Vibration, heat and light therapy are the cure for back pain — and this vibration and heat belt is the best solution

Back pain and muscle strain have become a thing of the past in my life with the Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt. This is easily the most straightforward, versatile treatment option I’ve tested for aches and pains if using one of the best massage guns isn’t for you.

The affordable device offers three types of therapy — heat, vibration and light — and with four levels of customization for each, you can personalize your muscle recovery. The fast heating time is also a winner, and not to mention, it’s incredibly comfortable to wear. I just wish it charged a little faster.

To find out more about the device, you can keep reading this full Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review.

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Specs

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Price & availability

The Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt is available for purchase at Amazon U.S. for $169 and at Amazon U.K. for £159.

This product works in the same way as the Hyperice Venom 2 Back, which I tested last year. It is a vibration and heat belt that costs $269 — quite the investment. But the Bob and Brad belt is a heck of a lot cheaper, and comes with the addition of red light and near-infrared therapy. The Hyperice Venom Go, which costs $129, offers an on-the-go solution to vibration and heat therapy if a belt is too cumbersome.

Bob and Brad have a wide range of products to aid in muscle recovery, including the M7 Plus Mini massage gun ($89), so if you need more deep tissue activation, that could be a good, cheaper choice.

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Design

The Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt is very comfortable to wear, and since it’s so small, it fits underneath clothes pretty discreetly. This meant that even though I was working hard to relax my muscles, I could still get on with some tasks around the house with a full range of movement.

The belt operates on a one-size-fits-most principle and fits a waist of up to 52 inches. It measures 45.3 inches in length, and I needed to tighten the elasticated velcro straps on the back for some extra grip. It also comes with a 15.3-inch extension strap to make the belt a little longer if you want to wear it over clothes, depending on the type of treatment you’re using.

The versatile sizing also makes it super simple to customize the therapy for anywhere on your body, not just your back. For example, the wrap can be placed horizontally around your torso for shoulder treatment, or wrapped around your thigh to treat hamstring strain. You can even place it on the floor and use it on the soles of your feet, as long as you’re careful not to put your full weight on it.

The battery block houses the control panel, which has buttons to control the power, heat, vibration and red light settings. The chosen functions are shown on a digital screen below the buttons, so I was always able to easily see what treatments were happening and could easily make alterations if needed.

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Performance

The Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt is incredibly easy to use. And given how fast it works, it has to be the easiest way to implement an effective recovery routine into your gym routine. I get back pain if I don’t stretch daily, and this belt has pretty much been a God-send.

I have scoliosis in my upper back, and that means I experience pain everywhere from my shoulders to my lower back nerves and my legs without proper routine and management. But this device has seriously simplified everything. All of the settings — heat, vibration and light — can be used independently of each other or all together. This creates a totally customizable experience.

Heat

There are four levels of heat to choose from on the belt. These offer a variation of heat that can be altered depending on the intensity of treatment needed. I often opt for the higher temperatures as I like to wear the belt over my clothes.

It heats up pretty quickly and reaches the selected temperature in a matter of seconds. The temperature range is greater than that of the Hyperice Venom 2 Back, and so I felt like there was much more room for customization. And due to the width of the Bob and Brad belt being smaller than the Venom Back 2, I was able to obtain more focused treatment.

The heat was super effective at relaxing my muscles and works much better than my usual hot water bottle remedy as it fastens tightly to the body. This can be adjusted for preference, but having it fastened securely made me feel the effects of the heat more intensely.

Vibration

There are four vibration settings on the belt, which use a variation of pulses to activate the muscles and speed up recovery. You can use the button on the battery pack to cycle through these settings, and you get the choice of "integrated," "relaxation," "soothing," and "exercise recovery" modes.

The most intense of these settings is the "exercise recovery" mode, and the most gentle is the "soothing mode." Having such a range to choose from is great, as you can tailor the setting based on your routine.

These all vary in intensity, but I’d recommend either using the belt directly on skin or over thin clothing, as the intensity can get lost with too many layers.

After using them all, the relaxation settings worked best for me as it wasn’t too intense but still offered relief from sore muscles. The vibrations were most effective when I used the belt strapped across my shoulder, and after ten minutes of use, I felt like I had a new shoulder.

Light

There are four levels of light intensity, which range from low to high, and these can be cycled from the battery pack. In recent years, red light therapy has become somewhat of a trend, with its integration in beauty products and fitness products alike for its rejuvenating properties, so I’m not surprised to see it here.

The dual-wavelength red light (600nm) works to boost surface-level circulation, drawing more blood to the area for muscle repair, and the near infrared light (850nm) works to soothe deeper muscles.

These wavelengths can help to penetrate the muscles and reduce inflammation by speeding up the muscle repair process. I felt like the effects of the belt lasted a little longer when I used the light, and I could go two or three days before the aches returned.

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Battery life

The Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt has a battery life of two to four hours, depending on what cycles of heat, vibration and light you’re using. The belt works in 15-minute cycles and will automatically go into standby mode after this.

I find that this is enough time for the belt to work its magic. But after it runs out of juice, you’ll be waiting a while before your next use, as it takes four hours to fully charge up again. The belt charges via USB-C and comes with a USB-A to USB-C charging cable.

There’s a battery indicator on the belt with four bars depicting a full charge. This is a great feature, as with the Hyperice Venom 2 Back, I was never able to tell how much battery I had remaining.

Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt review: Verdict

The Bob and Brad ThermoRed 3-in-1 Back Belt has been a great addition to my post-workout recovery regimen and is an ideal budget solution when compared to other models on the market. The heat and vibration therapy work well together to soothe muscles and reduce aches and pains in the following days.

I love that I can customize the settings to suit my daily needs. The red light therapy makes the belt even more versatile, depending on your needs for muscle repair. The only drawback is the length of time this thing takes to charge up, but then you’re good to go for a couple of days of treatment.

It’s been a total God-send for someone like me who suffers with regular back pain, and it could be the solution that saves your back, too.