9 Best Heating Pads of 2024, Tested by Experts (2025)

Whether you experience frequent backaches, pregnancy cramps or occasional soreness, a heating pad is a quick way to help relieve pain and muscle stiffness. Not only are heating pads fairly inexpensive, but they’re easy to operate (all you have to do is plug an electric heating pad into an outlet and switch it on!). According to Stefani Sassos, the director of the Wellness Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute and a certified personal trainer, heating pads can be a convenient way to enhance circulation. "Heat brings more blood flow to the area, loosens up soft tissues that may be tight and can allow for improved mobility."

The product experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute test everything from the best electric blankets to period underwear, weighted blankets and much more. When searching for the best heating pads, we started by researching the most popular models on the market, prioritizing those made of high-quality materials and featuring sizeable surface areas, lengthy cords and at least three heat settings. Below you’ll find the best heating pads from top-performing brands that impressed both our experts and consumers.

If you’re looking for a versatile heating pad that you can use on your neck and shoulders, back, abdomen or elsewhere on your body, this extra-large pick will get the job done. We love that it features a soft material that'll feel like a blanket on your skin and features six settings from 105 to 140ºF.

Along with an impressive five-year warranty, this heating pad includes a nine-foot cord, so you can use it on the couch or in bed without struggling to find an outlet that's close enough. Also notable: this heating pad has racked up over 14K reviews and an average 4.3-star rating on Amazon, where reviewers make note of the brand's exceptional customer service and the product's solid overall performance.

This heating pad from Sunbeam is a highly versatile option that'll soothe sore muscles and joint pain, all at an affordable price. Use it like you would any other traditional heating pad, or, for deeper pain relief, you can spray the cover with water and reap the benefits of moist heat, according to the brand. While it only has three heat settings (low, medium and high), our experts like that it’s offered in both standard and extra-large sizes and features a long 9-foot cord for convenient use.

While the price is unbeatable, the polyester exterior won’t be quite as comfortable as other heating pads. If you prefer a softer feel and can pay a bit more, the Premium King Size Heating Pad is another excellent choice from Sunbeam, featuring a softer pad along with six heat settings.

Back pain bothering you but don’t have time to sit down on the couch? Consider this neoprene wrap from Hyperice that you can wear anywhere around the house. A Good Housekeeping Fitness Awards winner, our experts love that you can easily adjust its size to fit you perfectly and that it features up to three hours of battery life before needing to be recharged. Though it does require an app and Bluetooth to change settings, we appreciate that it offers three levels of heat paired with vibration patterns. Testers found that it heated up quickly and was comfortable to use.

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With more than 58K reviews, this 4.3-star rated heating pad is another relatively budget-friendly pick and a best seller on Amazon. Our pros like that it's machine-washable and warms up to its hottest setting in under 30 seconds, according to the brand. Plus, it’s made of a soft and fuzzy material for a comfortable, soothing experience. The extra-large size is ideal for versatile use all over the body, but ideal for large areas like the lower back, neck and shoulders or to soothe sciatica in pregnancy. As a nice bonus, the brand says you can also use a moist heat therapy method in tandem with low, medium or high heat, if desired.

Unlike other heating pads, this pick from UTK is composed of 52 jade and 20 tourmaline stones, which the brand claims benefit the body while heating up any sore muscles or cramps. Though we haven't tested those claims, our experts love that this heating pad comes in a large size to cover a lot of surface area — great for lower back pain and sciatica. You can even wrap it around your leg to soothe a sore knee or hip.

We also love that you can pick the exact temperature you want to heat it up to on the controller. The hottest setting reaches temperatures above 100 degrees. There’s also a memory function, so you can save your favorite settings for future use, such as temperature and amount of time.

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If you’re a fan of weighted blankets, this heating pad is a great 2-in-1 pick. It features nine heat levels to choose from and a memory function to remember your favorite settings. It’s also safe to bring to bed with 11 auto-off timers, ranging from 30 minutes to nine hours. This makes it an exceptionally great pick for period cramps, since you can lay the pad over yourself like a blanket while the heat soothes the pain. Our pros love that this heating pad is made of soft flannel polyester that’s machine washable for easy care. We also like that the interior is composed of 2.2 pounds of glass beads to help distribute weight evenly across your body and provide just the right amount of pressure.

