Abstract: A method and apparatus for electrically heating fluid media with a bar shaped immersion heater is provided. The bar shaped immersion heater includes a thin strip heating element within a heat conductive bar. Electrical power is then connected to the thin heating element. The thin-strip heating element eliminates the hot spots found in coiled resistor wire immersion heaters. The heat conductive bar has a first bar and a second bar, the first bar and the second bar adjoin together, and the thin strip heating element is sandwiched between them. The heat conductive bar has fins to increase the surface area of the heat conductive bar. The fins project from the sides of the heat conductive bar to induce a convective flow around the heat conductive bar.