After chatting with Levin and getting a brief assessment, she hooked me up to the Emsculpt NEO machine. I swapped my jeans for a pair of stretchy shorts. I left my shirt on, but lifted it up so that the paddle could rest on my whole body.

The car turned on and I started on medium. Again, I had no idea what to expect from the treatment, so when I felt the first contraction, my body shuddered a bit (from surprise or discomfort, I’m still not sure). I wouldn’t describe the feeling as painful but it’s definitely not convenient.

I will say: it doesn’t feel like you’re just sitting in a chair doing nothing. My presses were, of course working! It was almost like doing crunches—just, you know, lying down.

Every few minutes, the contractions would stop and the paddle would tap for a few beats before continuing the treatment. Levine says these taps help release lactic acid from the muscles, which prevents soreness.

As I got used to the feeling, Levin and her team left the room. Aside from someone checking on me periodically, it was just me and my Emsculpt and for the rest of the 30 minutes I was able to scroll through my phone and relax.