31 Valentine’s Day Gifts for Him That He’ll Actually Like and Use

It’s New Year’s resolution time, and if his resolution includes boosting his fitness game, we suggest getting him a program that will help keep him on track. This bundle from Pvolve doesn’t just come with a program membership, though — he’ll also get all the accessories he needs to get started with barre, Pilates, yoga, and strength training workouts (resistance bands, ball, and mat), as well as a consultation with a trainer.

“I genuinely feel like I get a solid workout from the classes, and I don’t typically feel that way when I’m doing classes from home with other styles of workouts (yoga, barre, and more),” says editor Ashley Ziegler, who tested out the bundle. The bundle comes with just one month’s access to the 1,600-plus workouts, but it’s only $25 a month to continue after that.

Perhaps he’s a dude who strives to lift heavier? Bowflex’s 552 dumbbells are the perfect stepping stone weight training set. The weights are adjustable from 5 all the way up to 52.5 pounds (lbs), but they’re still just a pair of weights, so they’re ideal for small spaces.

“It’s easy to adjust the mechanism to change how much weight is on the dumbbell, so it’s seamless to go from one user to another,” says editor Olivia Campbell. She also noted that the space-saving element can’t be beat, either.

Your dude doesn’t have to be a gym rat to get sore from time to time (my husband gets muscle aches from sleeping weird). But that’s where a great massage gun can save the day. This massage gun has three intensity settings and one button, so he can easily pound out those pains without having to spend too much time reading a manual.

Editor Sabrina Rojas Weiss sits at her computer all day, so a version of the Theragun has become her best friend. It also comes with an app, which you can use to guide your massage journey if you don’t like going analog.

These joggers are ideal for those weekends when you mostly want to relax but have the option to work out. I bought them for my husband last year, and he genuinely lives in them. They’re made from 88 percent performance stretch fabric, and it’s some of the softest material I’ve ever felt (yes, I have a pair of the women’s version and they’re just as good). The band stays put but doesn’t cinch too tightly, and the ankle cuff style actually makes shorter legs look longer. These come in eight colors as well as two different lengths, so you can find one that suits your guy to a T.

Raise your hand if your dude loves a modern yet elegant design? That’s this electric kettle in a nutshell. It comes in 10 stunning colorways, and can be used to make every warm beverage, from tea to hot chocolate to pour-over coffee. “This kettle really is one of the prettiest I’ve ever seen,” says editorial director Simone Scully.

We love that you can schedule the kettle to heat to just the right temperature when you need it (say, when you’re running late for work), and the easy-to-read digital gauge. You can also keep water hot for up to 60 minutes.

For dudes who run on coffee but don’t want to shell out at least $5 every day on the way to work, we recommend this understated French press. We love how it looks on a countertop with its walnut handle, but it also performs like a champ. “I was impressed at how almost cold the pitcher was while I used it,” says Rowe, who tested the press.

The filtration mesh inside the double-insulated interior keeps coffee tasting smooth, and you can make a ton of it in one go: up to 800 milliliters (ml). It’s also dishwasher-safe, which is not common for these design-forward presses.

My husband and I started doing kits like these as a way of taking screen breaks, and they really work. You get to create something cool with your hands, all while enjoying the company of your partner (without a phone in your hand) at the same time. Even just working on one for an hour can help us feel accomplished, lighter, and less anxious.

Everyone needs to tune out now and again, but that’s especially true if you have ADHD. You can easily get overstimulated in today’s world of digital overload, and that can lead to burnout. My husband has been there, and sometimes the best remedy is falling into a world of a good playlist or podcast using his Sound Core headphones. They’re ultralightweight and comfortable, but they also cancel out ambient noise so well that I often startle him when he’s wearing them. He loves how they fold up so he can travel easily with them, and they’re the perfect accessory for his video editing.

It gently vibrates to help calm your mind and body while emitting a soft lavender or ocean breeze scent. Finally, it offers guided breathing to bring your body back to a restful state. “It’s a well-made device, and I like the combination of aromatherapy and guided breathing,” says writer Savannah Shoemaker, MS, RDN, who tried this kit.

If you’ve got a jet-setter love, he’ll need a great backpack to make packing and carrying his stuff around much easier. We love the Carry All Backpack from July, which comes in several colors and has lots of pockets for his chargers, wallet, and passport — plus space for necessities like a laptop and a change of clothes. It also handily attaches to a carry-on rolly bag to keep everything in one place. 

