Is there a heated rock sized for humans?

February 17, 2022 2:16 PM

I am cold. I would like to have warm things applied to me. Specifically, I'm chasing the "fireplace on a cold night" or "hot drink in cold hands" feeling, instead of just piling on blankets and sweaters. I have cozy things that can keep me warm with my own body heat, but sometimes I want more active heating. Do you have a heated gadget that you love?

I'm thinking of things like heated blankets, hand warmers, small space heaters. The human equivalent of a reptile basking zone. Specific recommendations would be hugely helpful. Thanks!

posted by specialagentwebb to Shopping (31 answers total)

We live in a place with mild winters, and heated things are often a lot cozier than just running the central heat, especially as we spend a lot of time outside. Electric mattress pad is what we use instead of nighttime heating, having the heat rise up from under you is significantly more effective than putting a heated blanket on top of you. Sunbeam has been my go-to brand but they've been hard to get all through the pandemic.

We do like a heated throw for on the couch, though. I've been happy with the Serta ones I last bought, after burning through the cheap ones Target sells every winter for several years.

For sitting around the firepit, I like a hot water bottle to put inside my wearable blanket. I don't mind the normal ones for my feet in bed, but the long ones come highly recommended for that purpose.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:26 PM on February 17, 2022

- heated mattress pad
- my car on a sunny day--it's my own tiny solarium
- a snuggly dog
- a fresh changes of clothes, including socks, that I tumble in the dryer first to get toasty warm; ditto blankets, towels
- boots that have been on a boot dryer
- mittens that have been on top of the heat vent in the car while I drive to my hiking destination
- holding my hands over the candle at dinner
- a microwave rice neck warmer thing (and I have plans to make something like this except for my feet, to use at my desk)
- a hot bath, obviously, but also just a hot foot bath
- the heated tile floor in my bathroom, especially when I tuck my feet under the cotton bath mat
posted by HotToddy at 2:27 PM on February 17, 2022

Oh boy I hope you like heated mattress pads because this place has a real hard on for heated mattress pads.

I asked a similar question recently. I have made no purchases. The thing I liked the most is stupidly overpriced so I've parked my dreams until the off season, hoping to grab a sale.
posted by phunniemee at 2:29 PM on February 17, 2022

I use a rice bag a lot in the winter. Just sew a pouch of your preferred size with uncooked rice (or use a tube sock and tie up the end), microwave alongside a mug of water until very warm but not so hot as to burn you, then snuggle.
posted by mezzanayne at 2:32 PM on February 17, 2022

Heated mattress pad. Turn it on maybe 20-30 minutes before you get into bed. Bonus points if you’re using flannel or fleece sheets.
It’s sooooooooo wonderful!
posted by bookmammal at 2:32 PM on February 17, 2022

Wool socks. They keep your feet from getting clammy, so you can enjoy your heated items more. It's amazing how much of a difference they make from cotton socks.

Personally, I would not give up if I could not afford the heated mattress pad. I have a simple electric blanket that I put between my sheet and my duvet and it makes my bed deliciously, perfectly warm to crawl into. I don't even remember the brand; I don't think it's that important as long as it works properly. Maybe a heated mattress pad or other fancy solution would be nicer, but this is already really nice.

I can also use it elsewhere in the house, which is good on particularly chilly days that I'm home.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 2:33 PM on February 17, 2022

In my family small radiant heat space heaters (the kind that glow a beautiful orange and rotate like a fan) are called “Gods”. They definitely make you feel like a lizard basking.
posted by Balthamos at 2:35 PM on February 17, 2022

I posted this answer to the previous question, and have loved this even more in the past few weeks than when I posted the first time. I have a far infrared heating pad that I use almost every night before I fall asleep.
It doesn't get as hot as a regular heating pad, but they claim the heat gets deeper than regular pads. I set it to 110 and that's plenty
It has a timer so I set it to turn off after about an hour and a half.
This is the brand I have - it comes in different sizes and shapes.
posted by mmf at 2:36 PM on February 17, 2022

I have a foot massager with a heater setting. The best. Hand massagers might have that too.

