Massage Gun Heads Explained: Build, Materials, and More

Have you ever wondered why massage guns come with a variety of different head attachments? How crucial are they, and do these attachments vary across other brands?

In this guide, we’ll explore the world of massage gun heads, explaining their vital role in maximizing the benefits of your device. We’ll also analyze the diversity and construction of these attachments and highlight what you can expect from leading brands in the market.

TIP If you are looking for tips on massage gun attachment uses, check out this post.

---

The Anatomy of a Massage Gun Attachment

A typical massage gun attachment head is a detachable component designed to interface directly with the muscles during a massage session. These heads are usually made from a variety of materials (more on that in a minute), and are crafted to provide various types of pressure and massage techniques suited to different muscle groups.

Let’s take a quick look at the parts involved in the construction of a typical massage gun head:

Some heads may include additional features such as metallic elements for heat or cold therapy, textured surfaces for a different massage feel, or aerated designs for a softer impact. We will discuss this later.

---

Why Do Massage Guns Have Different Heads?

To ensure a full massage experience, massage gun heads, also known as attachments, are specifically designed to cater to various parts of the body. This variety allows for targeted treatment of different muscle groups.

For instance, some can care for smaller and tender muscles, providing relief without overwhelming pressure on sensitive areas. Others are built to tackle larger muscle groups, offering robust intensity and penetration.

This versatility is key to achieving a full-spectrum massage that can adapt to your body’s diverse needs.

---

And What Are They Made Of?

The attachment body and its head can be made from any of the following materials:

• Plastic: This is the most commonly used material for its affordability and ease of manufacturing. Plastic heads are durable and offer a more intense massage due to their hardness. While they are most frequently found in inexpensive massage guns, they also make appearances in higher-end models
• Silicon and Rubber: This is when the manufacturer decides to make a soft point of contact. Silicon is gentle and suits a lot of people who want a gentle massage.
• Foam (EVA): Foam is a firmer material that has very little give to it. The point of contact is hard and the manufacturer wants the user to feel the aggressiveness of the massage. Eva Foam is pretty common with many attachments but tends to be harder to clean compared to others. If you like to massage over clothes, then the foam could leave an unwanted mark on your favorite shirt.
• Closed-Cell Polyurethane Foam: This material is used by Therabody in most of their Theragun attachments. It’s quite soft and gives a nice, smooth feeling. In contrast to classic EVA Foam, it’s also easier to clean.
• Metal: Attachments made of metal may serve various purposes. Some are specifically designed for hot and cold therapy, as seen with the Bob and Brad X6 Pro. In such cases, the metal can be heated or cooled to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. Others use metal to enhance the massage experience by adding a smooth, gliding sensation – Achedaway Pro attachments are an excellent example of this..
• Heated Heads: These heads are designed for heat therapy alongside massage, employing a variety of innovative technologies. Some use a straightforward approach with an all-metallic head that can be heated in hot water – this is exactly what the previously mentioned X6 Pro does. Others, like the latest Hypervolt Heated Head Attachment, feature more advanced technology with self-heating heads that come with a built-in battery and an operating button.

---

Why the Material Matters?

Understanding the material is important for a few reasons.

In short, knowing about the materials helps you get the best and safest massage experience.

---

How Many Attachments Do You Need?

Ideally, you need as many as four attachments.

You can have up to 8, depending on how well-varied they are. We have seen massage guns with eight attachments or more, but many of those are repeated variations, or very tiny tweaks that don’t actually make a difference.

But you should probably not go for anything below four attachments if you don’t want to miss the full experience of your massage gun. 

What about the massage guns that come with 10-15 and even more attachments? Well, you probably don’t need that many, and usually, it’s a marketing gimmick that some Chinese brands use. Toloco had that many attachments which we used and found that nearly half of them weren’t useful at all.

And know that pursuing more attachments is one of the most common mistakes people make when choosing their massage gun.

On the other hand, some reputable massage guns can be underwhelming in terms of how many attachments they offer. Hypervolt Go 2, for example, only comes with two attachments. That’s not enough, and considering the premium price of these devices it may feel like a lot of money was spent on something unsatisfactory.

---

Most Popular Types of Massage Gun Heads

Remember how we said that you need about 4 attachments? Well, these are the big kahunas of massage gun attachments.

