HoMedics' new cupping-inspired vacuum massager is designed to suction away your cellulite

(Image credit: HoMedics)

published 18 September 2021

HoMedics has launched a new style of massager designed to smooth uneven or dimpled skin. The Smoothee IR vacuum massager is based around the traditional Chinese practice of cupping that was all the rage a few years ago, and adds heating and cooling functions for good measure.

This brand is a regular in our best massager guide, and a trusted name in the health and wellness tech space, but we haven't seen this style of product from them before. A vacuum in the device draws the skin up into a smooth cup, increasing blood circulation to the area and, according to HoMedics, creating a deep tissue massaging effect.

While the concept is almost exactly the same as traditional cupping, HoMedics is marketing it as a different thing with a different purpose. Cupping is used to ease pain, often in the back or neck, while the Smoothee is designed to smooth the skin out and remove dimples.

Buy HoMedics Smoothee IR from Homedics or Amazon
Browse the best massage chairs and chair pads around

The technique is also different. While with cupping, the cups are typically used on your back and left in place (which is responsible for that dramatic circular bruising you might have seen photos of). The Smoothee can be used on your thighs, arms or abdomen, and you oil the skin up first, then move the device slowly over your skin.

There are three cup sizes to choose from – small, medium or large – as well as three intensity levels, plus the option to go for intermittent suction rather than continuous. HoMedics will often chuck a heat function into its products and this one's no exception. Excitingly, as well as the heat function, you can swap in a cooling head, designed to soothe the skin after you've suctioned it.

I can't speak for whether it actually works or not, but there are some promising looking stats from clinical research. The Smoothee IR massager is available to buy now from www.homedics.co.uk or Amazon, with an RRP of £129.99.

Ruth is a lifestyle journalist specialising in sleep and wellbeing. She has tested more mattresses than her small flat can handle and will talk at length about them to anyone who shows even a passing interest, and has had to implement a one-in-one-out pillow policy for fear of getting smothered in the night. As well as following all the industry trends and advancements in the mattress and bedding world, she regularly speaks to certified experts to delve into the science behind a great night's sleep, and offer you advice to help you get there. She's currently Sleep Editor on Tom's Guide and TechRadar, and prior to that ran the Outdoors and Wellness channels on T3 (now covered by Matt Kollat and Beth Girdler-Maslen respectively).