yes

You should go to Wal-mart.com to get the best price and value on this product, even with shipping it is still less expensive than the medical supply store or department store.

You should plan on heating the wax at least 6 hours for a full tub, it takes about 2 hours per lb of wax and takes 3 lbs to initially fill the tub.

Like any other electrical device you should not operate it in a tub filled with water, you could be electricuted.

There's no temperature gage per se (like a thermometer)...the unit just has little dots painted on which indicate low to high. I would definitely keep it out of the way of pets and children!! I use the highest setting to melt the wax. This usually takes 10 hrs. (or overnight). You definitely don't want to put your hands in that temp after it's melted! Then you move the dial to one of 6 different temperatures Wait an hour or two. We found it was too hot at the very middle setting and adjusted it down a bit (waited another hour). Once we set it, we never changed it. Always test it first. There is also a "hold" temp setting (the lowest) if you're not planning to use it for a while. I unplug it if I know we don't need it for a week or so. It does take time for the was to melt...a minor nuisance, but understandable.

no.