Not a fan of foam anything, nevermind a pillow. Had been doing well with buckwheat husk pillow for years, including keeping me cool and dry headed in the heat and humidity of a MN summer. This year began to wake with sore head and neck and generally not rested in mornings. I tried a number of pillows with different fillings but none gave me the comfortable sleep I craved apart from a memory foam pillow. I am a side sleeper so I found if I pushed in this pillow to make room for my shoulder it was comfortable, although by morning my head/neck was not supported since it wasn't a "moldable" pillow. I searched again and found this one. Made with a indent to fit my shoulder when lying on my side. Comfortable from the first night. Found there was a strong smell from it for first few days. My other dislike of foam is it makes me hot and sweaty, especially during summer. This pillow has the cooling gel on one side, which was cool to the touch when it arrived and when I laid my head on it. It's winter just now so I don't need to use the cooling side, it is comfortable, no neck/headache issues so far- had it for about 2 months now. I have not experienced summer with it yet so don't know how effective the cooling side will be but for now I have to admit it's a comfortable pillow. I put a regular size pillow case on pillow. Read more
It’s nice and firm. Yet soft haha it supports my neck and head so perfectly. I’m side sleeper and I love this pillow. The does stay cool but not cold. Don’t expect miracles but it is fresh to the face when you lay on it at night. Haven’t used it much in the day. But I doubt it would keep your face fresh on a hot summer day if you have no ac. Still a great purchase for me. Read more
This pillow is a life changer for me. I have issues with insomnia, hot flashes and TMJ and am a side sleeper. First the bad, then I'll do the good. All memory foam pillows have a chemical smell from the manufacturing process. This pillow was sprayed with something, I assume lavender oil, to cover that smell. I had to air out the pillow for 2 weeks before I would even try using it. I can still smell the lavender, but am finally able to use the pillow. The first week the scent was so strong that it gave me a migraine. Please, for the love of your customers, STOP scenting these! Now, the good. The cooling pad works, quite well. This helps significantly with my hot flashes! The notch allows my head to fully lay on the pillow, and I don't have to jam my arm into an unnatural shape to hold the pillow in place. Any other pillow the top half of my head is on the pillow, and my shoulder puts pressure right where my jaw is, pushing my jaw out of place. This exacerbates my TMJ. Because I stay cooler, my neck and shoulders aren't in weird positions, and I don't hurt, I sleep better. Other than the smell, this pillow is perfect. Read more
I bought this because I had neck surgery and I need a neck hole in my pillow. My "old faithful" is old and I needed a new one. The reason why I am giving it 3 stars is because of the strong smell. I have put it outside and even used dryer sheets to try to get rid of the smell. After a week I still can't sleep on it. It has gotten better but the smell is just too strong and I can't sleep with it yet. I now have dryer sheets on it in a pillow case and I am rubbing it around twice a day. Hoping I can sleep on it soon because it is a comfy pillow if it didn't smell. Not sure the warmth thing applies here since is has a cooling area and so it should keep you cool not hot so that's why I put 3 stars for that. Read more
I have a knot in my shoulder and a tendency towards neck stiffness/soreness because I'm a side sleeper. I've tried "firm" pillows, bamboo, etc.. wasn't crazy about any of them. This pillow is working really well for me so far. The shoulder notch means my head and neck are completely supported, without shoving a bunched up pillow under my face. I think it has a good balance between support and cushiness. I normally can't stand memory foam; I find it hot and stifling. The gel side on this pillow is seriously cool to the touch. It warms up after I've been laying on it all night, but it's still comfortable- unlike plain foam. We'll see how it goes in the summer... I'm still getting get used to it, but I've been using it for about a week and I feel like I'm sleeping better and my neck soreness is easing up. It was hard for me to spend $40 on a pillow (usually $6 or so at you-know-where) but I think this is going to be a worthwhile investment. Read more
I waited the 72 hours to allow the pillow to fully expand before using. It doesn't come fully compressed, but I wanted to give this its best try. I tried this pillow for two nights. The pillow is very firm for me and made my ear hurt on whichever side I was laying on, so there was a lot of tossing and turning happening. I also noticed that the pillow is not as thick as my current pillow (my current pillow doesn't have the cooling gel so that's why I was trying something new). I really wanted the cooling gel to work. As someone in perimenopause I've read that the cooling gel can be a game changer for sleep. The gel warmed up with my face and stayed warm, even when rolling over to the other side. At first it was cool, but by the middle of the night it was pointless. I did like the little curved cut out, that part was fine. Although maybe it placed my head too much in the center which was why the cooling gel never seemed to be cool when rolling over? Overall, not a great two nights sleep. Will be returning and searching for something else. Read more
This the first comfortable pillow I've found for a side sleeper. The cooling gel is amazing! Best pillow! Read more
