ThriveIce Packs Hot & Cold Gel - 6 Pack Round Blue - Reusable FSA HSA Approved - Cold Compress- Facial & Eye Round Ice Pack

I chose the Thrive Gel Beads 2-Pack to replace my 20-year-old gel packs because they come with covers and seemed a good value for two gel packs. These packs are made of PVC, filled with blue and clear beads, and a little over 7 x 4 inches in size. They are perhaps 5/8 inch thick when the beads are distributed evenly. They come with blue velour covers that are a perfect thickness for protecting the skin from burning without blocking too much heat, as a towel tends to do. The set comes in a grey drawstring bag, which is placed in a plastic Ziploc-style bag. The package is thoughtfully put together, giving the impression that we're getting a good value for our money.I use these gel packs primarily for heat. The instructions that are included with the product advise to heat them in a microwave oven for 10-20 seconds depending on the wattage of your oven. Mine is an old oven and not very strong, so it takes me 1 minute to heat up the packs. You have to watch them, though. If you overheat the packs, the PVC casing swells up. This is a little alarming, as it makes me think the pack is going to explode and make a big mess. When the packs are sufficiently heated, insert them into their covers. If they are too hot to handle, wait a while. Thrive advises to let them stand a couple minutes before using. I find that they hold sufficient heat for 30 minutes.The Thrive gel packs are well-designed. I love the covers. In case you lose the instructions, they are also printed on the packs themselves. There are complaints that the packs do not hold cold for long. Thrive's instructions advise not to use the cold packs for more than 15 minutes, perhaps because they don't stay cold longer. Since you have two packs, you can switch them out. I suspect the problem is that beads are not ideal for cold compresses, as they don't have a surface that contacts the skin and tend to warm up quickly because they are spherical. For cold therapy, you might try Thrive's Crystal Blue Gel Ice Packs. These gel bead packs are good for heat therapy, in any case.

These work as advertised. I bought them for an unusual purpose, for which they work quite well: On long drives (over 3 hours), my butt begins to ache badly. Found out that the ache wasn't bad posture or needing some sort of special cushion, but just the back-center of my butt (top of the crack) getting hot, then getting inflamed and hurting from it (this may be unique to me, as I had surgery there some years ago). On one trip, in desperation, I took a cold pack out of a cooler and put it down there - holy crap!, instant relief.So, fully frozen, I take these in a case that keeps them cold and, when the pain starts to come on, slide one under my butt at the affected area. Ahh, what relief - and each one will last 20-30 minutes on one side (fabric side up, so it's not too cold), then another 10 minutes fabric side down, then another 10-20 minutes before things start to heat up again. They are small enough to easily put in place while driving but large enough to give a decent time of relief.The only thing I could ask for more is if the manufacturer (or someone else) design a an insulated case that fits them efficiently and keeps them cold, so it can fit in the freezer of a hotel mini-fridge (it was harder to find a case kinda suitable for the purpose - now Amazon thinks I use Insulin).This will have to do until car manufacturers start putting in seat chillers, not just seat warmers. I mean, no brainer - your butt's going to heat up a cold seat in short order, but nothing will cool a seat if your butt's in it for hours except for a chiller.

These gel packs are a little small, but otherwise, they're VERY nice! Wish they came much bigger, like 12" x 12", or 12" x 16". I like the blue, soft cloth that is on the outer case/covering of these gel packs. These can be heated for about twenty seconds in a microwave, and then placed inside of a damp, wrung out wash cloth, to place over sore muscles. This REALLY helps to relax them, especially before a chiropractic adjustment or massage!! I usually keep these in my freezer though, in case of inflammation. Tip: use cold for inflammation, and heat warm for sore muscles.SAFETY TIPS: Follow these safety tips for best results.... DO NOT USE ON broken/bleeding, or scratched SKIN!! DO NOT overheat in the microwave! Always use inside a damp, wrung out towel, to prevent injury and skin burn from direct contact. NEVER give to an animal, child, disabled, or elderly person without official, authorized medical advice and supervision, and only then - use with extreme caution & care, while checking often. Do not leave in place for longer than a handful of minutes- again, checking skin often, to prevent burn injury (burns can happen with direct skin contact, whether these gel packs are being used as either hot or cold compresses). Remove only the outer gel pack covers for laundering.