Year-End Staff Purchase Review:

A cozy hot water bottle from Lapuan Kankurit that invites deep sleep on the coldest winter nights

Our staff, who check and know ZUTTO's products better than anyone else, passionately introduce the items they've purchased in this Purchase Review series. This time, we're talking about a classic hot water bottle that invites restful winter sleep. (Staff M)

What I'm glad I bought during the busy month of December: a Lapuan hot water bottle

What made me want a hot water bottle in the first place was being bothered by the dryness that heating causes in winter, and the fact that my sleep quality had dropped so much that I couldn't wake up feeling refreshed. While searching for a way to warm up that didn't involve heaters or heating systems, I learned about the benefits of hot water bottles.

The first great thing about a hot water bottle is that 【it doesn't use electricity】. Unlike heating, it doesn't dry out the room, and since the bottle keeps a steady temperature, you never end up with an uncomfortably hot object pressed against your body.

It also lets you 【warm specific parts of your body】. For lower back pain, place it on your lower back; for stiff shoulders, around your shoulder blades; for menstrual cramps or cold sensitivity, on your stomach; and it works for your feet, too. When my back hurts during the day at work, I hold it against my lower back, and when I'm relaxing in bed, I usually rest it on my stomach while watching a movie on my tablet.

What changed after I started using a hot water bottle is that just a little heating and a down comforter are now enough to keep me warm and comfortable while I sleep. This probably varies from person to person, but since I don't feel the cold too badly to begin with, I no longer need a heavy blanket—just the down comforter is enough.

And on top of that, I fall asleep much more easily now. This is the biggest reason I can't do without my hot water bottle anymore. Think of how animals hibernate in winter: it's said that starting off warm and gradually cooling down naturally leads to deep sleep. And this old-fashioned, hot-water-filled bottle does exactly that, naturally. In my experience, I fill it with water at around 80–90°C (I pour in some cold water before adding the boiled water from the kettle) and place it in my bed. While I tidy up or take a bath, the bed warms up, and then I spend 30 minutes to an hour relaxing in the warmed bed before falling asleep. By that time, the bottle has cooled to about bath temperature, so I just leave it in the bed and sleep. Before I know it, I've drifted off.

A little worrying at first

When I first started using it, I did wonder whether it was really okay to bring something filled with boiling water into bed. But the bottle itself is made of silicone, so even if the cover were to come off and the bottle were exposed, it wouldn't be hot enough to burn your skin. The cap also twists closed like the lid of a thermos, so there's no need to worry about spills. I use a product made by the German company Fashy, which meets the British BS safety standard and is also certified under Germany's TUV quality mark.

Getting into bed has become something I look forward to, and reading in bed has become a habit too. In summer, you can remove the cover and use it as an ice pillow, so it's something you can enjoy all year round.

Living cozily with a hot water bottle wrapped in Nordic textiles

Even with all the convenient appliances available these days, trying a classic hot water bottle really lets you appreciate its qualities. I'd recommend it to anyone who's never used one before, anyone whose cold feet keep them from sleeping, anyone who wakes up in the middle of the night, and anyone bothered by the dryness that heating equipment causes.

>> The hot water bottle featured here

※Stock is limited, so please forgive us if the item is sold out.