Innovative advances in technology have resulted in a lot of new material products put to use within the sleep industry. Since searching for a comfortable pillow to aide in a truly restful night can be a challenge, you probably have come across a seemingly endless supply of different pillows from which to choose from. This can become overwhelming very quickly and may leave you with choices that you are still unsure of- especially if you have been trying to choose from more recently introduced products.
Part of our job on The Sleep Judge Review Team is to look over the thousands of products available to consumers. We try and highlight those that seem to be amongst the best in the current market and take a closer look at. The Leesa Pillow is one that stands above many others through the reviews it has gained in the last year it has been in production, and so, in acquiring one, we have provided our honest opinion and breakdown of the quality and product claims for you to review before making a final purchase.
Related: The Leesa Mattress Review
Leesa Pillow Specs
Filling – Avena Foam
Loft – ~ 5 inches
Comfort Positions – All
Warranty – 3 year
Leesa Company History
Leesa began as an online mattress startup that applies a universal adaptive feel foam called Avena that is soft, highly responsive, and keeps its shape incredibly well. Their success has led to a series of other sleep products, including differing mattress support, pillows, sheets, and other mattress accessories. The company also is an industry leader in social impact programs. With three separate initiatives, the company believes in giving back through mattress donation, environmental planting programs, and community involvement.
Breakdown of the Leesa Pillow
Considered the pillow that always feels perfect no matter how long you’ve slept on it, The Leesa Pillow combines the foam and comfort technology of The Leesa Mattress to create the perfect surface for your head. With a highly adaptive foam core, it provides spinal alignment support to your head and neck in any sleep position. Plus, it springs back into shape after compression and claims excellent cooling abilities due to the ventilated air channels found along the surfaces of the pillow. The medium firm feel provides an initial soft feel with a supportive underlayment. This means it really does allow for pressure point reduction and can work well under the hips and between the knees. The washable cover is of the same material used in the mattress as well, which is a popular woven knit that is incredibly soft against your skin.
Unpacking
The pillow came in a branded box and arrived in less than a week after ordering. Although I am not always a fan of branded boxes delivered to my porch, it was fairly nondescript overall, and it held the pillow within very well without any sort of compression. It did have a very slight off-gassing odor after removing it from the plastic bag, but it dissipated very quickly and wasn’t even noticeable after a few hours. The pillow also came with a helpful booklet about the sleep trial, warranty, comfort, and ads for other products offered by the company.
First Impressions
Even though I can respect the quality and claims made by solid foam pillow cores, and I have been impressed with some of the innovative soft foams recently being offered- they aren’t usually my first choice of construction. Therefore, I didn’t expect anything drastically different compared to some previous pillows I have reviewed when I first began to check this pillow out. The lightness of this pillow was immediately noticeable, so much so I wasn’t sure it was a foam pillow. The foam was highly responsive as I removed it from the plastic, and I loved how well I could grab hold and grip it without any sort of pressure. This was very different than what I expected, leading me to look forward to running a true sleep trial with it.
Features & Benefits
Industry companies tote the features and benefits of their products to highlight their claims of comfort and quality. When searching for the best sleep product for you, it is important to look at personal reviews of these features to see if they stand up to these claims. Below, we’ve broken down the details of The Leesa Pillow and provided our own experiences of each.
Size
The Leesa Pillow is available in two sizes, a standard and king pillow to accommodate different bed sizes. They measure 18 x 26 inches and 18 x 32 inches respectively, which is acceptable to the industry standard comparison of 20 x 26 inches and 20 x 36 inches. The pillow isn’t obviously smaller than what I am used to, and I had no issues with the size as it accommodated me well in any position I tried it out in. It most definitely was wide enough to roll from side to side.
Loft
The loft of a pillow is defined as how high it sits when at rest. The Leesa Pillow is approximately 5 inches in height, but this doesn’t necessarily define the overall comfort of the pillow. Loft can be influenced by both fill material as well as pillow construction and the care of the pillow. Lighter, fiber-like fills, or feather may look thicker than it actually is.
With a solid foam core, this is the type of pillow that keeps its shape and height well. Even after compression, foam has the tendency to bounce easily back into shape, and this pillow is no exception. At 5 inches, this is an average-sized loft within the industry with anything measuring under 5 inches is often considered a thin choice.
