ThighMaster: How Suzanne Somers’ Thigh Toner Works, What It Tones, and Where to Buy

What Is a ThighMaster?

The ThighMaster is a spring-loaded exerciser made of two padded loops joined at a hinge, sold since 1991 with Suzanne Somers as its face. You set it between your knees, press the arms together, and let them open again. That squeeze loads the adductors, the muscles along your inner thighs, and with a change of grip it also works the chest and arms.

A woman exercising with a ThighMaster toning device on her living room floor

It has no cables, no plates, and no setup. A metal spring sits inside the hinge, foam covers each loop, and the whole product fits in a drawer. Some listings spell the name as two words, thigh master, but it is the same piece of exercise equipment.

From a Swedish Therapy Tool to a 1991 Fitness Gadget Hit

The device did not start on TV. Anne-Marie Bennstrom, then a Swedish physical medicine student, built the first version in the 1960s to help injured skiers rebuild leg strength, and called it the V-Bar. Joshua Reynolds, the entrepreneur behind the mood ring, later reworked it by hiding the spring and changing the colors. Marketer Peter Bieler and his direct-response company, Ovation, then aimed the pitch at one specific muscle group: the thighs.

Suzanne Somers, the “Three’s Company” star, became spokesperson and part-owner. Her infomercial spots debuted in April 1991 and showed her pressing the toner on camera while she talked, which made the promise look easy to use in front of the television. It became one of the defining 90s infomercials and still makes lists of the greatest TV pitches ever aired.

How big did it get? Bieler has said about 6 million units sold within 18 months of launch, and in 2020 Somers estimated 10 to 15 million in total, according to a Mental Floss history of the gadget. Those are the sellers’ own figures, not audited numbers. Somers later said she bought out her partners and owned the brand outright.

That celebrity-fronted, problem-then-solution template shaped how as-seen-on-TV products were marketed for three decades and put Somers among the most famous TV pitch personalities. When she died in October 2023, coverage in the New York Times looked back at the toner. It outlasted 1990s fads like the Ab Roller and later ones like the Shake Weight.

Which Muscles Does the ThighMaster Work?

The main target is the adductor group, which pulls your legs toward the body’s midline. Anatomists call that motion adduction (one of the anatomical terms of motion), and desk-bound people almost never load it. Where you place the hinge decides what else gets worked:

  • Between the knees, seated: the adductors, the classic move from the commercials.
  • Between the ankles, lying on your side: the outer hip and glutes, with the gluteus maximus stabilizing.
  • Between the palms at chest height: the pectoralis major and front deltoids.
  • One loop in your hand, the other braced against your upper arm: the biceps.

Can a ThighMaster Slim Your Legs?

No, not on its own. Spot training, the idea that working one body part will burn the fat sitting over it, does not hold up in exercise science. The workout can make what’s underneath firmer and stronger, but a slimmer leg only shows up when overall body fat drops.

A Basic Seated ThighMaster Workout

  1. Sit tall on a firm chair with your feet flat on the floor.
  2. Place the toner between your knees, curved end pointing down.
  3. Press your knees together, hold two to three seconds, then release slowly.
  4. Do 15 to 20 repetitions per set, three sets total.

The slow release matters more than the press. Letting the spring snap back skips the eccentric, lengthening half of each rep, which supplies much of the strength stimulus. The reason cheap knockoffs feel worse is usually the padding: thin foam lets the metal frame dig into skin, so people quit before the adductors are tired.

Where a Fixed Spring Runs Out

The ThighMaster delivers what it was sold on: a simple, low-impact way to strengthen and tone the adductors at home, especially for people new to resistance training. It falls short as a full program. One fixed spring can’t provide progressive overload, the gradual increase in load that keeps your body adapting, so once the press feels easy you’re maintaining rather than building. Like the George Foreman Grill, it wins by doing one thing well; it is not a full home gym like the Total Gym or a structured plan like Tony Horton’s P90X. It suits three groups best:

  • Older adults who can’t get down on the floor. It works seated with no setup, unlike a Pilates reformer or bands that need anchoring.
  • People easing back after a layoff. Physical therapy programs use the same low-impact adductor squeeze, often with a ball, after hip or knee procedures. Follow your therapist’s plan first.
  • Anyone working on pelvic floor control. Done with upright posture and slow breathing, the press pairs naturally with a Kegel exercise routine. It is not a medical device, so postpartum users should check with their clinician first.

If the reps stop feeling like work after a few weeks, add a pause at full contraction or slow the release to a four-count before buying new equipment.

Where to Buy a ThighMaster in 2026

Listings sell it under a few names, mainly the original and the ThighMaster Gold, and box contents vary by seller. When we checked SuzanneSomers.com in October 2026, the brand’s own store listed a toning system pairing it with the ButtMaster LBX, marked out of stock. As an Amazon Associate, allfromtv.com earns from qualifying purchases.

Pick the ThighMaster if you want a seated inner-thigh, arm, and chest routine you’ll actually do while the TV is on. Check the listing for the brand name and padding before you pay, since knockoffs share the shape. For full-body progression, a Bowflex home gym is the better buy.

ThighMaster Questions People Ask

Does Suzanne Somers own ThighMaster?

Somers started as spokesperson and part-owner when it launched and later said she bought out her partners. She died in October 2023, and her brand’s website still lists the toner.

How many were sold?

The sellers’ own estimates run from about 6 million in the first 18 months to 10 to 15 million overall. No audited sales total has been published.