5 Best Lotion & Massage Oil Warmers: Your Buyer’s Guide

1. 1. EDITOR’S CHOICE: Master Massage Three-Bottle Warmer

   

   Price: $99.99

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • 100F to 140F temperature control
   • Space for three bottles
   • Bottles are included
   • Professional look
   • Trusted brand
   • Easy to operate

   Cons:

   • Too big for some
   • Pricier than others
   • Red lights may be annoying

   For those who want to have options available, you’ll love this Three-Bottle Electric Warmer by Master Massage. The body of the warmer has slots for three plastic pump bottles, which are included and come with the warmer. This way you can have different lotions, creams, and oils at the ready when you need them. 

   The warmer is simple to use with a dial on the front with six settings: off, 100 degrees, 110 degrees, 120 degrees, 130 degrees, and 140 degrees–all in Fahrenheit. Once your oils have reached the right temperature the little red lights will glow. There’s an internal thermostat that registers when the heater has reached your selected temperature and stops heating until it drops below your desired temperature. This keeps your oil from heating above what you’ve set your warmer to. 

   You can remove the bottles for easy access and easier cleaning and the sleek white design would fit in on any spa counter. This is a well-known and trusted brand. I’ve included them in several of my posts including best massage tables.

   Find more Master Massage Three-Bottle Warmer information and reviews here.

2. 2. Medvat Digital Wall-Mounted Warmer

   

   Price: $119.99

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • 93F to 104F temperature control
   • Programmable controls
   • LCD screen readout
   • Wall-mounted out of the way
   • Medical-grade
   • Fits a standard 8.5-ounce pump bottle

   Cons:

   • Doesn't come with bottle
   • Pricier than others
   • Needs to be mounted
   • Would look out of place for home use

   For those who don’t want to leave their lotion temperature to chance, go with the Medvat Digital Warmer which is designed to keep medical ultrasound gel warm but will work just as well with lotion or massage oil. Using the intuitive controls and digital LCD screen you can select your desired temperature ranging from 93 degrees Fahrenheit to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. 

   This is a very safe rage as hot water from your tap isn’t supposed to exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit to prevent scalding, so even if you max out the temperature on this warmer, it will still below this scalding threshold. There’s a built-in thermostat as well that will hold your lotion or oil at your desired temperature.

   There’s a built-in programmable timer so you can set how long you want the device to keep your lotion warm before going into sleep mode. It’s sized for the standard eight-ounce pump dispenser bottle but does not come with one. 

   The warmer is wall-mounting which frees up more counter space for other things. That said, as it meant for a doctor’s office, it might not be a good choice for personal use at home. 

   It’s also available in a two-bottle model.

   Find more Medvat Digital Wall-Mounted Warmer information and reviews here.

3. 3. Dermalogic Oil & Lotion Heater

   

   Price: $52.99

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • Includes metal dispenser bottle
   • Stylish cherry wood look
   • More affordable than others
   • Trusted brand for spa equipment
   • Bottle lifts out for cleaning and use
   • Metal bottle is more durable against heat

   Cons:

   • Temperature not easy to control
   • Best to use their bottle
   • No auto-off

   If your priority is that your warmer be attractive, then Dermalogic’s Oil and Lotion Heater is for you. Compared to the plain white plastic of most other warmers, this one stands above the rest with an attractive brushed aluminum and red cherry wood case. It looks like it belongs in a spa and less like it’s right out a medical exam room making this one great for both treatment rooms and home use. 

   It comes with an 8.5-ounce aluminum dispenser pump bottle to fill with your oil or lotion of choice. Metal bottles are going to hold up to the heat of the warmer much better than the typical plastic bottles. Plastic can get overheated and wobbly but there’s no chance the metal bottle will melt. That does mean you’re limited in what you can put in here as the warmer does not recommend using plastic bottles. If you want to be able to heat different lotions or oils, they do sell additional aluminum dispenser bottles. 

   The warmer does not have a thermostat or temperature control and is operated with a straight-forward on and off button. It claims to heat continuously so the longer the oil is heating the warmer it will be, maxing out at 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This isn’t a very accurate system but as long as you’re feeling the oil for comfort before applying it to a client or a sensitive area, you should be okay. If what you’re looking for is consistent, controllable, and accurate heating temperatures, you’ll want to spring for something higher quality than this.

