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

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. 

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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.