We would rather tell you the truth and keep you as a customer. Warmth and rolling pressure are the two things a massage therapist reaches for first, and most people find tight shoulders feel considerably easier afterwards. What it will not do is treat an injury, a trapped nerve or a long-standing condition — it is not a medical device and we are not going to pretend otherwise. It also cannot remove whatever is making you tense in the first place. Use it a few evenings a week for a fortnight and judge it on how your neck actually feels. If pain is persistent or getting worse, please see a doctor or physiotherapist rather than buying a gadget.

A small recovery brand with one belief: the relief people book a salon for should not need a diary entry. The Zaptona One is where we started — warm, deep-kneading pressure aimed squarely at the neck and shoulders, at a price that lets it live in your front room rather than on a list of things you will get round to.

Mostly on the sofa in the evening, from what customers tell us — but also at a desk between meetings, in an armchair, or sat on the edge of the bed before sleep. It shapes itself over your shoulders and stays put while you sit, and because it is cordless you do not need to be near a plug. One rule though: never while you are driving, and never while operating anything.

Yes, and we would rather put it up front than hide it in the small print. Speak to your doctor before using it if you have a pacemaker or any implanted device, if you are pregnant, or if you have had a recent injury, operation, fracture or blood clot, or have a skin condition where it would sit. Do not use it on broken skin, do not use it while driving or operating machinery, do not fall asleep wearing it, and keep it away from children. Begin on the lowest setting, keep your first sessions short, and take it off if anything hurts.

It takes the same USB-C cable as most phones, so you can charge it from a plug, a laptop or a power bank — nothing unusual to keep track of. To clean it, wipe the fabric and the nodes with a slightly damp cloth and let it dry naturally. Do not soak it, do not put it in the washing machine, and store it somewhere dry. If it has been in a cupboard for a few months, give it a charge before using it again.

You send it back and we refund you. There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on every order, which is long enough to use it through a proper run of evenings rather than deciding in the first five minutes. Email support@zaptona.com with your order number and we will sort it out — we will not ask you to justify yourself or make you chase us.