   Dermalogic is a trusted name in the spa world. I featured the Dermalogic Towel Steamer as my top pick for best towel warmers.

   Find more Dermalogic Oil and Lotion Heater information and reviews here.

4. 4. Parker Labs Thermosonic Gel Warmer

   

   Price: $122.56

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • Medical-grade
   • No complicated controls
   • Can sit on counter or mount on wall
   • Two-year warranty
   • Fits standard eight-ounce bottles

   Cons:

   • No temperature control
   • No on or off button
   • Not particularly attractive
   • Doesn't include bottle

   As far as use goes, it doesn’t get much simpler than the Parker Labs Thermosonic Gel Warmer. There’s no complicated interface to deal with or even an on and off button. Simply plug it in and the warmer is going. No extra steps to go through. The red light on the front will alert you that it’s heating.

   It’s designed for a medical ultrasound tech’s office and can be either wall-mounted or sit as a stand-alone warmer on a countertop. If it’s designed for pregnant bellies, you can feel confident that the oil or lotion won’t be too hot even if you can’t adjust the temperature of the warmer. It’s sized for standard eight to 8.5-ounce bottles. 

   If you want to be able to adjust the temperature of your lotion or oil, this isn’t the warmer for you. 

   Find more Parker Labs Thermosonic Gel Warmer information and reviews here.

5. 5. Philips Avent Bottle Warmer

   

   Price: $78.89

   Amazon Customer Reviews

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   Pros:

   • Affordable
   • Compact
   • Trusted Philips brand
   • Adjustable timer
   • Can feel safe it won't overheat

   Cons:

   • Need to add water
   • Not made for massage oil
   • Won't keep the lotion heated all day
   • Not for professionals
   • Not warm enough for some

   If all you want is a way to warm up your own body lotion or body oil and don’t need to worry about a high client load, you can save money and get away with repurposing a baby bottle warmer like this Philips Avent Bottle Heater. Because it’s designed to warm up milk for babies to around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, you can feel confident that it won’t overheat your oil or lotion even though you can’t adjust the temperature of the warmer. 

   It’s simple to use but does require you to add water to create the warm-water bath used to gently warm the oil. The dial helps you select how long the warmer should go for (based on how much liquid you’re warming and how cold it was to begin with) and the light will blink when your bottle is ready. 

   I like that it’s affordable and compact so it doesn’t need a lot of space to operate. This would be a good fit for a home bathroom to get your lotion heating while you’re in the shower. I wouldn’t recommend this to professionals. 

   Find more Philips Avent Bottle Warmer information and reviews here.

How Do You to Warm Massage Oil?

You could be old-fashioned and slowly warm it up in a dedicated pot on the stove and carefully watch it with a thermometer, but who has time for that? That's why professionals use warmers. The right warmer for you will depend on your budget and the size of your client base.

Pro Tip: Be sure not to put bottles that are completely full into oil warmers as the lotion and oil will expand when warmed and then leak out of the top of the bottle. If you're starting with a fresh bottle, you'll want to remove some to prevent a mess. 

Electric or Fire-powered?

Electric, hands down. I know there are cheaper diffuser-type warmers powered by a tealight, but there's no question here. Electric warmers allow for better control and often can be adjusted to the temperature range of your choice. 

Fire has one setting: hot. Keep in mind that fire burns at over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit and water boils at only 212 degrees Fahrenheit. It's better to have control and avoid burning yourself and others.

What Temperature Should Your Oil or Lotion Be?

This is a matter of personal preference and every client will have different comfort levels. In general, it's a good bet to count on keeping your oil or lotion the temperature of bathwater which tends to be around 100 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Keep in mind that Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that water heaters should not be set above 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid burns so that's a decent benchmark to keep in mind.

Massage Oil or Massage Lotion?

Again this one is all your preference of how you like to work and your client's comfort level with what is put on their body.

Also, the right type of lotion or oil can depend on the type of massage and there are more types than I can name. One study states that practically every culture around the globe developed its own practice of massage.

Each massage has a different approach and effect with different needs in terms of the level of slip. 

My personal preference is for massage lotion because it is easier to control and it doesn't require a post-massage shower, but certain modalities like Swedish massage may require the slip of an oil.

What Are the Best Massage Oils and Lotions?

I'm partial to Bon Vital' Massage Lotions because they have formulations to fit different massage modalities. I'm also a fan of the tried-and-true Biotone oil and lotions.