CNET's key takeaways
The JetBoots Pro Plus are pricey at $1,150, but could be worth it if you spend a lot of time on your feet.
They combine pneumatic compression, infrared LED light and vibration therapies to combat muscle soreness and fatigue.
Battery life can be confusing, and the boots are clunky to handle, but I'm not sure there's a way around that.
When I visited the first full-scale, AI-powered gym in Los Angeles, I ended my experience by using the Therabody JetBoots Pro Plus, which are offered to all members for recovery after their workouts. They're inflatable boots that extend from your foot to your thigh, stimulating blood flow with compressive pulses, reducing inflammation with LED light therapy and decreasing muscle stiffness with vibration. I enjoyed my experience using them, but didn't have enough time to develop a strong opinion.
Now, Therabody loaned me the FDA-cleared JetBoots Pro Plus for at-home use, and I've spent the last month testing them to see if they benefit my recovery after working out. As a wellness editor who regularly tests health technology to see if it stands out on the market, I have to say that the JetBoots are one of the coolest devices I've tested. They made me feel like an astronaut, and look like a product straight from the future. I also enjoyed how they combine multiple therapies so that my legs don't feel like they're made of wood after an intense workout.
My experience with the JetBoots Pro Plus
My workouts of choice are Pilates, hiking and long walks to get my steps in, and often, I feel the effects in my legs. Following my exercise, I've been using the JetBoots, zipping them up my legs while relaxing on the couch, since you can't use them while standing. There is no app, so you manage the device using the built-in control panel, which has a high-resolution LCD screen on the primary boot. The second boot has its own power button, but wirelessly connects to the primary boot.
The control panel on the JetBoots Pro Plus. Anna Gragert/CNET
In addition to recovery, you can also use the JetBoots for warm-ups, sleep and targeting specific parts of your legs. There are seven preset treatments -- quick start, recovery, warm-up, lower leg, upper leg, knee, joint therapy, pain relief and sleep prep -- all of which have different durations (10 to 60 minutes), pressures (20 to 100 mmHg or millimeters of mercury, a unit of pressure) and cycle types. The latter refers to how the air chambers inflate along the legs: sequential, sequential (isolation), static and flow. Some use vibration (low, medium and high) and LED (on or off). All of these features, except cycle type, can be adjusted during your treatment.
... continue reading