In the early months of the pandemic, I enjoyed a brief flirtation with a 15lb weighted blanket from Amazon, but eventually abandoned it because it was impossible to launder and also sort of ugly. A few years later, I tried a different option – the sleep brand Bearaby’s flagship weighted blanket, an almost-but-not-quite-right solution that worked but eventually became cumbersome. In a frenzied afternoon spent deep cleaning, I set that one aside and eventually heaved it into the back of my sister’s Jeep for her.
Even though those two blankets didn’t stick, I still wanted something similar – just not ugly, large or hard to handle. Though I run hot and my apartment is often a furnace in the winter, my ideal leisure situation is enjoying the crisp air blowing in through a cracked window from the cozy and warm nest I’ve made on my sofa. Bearaby came to my rescue once more with the Lounger, a combination heated and weighted blanket that has been in my life for three years and is now my favorite thing in my apartment once winter sets in.
What is this thing?
Technically, the Lounger isn’t a weighted blanket – the brand calls it a “lap pad” as it is relatively compact, draping over just enough of my torso to feel good and not oppressive. The Lounger’s heating factor is what really makes it shine. The blanket is full of what Bearaby calls TerraClay (“natural and biodegradable” clay beads that retain heat), dispersed throughout the thing via square baffles. It weighs a solid and respectable 6lbs, which is half the weight of the others I’ve tried, and therefore feels like less of a burden.
To heat it, you stuff the Lounger in an included canvas sack, and then pop the whole situation into the microwave for just a minute. When it comes out, the blanket is suffused with a warm heat, much like that of a microwaved rice sock, and will retain its heat for up to an hour. I’ve found that if you zap it for two or three minutes, the heat is, well, quite hot, but not so much that it’s uncomfortable – and it stays warm for longer, so I don’t have to get up from my couch. Bearaby also says that you can use the Lounger as a cold pack – just shove it in the freezer and then drape it across whatever part of you that hurts.
Cleaning it is allegedly easy: it is machine washable, though I’ve yet to try (sorry!).
Blankets are not just for babies!
Initially, I thought I’d use the Lounger as a final step in my bedtime routine, the same way I did the weighted blankets of my past. Once settled in my bed under all of my various sheets and comforters, tucked in with the remote, a book and my water bottle close at hand, I’d drag the full sized blankets over my prone form, essentially trapping myself in my nest until dawn. For this specific application, the Lounger still works beautifully. Because it’s smaller than a regular blanket, it’s not a hassle to get out from under the thing in the middle of the night. It’s also much easier to store; I just shove it back in its sack and tuck it away until I need it again.
But because of its portability and also my deep and unabiding affection, I also drag the Lounger around my apartment like Linus does his blanket. It is my constant companion in the winter. It’s soft, unobtrusive and the ideal size and shape for my preferred way to rot away the evening when it’s too cold out: reading a book on the sofa with a sport on the TV for background. When I put it away for the season, I’m always a little sad – but thanks to its portability, it’s only a matter of time before I shove it in my carry-on for my next big trip, so I can make even the worst seat on an airplane feel like home.
Other pieces you might enjoy from the Filter, the Guardian’s guide to buying fewer, better things:
