The Relief Review

A woman wrapped in a hospital blanket with a cup of tea, sitting in a dialysis chair beside a window

6 Heated Essentials for Anyone Who Spends Hours Shivering in a Dialysis Chair

Treatment rooms are kept cool, a session can run to four hours, and your access arm has to stay uncovered the whole time. These are the six Hand Hearth pieces worth packing for the cold days.

Three of the six leave both arms completely free, and every one of them goes in the wash once the battery is out.

Long treatment days and chilly rooms call for a bit of extra comfort. Below is what to wear in the chair, what to wear on the way there, and which pieces keep well clear of your access arm.

A man reading a newspaper in a dialysis chair, wearing a black heated vest with his arms bare

1. The HearthCore™ Heated Vest Keeps Your Core Warm and Your Arms Bare

This is the one I'd pack first. Most of the cold on a dialysis day comes from sitting still in a cool room for hours, with one arm out on a pillow where the nurses can reach it. A cardigan slides off that arm, and a blanket keeps covering it.

The HearthCore is sleeveless, so the warmth sits across your chest and back while both arms stay uncovered. Carbon fibre heating elements run through it, and one button cycles through three settings. Hold it for three seconds and you'll feel it warming within about 30 seconds.

The battery comes in the box. It's a 10,000 mAh pack with USB-C and USB ports, so on a long day it can top up your phone too. Expect 3 to 4 hours on high and 7 to 8 hours on low.

Sleeveless · Battery included · Up to 8 hours on low · Machine washable

Shop the HearthCore™ Heated Vest →

Feet in black heated knee socks resting on the footrest of a treatment chair

2. HearthFoot™ Heated Socks for Feet That Go Cold Halfway Through

Feet are usually the first thing to go cold in a reclining chair. They're up on the footrest, furthest from everything, and a hospital blanket rarely stays tucked around them for long.

These are thick, breathable cotton knee socks with a small battery in each cuff. The cuff sits above the boot line, so you never stand on it. One button runs three heat settings, small lights show which one you're on, and the warmth reaches right down to your toes.

Both batteries come in the box, along with one cable that charges the pair from a single USB plug. One size fits most adult feet, in black or grey.

One size · A battery in each cuff · Three heat settings · Hand wash, batteries out

Shop the HearthFoot™ Heated Socks →

A woman outside a hospital entrance using her phone while wearing thin black heated gloves

3. SecondSkin™ Heated Gloves for the Walk From the Car Park

The chair is only half of it. You still have to get there, and a hospital car park at seven on a January morning is a miserable place to fumble for your keys.

SecondSkin gloves are thin, full-finger liners. The heat covers the back of each hand and all five fingertips, with three settings on one button. They're slim enough to wear on their own or under the gloves you already own.

The fingertips work on a touchscreen, so you can check in at the kiosk or answer a call without pulling them off. The palm has grip, and a strap at the wrist keeps them snug.

Sizes S to XL · Touchscreen fingertips · Three heat settings · Hand wash only

Shop the SecondSkin™ Heated Gloves →

A man in a black heated baselayer top pouring a cup of tea in his kitchen before dawn

4. The HearthLayer™ Heated Baselayer Goes Under Everything You Already Wear

Some people hate bulk. A thick jumper over a shirt under a coat makes the walk in feel like hard work, and then most of it has to come off again when you sit down.

The HearthLayer is a black, long-sleeved crew-neck top in soft stretch polyester that goes under your normal clothes. Sixteen heat panels sit across the core, the back and the elbows. There are three heat levels, and it starts warming within 30 seconds of switching on.

Because it has long sleeves, it suits the journey and the rest of the day better than the chair itself. Low runs for up to 12 hours, and the power bank is included. The men's cut comes in S, M and L, and there's a women's version too.

Wears under your clothes · 16 heat panels · Up to 12 hours on low · Machine washable

Shop the HearthLayer™ Heated Baselayer →

A woman in a grey heated hoodie holding a travel mug in the passenger seat of a car on a rainy morning

5. The HearthHood™ Heated Hoodie Makes the Early Starts Easier

For a lot of people, dialysis means three early starts a week in a cold car or on a draughty bus. By the time you walk through the door, you might have been cold for an hour already.

This one is a soft, light grey pullover with a kangaroo pocket and a drawcord hood, and it looks like any other hoodie. The heat runs from a power bank in an inside pocket, with three settings and a small light to show which one is on.

Wear it under your coat on the way in, slip it off when you settle into the chair, and put it back on for the ride home. It comes in S, M and L with the battery included.

Sizes S, M, L · Battery included · Three heat settings · Gentle wash, battery out

Shop the HearthHood™ Heated Hoodie →

An older man at a bus stop on a cold morning wearing a soft grey heated scarf

6. The HearthCozy™ Heated Scarf for Draughty Wards and Bus Stops

A cold draught across the back of your neck can make a whole room feel colder than it is. A scarf deals with that, and it doesn't go anywhere near your arms.

The HearthCozy is soft faux fur that loops through itself at the front, so it stays put while you're reclined. Hold the button for three seconds to switch it on, then press it to move between low, medium and high. You'll feel the warmth in around 30 seconds.

The 3,000 mAh battery is included and tucks into an inside pocket. On low it runs for up to 8 hours. It comes in black, grey or red.

One size · Battery included · Up to 8 hours on low · Hand wash or spot clean

Shop the HearthCozy™ Heated Scarf →

Important: Always check with your dialysis care team before using powered heated clothing during treatment. Keep heating elements away from your vascular access site, and follow the manufacturer's safety instructions. Heated clothing is for comfort and warmth only. It is not a medical device.