We are living in the future, or at least in a future where you no longer have to freeze to death in your office because Janine will not turn off the air conditioning. In fact, this new device can even heat you up when nobody seems to notice you're wearing 14 sweaters and still have jittering teeth. The Embr Wave, a heating and cooling bracelet, is designed to make you feel five degrees hotter or colder in just a few minutes.
This little beauty is selling at Urban Outfitters and, though they give a detailed explanation of how it works, I'm not against calling it straight-up witchcraft.
"Always running hot or cold? The Embr Wave is a heating and cooling bracelet that channels the temperature-sensitive skin on your inner wrist to cool you five degrees hotter or colder when the temperature isn’t just right," the description explains. "An innovation in personalized thermal sensations, this precise, energy-efficient device stimulates thermoreceptors so you feel comfortable in just about any room you find yourself in. NASA-grade hardware offers precision and control, in a compact, sleek device worn with a mesh metal bracelet link."
NASA-GRADE HARDWARE. As if that doesn't sound high-tech enough, the bracelet pairs with the Embr Wave app, so you can customize your temperature preferences and even keep track of your temperature. Embr recommends it for thermal comfort, stress, or sleep, and per the user experiences, it does seem to be effective — the Embr site has 372 reviews from verified buyers that give it an average of 4.3 out of 5 stars, with people using it for everything from heat waves to hot flashes to cold office air conditioning units.
The one snag? Well, it's a big one — a really big one. The bracelet retails at $299, which is pretty damn steep. I'm just thinking how much ice cream $299 could buy me and it's definitely enough to cool me down and also be super delicious. That's just something to consider.
Although it may be an expensive purchase, it's certainly true that if your body temperature is all over the place (or you just have very different preferences than people in your office), things can be tough. I have Raynaud's syndrome, which means I feel temperature fluctuations in a big way. Seeing customizable ways to stay warmer — or cooler — is definitely encouraging.
That said, there are some hacks are a lot cheaper than this bracelet — and considering a huge portion of the U.S. just endured a massive heatwave, the ordinary tricks aren't going to cut it. So how do you cope? You can get a little mug warmer that keeps your hot drinks toasty for hours. You can buy an inflatable pool at Target and bring it to work, then refuse to get out of it. You can use a hot weather hack like frozen water bottles in between your sheets.
Or you can splash out on this bracelet. It might be a lot of money to spend, but if it works, then that is some amazing technology in action. Five degrees cooler or warmer, in just a few minutes? From something that is basically jewelry? The future is now.
