Four years ago, doctors diagnosed Leïla Royer with “severe” endometriosis. Like one in ten women in France suffering from this chronic pathology, the young mother regularly suffers from shooting pains in the lower abdomen but also in the lower back which she has difficulty calming down.
To achieve this, she has until now used hot water bottles to relieve her crises, which she took to work, within the human resources department of a large Toulouse aeronautics company. But it was far from ideal and she had to be absent regularly, which was far from being well perceived in a world of work where this invisible disease is still little recognized.
After undergoing an operation related to endometriosis, this blogger wedding decided to share his experience on social networks. “Many women have testified that there was a lack, that these hot water bottles were not practical”, says the young mother who was sometimes forced to surround herself with six to seven hot water bottles in a lying position to feel the pain ebb.
This is how the idea of creating a 360° hot water bottle belt was born, which heats both the pelvic and back areas and can be worn under clothing while being almost invisible. Last year, Leïla decided to take the plunge and embarked on the adventure of entrepreneurship with her husband Réal, who for several years had been witnessing the suffering of his wife. They decided to create Madame Colette start-upin reference to the feminist writer, who has just joined the accelerator of companies with a strong social and environmental impact, Incoplex.
Practical, almost invisible and ergonomic
“For several months we worked on the design, tried to improve it. Rather than water or gel, we chose to use non-food flaxseed to fill the six cotton cushions for its pain-relieving effects. The belt has six compartments where you put the hot water bottles, it’s almost invisible under a dress or wide, light pants,” explains Réal Royer, who had their Wendy hot water bottle belt tested by around fifty women.
Lucie, who suffers from premenstrual syndrome, has had one recently and has already had the opportunity to use it. “I had a hot water bottle with gel, but often it burns and it was not at all suitable for positioning it in the back and relieving my lower back pain. There I was able to take her to work and heat the hot water bottles in the microwave. It calmed me down”, testifies the young woman who praises the ergonomic and practical side of the belt which diffuses the heat for more than half an hour.
Thanks to a Velcro system, it can indeed adapt to all body types. And unlike most competing hot water bottles, it’s not made in China. “They are eco-responsible because our fabric is made of recycled polyester from recycled plastic bottles. The flax seeds come from the north of France and the filling of the cushions is done in an Esat and two work workshops in prison which promote reintegration, ”explains Réal Royer.
After selling a few copies directly, Madame Colette has just put online his website to move up a gear by marketing its belt at a price of 59 euros. “We wanted it to be affordable. Me, I paid hot water bottles up to 80 euros and I needed several. The belt that we have developed has a longevity of 10,000 machine cycles”, assures Leïla who will hold a pop-up store this Saturday in Toulouse, rue Kennedy, to introduce as many people as possible to her creation. That the couple intends to decline by some time in panties and leggings, keeping its system of reusable cushions to achieve this.