LI Kids Review: Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends – Toasty Chocolate Bear

Manufacturer: Sootheze
Price: Between $30-$40 (depending on where you purchase the bear)
Buy this at: A variety of store locations (i.e. Whole Foods), Senior Centers, and the Sootheze website at http://www.sootheze.com

In my house, we go through a lot of ice packs, use of the heating pad, and spend a lot of money buying soothing scented air freshener. In our house alone we have someone with arthritis and diabetes, a person in a wheelchair who has a lot of muscle pain, someone with severe PMS and migraine headaches, and an autistic, bipolar child. The Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends are absolutely perfect for our household, due to all the various health issues we face.

I (Dominick) am in a wheelchair due to a progressive muscle disease. I have had a lot of issues due to a bone fracture, which has led to many other health problems. I am in physical therapy on a regular basis and this leads to many aches and pains. Add in general aches not necessarily caused by therapy, and I’m spending a lot of time icing up and heating up my muscles.

I’ve tried the cold packs, which burn and stick to your skin. I’ve tried the heating pads, which can burn if they get too hot. I’ve tried the various creams and lotions, such as Icy Hot. Nothing works quite as well as our Sootheze Toasty Chocolate Bear. I can heat him up or put him in the freezer before therapy and he’s ready to soothe those achy muscles once my therapy is over.

I (Ashtyn) get really bad cramps. I also get very bad, migraine style headaches. These are especially harsh when I’m dealing with other issues of PMS. Any ache or pain can be eased with my Sootheze Bear. The only relief I’ve found for my headaches is closing my eyes in a dark room. I put my Chocolate Bear in the freezer, then put him on my head as I lay in a dark room, inhaling the healing, aromatherapy herbs and breathing in the in the delicious scent. This doesn’t make my headache go away completely, but it certainly makes my headaches more manageable. For cramps, I just pop the little guy in the microwave and cuddle him to my stomach. He soothes the cramps and makes life easier!

My mom (Ashtyn’s) has bad arthritis. She also is diabetic. We’re always looking out for bruising and tenderness on her legs and feet. When she’s having trouble with pain or aches from arthritis or other issues, She curls up on the couch with Sootheze Bear and he makes her feel better. He’s become a part of the family and everyone loves to cuddle him. Her favorite part is the aromatherapy, which calms her down, something that can make aches, pains and arthritis flair ups worse, when a person is tense.

Finally, our teenage son has Asperger’s Syndrome (an autistic spectrum disorder), Bi Polar Disorder, and the jury is out on if he has ADHD. He is hyper, gets bad headaches, and has moments of uncontrollability. Hugging the Sootheze Chocolate Bear is one way to calm him down. The aromatherapy contains lavender, an herb known to calm and sooth. Sure, it doesn’t make his problems go away completely, but if it gets him to sit for a short while, it’s worth it. The cold and hot pack is also something he can press to his aching head. It’s a win-win situation having the Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends Chocolate Bear in our house.

I was excited about receiving our Chocolate Bear, which I (Ashtyn) have nicknamed Hermie. We’re considering purchasing other Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends, so everyone in the family has their own. There are just so many benefits to having a Sootheze Toasty Spa Friend. There is also a wide variety of products to choose from, as not only are there Bears, but there are also Bunnies, Wild Animals, Barnyard Animals, Chamois Neck Wraps, and Marine Life Toasty Spa Friends.

Positives & Negatives:

There are many more positives to owning this bear than negatives.

Just check them out:

Positives:
-Multipurpose pain relief – Hot/Cold
-Aromatherapy calms and soothes which can help ease pain
-Relatively Affordable
-Adorable
-Large Variety of Toasty Spa Friends to choose from
-Well made
-Though it will wear out, seems to be long lasting

Negatives:
-Kind of big (unless you get the juniors) to put in the microwave (if your microwave is small, especially)
-is said to wear down over time (though depending how often you use the product could take a very long while)

Pricing & Availability:
Sootheze has a website that is available online at http://www.sootheze.com. Here you can find all of the locations that offer Sootheze products. I put in my zip code in the location finder and multiple locations within an 1-2 hour distance popped up. Most of the locations were stores such as the Whole Foods store in Ann Arbor, MI. Sootheze Toasty Spar Friends are also available at Senior Centers in the area, which are using these Toasty Friends to ease the pain and lack of companionship, providing comfort to the elderly.

