If your stone cold toilet needs a little warmth, we have you covered. These heated seats passed our tests for warmth, durability and so much more.
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We’ve all sat on a freezing cold toilet seat and wished we hadn’t. Thankfully, keeping your buns toasty is as easy as plugging in a new toilet seat warmer or switching your current toilet seat. Seriously, this affordable creature comfort is a must-have item for cold bathrooms.
Widely popular in Japan since the 1970s, the heated toilet seat eventually found its way into the global marketplace. Now it’s commonplace, and for good reason. Above all else, heated toilet seats prevent the shock to your system from sitting on a cold surface, especially on those frigid winter mornings.
“As a plumber, I get lots of questions about toilets, and toilet seats in particular,” says Tanya Klien, the CEO of Anta Plumbing. “The latest trend in toilets is the luxurious heated seat.”
Granted a United Kingdom patent in 1963, Cyril Reginald Clayton manufactured the first electrically heated toilet seat at St Leonard’s on Sea in Sussex. That simple design ran a heating element through a fiberglass ring. Lots of improvements followed, including built-in washlets (bidets), lights, slow-close lids and wireless technology. So we set out to find the best of the best.
All of the heated toilet seats we tested have multiple heat settings and are available in white for either round and elongated toilet bowls.
The Brondell LumaWarm heated toilet seat scored the best for value, comfort and durability (as well as ease of use and installation). Conveniently located on the top of the unit, the intuitive control panel has two touch points to control the blue LED night light and the three heat settings. Plus the buttons illuminate when the settings are turned on.
The Brondell also features an ergonomic seat design for comfort, a side panel for easy control access and top-mounted hardware (upon request) and a standard wall outlet for power. I like that the contoured seat is comfortable and stable for folks up to 320 pounds. Additionally, it has a 7-second soft close seat and lid, so no more slamming in the middle of the night.
When testing the heat settings, I got a cool 75-degree reading before I turned the heat setting on high. At the one-minute mark, the heat increased by four degrees and at three minutes, the temperature rose 28 degrees to a toasty 103 degrees. The heat fluctuated to 107 degrees and held steady at 104 degrees after 5 minutes. The low temperature tops out at 97 degrees, and the medium temperature is 100 degrees.
Installation took less than 10 minutes, including reading the directions and two tries. After the first try, I needed to adjust the seat to better align with the bowl. Two plastic mounting bolts easily slide into the grooves on the base of the seat to allow for easy adjustment. Once it aligns with the bowl, use the included rubber washers and plastic wing nuts to secure it into place. Then, plug the three-foot nine-inch electric cord into a GFCI outlet. Easy!
For an affordable fix to cold cheeks, the Toastie Tushy toilet seat warmer heats your booty without replacing the seat. Toastie Tushy is like a water-repellant vinyl heating pad for the toilet. It attaches to the bottom of your seat lid using sticky velcro tabs. When the cover is down, the lightweight heating pad transfers warmth to the ring of the seat. And when open, it keeps your back cozy.
The hand-held thermostat controller has three heat settings controlled with the on/off button. To turn the unit on, simply hold it for a couple of seconds until you see the light, then choose between low, medium and high heat.
The settings are easy to see with the bright lights and are suitable for the elderly or disabled . With the included hooks, simply hang the thermostat on the toilet or wall for easy access. Don’t have a plug close to the toilet? Of all the heated seats we tested, the Toastie Tush has the longest electric cord (8.5 feet), and for safety, it’s outfitted with its own GFCI plug with a reset and test button.
In our testing, the Toastie Tush quickly rose 17 degrees in 90 seconds on the low setting. The highest temperature we recorded was 84 degrees after 3 minutes. The temperature varied a few degrees, settling at 80 degrees after 5 minutes. On the other hand, testing on the high setting took longer to warm up, but by 3 minutes, it reached 92 degrees and topped out at 115 degrees after 13 minutes. The good news is that the thermostat will automatically turn on and off to maintain the setting of your choice.
The waterproof vinyl Toastie Tush wipes clean with a damp cloth. It’s also portable, so you can take it wherever you go.
Feel warm, secure and grounded with the Bemis Radiance heated toilet seat. The patented fit technology delivers perfect bowl alignment, and the Grip-Tight Bumpers ensure the seat will never come loose. No more shifting, sliding and scooting around unnecessarily.
