The 2021 Best Heated Toilet Seats

Buying a Heated Toilet Seat

Let’s just get right to it: A heated toilet seat can add a measure of luxury to something we all need to do every day.

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 an 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.

When shopping for a heated toilet seat, Klien suggests a few important factors to consider.

• Size and shape: Most toilets are round (16-1/2-inches) or elongated (18-1/2-inches).
• Weight capacity: Choose one that supports every member of your household.
• Length of electrical cord: Be sure it’s long enough to reach the nearest outlet.
• Convenience: Pick from optional amenities like nightlights, remote control, auto-close, pulsating streams, etc.
• Cost: “I have customers who are delighted to discover that they’re surprisingly simple and affordable,” says Klien.

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.”