You can also purchase Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends through the website’s online store. I found Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends at a wide selection of online stores by searching for Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends on Google. Depending on where you purchase your Toasty Friend, the price will vary a bit, though not by much. For example, the junior Toasty Friends are less than $20 at most retailers.

Our chocolate Bear cost between $30-$40. This price is reasonable considering all the uses we’ve gotten from our Sootheze Chocolate Bear, Hermie. He’s fun, cuddly, and serves his purpose as a Hot & Cold, Aromatherapy bear. This is something the whole family can enjoy and isn’t so expensive that most people can and will be able to purchase their very own Sootheze Toasty Spa Friend.

Price:

Requirements & Instructions:
Hermie came with instructions on how to put him in the freezer and heat him up. The instructions should be followed. They are pretty simple though. You just have to have a freezer and microwave big enough to accommodate the size of your Toasty Spa Friend. Our microwave is kind of small, so Hermie filled up nearly the entire thing.

When heating your Toasty Spa Friend up, do not heat them for more than 1 1/2 minutes. You should heat them up in 30 second intervals, flipping them over, every 30 seconds. You can then place the bear to your sore and aching body or put them under the covers with you to warm you up. The heat can last anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.

Our freezer is kind of small merely because it’s usually full of food. We had to make space for Hermie to fit whenever we needed to freeze him. You must place your Toasty Spa Friend in a plastic bag so their fur doesn’t stick to the freezer or take on the freezer burn/odor. The bear will remain cold for at least an hour once it is frozen. You don’t have to do anything for the aromatherapy to work. Just cuddle the bear, inhale, and enjoy.

It’s easy to use the Sootheze Therapy Bear and other Toasty Spa Friends. Even a child can use them and they are cuddly enough your child will want to have them as a comforting cuddle friend when they are sick and/or hurt.

Durability:
We’ve had our Sootheze Bear for a few months. He’s constructed very well. He seems to be made of the finest quality and despite the flaxseed used to stuff the bear eventually wearing out, the freezing/heating up and the scent of Hermie is as strong as it was the first time he was used. If this continues, Hermie will last for a few years, or more.

With as much as we use him, it’s a great investment to purchase a Sootheze Toasty Spa Friend. When the flaxseed and aromatherapy stop working, Hermie will still be sturdy enough to make a great cuddle bear. His fur is very soft, but it hasn’t fallen out and his body is weighted, which makes it feel almost like you are holding a baby when holding him.

Durability:

Fun Factor & Overall Appeal:
Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends aren’t toys, but kids don’t know that. This is a great way to ice up or heat up an injured child without them even realizing they are using a form of therapy/medicine. Everyone in the family, of every age is going to love using a Toasty Spa Friend. My mom is in her early 60s and she loves Hermie. Our 4 year old nephew loves to cuddle and pet Hermie whenever he comes over. Every age in between can and will find a use for a Sootheze Toasty Spa Friend. So, even if Hermie isn’t a toy, he’s still pretty fun.

Because Hermie and the other Toasty Spa Friends are both fun and have a purpose, I can see the long lasting, overall appeal of them. I know that in the few months we’ve had Hermie, we’ve found a multitude of uses for him. He’s a great asset to our family and we plan to get more Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends, so everyone in the family can have their own.

Fun Factor:
Lasting Appeal:

Bottom Line:
Everyone has moments where they need to be calm, soothed, and they need their aches and pains eased. Whether your have a sick child, a chronic illness, or you just seek companionship, the Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends are perfect for making you feel better and easing your woes. Sootheze Toasty Spa Friends are loved by everyone in the family regardless of age. You should pick up your very own Sootheze Toasty Spa Friend today.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Sootheze, Toasty Spa Friends, Aromatherapy, Heat Relief, Cold Pack, Therapy Bear

Written by Dom & Ash Evans – Visit Website
—
Dominick and Ashtyn have been together since 2002. Together, they live in Michigan, work together as pro bloggers, and homeschool and raise their 15 year old son, CT. Their interests are diverse. Ashtyn loves to write, listen to music, shop and enjoy the finer things in life. Dominick enjoys playing wheelchair sports, watching sports, acting, singing, playing video games and making movies.