Can you bring a Massage Gun on a Plane?

A good massage gun is best to accompany you daily, whether at work, the gym, or at home. Accordingly, the massager should not be missing even on vacation to relieve muscle tension and improve recovery. But can I take a massage gun on the plane? I asked myself this question and would like to answer it in the following article.

 

Short Answer

Yes, it is allowed to take a massage gun on the plane. However, you must follow the regulations of the TSA. This means that a massage gun with a built-in battery can be carried in both carry-on and checked baggage. However, there are a few things to consider when transporting in carry-on luggage. For example, the massage gun must be switched off during transport.
If the battery is removable, you can take the massage gun on the plane in your checked baggage. However, a separate battery and charger must be transported separately in your carry-on baggage.

 

Long Answer

You have now briefly learned that massage guns are usually allowed to be taken on an airplane. What else you need to know about this and how to correctly transport a massage gun on the plane, I would now like to explain in more detail.

 

Information on the TSA Website

You can check the TSA website to see what items can and cannot be taken on the plane. There it is written that massage devices are allowed.

However, it does not say what kind of massager it is. Therefore, let’s look at the regulation on devices with a lithium battery. This includes laptops, tablets and massage guns. In this regulation of the TSA, the following is written:

Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. Lithium metal (non-rechargeable) batteries are limited to 2 grams of lithium per battery. Lithium ion (rechargeable) batteries are limited to a rating of 100 watt hours (Wh) per battery. These limits allow for nearly all types of lithium batteries used by the average person in their electronic devices.

Thus, you can take most massage guns in your hand luggage as well as checked luggage. Only separate batteries need to be careful. These may only be transported in carry-on baggage. But more about that in the next section.

If you are still not sure whether you can take the massage gun with you on the plane, you can ask the TSA directly via AskTSA what applies to your device. Just send AskTSA a photo of the massager via Facebook or Twitter.

 

Removable vs. built-in Battery

An important role in transporting the massager on the plane is whether the battery is built in or can be removed.

• If the battery is built into the massager, you can take the massage gun in both carry-on and checked baggage.
• If, on the other hand, the battery is removable, you must take the battery and, if applicable, the charger in your carry-on baggage. However, you may then take the massage gun itself on the plane in your checked baggage.

Therefore, massagers with removable batteries are less suitable for air travel. You are then not allowed to simply transport the carrying case with replacement batteries in your luggage. Loose batteries may be taken only carry-on baggage.

 

Size matters

Most massage guns have a permanently installed battery. These must therefore be transported in hand luggage. On the one hand, you have to make sure that they fit into your hand luggage. On the other hand, the size and weight of your hand luggage must not exceed the maximum values specified by the airline. These vary greatly from airline to airline and can change. Therefore, it is best to check the dimensions of your carry-on luggage on your airline’s website before you fly.

 

Information given by known Massage Guns Brands

Now you have learned what to consider in general for the transport of massage guns on the plane. Of course, there may be exceptional cases here, depending on the device. Therefore, you will find here the statements of well-known manufacturers on this subject:

 

Therabody

Therabody writes the following on its own website:

When traveling with your G3PRO, Lithium-ion batteries must be stored in carry-on baggage only. When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate, all Lithium batteries must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin.

Since G3 and liv devices have a built-in Lithium-ion battery, it must be stored in your carry-on baggage only.

While you are able to travel with your Theragun device and accessories in your carry-on luggage, it is at the discretion of the TSA officer to allow it through. Please feel free to share our website and social media with them if they are unfamiliar with our device.¹

 

Hyperice

The statement for Hyperice (Hypervolt) is similar to that for Theragun:

Don’t let your travel plans get in the way of your recovery. All of our products are TSA approved so you can continue to do what you love. More. And wherever you go.

Just be sure to keep them in your carry-on as lithium-ion batteries cannot be stowed in checked luggage. If you’re traveling internationally, don’t forget to pack your international adapter which is included with your device.²

 

Other

For other well-known massage gun brands, such as TimTam, Mebak, etc., I could not find any statements about whether it is allowed to take them on the plane. However, the same rules should apply here as with the Theragun or the Hyperice Hypervolt.

 

Conclusion – Can you bring a Massage Gun on a Plane?

The good news is that massage guns are allowed to be taken on airplanes. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. What these are, I have told you in this article.
If you don’t have time to read the whole article, here’s a summary of what to consider when taking a massage gun on a plane:

 

References

1. https://www.therabody.com/us/en-us/faq/getting-started/faq-category-1-faq-3.html
2. https://hyperice.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360035140493-Can-I-travel-with-my-Hyperice-product-