A good neck and shoulder heating pad is one of the best inexpensive and drug-free ways to quickly relieve your neck and shoulder pain at home while speeding up healing and recovery from neck injuries and chronic pain.
When you relieve your neck stiffness and pain, you also prevent those neck-related headaches.
But, how do you choose one that covers your entire neck and shoulders? which type should you choose?
The answers are all here.
See our top picks in the table below. After that, you’ll find our full neck & shoulder heating pad reviews .
This post may contain affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.
A neck heating wrap dilates blood vessels in the area and promotes blood circulation, which allows for more nutrients and pain-relieving blood components to arrive and speed up healing – naturally.
Using thermal therapy via heating pads for neck and shoulder pain is relatively inexpensive, comfortable, easy to use, and effective.
Heating pads can also be used in combination with other treatments, such as massage or stretching , to further reduce pain and improve mobility
When you want to pick the best neck and shoulder heated wrap, you’ll have to check its size to see if it fits your neck, make sure it has various heat settings (to find the one you can tolerate), and make sure it is flexible and comfortable.
The cover needs to be soft and breathable, and the heating elements should be evenly distributed throughout the wrap.
Make sure the closure is high quality because you don’t want a neck wrap that slips constantly and needs readjusting.
Also, we recommend choosing an electric neck wrap if you need a longer treatment time and adjustable temperature, and the infrared heating pads are better for deep penetrating heat.
Most of the neck wraps you’ll find below are:
We’ve included special features for each neck warmer pad, pros and cons, and our fluff-free reviews to help you decide which one is the best for you.
Let’s start with electric cervical heating pads, and below you’ll find the 2 best microwaveable neck wraps in 2024.
Pros – Covers the entire back including your neck, weighted edges, 4 heat settings, heats up quickly, storage bag
Cons – More coverage for the back than the neck, large and bulky
✅ $43 on Amazon / $42 at Pure Enrichment
Though it’s called a neck & shoulder wrap, the Pure Relief neck & shoulder pad covers not only the neck and shoulders but almost the entire back, with weighted edges and magnetic closure, that keeps it in place.
To get the full treatment potential, you can use the built-in loops and an optional elastic belt – that come inside the package.
With the easy-to-use controller, you can choose from 4 temperature settings (warm/low/medium/high) and the treatment time.
It shuts off automatically after 2 hours (which is more than enough).
This heat wrap is the ultimate pain and stress reliever after work, travel, or chronic neck pain.
The cover is soft against the skin, and overall this is one of the best neck heating wraps on the market, with the best warranty (5 years!), and customer service.
Pros
cons
✅ Available at Pure Enrichment ($42 with code COOLDOWN) , and on Amazon ($40)
If you want to focus mainly on your back, for a lower price you can get the regular-size model:
Pros – Largest neck coverage (tall collar), fits comfortably around the shoulders, weighted edges, optional moist heat
Cons – Only covers the top of the shoulders, magnetic claps should be removed if you have a pacemaker
The Sunbeam neck heating pad is designed as a full-coverage neck heating pad and covers most of the shoulders (for most people).
It has slightly weighted edges and a magnetic clasp for a secure fit, so it will stay put even if you walk around.
This contoured neck wrap warms up fast and is very comfortable to use, it has 4 heat settings (the lowest setting is gentle and not too hot), and you can choose from dry or moist heat.
However, if you get a lot of tension between your shoulder blades, this isn’t going to touch most of it, only the very upper parts.
Most of the heat is concentrated on the neck and a little below.
The XL model (25″ x 25″) can be more helpful for covering this area.
Sunbeam Pros
Cons
Sunbeam heating pads are also featured in our list of the best extra large heating pads of 2024
Alternatives from the same brand:
The XL Massaging model has 4 massage options to supercharge your neck pain relief.
The Sunbeam 885-911 neck heating pad is a non-expensive yet highly effective neck pain relieving tool. It warms up fast, it’s comfortable and stays put, and it has 4 heat settings.
Pros – Lowest cost, filled with organic grains, 2 handles to keep in place, cordless
Cons – Doesn’t cover the shoulders and neck simultaneously, limited heat retention
The Carex Bed Buddy is the most popular microwaveable neck wrap and costs less than $10.
It is filled with 100% organic grains, herbs, and flowers and can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer.
It’s small, lightweight, and flexible – easy to take with you anywhere.
To keep it in place, it has 2 handles you can use to keep it in place when you are walking around.
It is also safe to wet and use as a moist heating pad.
Overall, a good value-for-the-money small heating pad, that may actually become your best buddy when your neck hurts.
Pros
Cons
It can also be used for lower back pain, stomach pain and period cramps , joint pain, and arthritis.
Microwaveable neck wraps deliver deep, moist heat, and are usually made with soft fabric and filled with heat-keeping natural materials, such as corn, wheat, and flaxseed.
We prefer the ones that come with a soothing scent, created by herbal aromatherapy inserted inside and released when you heat the wrap, which immediately helps you relax and relieve stress as well.
Pros – Moist heat, excellent neck & shoulder coverage, cordless, weighted, keep heat up to 30 minutes
Cons – Limited heat retention compared with electric, not machine washable
✅ $27 on Amazon
The REVIX Microwave Heating Wrap generates moist heat through the use of flaxseeds, millets, and natural herbs.