Heated car seat.

A heated floor would be AMAZING. But maybe a heated toilet seat and a heated towel rod is more doable?

Grow something indoors that requires heat lamps and hang out nearby (not sure how pointed that heat is though).
posted by never.was.and.never.will.be. at 2:38 PM on February 17, 2022

Perhaps not quite what you had in mind but a warm water bidet is quite nice! Especially the ones with heated seats.
posted by HotToddy at 2:40 PM on February 17, 2022

We bought plug in heated car seat pads (like this, not sure the exact ones, but nothing fancy at all) for our last vehicle and they were SO great if your car doesn't already have heated seats.
posted by Sweetchrysanthemum at 2:47 PM on February 17, 2022

I just got this wearable heating pad and I love it so much more than I thought I would. It's super toasty and cozy and relaxing. It also has an automatic shutoff after 2 hours in case you are like me and might fall asleep all snuggled in the warm embrace.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 2:54 PM on February 17, 2022

Only inertia* has kept me from acquiring a sauna blanket or a personal sauna. In fact, I asked a question about them here last year.

*well, the paralysis of overchoice too.
posted by DrGail at 3:11 PM on February 17, 2022

Hot water bottles, definitely. I like ones with faux fur wraps.

Also, there's a brand of stuffed animal called Cozy Hugs. It's aromatherapy and microwaveable. Pop your doggie or penguin or what-have-you in the microwave, warm it up, then have a snuggle.
posted by champers at 3:26 PM on February 17, 2022

I remembered another one - a few years ago I bought a heated kennel pad like this one, but it had a kinda weird brocade cover that sounded strange every time they moved on it so it wasn't terribly popular. It's amazing under my desk on cold mornings, though. I hate slippers, my feet need to breathe, so putting my socked feet directly on this and having it kind of warm up the footwell of my desk was very pleasant.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:32 PM on February 17, 2022

If I lived somewhere more regularly cold, I would invest in a kotatsu table in a heartbeat. They are available on Amazon.
posted by theweasel at 3:37 PM on February 17, 2022

I can vouch for the heated tube sock full of rice. My wife has been using those for years!
posted by Upon Further Review at 3:39 PM on February 17, 2022

I got a small electric pad/ mini blanket based on recommendations here on Metafilter and folks, it's the BEST. The one I have has a bunch of heater settings but I have only used the first and second, and it's got a timer. I wish the cord was longer on it so I could lounge about in more locations.

It's really nice on a tired sore back.
posted by zenon at 4:58 PM on February 17, 2022

I work remotely and my afternoon meeting spot is my recliner with plug in heating pad on the back of the chair and laptop on my lap. It’s a sandwich of warmth.
posted by MadMadam at 5:07 PM on February 17, 2022

I stayed up last night at my desk and was cold when I got into bed. I just could not warm up, esp. my feet. I filled the hot water bottle with hot tap water and topped it off with boiling water from the tea kettle, because my tap water isn't very hot. My feet warmed up in a few minutes and then I went right to sleep. I have a metal water bottle, meant for drinking water, that I have also used when I couldn't find the rubber one.

I have a down comforter and it warms up really fast and is wonderful.

Small space heater in the bathroom. When the tub was installed, we used the old foam carpet underlayment to insulate the tub, and a hot bath, cup of hot tea, and the space heater for when I get out, makes the tub an excellent hangout.
posted by theora55 at 5:33 PM on February 17, 2022

Like Kutsuwamushi, wool socks and I buy them a size larger to wear around the house on the theory that the air between my foot and the sock heats up.

