I was recently asked to review a Toasty Spa Friend from Sootheze. The Spa Friend I chose was the Smooth Kitty Collar. I chose this particular one for two reasons. The first is that I love cats and the second is that this kitty looks just like my cat Dr. Rocky.
Disclaimer: “I have been given this product as part of a product review through the Chronic Illness Bloggers network. Although the product was a gift, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company. “ This post includes affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission from sales made through my links.
What are Sootheze Toasty Pals?
Toasty Spa Friends are a heat and cold therapy product. There is a large variety of animals and sizes to choose from. Because I suffer from neck and hip pain I figured the Kitty Collar would best suit my needs. And I was right! The Kitty Collar sits purrrfectly on my shoulders and hugs my hips. When using on my neck, I was able to move about freely without having the collar slip or fall off.
Aromatherapy
The first thing I noticed when opening my package was a wonderful aroma. Toasty Spa Friends are filled with lavender, thyme, peppermint, rosebud, hyssop, eucalyptus, lemon balm, rosemary, orange peel, and flaxseed. The scent itself was calming and comforting. Never have I found a comparable product that had such a fabulous scent. To be honest they all stunk!!! In fact the smell of the other products that I have tried smelled so bad that they would make me nauseous, especially when heated!! But not my Kitty Collar, whether at room temperature, frozen, or heated, it always smells fantastic!!
Product Quality and Use
Next, I was impressed with the quality of the materials. I have purchased comparable products in the past and have never come across something as soft or cute as this one. My Kitty Collar is adorable and oh so soft.
I decided to try cold therapy first. I followed the directions of putting it in a sealable plastic bag and placing it in the freezer for several hours. On this particular day, my hips were aching. While lying on my side, I placed my Kitty Collar around the opposite hip. While not as cold as I would have liked it to be, it did provide some relief. Note that when I normally “cool” an area, I like to give the angry muscle a deep freeze.
Personally, I think using this product for cooling therapy on the neck is best because of the fact that it doesn’t create a deep freeze. The other problem with using it for my hips is that by the time I felt ready to switch hips my Kitty Collar had already returned to room temperature. However, I did find I could find relief for both hips by wrapping it around my hips while reclining.
After a stressful day I was ready to give my neck a break by heating my Kitty Collar. The directions state to heat it for 1 and 1/2 minutes, turning over every 30 seconds. My microwave is old and small, because of this I only heated it for 1 minute. Again, the aroma that filled my kitchen was absolutely heavenly!!!!! I placed my collar around my neck and less than 30 minutes later my neck was relaxed.
Weighted Bonus
The added bonus to this product is the weight! I have always found comfort with heavy comforters and this product provides the same relief. Because of this I find relief even when I don’t heat or cool my collar! Another area that has experienced relief from my Toasty Spa Friend are my ankles!! No matter how I am sitting I am able to place the collar on or around both ankles.
I will be taking my Kitty Collar everywhere I go, even if I am somewhere I cannot heat or cool it. The weight and scent alone provide my aching muscles with relief.
One thought on “Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends Product Review”