Therabody JetBoots Prime Review 2025: My Secret for Conquering Leg Day
ShoppingWhen it comes to compression boots, the gains are worth the squeeze.By Tyler Chin March 7, 2025Save this storySaveSave this storySaveAll products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.Updated 3/7/25 with long term Therabody Jetboots Prime testing notes.In my continued efforts to get Paul Mescal-level thighs, I've been hitting the squat rack pretty hard. The result? Well, a moderate improvement in leg thickness—and a lot of soreness. Combine that with two to three days of running a week, and you'll find me limping my way almost everywhere. I've been focusing on recovery a lot these days (namely making good use of my massage gun) but I'd been seeing at-home compression boots a lot on my Instagram explore page, where athletes cosplay as the Michelin man and suddenly feel looser, more relaxed, and ready for another go at leg day.Therabody—the brand behind the popular line of Theragun massagers—sells a few of these compression boots, dubbed the RecoveryAir line, with one of its newer offerings being the travel-ready JetBoots Prime. I wanted to see if it was worth dropping $500 on something that you used to only be able to get if you were a professional athlete or a repeat PT customer. I zipped into the Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots Prime for two weeks to see how it affected my athletic performance and how it aided in my post-workout recovery and overall leg wellness.TherabodyTherabody JetBoots Prime$499 TherabodyPros & ConsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronProsWhole leg inflates at onceOffers a good amount of pressureConsBoots don't separateGets warm in thereSpecsAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronBattery Life: 180 minutesMaterial: NylonWeight: Short (5.5 pounds), Regular (6 pounds), Large (6.3 pounds)Warranty: One yearPressure Settings: 25, 50, 75, 100 mmHgWhat Are Compression Boots Good For?You know those machines they use at the doctor's to get your blood pressure? Imagine that, but super-sized for your legs. Compression boots use air to squeeze your feet and legs, which has been proven to help increase blood flow and circulation. The result of that is reduced muscle soreness and a shortened recovery time, all a part of why compression therapy has been implemented into professional athletes’ post-game recovery. They're also great for using to warm up before a workout, so that you can get the blood going throughout your body to reduce the risk of injury. (No, they won't replace a good-old stretch, but they just might help you clock a PR if you get your squeeze on before a run.)The JetBoots Prime, deflated. Tyler ChinThe JetBoots Prime, inflated. Tyler ChinThese Boots Were Not Made for WalkingThe two legs of the Therabody JetBoots Primed are connected, and can't be detached to be used independently from each other. The easiest way to slip into these is by sitting down and slipping into them like a pair of pants. Once you're in, you're in. There's no way to walk around, either when it's inflated or deflated, but if you want to free yourself, just unzip and step out.Fully inflated, I feel like the Michelin man. Tyler ChinFeel the SqueezeThe Jetboots Prime has pressure ranges from 25 mmHg to 100 mmHg. Beginners might want to start with the lowest pressure so they can understand how it feels before kicking it up to the max. The brand recommends that you use lower pressure for pre-workout stuff, just to kickstart your circulation, while reserving the higher pressures for post-activity recovery or everyday circulation improvements. The 25mmHg setting felt nice, but I definitely thought I could handle more, with 100mmHg feeling the most satisfying pressure level to use whether it was for pre- or post-activity. You can also set time intervals for anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour, with the option to eschew the preset timers for “continuous” use—though you could always just set it for continuous and hit pause to end your session whenever you're ready. It would've been nice if the control panel had a countdown so you'd know how much time you had left, but if you time your session to a podcast you're listening to or a show you're watching, then you could use that to time your usage.You control the power, pressure levels, and duration all from this control panel on your leg. Tyler ChinOnce you start your compression session, the boots gradually and slowly fill with air, tightening around your feet and legs until they've fully inflated to the pressure level you set. In the past, I'd tried out the Hyperice Normatec Elite compression boots—a 2024 GQ Fitness Awards winner—and those inflate at different points throughout the leg—i.e. first the boots will inflate around your legs, then around your calf and shins, moving upward. I liked how the JetBoots Prime inflate all at once so you don't have to wait for your hammies to feel the squeeze while your dogs are getting their treatment. Once the boots are fully inflated, it takes a few beats bef
All products are independently selected by our editors. If you buy something, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Updated 3/7/25 with long term Therabody Jetboots Prime testing notes.
In my continued efforts to get Paul Mescal-level thighs, I've been hitting the squat rack pretty hard. The result? Well, a moderate improvement in leg thickness—and a lot of soreness. Combine that with two to three days of running a week, and you'll find me limping my way almost everywhere. I've been focusing on recovery a lot these days (namely making good use of my massage gun) but I'd been seeing at-home compression boots a lot on my Instagram explore page, where athletes cosplay as the Michelin man and suddenly feel looser, more relaxed, and ready for another go at leg day.
