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Heated Neck Pillows - The Perfect Post Workout Treat!


What makes a Sonoma Lavender heated neck pillow, spa heat wrap or neck roll an ideal treatment for tired muscles after a particularly tough workout? Aside from providing luxurious warmth and comfort, these products also provide two things that are proven to alleviate fatigue, stiffness and soreness in overworked muscles: heat and aromatherapy. Science agrees with us here: whenever you use any of the products in our heated spa collection – place a heated pillow on your neck, a roll under your lumbar region or a wrap or blanket around your body or limbs – this is how your muscles benefit:

Benefits of our heatable spa collection

When you work out, your muscles go through two different kinds of respiration. They need more energy than they can get from aerobic respiration (i.e., from your breathing) alone. As a result, the body has to generate more energy through anaerobic respiration, which burns glucose to fuel your muscles, without the need for oxygen. This helps your muscles push through the workout and is also great for your weight loss efforts because the energy is often drawn from fat reserves. However, the bad news is that, as a side effect, this process produces lactic acid, which builds up in your muscles. This is what causes the aches and stiffness. 

To alleviate this, all you would have to do after a workout is take a Sonoma Lavender pillow, wrap, roll, or weighty blankie, heat it in the microwave, apply it to the sore area, and sit or lie back and relax. The heat from the product works on the blood vessels in and around the muscles, widening them and speeding up the transport of lactic acid and other toxins away from the affected area. It also stimulates the nerve endings – so that they register the pleasant warmth rather than the aches and pains. Simultaneously, it makes the muscles themselves more relaxed and elastic, easing them and enabling you to stretch them out.

There are times when heat should not be applied to sore muscles, such as when stiffness and strain are accompanied by inflammation. In this case, it’s better to apply cold treatments. Sonoma Lavender’s heatable spa collection is perfectly adaptable to this situation too. You simply place your pillow, wrap or roll in the freezer for a few minutes before use. 

heatable neck pillow

Power of aromatherapy

The physiological benefits of essential oils such as lavender and eucalyptus have been well attested to since long before the advent of modern medicine. Used in combination with heat, these essences assist the body’s healing process, soothe aching muscles, and aid relaxation. Each Sonoma Lavender product is scented with one of four different essential oils, which help to aid muscle repair and relaxation. Each essential oil has its own character and qualities, and subtly different physiological effects.

Lavender oil has been proven to alleviate pains of all kinds, including muscle strain and backache. It is an aid to blood circulation and respiration, helping you to breathe deeper and more easily, lowering blood pressure and helping the circulatory system to carry toxins away from the muscles. It is also a mood enhancer.

While lavender oil is better known for instilling calm and relaxation, eucalyptus oil has a more stimulating and rejuvenating effect. It produces a sharper and more pungent aroma, which is often associated with the relief of respiratory problems such as coughs and nasal congestion. Its ability to open up the respiratory tract is definitely an aid to post-workout relaxation. It causes you to breathe better, which in turn helps boost circulation, giving the muscles more oxygen, while speeding up the removal of toxins. Deeper breathing also improves your general sense of calm and wellbeing. In addition to its benefits for respiration, eucalyptus eases muscle and joint pain.

Sonoma Lavender has developed two additional essential oils, which are also used to scent our spa collection. OceanAire is a brisk, fresh fragrance which, as the name suggests, mimics the aromatic benefits we all enjoy in a seaside atmosphere. For hundreds of years, people have flocked to the seaside for the purported health benefits of salty air. OceanAire distills these benefits in a unique, essential oil. Sea air accelerates oxygen absorption, balances serotonin levels and generally helps to refresh and energize the body.

Another essential oil that is unique to Sonoma Lavender is Timber Lakes, which captures and evokes the woody scents of the forest, also well known for their health benefits. This oil helps to eliminate physical and mental fatigue, improves breathing, and promotes that sense of calm and peace that we associate, on a deep instinctive level, with forests and woodlands.

Which pillow, wrap or roll to choose?

Sonoma Lavender’s heatable spa collection is a range of products that are perfect for relaxing after a workout. These include our spa heat wraps, luxury spa neck pillows, neck rolls for neck and lumbar positioning, and weighty spa blankies. You can use a combination of these to target different areas, or pick one to focus on a particular sore spot. They come in a variety of colors and fabrics, your choice of Lavender, Eucalyptus, OceanAire or Timber Lakes scents, and are all easily heatable in the microwave for that muscle-calming warmth.

About Sonoma Lavender

For two decades, Sonoma Lavender has produced handcrafted luxurious spa and relaxation aids that capture nature’s healing powers. These products are designed to bring the spa experience to your home and promote personal wellness by providing an indulgent and relaxing experience. We are committed to using only pure, genuine and authentic ingredients in our products to stimulate the senses and improve your health and wellbeing. Browse our range of heated neck pillows, wraps and other products, or contact us for more information.