut. I additionally loved how they mix a number of therapies in order that my legs do not feel like they’re manufactured from wooden after an intense exercise.

My expertise with the JetBoots Professional Plus

My exercises of alternative are Pilates, climbing and lengthy walks to get my steps in, and infrequently, I really feel the results in my legs.

Following my train, I have been utilizing the JetBoots, zipping them up my legs whereas enjoyable on the sofa, since you may’t use them whereas standing. There isn’t any app, so that you handle the system utilizing the built-in management panel, which has a high-resolution LCD display on the first boot. The second boot has its personal energy button, however wirelessly connects to the first boot. 

Along with restoration, it’s also possible to use the JetBoots for warm-ups, sleep and focusing on particular components of your legs. There are seven preset therapies — fast begin, restoration, warm-up, decrease leg, higher leg, knee, joint remedy, ache aid and sleep prep — all of which have completely different durations (10 to 60 minutes), pressures (20 to 100 mmHg or millimeters of mercury, a unit of strain) and cycle sorts. The latter refers to how the air chambers inflate alongside the legs: sequential, sequential (isolation), static and movement. Some use vibration (low, medium and excessive) and LED (on or off). All of those options, besides cycle sort, may be adjusted throughout your therapy.

I famous that some reviewers had been dissatisfied they could not use the Therabody app to regulate the system, however I personally cherished that it did not have an app. (I’ve too many apps.) I additionally discovered it simple to make use of the built-in management panel to make changes. 

Different folks lamented the scale and bulk of the JetBoots, which vary from 11.3 to 12.8 kilos. I do not see a approach across the bulkiness concern. Sure, they could be a lot to hold from their journey case to wherever you are going to lie all the way down to put on them, however that is rather a lot higher than having to lug round a separate air pump to inflate the boots. In the event you do plan to journey with the JetBoots, they’re TSA-approved.

The JetBoots come in brief, common and lengthy sizes primarily based on leg size and inseam. I am 5 ft, 4 inches tall and acquired the common measurement, which was barely too lengthy and reached my higher thigh. The brief measurement would doubtless have suited me higher, however utilizing the common measurement wasn’t an excessive amount of of a difficulty. They nonetheless labored as meant. 

I did discover a distinction in leg soreness after my exercises

After a month of utilizing the JetBoots, I did discover a lower within the leg soreness and stiffness I sometimes expertise after my exercises — particularly the morning after. After I get up the day after a very intense exercise, it is powerful for me to maneuver my legs and get away from bed. Then, all through the day, I’ll have problem bending my legs.

Nevertheless, the JetBoots helped mitigate that, and I did not have sooner or later the place my legs had been painfully inflexible after train.

I additionally discovered the expertise of utilizing the boots to be each snug and enjoyable, as the mixture of compression and vibration felt like a pleasing therapeutic massage. 

Since you must lie down to make use of the JetBoots, you may profit from this self-care time by practicing meditation, studying or carrying your favourite red light therapy mask for the last word wellness tech therapy. Earlier than mattress, I would typically use the 10-minute sleep prep therapy and located that it helped my physique chill out earlier than dozing off.

Charging the boots wasn’t my favourite

To cost the JetBoots, you join every boot to a splitter cable after which join the splitter cable to an influence adapter that will get plugged into an outlet. 

Although I appreciated that I did not want a USB adapter like I do for a lot of of my different wellness units, charging was essentially the most cumbersome a part of the JetBoots expertise, as you must roll up every boot in order that the charging ports are simply accessible, which might make it powerful to then maneuver them of their carrying pouch. Out of laziness, I simply left the boots out of the pouch and semi-rolled them up on the ground.

I used to be at instances confused concerning the battery lifetime of the JetBoots, that are designed to final between 150 and 240 minutes. As soon as I acquired them, I plugged them in till I noticed that the battery was nearly full on the management panel. Nevertheless, one boot had much less battery life than the opposite, finally dying throughout my 45-minute restoration therapy. I figured I simply hadn’t charged them each sufficient, so I continued doing so till I noticed the inexperienced gentle on the ability adapter. 

They lasted for all the next therapies, however generally one boot was extra charged than the opposite, or they misplaced battery life quicker than I anticipated. I ended up preserving them plugged in always to mitigate my confusion.

Cleansing the boots is simple, as they’re manufactured from nonporous, medical-grade materials that stops micro organism buildup. You may evenly wipe them down on the within with a 70% isopropyl alcohol cleansing resolution, like this one from Walgreens. For the skin, wipe them with a tender material. Pat them dry and hold them utilizing the built-in hanging loops.

The underside line

Finally, I loved utilizing the JetBoots Professional Plus as somebody who typically offers with leg stiffness and muscle soreness after my exercises. Nevertheless, they’re expensive at $1,150, so I would not say they seem to be a must-have until you are in your ft on a regular basis or targeted on restoration in that space, akin to when training for a marathon. 

To avoid wasting however nonetheless get restoration aid, you would possibly desire one of many model’s massage guns, beginning at $160, that are some of CNET’s favorites. There are additionally the JetBoots Prime, which value $550, however they solely provide compression remedy with out the LED, vibration or preset therapies. 

It is also good to know that each the boots and therapeutic massage weapons are HSA- and FSA-accepted, and Therabody provides 30-day returns.

The specs

• Battery life: 150 to 240 minutes
• Sizes: brief (for leg lengths 27 to 32 inches), common (32 to 37 inches) and lengthy (37-plus inches)
• Value: $1,150
• Weight: 11.3 kilos (small), 12.4 kilos (common) and 12.8 kilos (lengthy)
• Guarantee: One yr, restricted
• Variety of ports: 2

CNET’s shopping for recommendation

• The JetBoots Professional Plus could be finest for anybody who frequently offers with leg muscle soreness or stiffness, particularly for those who’re typically in your ft.
• The product is expensive at $1,150. The JetBoots Prime are cheaper at $550, however do not include vibration, LED or therapy presets.
• You would additionally take into account getting a Therabody therapeutic massage gun to save lots of much more, whereas nonetheless experiencing aid. They begin at $160.