Ventilated Avena Foam Core Filling
The Avena foam is a patented foam created by the company for use as a surface layer for their mattress construction. It is a polyurethane foam that has a 2.5 density, making it an acceptable weight and quality for a pillow, and it has an excellent, immediate response. Despite feeling soft and lightweight, it provides a firmer, underlying support that moves easily under your weight. It also is ‘springy’ in nature and provides a feel as if you are sleeping on nothing.
I was very impressed with how well it moved under my head, held it without any sort of pressure points, and had an immediate response to weight. It also kept its shape, unlike many memory foams that have a delay in both contouring and shape return.
It is considered a cool pillow, and it is an effect that is noticeable right away due to the ventilation that is built into the solid foam core. This helps keep air moving through the pillow from front to back and provides a very slight puff of cool air as you lay down and move upon it. It is encased within an open polyester weave fabric for added protection as well. This is very effective, and I found the overall effect of the entire construction very comforting.
Soft Poly Blend Cover
The woven, slightly ribbed cover reminded me immediately of a sweater, and although is nowhere as thick and warm as a sweater, it very much achieves the comfort of one. Made from a Poly, viscose, nylon blend, it is highly breathable and very soft. Although it is not as plush as it looks, it does provide the feel of a thicker material due to how it is woven.
A zipper runs along the bottom length of one side of the pillow and is well tucked away into the flap that runs along the seams. This was actually really hard to access the first time I unzipped it as it was well tucked into the seam and not easily grasped. By working it slowly down, I was finally able to grasp the pull and after that, it was easier to use. The cover also is easy to remove as the foam is very malleable and allows for the cover to move over the core easily.
Comfort Claims
The foam of the pillow is very gently raised through the middle to provide just a slight lift to help with proper head and neck support in various positions. This is so slight I didn’t even notice it at first and thought it might be a play on light. The idea behind this is to allow for the foam to distribute correctly to fill the gaps between your head and shoulders when under compression.
The company claims this is a pillow that can work well in any sleep position, particularly for head and neck support when on your back or side. Back and stomach sleepers need a thinner pillow with good neck support if on your back. Side sleepers need a firmer, thicker pillow for good head and neck support to keep the spine in proper alignment. No pillow is a true one size fits all, and body height, size, shape, and personal preferences are all factors to consider when reviewing the details of a particular product.
Care: Machine Wash Cover Only
Most foams do not wash well as liquids can break down the structure, and they take a long time to dry. This can create an environment for mold or mildews to thrive, hence why the foam is a spot clean surface only. This does not mean you cannot wash the cover, which also serves as a very good protection to the foam. However, you should always use your pillows with a protective pillowcase to help provide a barrier from body oils and moisture.
Warranty: 3 Years
Not only does this pillow have a three-year warranty to protect against material and construction defects, it also comes with a 100-night sleep trial with free shipping and guaranteed hassle-free returns if you don’t appreciate the product. This is a great deal since many personal sleep products do not allow for returns if in a used condition. This also speaks well for the confidence the company has surrounding their products.
Consumer Reviews
This is a fairly new product overall but has thousands of reviews so far attesting to its comfort and unique ‘spongy’ feel and support. Consumers praise the coolness of the pillow, how well it provides neck and head contouring without creating a flattening effect, and the fact that it feels soft despite having a great firm support. Its bounce provides and allows easy movement as well and is commented on many times. Back sleepers and narrow-shouldered side sleepers seemed to get the most out of it
Many people appreciate the design and quality overall even if it didn’t work for them. Mentions of it needing to be a bit thicker for broad-shouldered sleepers in a side position was commonly included in reviews. Those who absolutely disliked the pillow had incredibly different reasons with everything from being too thick, too thin, and too firm, as well as too soft being mentioned with no details to what body type or why this was felt- making me believe that personal preferences rather than an overall review of the pillow were being described.
Opinions
Since the loft of the pillow seemed to be in question for those reviews that truly took into account the body size, sleep position, and preferences, I was curious to see how well the pillow would be received by a back and side combo sleeper with a different body shape than myself. Therefore our first trial run was completed by a tall, broad-shouldered, athletically built male to see how well it supported him in both sleep positions.