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Perfectly contoured for your neck and shoulders, this dedicated heating pad drapes over the area to target muscles where they ache the most. It features four temperature settings, so you can choose the right amount of heat for you. You can also use dry or moist heat, according to the brand.

Pure Enrichment makes some of the most popular heating pads on the market, and our experts love how well you can cozy up with this pick. The super soft and plush exterior feels a lot like a soothing version of your favorite sweatshirt or blanket. Plus, the heating pad has a 9-foot power cord that affords you flexibility to move about or sit some distance from the nearest outlet. Unfortunately, there's no auto-shutoff feature on this budget-friendly pick.

If you're struggling with joint pain caused by a condition like pregnancy or arthritis, our experts say a wrap is a great solution because it secures around the leg or arm for targeted pain relief. We love that this option has the ability to both heat and cool, since it offers dual relief. When using for heat, you can toggle through three temperature settings on the electric heating pad; when using for cold therapy, simply slip a frozen ice pack inside the interior sleeve. For deeper pain relief, you can also use moist heat by spraying the pad with water prior to heating, according to the brand.

The cord is long enough to afford some flexibility, but on the downside, some reviewers claim that it's relatively heavy and tends to get in the way unless you're sitting very still.

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If you’d prefer to avoid dealing with the hassle of cords and electrical outlets, a hot water bottle is a great option for soothing pain, cramps and soreness. Offered in several bright colors along with a knit sleeve, all you have to do is add hot water, tighten the top and you’re good to go. You can also use the water bottle as a cold compress for any swelling, making this option a great choice for pregnancy. When handling hot water, our experts stress the importance of safety and recommend being extremely careful to ensure the lid is safely fastened before use.

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✔️ Electric vs. non-electric: The first question to ask yourself before purchasing a heating pad is whether you want one that uses electricity or one that can be heated up in the microwave. The advantage of an electric heating pad is being able to quickly and easily adjust how much heat you need at any given time, though you’ll need to plug it into an electrical socket. Fortunately, most electric heating pads come with an auto-shutoff setting after two hours, in case you fall asleep or forget to turn it off. A microwavable or non-electric heating pad, on the other hand, oftentimes comes stuffed with material that can be heated up in the microwave, or in the case of hot wattle bottles, filled with hot water.

✔️ Safety: If purchasing an electric heating pad, it’s important to check whether the product has a third-party safety certification like UL and whether it features an auto-shutoff. In addition to following instructions, our experts recommend taking a few important safety measures before using heat therapy: First, start on the lowest level and gradually increase the heat intensity. Second, never apply a heating pad directly to your skin; instead, try wrapping it in a towel or cloth before applying. When it comes to microwavable heating pads, Lexie Sachs, executive director of Strategy & Operations at the GH Institute, warns that these are “easier to accidentally overheat if you don’t follow directions properly, so make sure to adhere to any warnings and instructions from the manufacturer.”

✔️ Size: When it comes to heating pads, size matters. Do you want a heating pad that’s smaller and specifically for period cramps and joint pain around the elbows or knees, or would you prefer a larger heating pad that covers a wider surface of your body area for days when you have lower back pain, a stiff neck or sciatica pain? If the latter, an extra large size might be the best option for you.

✔️ Material: Heating pads come in a range of shapes, sizes and materials. Typically, electric heating pads are made from polyester and fabrications like microplush or even flannel are generally regarded as the best material for heating pads, since they're softer and more comfortable to wear or drape over yourself. Microwaveable heating pads or non-electric heating pads like hot water bottles are generally made of plastic, which can then be wrapped with a softer cover of your choice.

This story was written by Olivia Lipski, a senior reviews writer and analyst (and frequent heating pad user) who covers everything from tech to travel, home, fitness and more. Not only does she have years of product reviews experience, but she frequently collaborates with our Textiles Lab experts to write stories like the best electric blankets.

Brigitt Earley, a writer and editor with over 15 years of experience writing about home products and electronics, also contributed to this piece. She worked under the guidance of experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute to research and review the heating pads recommended in this story.