According to one U.K-based consulting firm, the market for noninvasive and minimally invasive fat-reduction procedures will rise to more than $1.1 billion dollars by 2022. Alongside treatments like the OG CoolSculpting, which freezes fat, SculpSure, a laser that heats fat, and the comparatively new EmSculpt that harnesses electromagnetic energy to both reduce fat and tone muscle, are radio-frequency devices like TruSculpt iD. Here’s everything you need to know about the treatment.

What is it?

TruSculpt iD is the swanky new upgrade to the original TruSculpt device. While they both work by using radio-frequency energy to heat up fat cells to the point of destruction, the new device is hands-free; the previous iteration required a single hand-piece to be moved around the treatment area for the entire duration of the 15-minute treatment. Like any noninvasive fat-reduction treatment, it is not a weight-loss tool. Expect less fat and more definition along with tighter, firmer skin, but don’t expect the scale to move.

How does it work?

TruSculpt iD has six hand-pieces that operate in units of two; you can use two hand-pieces or four or all six depending on the size of the area you want to treat. According to Cutera, the company that owns TruSculpt, clinical studies found an average of 24 percent fat reduction six to twelve weeks after one treatment. Additional treatments can be done after 12 weeks, if needed.

What does it feel like?

I test out TruSculpt iD at Visage Clinic & Medical Spa in downtown Toronto; it’s currently the only location in Canada where the device is available. I’m instructed to hydrate as much as possible in the days leading up to the treatment. Upon arrival, I head up to the Gucci wallpaper-lined treatment room and change into a robe. A return pad (essentially, a giant sticker) is then placed on my back to ensure the electrical current generated by the device goes where it needs to go.

I discuss my areas of concern with the aesthetician, and she suggests a few different ways we could place the hand-pieces. I opt to have six hand-pieces arranged in two rows of three across my lower stomach. The machine is turned on and starts to warm up. The goal is to have each hand-piece reach a temperature of 45 degrees Celsius. The aesthetician controls the settings on each of the hand-pieces individually, so if one feels too warm, they can turn it down without affecting the temperature of the others.

The brand likens the sensation of the device to a hot stone massage, and that’s pretty accurate. The temperature is never excessively hot, and because the hand-pieces only ever operate two at a time, it never feels overwhelming. It’s a quick flash of heat on two hand-pieces, then they cool down as the next two heat up, over-and-over for 15 minutes.

As someone who was apprehensive about another heat-related treatment after getting SculpSure (read more about that treatment here), I can confidently say it is much, much more tolerable. In fact, the most uncomfortable part of the whole procedure was removing the return pad – and that was about a 3/10 on a pain scale. (Think: quickly peeling off a Band-Aid.)

Though I’m told there could be tenderness, redness and/or swelling, I experience none of those symptoms. My stomach area is slightly warm, like I’ve put a hot water bottle on it, but I’ve looked more red leaving the gym. I am able to head back to the office post-treatment and carry on with my day like nothing happened – the sign of any good treatment.

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