“This is a very sleek backpack,” says Scully, who tested this. “It’s also light enough to carry around all day with your belongings.”

Once your dude realizes that a skin-care routine is good and easy to follow, we recommend getting him a mini set for his travels, like this one from Leaf People. It comes with an exfoliating face wash, a toner, and a face cream formulated with green tea and hyaluronic acid. We love that it’s sourced in Colorado, and we found the invigorating amber and lemongrass scent of the face wash to be lovely. “I like that the products are made from clean ingredients and they smell great,” says Ziegler.

It’s always going to rain on a day your guy wants to do outside things, so we suggest gifting him a pair of stylish rain boots, like these from Totes. They’re a classic style and only ankle-high, so they’ll look cute with most pants. Fashion and functionality rarely intersect, but when they do, we’re here for it.

“They are very comfy and surprisingly breathable,” says Rowe. “They are very durable and flexible.” You know when a guy finds something that ticks both the comfortable and durable boxes that it’ll get tons of wear.

Carrying a journal around might sound super analog, but physically writing something down can help you remember the details of an experience in a way that just taking a photo can’t. This daily journal offers different layouts and prompts to inspire you to try new things and relish in what made them memorable. Mental health writer Amy Marschall, PsyD, thought it was a fun way to get her out of the house and doing more.

It’s so easy to get sick when you’re traveling. You’re constantly being exposed to new people and environments while your system is being taxed by long travel days. When my husband and I started taking colostrum, however, we saw a noticeable difference in how often we got sick.

Okay, I know this is a splurge, but if your dude is a diehard pizza fan and has always wanted to make his own restaurant-quality pizza, this gift will knock his socks off. It includes everything he’ll need to make amazing pizza at home: the actual oven, a transport cart, a pizza cutter, a peel, gloves, and a rack. The oven itself has an app that allows you to set the temperature for the ideal crust for any type of pizza, from a Neapolitan to Brooklyn-style. 

“I love that the pizza oven is smart: It makes it so much easier to know when your pizza is ready, or the temps are right,” says Scully. “I also like that I can use this inside and outside — a lot of the ovens I’ve seen before are one or the other.”

Smoothies are a great way to get a meal’s worth of nutrients in an easy, portable format. If your guy is always running late and low on nutrients, this is the perfect gift. It makes getting your daily greens a cinch. I’ve tried several blenders over the years, but this one from Nutribullet has surpassed them all. It’s incredibly fast and powerful, and perfect for small spaces. I love that it comes with two different-sized vessels and tops so you can quickly blend and take the container with you. It’s also super easy to clean since the container and the blade portion come right off the base.

While we’re on knives, here’s an excellent cutting board to support your guy’s chopping endeavors. John Boos is a staple in the cutting board industry for good reason. The boards are beautifully made and last forever. “These [boards] are gorgeous — truly,” says Scully. “I also like how easy they are to maintain and clean, and that the brand gives you instructions on how to do this.” I have a much simpler John Boos board, but I love it all the same. Just like with chef’s knives, there’s a range of options here, but John Boos makes it easy to pick which one fits your needs and budget.

What could be more romantic than ice cream? Okay, maybe several things, but not for my husband, who’s completely obsessed with it. However, since we’re trying to manage our macros in the new year, I love that he can also make frozen yogurt and protein-forward ice cream in this machine. All you have to do is put your ice cream mix together (it comes with a recipe booklet, but you can find plenty more online), freeze it in the provided cups, and once frozen, put it into the machine’s blender and let it go to work.

Scully always thought she didn’t have the cabinet space for an ice cream maker, but this compact device changed her mind. ”This solves that problem — and also means you don’t make too much ice cream at once,” she says.

A smaller frying pan is great for throwing together a two-person omelet, or even searing a steak in a pinch. It might look like a no-frills pan, but it has a secret weapon: blue carbon steel, which is super durable and heats very evenly.

“I think the carbon steel might be intriguing for someone who wants to cook on healthier alternative materials but doesn’t necessarily want cast-iron products,” says Riley Blanton, a freelance health writer who tested this pan out. She was surprised by how lightweight the pan was, considering its material.