Therabody—the brand behind the popular line of Theragun massagers—sells a few of these compression boots, dubbed the RecoveryAir line, with one of its newer offerings being the travel-ready JetBoots Prime. I wanted to see if it was worth dropping $500 on something that you used to only be able to get if you were a professional athlete or a repeat PT customer. I zipped into the Therabody RecoveryAir JetBoots Prime for two weeks to see how it affected my athletic performance and how it aided in my post-workout recovery and overall leg wellness.
Specs
- Battery Life: 180 minutes
- Material: Nylon
- Weight: Short (5.5 pounds), Regular (6 pounds), Large (6.3 pounds)
- Warranty: One year
- Pressure Settings: 25, 50, 75, 100 mmHg
What Are Compression Boots Good For?
You know those machines they use at the doctor's to get your blood pressure? Imagine that, but super-sized for your legs. Compression boots use air to squeeze your feet and legs, which has been proven to help increase blood flow and circulation. The result of that is reduced muscle soreness and a shortened recovery time, all a part of why compression therapy has been implemented into professional athletes’ post-game recovery. They're also great for using to warm up before a workout, so that you can get the blood going throughout your body to reduce the risk of injury. (No, they won't replace a good-old stretch, but they just might help you clock a PR if you get your squeeze on before a run.)
These Boots Were Not Made for Walking
The two legs of the Therabody JetBoots Primed are connected, and can't be detached to be used independently from each other. The easiest way to slip into these is by sitting down and slipping into them like a pair of pants. Once you're in, you're in. There's no way to walk around, either when it's inflated or deflated, but if you want to free yourself, just unzip and step out.
Feel the Squeeze
The Jetboots Prime has pressure ranges from 25 mmHg to 100 mmHg. Beginners might want to start with the lowest pressure so they can understand how it feels before kicking it up to the max. The brand recommends that you use lower pressure for pre-workout stuff, just to kickstart your circulation, while reserving the higher pressures for post-activity recovery or everyday circulation improvements. The 25mmHg setting felt nice, but I definitely thought I could handle more, with 100mmHg feeling the most satisfying pressure level to use whether it was for pre- or post-activity. You can also set time intervals for anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour, with the option to eschew the preset timers for “continuous” use—though you could always just set it for continuous and hit pause to end your session whenever you're ready. It would've been nice if the control panel had a countdown so you'd know how much time you had left, but if you time your session to a podcast you're listening to or a show you're watching, then you could use that to time your usage.
Once you start your compression session, the boots gradually and slowly fill with air, tightening around your feet and legs until they've fully inflated to the pressure level you set. In the past, I'd tried out the Hyperice Normatec Elite compression boots—a 2024 GQ Fitness Awards winner—and those inflate at different points throughout the leg—i.e. first the boots will inflate around your legs, then around your calf and shins, moving upward. I liked how the JetBoots Prime inflate all at once so you don't have to wait for your hammies to feel the squeeze while your dogs are getting their treatment. Once the boots are fully inflated, it takes a few beats before the air is released and you can feel the blood rushing around your legs. It's quite a satisfying feeling, and this just happens over and over again until your session is over or you decide it's time to unzip your way out.
Long-Term Testing Notes
As I'm writing this, it's been many months since I first strapped into the JetBoots Prime, and the question remains: How have them improved my leg days? TL;DR: A lot. Is my post-leg-day soreness gone for good? Absolutely not, but in the long run, strapping myself into these boots has dramatically reduced the amount of times I creak and groan when I sit and get up, while the pursuit to crush a watermelon between my legs looks less like an impossible task and more like a possibility. (Mr. Mescal is officially on notice.)
Are They Worth It?
For $500, you're getting high-level recovery treatments whenever you want for as long as you want. I mostly used the JetBoots Prime for post-workout recovery, and it always left me feeling loose and ready for another lower body-heavy workout. I'm still slightly sore the next day, but I have noticed that using the boots have decreases the length of time I’m achey. There's also something quite relaxing about being immobile when you're using them—you can't do much other than sit and let the air do its work.
Part of the appeal of this new wave of at-home pneumatic compression boots is how much more streamlined they've become as the technology's advanced. These, like the Normatec Elites I've tried, are completely wireless compression boots (not including the charger) and fold down to fit in an included drawstring bag. The portability factor of these makes them great for those who travel the world for marathons or whoever makes sure to hit the hotel gym no matter what country they're in. They’re also just great after a long day of walking to reduce muscle fatigue, and it could be a game changer for making sure you never complain about achey legs again. Given their ease of use, wireless design, and how post deflation they pack down into the size of a textbook, I could see a lot of people squeezing these into their carry-ons. Again, I'm nowhere near as big as Paul got for Gladiator II, but using these boots lets me train my legs way harder than usual, which in turn makes me feel like I might just get there some day. (And I'm way less self-conscious when it comes to wearing short shorts).
