Tempur-Cloud Soft & Conforming Pillow Review

• Review
• Specs
• Comments

The perfect pillow is one that both balances your sleep position for proper spinal alignment with the specific needs and preferences of the sleeper. Because of this, no two pillow experiences are ever quite the same and finding the pillow that works best for you can be a frustrating experience.
The best way to begin your search is to find detailed reviews of the products you may be interested in. TempurPedic offers a healthy range of pillows that apply their innovative technology to your personal comfort, but without being able to try it out personally, you may be unsure of what decision to make.

To help you out, The Sleep Judge Team has acquired our own Tempur-Cloud Soft and Conforming Pillow to review and provide detailed opinions and experiences below.

Tempur-Cloud Soft and Conforming Pillow Specs

Filling – Memory Foam

Loft – ~6.5 inches

Comfort Positions – Back, side, and stomach

Warranty – 5 year

Breakdown of the Tempur-Cloud Soft and Conforming Pillow

The patented memory foam that made TempurPedic a household name was first created for NASA space flight comfort. With its application to surface sleep comfort options, it quickly became a popular material throughout the entire sleep industry. Through the years, the company has made many changes to keep up with the progress of technology in order to provide the best quality for their consumer’s needs. With this came a long line of products, such as pillows, to aid in sleep comfort.
The Tempur-Cloud Soft and Conforming Pillow design applies a contoured, plush memory foam filling to create a softer, more malleable pillow feel. Unlike the more solid feeling pillows the company is known for, the Soft and Conforming is made to meet the needs of a wider variety of sleepers and provide options surrounding personal comfort preferences.

• Stays cool
• Helps with neck pain
• Keeps shape
• Memory foam may feel too solid for some people
• Slight off-gassing

Unpacking

Most TempurPedic products come in a branded box. It is well wrapped and sealed in plastic. This pillow came as described, which was nice to see as it was well protected and also not at all compressed- which can be damaging to foam products if it is stored in such a manner for too long a time.

Many foams have a slight off-gassing, especially if they have been stored in plastic, and TempurPedic has addressed this issue with a disclaimer that explains what this odor actually is. Although I have experienced it many times, I can honestly say this pillow had very little to no smell after unpacking. When I pressed my nose against it, there was a faint whiff of chemical, but within a few hours, this was completely gone. This does not mean, however, that every consumer would have the same experience.

Features & Benefits

To market a product, it usually needs more than a simple brand name to get the attention of consumers. Even though TempurPedic is a well-recognized name in the sleep industry, even they need to provide information concerning the features and benefit claims. Although there is not a long list of highlights provided by the company, we’ve broken down the major components of what makes this a popular sleep comfort pick.
I immediately liked the more traditional pillow feel this pillow lends to sleep comfortably, as well as the lighter weight design compared to their more solid feeling memory foam pillows. Although it is still a dense pillow, it initially felt much more reactive than comparable memory foam designs. However, it did seem rather thick and lofty, and although forgiving under compression, I could immediately understand why it is considered a medium-firm feel.

Size

The Soft and Conforming Pillow is available in both a Queen and King size measurement with the dimensions being 19 x 27 inches and 19 x 35 inches, respectively. These are very close to industry average standards of measurement and fit well within pillowcases without creating a firm surface due to the restriction of the casing material.
To my eye, the queen size pillow I received looked rather large, and altogether very comfortable. Outside of a few exceptions, I have gotten used to memory foam pillows being rather compact in nature and heavy. This pillow looked more like a lofty feather choice, although the density of it speaks otherwise.

Comfort Claims

The company claims this pillow is a medium firm comfort choice, and I have to agree with this assessment. Despite the pillow boasting a name that includes the word ‘soft’ in the title, the pillow itself is not what I would consider soft, although it is very responsive and contouring, and it has a ‘softer’ feel than a heavier memory foam.
The quilted casing is also soft in feel, which lends itself to the name (more on this below), and the pillow allows for easy surface compression. The firm support can be felt after pressure has been applied due to the thickness of the pillow, although the overall feel is very pressure-relieving and allows for a true shaping around your head and neck.

Memory Foam Filling

A solid piece of contoured memory foam provides slight curves along the surfaces to allow for a more rounded feel to the pillow. This adaptive memory foam piece is from the Tempur foam category that falls between the HS (high density) and ES (extra soft) options the company offers. This foam is considered to be a highly responsive, more plush feeling foam that provides the underlying firmness feel described above. Protected by two casings, the inner is of an open weave polyester, fine netting-like fabric that is sewn around the foam to allow for pillow movement and breathability.