This trial was pretty short and sweet as he really liked the feel of the pillow, but from the start did not like using it as a side sleeping choice. Although he felt it supported his head well and didn’t flatten out at all, it was not thick enough to accommodate the width of his shoulders- thus placing his head too low. This also means there was not enough thickness for his neck to rest comfortably either.
Using it to sleep on his back was a different story, and he found the ‘squishy bounce’ to be very much to his liking. It not only contoured to his head, but he liked how well it actually held his head in place and provided an almost non-existent pressure. Plus, he felt his neck was able to relax well into the foam, and he appreciated the sleep he received from the use of the pillow.
My Sleep Trial Experiences
My shorter, athletic stature is much different than my trial counterpart, and since I usually sleep on my stomach or side, I was curious to see how well the pillow would support such a different preference. I already really liked the feel of the pillow, so approached my trial with a bit of bias as I really wanted to like it for support and comfort as well. As it turns out, I wasn’t wholly disappointed.
Back
Although I am not a back sleeper, I do like to nap on my back and found this pillow to be a comfortable choice to do so. I was able to push my shoulders up against the pillow well, and my neck was well supported by the foam. My head also sunk into the pillow well, although if I had a little more weight, I feel my head would have been able to lay back just a little further.
This wasn’t noticeable initially, however. And usually, my biggest issue with back sleeping is the pressure points that occur at the base of my skull – and the strain it causes on my neck. This pillow caused no pressure points, and I also never noticed any stress when relaxing into it when on my back.
Related: The Best Pillows For Back Sleepers
Side
I’ll start by stating that this worked wonderfully for me. My head and neck stayed level with my back. My neck was well supported, and I absolutely loved the spongy feel the foam lent under my head. I had no pressure points, and I slept well in this position without waking to shift positions for a better comfort. I also really liked that I could tuck my arm underneath me without affecting how the pillow felt under my head.
Related: The Best Pillows For Side Sleepers
Stomach
This may not be the most healthy sleep position, but it is one I fall into naturally more often than not. I fell asleep easily using this pillow, but I work with a noticeably sore back midway through the night, and I knew right away it was because my head was lifted too high from the pillow- creating stress on my spine. I shifted to my side and slept well after that, but my size and weight do not lend itself to using this pillow as a stomach sleeper despite its initial comfort.
Trial Conclusions
Overall, I feel the claims made by the company are well supported, but this is not a pillow that will work for everyone in every sleep position as we provided examples of. This is a highly responsive foam that really does lend itself well to your comfort, but your weight and body size is going to influence your overall success with this pillow.
Those who have a more narrow shoulder width is going to be able to take more advantage of this pillow in multiple positions over a larger body. However, heavier bodies most likely can also use this pillow for stomach sleeping even if they cannot find comfort in a side sleeping position.
Back sleepers of all shape and size will probably have the most success overall- but combination sleepers should pay close attention to reviews such as this to determine if it is a product to help influence a good night’s rest.
Conclusion
On a scale of 1 to 5, we’ve rated this pillow as a 4.5 due to the overall quality and adherence to the claims it makes. There may be no such thing as a true one-size-fits-all pillow, but this is a company that stands behind its products to provide returns because of their acknowledgment of this fact. Body size and shape are going to be the biggest influence on overall comfort when using this pillow with sleep position as an important factor as well. Even though back sleepers will find little fault, side and stomach sleepers should read reviews such as these to better determine if the pillow is a proper match for them.
The amazing feel of the patented Avena poly foam that provides soft, supportive comfort is definitely an asset to a restful sleep, and with the ability to help meet a variety of sleep positions, the Lessa Pillow is well worth taking a closer look at. A protective washable cover, effective cooling design, and easy comfort help define the assets of this product and make it a top selling product. With a company who stands by its products with satisfaction guarantees, you can rest assure that the quality and materials used in the construction are a top notch.
Related: How To Choose A Pillow
Frequently Asked Questions
What sleep position is this best suited for?
Side, Back, and Stomach.
What is the loft?
5 inches.
Will I experience a lot of offgassing?
Moderate- wears off after a couple days.
Is it organic?
No.
What’s the warranty?
3 years.
What's the filling?
Avena foam.