I have owned Electric Heating Pad for Back Pain in the past and they are usually a hard plastic with a cover that can be washed. They are sometimes just a heat on -heat off control and usually get too hot. My mother and brother both had this version. I recently purchase this heating pad for my 86 year old mother and she absolutely loves it. It has temperature controls which give her the option of applying a mild heat or stronger depending on what she actually needs. Elderly people from what I learned have to be able to adjust the temperature because sometimes they lose feeling and can be burned by the device. The auto shut off feature helps this problem. My mother loves it and uses it daily. She asked me to buy one for my brother and I was surprised he loved it as well. The fact that it is washable was questionable to me but I felt it had to be an upgrade from what she was using.Funny to hear people rave about a heating pad but it is true. My brother has already washed his due to a spill accident and he told me it is still working great after this happened. I purchased this item randomly, probably because I liked the color and that it did not look like the medical heating pads of long ago. I am happy to report two happy users (my mother and brother) and soon will be purchasing my own. Thank you Mighty Bliss