The Bemis Radiance was by far the fastest and easiest toilet seat to install. In less than 5 minutes (including reading directions), I replaced the seat on our Toto Drake toilet . With two plastic mounting bolts that slide into place on the track under the seat, it’s easy to adjust for the perfect fit. Once it lines up, tighten the nuts and plug it in. It’s that simple. This seat is so easy to install, and you’ll be happy when it comes time for deep cleaning because it’s just as easy to remove.
The Bemis Radiance has the same comfort and design as the Brondell with the easy-to-reach control settings on top. In fact, it was hard to tell the difference between the two heated toilet seats once installed. With three temperature settings and an optional blue night light, the only functional difference was that this Bemis reached a warmer temperature on high to a sustainable 111 degrees within 5 minutes. While the low-temperature setting maintained a comfortable 100 degrees.
So, in the end, the Radiance ran a few degrees warmer than the Brondell Luma Warm, and the mounting hardware was easier to use. However, at 10.8 seconds, the soft close lid took 3 seconds longer to close than the Brondell. The lower price is the biggest factor that edged the Brondell into the top spot, but the Bemis is an extremely close second.
Introducing the Kohler PureWarmth heated toilet seat. It features three adjustable heat settings and dual-LED adjustable lighting that spans a color spectrum from warm to cool.
You can set the brightness level to “dim” to avoid waking a sleeping family member or crank it up bright enough to brush your teeth. It shines whether the lid is up or down. We love the hidden cord for a clean look and a slow-close lid that shuts without slamming. To control options through your smartphone, download the Kohler PureWarmth app. The app allows you to set the mood in your chilly bathroom and program heat settings for different times of the day.
Installing the seat took just under eight minutes, requiring a few unexpected steps to install the mounting plate and string the hidden cord. Even though it took a little longer to install, it wasn’t difficult with the included tool.
A notable feature of the PureWarmth seat is the quick-release buttons to remove the seat for cleaning. Another nice thing about this heated toilet seat is the six-foot power cord, giving you more flexibility to reach a power outlet.
Downloading the app and pairing the seat took far longer than installing, an additional 33 minutes. During our testing, the app was a little finicky —it took five tries to pair successfully. The manual controls located behind the seat were difficult to see when pairing it or operating the settings without the app. However, taking the time to pair it with your smart device is worth it if you want full control and multiple color options.
I tested all of the heated seats for comfort and durability by sitting on them with the lid open and closed. With the lid down, the Kohler felt a little bouncy. With the lid open, it wasn’t as comfortable for me as the other models we tested with contoured seats, as the protruding edge on the lid was bothersome when leaning back.
The manual controls are tucked behind the seat for a clean look, albeit harder to reach than others we tested. Overall, the Kohler Pure Warmth performed well on the heat test, warming up 14 degrees in the first two minutes and reaching a comfortable 95 degrees after five minutes with the hottest temperature topping out at 102 degrees after 10 minutes. The Pure Warmth seat comes in biscuit or white for both the elongated and round models.
The Tushy Ace is a bidet and heated toilet seat in one unit. It’s loaded with features, including five temperature options for the heated seat, the bidet water and a warm air dryer, plus a remote control with a magnetic wall mount.
The bidet nozzle retracts when not in use, and the oscillating stream and water pressure are controlled by the remote. Adjust the spray angle and choose “bum” or “front” from the remote.
I took the time to read through the directions twice, so it took me 31 minutes to install after unboxing. But fear not, the installation was easy. The seat quickly heated to 101.3 degrees in 5 minutes on the highest setting, while the soft close lid took its sweet time at 19 seconds.
As far as comfort and durability, the Tushy Ace lid was thinner than I’d like, and it slopes downward. So, if you’re used to sitting on the toilet with the lid closed (to clip your toenails, for instance), you probably won’t appreciate the design of the Tushy Ace. It’s also worth noting that the mechanics for the bidet on the back of the seat take up space, and as a result, the bowl opening is slightly decreased. Even though I’m not a fan of the bulky profile and sloping lid, the benefit of having a heated toilet seat and a bidet in one easy-to-install toilet seat outweighs a clunky design.
