I tried the SKG G7 neck massager — it’s the ultimate cure for my WFH neck pain

HAVING been a professional product reviewer for a few years now, I like to think I know which products are a waste of time.

Before trying it, I would have put a £125 neck massager firmly in that category; it feels like the type of product I’d use once and then consign to my ever-growing pile of tat.

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

However, having been hands-on (or, rather, neck-on) with it for the past two weeks, I’ve got to admit that I’ve come to love the SKG G7 Pro-Fold.

I’m lucky enough to work from home a couple of days per week.

However, I don’t have space in my flat for a desk or monitors, meaning my WFH setup tends to comprise hunching over my laptop at the kitchen breakfast bar.

It’ll come as no surprise that it leads to occasional aches and pains.

Enter the SKG G7 Pro-Fold, a foldable neck massager equipped with nine vibrating heads, five modes and four levels of heat and vibration.

If you think that all sounds a bit “TV shopping channel”, I don’t blame you; that was my initial reaction.

However, over the last two weeks, the SKG has gently massaged me into changing my mind.

Pros:

• Massage mode genuinely makes a difference to everyday aches and pains
• Heat mode acts as a good hot compress
• Portable and lightweight
• Comfortable design
• Long battery life

Cons:

• Expensive
• A bit fiddly to control (although the app solves this issue)

Rating: 8/10

How I tested the SKG Neck Massager

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

I’ve been using the SKG massager for the last couple of weeks, both while working in the office and working from home.

In other words, I’ve been getting massages on company time while passing it off as work.

It’s a tough life.

SKG Neck Massager: Quickfire Q&A

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

What is it? It’s a portable neck massager; it fits around your neck like a travel pillow and gives you short massages that reportedly penetrate 10mm into your muscles.

Who is it designed for? Anyone and everyone, as far as I can tell, but I get the impression it’s intended more for recreational use than for anything too clinical. People using pacemakers or other electronic medical devices shouldn’t use it, and neither should those who are pregnant.

How much is it? It’s £124.99, and delivery is free.

What we loved: It’s a good stress reliever; it’s a nice experience to get a warm massage while you’re at work. I also liked the amount of choice you get from its wide selection of massage techniques, five modes and four heat levels.

What we didn’t: It’s not cheap, and it’s a bit of a pain to control using the wheel button on the side of the device (although the app solves this issue). And while it’s not a flaw as such, it’s worth noting that the sensation does take a bit of getting used to.

The Nitty Gritty

First impressions

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

I’ll admit that I was a bit cynical when it first turned up.

It’s not that it looks badly made, tacky or anything like that — it’s just… does anyone need a £125 neck massager?

It feels like the sort of thing that shopaholics buy in the middle of the night while watching QVC.

Having said that, it is nicely designed; it has a textured navy blue design, a cushioned grey (fake) leather inside and silver accents.

Admittedly the nine silver massage nodes look a little intimidating, but being the brave grown-up I am, I slipped it on and pressed the button on the right-hand arm to turn it on. (It comes charged, which is nice).

A loud female voice immediately announced I was in “relax mode”, scaring me slightly; it also alerted those around me to my activities, meaning the next 20 minutes were spent passing it around the bank of desks.

The consensus was that the sensation is odd, albeit not unpleasurable. And once the massager made it back around to me — and I hit the mute switch on the bottom of the right arm — I spent 20 minutes getting used to the feeling.

The only complaint I have right off the bat is that the controls on the right of the device are a little fiddly to use; you have to push a wheel in a certain direction to trigger different vibration modes.

Thankfully, this issue is solved simply by downloading the app, which allows you to change vibration and heat levels, choose which massage technique you want, and even download new massage techniques to choose from.

Does it deliver?

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

Not to state the obvious, but the sensation of being massaged by the G7 Pro-Fold is not like being massaged by a human person.

It obviously can’t conjure the same sort of pressure that a person’s hands can, so instead it relies on a series of vibrations and pulses — at first they feel like tiny electric shocks, but you soon get used to it.

There’s a bit of trial and error involved in finding what your preferences are; for example, I found that I didn’t enjoy the hot compress function, though those experiencing issues with tight muscles would find it really useful.

Similarly, I tended to keep the pulse level low but the vibration level high; the pulses felt a bit too electric-shock-y for me, while the vibrations really felt as if they were helping to relax my neck muscles.

There’s also a wide selection of “massage techniques” to choose from, which address specific needs and concerns; examples include “Relax”, “Powerful Awakening” and “Palm Push Decompression”.

I found I liked the ones that took advantage of the device’s impressively large massage area like the “Hard Pressing” technique, focusing especially on the lower areas of my neck where I think I get the most tightness.

I also found that I liked the “Powerful Awakening” technique, which alternates between short, sharp pulses and intense vibrations across your upper then lower neck.

I found it was extremely useful in the post-lunch lull, to inject a bit of energy into my day.

After using it regularly for a couple of weeks, I’d say I do have less day-to-day neck pain, but it’s hard to say how much of that is down to the G7 Pro-Fold itself — it’s possible that owning the device has simply made me pay more attention to my posture.

Practical matters

G7 Pro-Fold Foldable Neck Massager, £124.99 from SKG

The G7 Pro-Fold is designed to be portable, and I’d say it hits that brief; the two arms that go either side of your neck fold in (albeit not too neatly), meaning you could easily throw them in your work, gym or travel bag.

SKG claims that the G7 has a 140-minute battery life, which broadly aligns with my experience; I got a week’s worth of massages before I had to recharge it.

How much is the SKG G7 Pro-Fold?

It’s £124.99, which admittedly feels like a lot.

That’s especially true when you realise that there are several options from other brands available for well under £100.

However, it’s broadly in line with how much you’d pay for a premium massage gun, and cheaper than a lot of products from high-end brands like Therabody.

Where to buy the SKG G7 Pro-Fold

You can buy the G7 Pro-Fold from SKG’s website, where you’ll be treated to free delivery.

SKG G7 Pro-Fold alternatives

There’s a surprising number of options these days when it comes to neck massagers.

If you’re looking for something on a budget there are a lot of options from Homedics; the most similar to the SKG is probably the Deep Kneading Neck Massager with Heat, which is currently £79.99 on Amazon and comes with a rating of 3.8 stars out of 5.

Another option with great reviews on Amazon is the iKristin Neck Massager, which is just £29.99 at the time of writing.

However, you have to put your arms through two bulky straps, meaning it’s not as easy to use as the SKG, and it’s a lot less portable.