Beauty and wellness writer Alexandra McCarthy has reviewed Emsculpt Neo, a machine that is designed to burn fat and build muscles in a 30-minute session.

People often required some sort of medical or even surgical intervention when it comes to losing weight and getting back in shape, which equals downtime.

McCarthy says, “The beauty of Emsculpt Neo is that there is zero downtime and you don’t have to set foot in a hospital or clinic. Winning! To reap the best results, you must have four 30-minute sessions, which I undertook at Vive Active in Sydney’s Neutral Bay.”

She underwent the procedure under the guidance of Louisa Elwin, a Vive Active practitioner, and completed her four sessions in four weeks.

“The way the Emsculpt Neo works is by releasing radio frequency as well as high-intensity electromagnetic energies to reduce fat cells and strengthen the muscle of the area you’re targeting,” McCarthy writes in POPSUGAR. “A large disc-like device is secured onto your body while you lay down — which in my case was my abdomen — and it begins to heat the muscles.”

The device then emits electromagnetic pulses to force your muscles to contract. “These pulses are interspersed every few minutes with a tapping sensation — the machine literally taps your body, in my case, my stomach, to help stop lactic acid from building up,” she says.

“I felt the most tender the day after the first session and it basically felt like I had done a lot of sit-ups the day before, which makes sense, considering one session on the Emsculpt Neo is the equivalent of completing 20,000 sit-ups (but with no sweat!),” she adds.

Citing clinical studies of the machine, McCarthy says, on average, it reduced subcutaneous fat by 30% and increased muscle by 25%.

“I have noticed that my waist looks smaller than before and in the days following each treatment, my stomach was much flatter,” she writes. “The biggest change I have noticed is the improvement of my core strength — of which I previously didn’t have much. While I practice Pilates fairly regularly, my core is the weakest part of my body.”

However, McCarthy says the treatment is expensive and is “definitely not in the budget for many people, with one session costing $1,200.” So, it may cost nearly $5,000 for four sessions. The review was published July 8 in POPSUGAR, Australia.