• Ball or Round Head – Most common and versatile, ideal for large and medium muscle groups. Variations in design include:
  • EVA Foam: Harder with slight give, suitable for deep tissue massage. You can find one with Ekrin B37, Zarifa Health+, or Taotronics TT-PCA004.
  • Silicon/Soft/Air Cushioned: Minimal pain, even on bones or painful areas, perfect for a relaxing massage. Models like the Ekrin Bantam, Opove M3 Pro, and Urikar AT1 feature this type.
• Flat Head
  • Denser and harder than the ball, usually hard plastic.
  • Excellent for relieving knots in large muscles like pecs and glutes, smooth edges prevent pain.
• Fork/Spinal Head
  • Usually hard plastic, sometimes with a silicone cover (e.g., Bob and Brad Air 2 Mini).
  • Ideal for gliding over uneven body parts like the spine and Achilles.
• Bullet / Cylindrical Head
  • Focused attachment, typically made of hard materials like plastic or aluminum (as in Achedaway Pro).
  • Targets trigger points and knots in hard-to-reach muscles, ideal for precise deep tissue massages.
  • Caution Most intense, may cause discomfort. Start with less pressure and increase only if comfortable.

Other Head Attachment Types You Can Find

Besides these four common attachments, manufacturers tend to be innovative and new attachments appear every now and then. Here are some we have found interesting and useful:

• Cushion Head – The cushioned head is often a ball attachment decked with soft material. You’ll find it with Hypervolt 2 Pro and Bob and Brad D6 Pro or the new Air 2 Mini.
• Shovel / Wedge Head – This one is used for scraping (breaking restrictions in muscles). You will find it with Theraguns and Urikar AT1.
• Cone Head – Shaped like a cone, this head was introduced by Theragun and picked up by others, including Addsfit.
• Air-Cushioned Head – This is spherical or cylindrical attachment filled with air to ensure softness and gentleness. Brands like Bob and Brad and Ekrin use this in their massagers, and we’ve found it to be quite effective.
• Triple Ball Head – This is one came with our Urikar Pro 2 massage gun. It has 3 ball heads attached to one extension. An interesting concept, but from our uses, we’ve found it’s not as beneficial or useful as a standard ball attachment.

---

Theragun Attachments Guide

Therabody tends to be an innovative brand, and their Theragun heads are slightly non-conventional. Besides naming convention here’s what you can expect:

1. Supersoft (Impact Level: 1/10) – This one looks like a flat attachment but with a flat cushion attached to it. It’s good for bony and tender areas of the body. 
2. Dampener (Impact Level: 3/10) – This one is a sort of soft ball attachment that is also great when you want a relaxing soft massage.
3. Standard Ball (Impact Level: 5/10) – You couldn’t tell the difference between this and the dampener. However, you can feel the difference when you touch it. It’s slightly harder than the dampener. 
4. Wedge (Impact Level: 5/10) – Also called the shovel. It works as a muscle scraper.
5. Thumb (Impact Level: 7/10) – This one can be used as the bullet head for targeted treatment. Good for trigger points and massaging the lower back (most intensive one!).
6. Micro-Point (Impact Level: 2/10) – This is a new attachment with silicon sticks at the fore. It’s good for maximizing circulation around large muscle groups.
7. Cone (Impact Level: 10/10) – Discontinued. This attachment was available with the 4th generation of Theraguns (the Pro, Prime, and Elite) but now, in the latest models, it has been replaced by the Micro-Point head for the Theragun Pro. We believe this change is due to its similarity to the Thumb head; we personally couldn’t discern a difference on our bodies during ‘blind tests’ with it.

Here is a comparison of each of these to the common names used by other brands in the industry:

Theragun Attachment Head	Common Name Used by Other Brands
The Supersoft™ *	Cushion / Air Cushion
Dampener	Flat
Standard Ball	Ball / Round
Wedge	Scraper / Shovel
Thumb	Bullet / Point
Cone	Bullet / Point
Micro-Point	Textured Attachment

(*) For the Supersoft attachment, we haven’t seen any equivalent so far. That’s probably because Theragun has a patent for this one. Other brands typically use Cushion or Air Cushion solutions to create attachments for sensitive areas, but believe us, those offer different experiences.

Other Things to Know about Theragun Heads

• Theragun Pro has all 6 attachments, including the new Micro-point attachment. Theragun Elite has 5 heads and lacks both the Micro-Point (you get old Cone) and the Supersoft. Theragun Prime has 4 attachments and lacks the Wedge, Supersoft, and Micro-Point attachments. Theragun Mini has 3 attachments: Standard Ball, Dampener, and Thumb.
• Theraguns have a unique mounting system thanks to two metal ball bearings on the massage gun head that click into the attachment.
• The attachments are interchangeable across all devices. 
• Since the mounting system is only unique to Theraguns, the attachments don’t fit on any massage gun from other brands. They are also patented, more on that here.
• The duo adapter (available separately here) allows you to mount two similar attachments at once.

