Hot love - massager discontinued by Cal Exotics - review by Dawn (Lilac Distraction)

Use

What's not to love about these little warmers? They're great for a relaxing massage when you use one in each hand, but you can use them for so much more than just that. I actually have the Heart Warmer Massager and I loved it so much that I bought these because they're smaller and you get two of them. There are countless ways to use these. If there's any place on you where a little warmth feels good, these will be great for it.

If menstrual cramps have got you down, you can use one of these tucked into your waistband of your pants to soothe them away. These are not as bulky as the larger, more conventional hot packs, so you're able to move around with it on. (I've actually ended up falling asleep with it and it still was right where I put it when I woke up.)

If you get any sort of muscular ache, this are also great for that. You can place one on the back of your neck for neck stiffness and pain. You can use them for sore joints such as your wrists, ankles, knees, and elbows. One advantage of these over the larger Heart Warmer is that you can place one on each side of any of the above places and wrap something around them for better penetrating heat from both sides. You can also do two joints at once.

Cold hands and feet during the winter months? These are small enough to tuck in pockets, gloves, or socks (even though you shouldn't go walking around on them). The instant heat action makes these wonderful for outings during the colder month of the year.

Do your wrists get sore when typing? These are the perfect for using as wrists pads while at the computer. The padding will keep your wrists elevated. You can use them like this with or without heat. If you decide to use the heat, they will soothe away any wrist fatigue.

You can also use this to soothe away the pain of a UTI. It's also great for treating breakouts because heat helps to bring pimples to the surface. There are so many things that you can use these for that you need to buy a couple sets to make sure you'll always have some no matter where you are. These are even great for kids because of how useful they are. (Just make sure you supervise them.) The cute design of "hugs and kisses" can soothe away all their boo boos and owwies.

Design/Material

These are little circles with the words "hugs" and "kisses" printed on them. The print along with the color of them makes them really cutesy and feminine. (My lover really really wants some of these and really wishes they came in a more manly option.) They're about 4" wide and can easily fit into a palm. The liquid inside is a hot pink color and there aren't any other color options, unlike the Heart Warmer. The outer material is made of a slightly thick vinyl material. I noticed a pretty strong plastic smell with these when I first took them out of the box and used them. (The Heart Warmer is made of PVC and didn't have much of a smell at all.) Inside, there's the little metal disc that you click to activate the solution.

Performance

The wonderful thing about these little warmers is that they're instant and they are reusable. To get one going, all you need to do is click the little metal disc inside the liquid. As soon as you do this, the fluid will start to crystallize and immediately start to warm up. The temperature reaches about 129 degrees and doesn't get much hotter. When activated, the liquid will start to harden a bit and ultimately become a solid. The temperature is great because it's not usually too hot to apply directly to the skin. If you'd like a little less heat, you can put them over a piece of fabric and still be able to feel the warmth. The temperature stays around the maximum level for about 20 minutes before it starts to cool down. It's best to apply them to whatever area you need them before they start to get hard. They stay mildly squishy for a while, but they do get pretty hard when they're starting to cool down.

Ok, so now you have two little round brick-like things. How do you make them warm again? Grab yourself a cloth (I use a washcloth) and a pot of boiling water. Put the cloth on the bottom of your pot and plop the little warmers in (without splashing the water everywhere). Make sure that the cloth is covering the bottom completely and that the warmers aren't touching any of the surface of it. You wouldn't want them to melt, would you? Let these boil for about 5-10 minutes or until all of the crystals are dissolved. You don't want to forget about these because that can bust when boiled for too long. Carefully remove them from the water. This can be a little tricky because they like to play slip and slide. I use a spoon and a set of tongs. Place them on your counter to cool down. Now you're ready to use them again!

How does that even work like that?

When I got my Heart Warmer Massager, I was super curious about all of the magic in it. I did some research because I have to know about everything. What's inside the warmers is a supersaturated solution. A supersaturated solution is a liquid that is holding more of a substance than it normally can. If you've ever made Kool-Aid and have tried to put more sugar in and it just didn't dissolve, you made your own supersaturated solution! The solution is Sodium Acetate. It's non-toxic and it's actually added to certain foods. (Just don't eat it, okay?) Clicking the metal disc creates enough of a disturbance in the solution that it begins to crystallize and the crystallization is an exothermic (creating heat) reaction. Boiling it allows for the crystals to be dissolved and sets everything up to be activated again.

Care and Storage

Care for these is really easy. You can hand wash them with a litle soap and water. Keep them in a place free of sharp objects that could lead to punctures. When travelling, I usually keep these in a small plastic bag. Because they're not anything that looks incredibly obvious or like a sex toy, you can keep these in your bathroom if you wish.

It's starting to get colder out and it only makes me love these even more. They're great for keeping in the car for long drives. I really don't think I could live without these. I've reused them over 10 times and they're still perfect. I plan on buying a couple more sets of them to keep around the house.