Chattanooga Hydrocollator Moist Heat HotPacs - Neck Contour

LMT here. I soaked this hot pack overnight (for first time use) in a hydrocollator unit at room temperature. It absorbed the water fully and was ready to use. Heated up the unit and secured the hot pack in the protective sleeve sold separately. Folded a large towel into four layers and placed the sleeve on top. It takes a moment for the heat to come through. I adjusted layering as needed (not enough heat? or too much heat?). Must check in with the person often, as the moist heat can creep up quickly and scald. I also periodically slide my hand underneath to make sure it is very warm and moist, but not too hot. Says 30 minutes max...I use it for 10-15 minutes to warm the tissues thoroughly before proceeding with the massage and that is suffice. The cut out hole provides some extra contouring ability to the edges of the body with layering.

Good product. Steam heatbis the best for the body.

This is really big and I didn't have a pan large enough to put it in enough water to cover it. Once I hydrated it, it swelled so much and it got so big. I will have to find a pan large enough to put hot water in and heat up so I can dip it to you. This is more labor intensive, but the kind of heat you get off of a hot pad like this is so wonderful with someone who has the need for moist heat. Once this is hydrated, you have to either store it in the freezer or you need to heat it up and use it.

I bought this to use as a hot pack. When I got it, the instructions say that, before you use it, you have to soak it in a large pan in water for 2 hours. OK. I did that, weighting it down with a bowl, and after several hours, put it in the dish rack to drain the excess water off. I imagined that then I could microwave it to warm it up. Nope!When you go to use it, it turns out that every single time you want to use it, you have to, either in the microwave or on the stovetop, heat it up in a container completely covered with water. Hunh???I expected something that held its moisture, and unless you had dried it out somehow, could just be microwaved each time you wanted to use it.But the instructions say - put it in a large container completely covered with water, heat until the water temperature reaches 160 deg. F. So- you're also supposed to heat it, watch it, and measure the temperature while it's heating? Then you're supposed to "carefully remove" this hot large dripping wet pack from the pot of hot water.Then they mention that you are also required to separately buy a cover from them, and put it in that.I really wish that the info for this said you would have to heat it, in water, each time - I *never* would have considered it. When you want a hot pack, I didn't want to go through a long complex process with a pot of boiling water to get the thing hot. If anybody can recommend a good quality simple hot pack, please do.

Would have been 5 star but material is so stiff, maybe after a little use this will change. Great heat for sore muscles.

This thing is awesome! When you first get it, you have to soak it for four hours. I keep it in a pan of water on my stove and change the water about every week. That keeps it fresh...it smells a little like the oatmeal bath product and gets filmy if you don't change the water often enough..but, it doesn't harm it. I love it! I got the oversized and it fits in a pan on my stovetop when I fold it three times. It covers my entire back, I am a grown adult woman 5'5" 150lbs. I love this and would recommend to anyone that needs awesome treatment for anything. It is so affordable and effective. It has sturdy tabs that allow you to pick it up when it's hot in the water. It holds the heat for about an hour. I wrap it in a beach towel and lay on it.

Nothing compare to Hydrocollator -- certainly not anything you microwave. This gets HOT and stay HOT a long time. You need some thick towels and as the steam heat is released you can remove a layer to turn the heat back up. Heat lasts are least 30 minutes not the 10 minutes with the microwave heating pads. Way more moisture than microwave.I have a pinched nerve in my neck. Heat is not good for swelling so I put ice on the spine and the heat on the muscles in my shoulder that are being tightened up by the nerve problem. My pain is the muscles being tightened. I use this on my knee too for muscle tightness. Ice for the tendon and heat for the muscle. Rub the tendon with EMU oil really helps too. There are collar type things that hold tendons in place and an inflamed tendon has trouble getting through the hold in that collar thing -- Pain. Rubbing that tendon helps stretch it out and ice helps shrink the swelling. Steam heat fixes any muscle amazingly well and this shape works on shoulder, knees and necks even lower back.

Great for Physical therapy