1 / 9
The best products for tense, aching and sore muscles
If a tough workout has got you walking like John Wayne or a day sat in front of a computer has left shoulders stiff, it can take a while to get back to feeling your best. Thankfully though, there are some great muscle soothing products out there that can help speed things along. From bath soaks to body balms and Epsom salts, there’s something to suit all budgets and areas of bodily tension.
Here are the bathroom shelf and gym bag essentials we reach for when DOMS and desk woes have got us feeling down.
2 / 9
Mio Liquid Yoga Restorative Bath Soak, £26 for 200ml
A favourite among the GTG team, this non-foaming milky bath soak creates a little cocoon of calm at the end of a frantic day. With Epsom salts (magnesium sulphate) to relax muscles and a range of omega-rich, hydrating and skin replenishing essential oils, just pour into a warm running bath and sit back and feel the stiffness melt away. It also smells incredible.
3 / 9
Elemental Herbology Muscle Melt, £25 for 50ml
Containing turmeric to stimulate blood circulation and warming ginger and ho wood, this buttery balm is great for keeping on desks and in gym bags to help ease away muscular discomfort. From shoulder tension to post-workout rigidity, limbs feel noticeably more limber after use.
4 / 9
Origins Warm Down Warming Lava Scrub, £29 for 150ml
The warming sensation that happens when this scrub comes into contact with water makes it quite the addictive addition to your shower routine. Containing volcanic ash and an essential oil blend of wild mint, spearmint and vanilla, skin’s left soft and body de-stressed.
5 / 9
Dr Teal’s Pure Epsom Salt Soaking Solution, Pre and Post-Workout, £7.99 for 1.36kg
Helping to boost energy levels and aid recovery, this budget-friendly bumper pack of Epsom salts works a treat before and after a visit to the gym. Containing magnesium sulphate and menthol, its refreshing citrus and mint scent helps clear mental cobwebs too. No wonder it’s the “workout remedy of choice” of professional dancer and former global Reebok ambassador, Danielle Peazer.
6 / 9
This Works Perfect Body Muscle Therapy, £18 for 50ml
Designed with a handy rollerball applicator, this genius piece of portable muscle therapy is ideal for more targeted tension relief. Selecting marjoram for its relaxing properties, black pepper for its stimulating benefits and clove for its pain-relieving abilities, it can be applied to temples to ward off headaches as well as sore muscles after a particularly strenuous workout - you won’t want to leave home without it.
7 / 9
China-Gel Topical Pain Reliever, £14.95 for 113.5g
The post-mat go-to product for our Editor Victoria Woodhall, this yogi favourite provides welcome relief from joint and muscular pain thanks to its soothing 7 herb formula. Containing menthol, camphor, ginseng, angelica, lavender, aloe vera and witch hazel and inspired by modern tech and the ancient pain relieving concepts of Chinese medicine, its cool-to-warm formula quickly relieves tension and absorbs speedily into skin too.
8 / 9
Aromatherapy Associates De-stress Muscle Gel, £24 for 150ml
If an evening workout has left body and mind a little tense, the enveloping aroma of this soothing gel is certain to help stop it in its track. Instantly cooling and warming up over time, it appeals to a range of senses with essential oils of rosemary, black pepper, lavender and ginger acting as the ideal pre-bed dream team.
9 / 9
REN Atlantic Kelp and Microalgae Anti-Fatigue Toning Body Oil, £35 for 110ml
The perfect massage aid, this rich and hydrating body oil helps give skin and body a re-energising boost. Containing a fatigue-fighting combination of magnesium-rich Atlantic kelp extract and microalgae, simply massage into areas of tension in circular motions for a dose of post-bath bliss.
Available from the end of October 2017.