Theragun Model	Number of Attachments	Included Attachments
Theragun Pro 5TH GEN Our review	6	Supersoft, Dampener, Standard Ball, Wedge, Thumb, Micro-Point
Theragun Elite Our review	5	Dampener, Standard Ball, Thumb, Wedge, Cone
Theragun Prime Our review	4	Dampener, Standard Ball, Thumb, Cone
Theragun Mini 2ND GEN Our review	3	Standard Ball, Dampener, Thumb

---

Hypervolt Attachments Guide

Hypervolts all come with conventional massage gun attachment heads. By this, we mean that their names, shapes, and the materials used are typical and quite standard.

So first thing to note, Hypervolt attachments tend to lean more on the hard-plastic side. Only Ball and Cushion heads are softer and offer some gentle touch.

The main method of fixing the attachment is push and pull – many other brands have adopted this design, emulating what Hypervolt introduced. A notable exception is the fork attachment here, which has markers that must be properly aligned to fit.

Here is their lineup:

• Cushion Attachment – This one is good for beginners who are looking for a gentle massage. It features the softest material plus air inside and has a large surface area. It has more give and is best for massaging tender spots or the neck area. 
• Foam Ball Attachment – This attachment has about the same surface area but is firmer than the Cushion Head. Made of solid foam, it serves as a versatile all-around attachment, delivering the best results on large muscles such as quads, lats, and pecs.
• Fork Attachmen – This is a Y-shaped attachment with small hard-plastic balls at each end. It’s used on the spine area, upper traps, forearms, and ankles or calves.
• Flat Attachment – As simple as the name suggests, this attachment is designed to massage large muscle groups such as hamstrings, glutes, etc.
• Bullet Attachment – It has the smallest surface area. It’s used for targeted treatment, i.e., trigger points. The most intense one from Hypervolt.

Other Things about Hypervolt Heads

• The two full-sized Hypervolt models come with the same set of attachments (5 pieces). The exception is the Hypervolt Go 2 (mini version), which includes only the flat head and bullet head (no soft attachment, for us it’s a deal breaker!).
• Hypervolt attachments are interchangeable across different models – same attachment base diameter.
• While Hypervolts feature a common attachment mounting system, their heads may also fit massage guns from other brands, and vice versa. To be sure, you need to check the head base diameter and its compatibility. Technically, there’s nothing non-standard about them.

Hypervolt Model	Number of Attachments	Included Attachments
Hypervolt 2 Pro Our review	5	Fork, Ball, Cushion, Flat, Bullet
Hypervolt 2 Our review	5	Fork, Ball, Cushion, Flat, Bullet
Hypervolt Go 2 Our review	2	Flat, Bullet

---

Compatibility Across Brands

So what’s the deal – are massage gun attachments interchangeable between brands? Why even consider their compatibility?

There are several reasons. Perhaps you had a massager that no longer works, but its attachments are still good – it would be great to reuse them. Or maybe your massager came with several attachments, but it’s missing a specific one you need, prompting you to buy an additional one. Another scenario could be losing or wearing out your current attachments, with replacements from the original manufacturer being unavailable or too expensive (like in the case of Theragun).

Such situations are possible, and it’s valuable to know the options. To confirm compatibility, all you need to check are the type of mounting system and the diameter of both the attachment’s base and the massage gun head.

Many massagers use a classic push-and-pull system, and here, finding a suitable substitute with the right diameter should be feasible. Yet, for some unique solutions (like Theragun, Ekrin B37S and 365 with their push and twist system, or the screw-on head of Bob and Brad X6 Pro), interchangeability might not be possible.

It’s also worth noting that third-party replacement kits available on Amazon (like this one here) usually specify their size, and their compatibility with specific brands and models is often listed. We suggest reading customer reviews to verify this information.

---

Cleaning and Maintenance – How to Properly Care for Your Massage Gun Heads

Keeping your massage gun attachments clean is crucial for hygiene and to ensure their longevity.

Fortunately, cleaning these attachments is usually a simple process due to their smooth surfaces. To effectively clean an attachment, gently wipe it down using a damp cloth or an antibacterial wipe. This will help remove any sweat, oil, or dirt accumulated during use.

For attachments made of foam, a bit more care is required due to their porous nature. Lightly spray them with alcohol or a sanitizing solution. It’s important not to soak the foam, as this can damage the material. After spraying, allow the attachment to air dry completely before using it again. This process will ensure that your foam attachments are not only clean but also maintained in good condition.

---

Conclusion

This way we’ve covered all the essentials you need to know about massage gun heads.

We’re curious about your preferences. Which attachment is your favorite? Which material works best for your skin? Are there any you don’t like or find problematic?

We’d love to hear about your favorites or any experiences you’d like to share. Feel free to drop us a comment, or join the conversation in our Facebook discussion group Massage Gun Talks. Cheers!