Same deal with my electric blanket sandwiched between the top sheet and the comforter. I turn it on twenty minutes before I go to bed so my sheets are warm when I crawl in and [warning: tmi] I don’t wear pajamas. It shuts off after an hour or so but by then the air under the blankets is plenty warm for the rest of the night in my very cool bedroom.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 7:03 PM on February 17, 2022

Not a new recommendation on its own, but I've started draping my computer chair seat with a cheap electric blanket and wow. Should've done that years earlier, to be honest. I can cover my lap with it or not, but either way I sit right on top of it and it's the coziest idea I've had in ages.
posted by lesser weasel at 9:21 PM on February 17, 2022

I've used the Pebble hand warmers in the past; good product, but not the longest lasting out there. This page has a rundown of several current hand warmers, as well as other personal heat products. If you want top rated therapeutic devices, this page lists the best health-related hand warmers.
posted by Hardcore Poser at 10:02 PM on February 17, 2022

I am generally the Biggest Fan of a hot water bottle, but for my birthday I was given a heated gilet and I must admit that it is *glorious*.
posted by stillnocturnal at 12:03 AM on February 18, 2022

My lizarding setup is an electric blanket for the bed and a space heater + heating pad for my chilly (56F in winter) attic office. I turn on the blanket before I brush my teeth at night, and turn on the heater/heating pad while I make my coffee so my sleeping/working environments are toasty and waiting for me.

I have never understood the appeal of hot water bottles. They eventually get cold, and then you have a bladder of cold water sloshing around the bed with you. UGH.
posted by apparently at 7:27 AM on February 18, 2022

I'm another wool sock fan .. but it's critical that the socks must not have tight elastic or else the blood flow is reduced which leads to being colder.
posted by anadem at 7:52 AM on February 18, 2022

In the land of dreaming, a heated tile floor is amazing. We had a room in my childhood home with this and it was excellent to lay on, though perhaps I'd want some cushions/blankets/a mat now that I'm older and my joints and bones aren't as flexible. The room also had a wood stove, so it was pretty damn cozy. Just don't leave your chocolate on the floor when the radiant heat is on.

As an adult without that option, I have a zoned heated mattress pad, electric blankets, and an old fashioned hot water bottle. And a tea cozy to keep a large pot of tea hot for a long time and an insulated Klean Kanteen for even more hot tea for even longer. I have also gleefully clutched a metal or tile trivet after the hot pot is off it or a jar of leftover hot soup destined for the fridge. You could probably achieve these on purpose by putting hot water in a jar but it won't stay hot for a long time and then you'll want a jar cozy and at that point you've recreated a hot water bottle.
posted by carrioncomfort at 8:10 AM on February 18, 2022

I don't own one, but I've got the same desire, and have my eye on a battery powered vest: Bob Vila reviews heated vests
posted by cyclicker at 12:08 PM on February 18, 2022

It is kind of pricey, but my bf has a foot sauna similar to this one that is absolutely perfect for those days when you've tried everything and just can't seem to get your feet to warm up. Similar benefits as a heated foot bath, just less damp. I keep ours next to the couch so it's easy to plug in and pop my feet in if I'm cold, and then I can pile blankets on my upper half. It is supremely cozy.
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:18 AM on February 21, 2022

I am often cold, and I love direct heat. As a kid I used to lie down along the heating vents in my room just to soak up the warmth.

I recently tried a space heater (Lasko 754200 space heater) and then added a heating pad for my feet (Pure Enrichment King Size Heating Pad), but a few months ago I got a heated throw/blanket (Figerm Heating Blanket Throw), and it is MAGIC. I hardly even turn on my space heater anymore, it keeps me so nice and warm.

I do occasionally still turn on the heating pad as well and put that under my feet (the blanket doesn't always get my feet that well), but the throw itself is easily my favorite heating accessory. (And yeah, I do turn on the space heater from time to time, too, but the throw is the thing.)

I didn't follow any particular recommendation when buying it, just picked something reasonably cheap from Amazon. I suspect any similar item would work just as well.
posted by kristi at 6:31 PM on February 22, 2022

Is there a heated rock sized for humans? Boy is there ever!

It's called an ondol, and if you read Korean, there's more information on Jang Soo's website. If you speak English, this Instagram video.
posted by meemzi at 7:39 AM on February 23, 2022