Before searching for the perfect heated toilet seat, first determine if you have a nearby GFCI plug. For the most options available, the outlet will ideally be located within 3.5 feet of the toilet.
Our resident expert and veteran contractor, Deane Biermeier, emphasizes the importance of a GFCI outlet in the bathroom: “Most modern bathrooms have GFCI outlets, recognizable by their ‘test’ and ‘reset’ buttons. However, some older homes may not have this important safety feature that disrupts power flow when the outlet senses grounding inconsistencies, minimizing the chances of dangerous electrical shock—not fun when you’re using the restroom or anytime. I strongly recommend adding this feature to the bathroom if your home doesn’t have them, along with any other electrical system updates necessary to meet building code in your location. However, if that’s not an option, at the very least look for a heated toilet seat with its own GFCI capability to help keep you and your family safe.”
Next, determine if your existing toilet is elongated or round . Grab the tape measure and double check the dimensions against the manufacturer’s specs. Thankfully, most toilet seat bolt holes are universal for easy replacement. Unless you have an unusual toilet, the heated seats are designed to fit in most standard toilets.
Once you’ve determined the type you need, take a look at the features. Every heated toilet seat on our list sports some type of night light and slow close lid. Other features to look for are easy-to-use controls conveniently located. While variable heat settings are commonplace, controlling them from a smart device or remote is a bonus.
When shopping for a heated toilet seat, Klien suggests a few important factors to consider:
The best part? Though most bathroom and plumbing projects aren’t ideal DIY jobs, Klien says, “ replacing a conventional toilet seat with a heated one is easy as can be.”
Our team is well-versed in finding the best products for the job. We research dozens of top-rated products and manufacturers to find durable products that are easy to use with a high level of customer satisfaction. We do the homework for you and test products we feel will have high value for their cost.
As an interior designer, I appreciate well-designed products that make life more pleasing and easy. A warm toilet seat adds to our quality of life and of course, makes our home feel cozier. Finding easy and affordable ways to make a home more comfortable is my goal for my readers and clients.
At Family Handyman , we look for products with high customer satisfaction, durability, value and performance. We combed through a variety of products, from splurge items to budget-friendly seat warmers, looking for the best options. We read through user reviews and chose five top-rated toilet seat warmers to test in our studio.
Curious as to how we tested these toilet seats? This was our thought process:
First, we assessed the packaging of these products, all of which arrived in perfect condition, were well-boxed and weren’t full of unnecessary plastic packaging. After unpacking the boxes, we laid out the five toilet seat warmers, measured the cord lengths and tested how quickly the seats warmed up with a stopwatch and heat gun. We noted the temperature for each heat setting in 30-second intervals.
It’s worth noting that the surface temperature of every seat varied a few degrees depending on where I placed the heat gun, which means that the heat wasn’t completely consistent on all surfaces of any of the seats we tested.
Next, we tested the strength of the seat covers. I placed each cover on the ground and stood on them to see how much give they had (because when you need to stand on your toilet to capture a spider or change a lightbulb, you don’t want to feel like you’re going to fall through to the bowl). After they were installed on our test toilet, I also sat on them with and without the seat cover closed. I tested the strength of the lid, how comfortable the seat was and if it was stable when I wiggled back and forth.
When it came time to install the toilet seat warmer, we timed how long it took and assessed the difficulty level. These seat warmers were very easy to install, taking less than 30 minutes and some as little as five minutes.
Finally, we noted and tested the features of each toilet seat warmer. We timed the slow close lids, looked at the brightness and color of the lighting options, noted the ease of operation and accessibility of the controls and felt the warmth generated by each seat (which was nice on a cold winter day).
After tallying the scores for unboxing, assembly, durability, accessibility, special features and value, these five heated toilet seats passed the Family Handyman test with flying colors.
We tested these five easy-to-install heated toilet seats, from the affordable Toastie Tush to a lavish heated toilet seat with a bidet washlet so you won’t be left out in the cold. All you need is access to electricity to keep your buns warm.
Honestly, yes! Why suffer when cozier options are so affordable? Treating yourself to the comfort and luxury of a heated toilet seat is a decision you won’t regret. If you suffer from arthritis or other ailments, the shock of a cold toilet seat can be downright painful. With the added features of night lights and bidets, taking care of your personal business is much more pleasurable.
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