The 5 Best Gel Seats

One of the biggest complaints we’ve been hearing from people who work from home is that they didn’t design their home to be an office. Perhaps they have a living room chair with arms that restrict laptop use, or the couch is just too comfy for anything other than a night of Netflix. Worse still, the barstool that’s designed for eating at the countertop, or the dining room chair that isn’t designed for sitting more than a few hours does not make a comfortable office chair. Or perhaps you’re the victim of a boss who found a deal on a bunch of chairs for the office cube farm, and after a few hours, your butt wants to go on strike? Enter the gel seat, a soft, ergonomic cushion created to treat your rear with the comfort and respect it deserves. In one of our easiest jobs ever, we did a whole lot of sitting, and through this rigorous research, we found these to be the 5 best gel seats on the market.

Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion

The Name Says It All

With a comprehensive list of features at an excellent price, the Everlasting Comfort Seat Cushion wins our top award.

Best Overall

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It’s almost as though the designers at Everlasting Comfort made a checklist of everything a gel seat needs and then put it all into their latest seat cushion. 100% Memory foam with no additives? Check. Heat responsive material? Check. Machine-washable cover? Check. Non-slip rubber bottom? Check. And the list goes on and on. We love that the U-shaped ergonomic design helps take pressure off your thighs, relieving issues like tailbone pain and Sciatica. And since the memory foam shapes itself around you, you know you’ll have lasting relief every time you use it. This one is great for the home office, the car, or anywhere you need a little extra padding.

Pros:

Lifetime replacement guarantee
Relieves pressure from coccyx
Fits airplane seats

Cons:

Should not be used on leather chairs
Decreases headroom in cars

ComfiLife Gel Enhanced

The ComfiLife Is The Best Life

Featuring a convenient carrying handle and designed for a wide variety of different seats, ComfiLife lives up to it name.

Best Versatility

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ComfiLife doesn’t stray too far from the formula that works for gel seats. Made with premium, high-density memory foam inside a washable velour cover, the ComfiLife Gel-Enhanced seat cushion provides relief from the discomfort of long sitting times. The difference here is how the ComfiLife is designed to be used in a myriad of situations: cars, trucks, RVs, boats, airplanes, wheelchairs and more. And since there’s a built-in handle for convenient carrying, you can take the ComfiLife to concerts, theaters, churches or anywhere you know the seating needs a little extra support. Wrap all this in a lifetime replacement guarantee, and you’ve got the perfect package.

Pros:

Heat & weight responsive
Gel lining creates coccyx relief
Slip-resistant backing

Cons:

Metal zipper on lining can scratch chairs
Off-white velour can show stains

Bonmedico X-Large

Bigger Is Better

Extra-long, extra-thick and extra-wide, the Bonmedico Gel Seat provides extra relief when it’s needed most.

Best Large-Sized

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All gel seats are designed for orthopedic relief – they relieve pressure on the tailbone and coccyx and even take the strain off the lower back. Following back surgery or other orthopedic procedures, gel relief pillows are often recommended during recovery. The Bonmedico X-Large is perfect for these situations. At nearly 20 inches long, 4 inches thick and 14 inches wide, it’s bigger than most gel seats on the market, providing an extra level of comfort and support you need. Suited to handle up to 300 pounds, the ergonomically-designed cushion still fits on top of most office chairs, but is also perfect for home seating like couches and recliners. Made with an innovative gel layer on top of memory foam, the cushion remains cool under its comfortable mesh lining.

Pros:

Machine-washable cover
Improves posture and blood flow
Convenient carrying handle

Cons:

Tends to be more firm
Not ideal for heavier-set folks

Ergonomic Innovations Donut Pillow

Almost As Good As A Real Donut

Ergonomic Innovations provides a uniquely-designed gel seat specifically for hemorrhoids and pre & post-natal needs.

Best Alternative Design

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The heat-disbursing, supportive properties of gel material have provided relief for all kinds of chronic pain sufferers. However, expectant mothers – and those who have just given birth – have different needs. To provide the comfort and relief they require, Ergonomic Innovations has created the Donut Pillow, a 17.5-inch ring of memory foam and gel support. As the name says, it’s ergonomically-designed with two divots to fit your legs. The donut takes pressure off of sensitive areas, which is also perfect for hemorrhoid sufferers. Suitable for all surfaces and with a machine-washable cover, it’s the perfect alternative to other gel pillow designs.

Pros:

Stay-put non-slip base
No latex materials
7-inch wide oval center

Cons:

Not for back support
Doesn’t stick well to leather

Fomi Premium All-Gel

All Gel And Nothing But The Gel

For people who find the greatest relief from gel padding, Fomi offers a soft and reliable all-gel seat cushion.

Best 100% Gel

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Though some people prefer the customized feel of memory foam, others find the greatest relief through pure gel padding. For them, there’s the Fomi Premium All-Gel, a 100% medical-grade gel cushion wrapped in a machine-washable fabric cover. Especially for people who like the stay-cool effects of pure gel, this 17-inch wide cushion disburses your body weight evenly so that heat cannot accumulate. The material cannot flatten, maintaining its shape even after long-term use, ad it’s available in both a standard and extra-thick size.

Pros:

Carrying handle on cover
Non-slip friction bead grip
Good for couches and recliners

Cons:

Not ergonomically designed
Not meant to be folded

Frequently Asked Questions

Will a gel seat also help me with lower back pain?

It will help, but only to a point. When your glutes are uncomfortable or strained, the muscles in your lower back might engage in an attempt to take some of the physical load off the glutes. This, as well as strain on spinal discs, combine to cause lower back strain. So a gel seat that makes your glutes more relaxed can help prevent back pain. However, most back pain that comes from sitting over a long period of time is due to an insufficient amount of lumbar support. You may want to consider a separate back-supporting cushion for that issue.

What exactly is “ergonomic design?”

Here’s a definition: an applied science concerned with designing and arranging things people use so that the people and things interact most efficiently and safely. In other words, it means that thought went into how a human being will actually use the product when the product was designed. In the case of gel seats, it means the seat is shaped like your rear-end and thighs, instead of being a flat, square piece of foam.

Will a gel seat really cure my coccyx pain?

“Cure” is the wrong word. “May provide relief from” is the better phrase. It’s very important to remember that, in general, gel seats are intended to provide relief from pain and strain, but are not FDA tested or approved to prevent, treat, or cure any disease. If a gel seat works for you, great. They’ve worked for millions of people. But they’re not supposed to be a treatment or a cure to any orthopaedic issue. Like any health-related problem, we recommend that the first thing you do is talk to your doctor.