When you microwave it, the heat generated by the pad activates the natural herbs and organic fillers (flaxseeds, millet, lavender, peppermint, chamomile, and lemongrass) which release moisture and provide a gentle, moist heat for pain relief.
The larger-than-average neck collar makes sure you cover your entire neck with soothing heat, and it contours perfectly to your neck and shoulders.
It is weighted which helps it stay in place and treat your shoulders.
The scent is pleasant and mild, but it may not fit people with allergies or sensitivities. And you’ll have to make sure you don’t overheat it to prevent skin burns.
Pros
Cons
✅ Available on Amazon ($27 with code under the price)
Pro Tip
Consider combining heat therapy with massage therapy in one device. See the best neck massage pillows.
Pros – Deep penetrating infrared radiation, negative ions (stress relief), weighted, most heat settings, low EMF, storage bag
Cons – May feel too heavy for some people, more expensive than regular heat pads
Until a few years ago, the word “infrared” just made me think of heat-seeking missiles and spy movies.
Far Infrared rays (also known as radiant heat) penetrate much deeper into your skin than conventional heating pads, and won’t burn your skin.
The FIR heat is generated through natural jade stones (healing stones), which emit infrared waves when heated.
A shielding layer around the heating wires reduces EMF to zero, and the stones produce negative ions.
Numerous studies show negative ions produce biochemical reactions that relieve stress, relieve depression, boost energy, and boost the immune system.
This heating pad has the most solid construction, a digital timer with temperature control, and a Velcro strap to keep it in place.
And that’s not all:
The timer can be set to 4 hours (!) of continuous use!
Pros
Cons
Related: The 5 Best Infrared Heating Pads for Back Pain (guess which one is our top pick?)
Pros – Smells heavenly, relieves stress and pain, good neck and shoulder coverage, fair price
Cons – Can not be machine washed, limited heat retention (needs reheating), can slip off
This soft and comfortable microwaveable heat pad covers your upper back, neck, and shoulders perfectly, and has a taller-than-average collar for all neck sizes.
It stays hot for at least 30 minutes.
This one can also be used for cold therapy (by putting it in the freezer), which we usually recommend for acute injury.
Filling – Lavender, White Willow, Valerian Root, Chamomile, Rosemary, Peppermint, Spearmint, Hops, Yellow Dock, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, and Yarrow.
It’s like wearing a giant herb garden.
You can’t machine wash it, only spot clean it with a rag with some soap and water.
It Can also be used for abdominal pain, PMS cramps, joint pain, and lower and upper back pain because it opens up flat.
Pros
Cons
If you want to make your own microwave neck wrap, all you’ll need is cotton fabric, cotton thread, pins, scissors, and a sewing machine. Below is a video with simple instructions:
In most double-blind clinical studies (with positive results from thermal therapy) the subjects received 15-20 minutes of treatment, at least twice a week.
Infrared heating pads require less treatment time due to the deeper penetration into muscle tissues, but treatment is not limited.
It is safe to use a neck heating pad for more than 20 minutes (up to 30 minutes) – every day – until the pain is significantly reduced.
(See the list of studies at the bottom of the post)
Through our research, the best value neck and shoulder heating pads are Pure Relief (best electric), and UTK Neck Heat Wrap .
Choose the one that fits your needs and preferences most, and check for price, return policy, and warranty.
We recommend using your neck heating pad as soon as possible after developing painful flares or stiffness to speed up the healing process.
Tense neck and shoulder muscles can trigger tension headaches.
When you apply heat to relieve the tense muscles (on a medium setting) it loosens up these muscles and can quickly relieve tension headaches.
Thermal therapy is also a very effective stress reliever, which also contributes to headache and migraine relief.
You can prevent a tension headache altogether if you use a heated neck wrap right when you start to feel the tension in your neck or shoulder muscles.
If you catch it on time, you can prevent a headache.
Thermotherapy is scientifically proven effective for mechanical neck pain, and using an electric neck wrap is one of the best ways to use this simple and proven pain relief method – at home.
To heal your neck pain for good, we highly recommend incorporating a neck traction pillow (to prevent and heal neck pain at night) and trying the best neck traction device – for home use.
We truly hope you found these neck heating pad reviews useful and time-saving. If you have any questions or comments, please share them with us in the comments below.
To your health and happiness,
The Back Pain Relief Products Team
Cramer, Holger & Baumgarten, Christian & Choi, Eun & Lauche, Romy & Saha, Felix & Musial, Frauke & Dobos, Gustav. (2012). Thermotherapy self-treatment for neck pain relief – A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Integrative Medicine.
Dehghan M, Farahbod F. The efficacy of thermotherapy and cryotherapy on pain relief in patients with acute low back pain, a clinical trial study. J Clin Diagn Res. 2014;8(9):LC01-LC4.
Cramer, Holger & Baumgarten, Christian & Choi, Eun & Lauche, Romy & Saha, Felix & Musial, Frauke & Dobos, Gustav. (2012). Thermotherapy self-treatment for neck pain relief – A randomized controlled trial. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 4. e371-e378. 10.1016/j.eujim.2012.04.001.