Loft

Loft is a fancy name given to the height of a pillow when it is placed on a flat surface. This can be drastically different from one pillow to the next since its use and plumping can very much affect its measurements. Therefore, it is not always a great way to determine any sort of comfort claims, although generally denser, foam pillows have a more accurate height measurement as the material cannot be compressed compared to more airy fillings.

I often find the loft claims made by some companies to be generally a bit off from true to life measurements. Because of this, I almost always provide an approximate measurement based on both my findings and company’s claims. In this case, the company states the pillow is 6.5 inches in height, of which I have to completely agree with. As you can see, the pillow falls right around 6.5 inches or slightly higher.

Quilted Cotton/Poly, Removable Cover

Usually, TempurPedic uses a plush, micro-vented poly casing for increased breathability and pillow protection. This pillow has a thick, 50/50 quilted cottony casing that both protects and serves as a stand-alone case if you choose not to use your own over it. The seams are double stitched, and a lay-flat zipper runs the length of one edge for easy removal.

The material is of obvious quality and is not only smooth feeling but also incredibly soft and cool against the skin. It is definitely a thicker weave with a plush feel. This thickness helps keep moisture from settling into the pillow itself as liquids and humidity are not good for foams and can break it down over time.

Pillow Cleaning- Cover ONLY

As mentioned, memory foam and water do not mix. If not dried properly, it can begin to break the foam structure down and create permanent impressions on the material. Because of the high density of the foam, it is also difficult to dry completely, which is why it is not machine washable. The pillowcase, however, should be laundered regularly and then tumble dried or hung to dry.

 

5-Year Limited Warranty

TempurPedic offers a 5-year warranty with their pillows that covers defects in workmanship and materials when purchased through the company or an authorized dealer. It also covers returns that fall under warranty, as well as damages during shipment. Unfortunately, there are no other return policies or sleep trial available due to the more personal nature of a pillow.

Consumer Feedback

Fairly new to TemperPedic, the Soft and Conforming Pillow has become a favorite amongst many consumers due to the approach the company has taken concerning needs and comfort with this new design. People comment on the increased quality of sleep they notice, an alleviation of neck and shoulder pain, the soft response of the foam, and how well it conforms where support is needed.

Some complaints surround that it is much thicker than they expected, and it’s more springy- and not allowing their weight to settle as deep as they would like with the pillow itself. There are a few mentions of off-gassing but nothing too strong as many consumers commented on their keen sense of smell and sensitivities.
It’s important to also take into account that personal preferences are very much a part of overall reviews. It was stated earlier that there is no real one-size-fits-all pillow, and every person is bound to have their own opinion based on their needs. When reviewing ratings and reviews for product details, it’s important to look at common experiences to help determine what might work for you.

Second Opinion

Since I’m fairly short, have narrow shoulders, and felt the pillow was a bit thick for me overall, I sought out my broad-shouldered, combo sleeping compatriot to check this pillow out for me as a second opinion.
His immediate reaction was not believing it was a TempurPedic as it is so different from their usual design and style. He also was excited to check it out as a fan of thick pillows for side sleeping comfort. I did ask him to provide me with his opinions surrounding back, side, and stomach sleeping positions since that is what the company claims the pillow is best for.
His results are as follows:

“As side sleeping choice, this is a perfect choice. The fill conforms to my neck and head great, and I liked that I could tuck my arm under the pillow. I also really enjoyed sleeping on my back with it. It held my head just right. Since I don’t normally sleep on my stomach, I wasn’t 100% sure of this. I actually felt like it was too high for this position and was only comfortable if I rested my shoulder on it as well to push down the foam. I couldn’t sleep comfortable like this and kept turning back to my side”

My Sleep Trial Experiences

I prefer to sleep on my stomach and side, so the idea of a soft and conforming TempurPedic pillow was appealing to me. Despite my initial impressions of its thickness, I definitely was interested in trying it out. At only 5’4” and an average build, I don’t have a lot of shoulder width or weight behind me to compress heavier foam densities. Therefore, more responsive fills are my usual go to.

Back

I love napping on my back (if you aren’t aware of the benefits of doing so to help stretch out your back and provide spinal alignment, check this article out), and this seemed like a great option for this. Although comfortable initially, it became obvious very quickly that this is too thick of a pillow for my own personal body shape and size. Although the pillow gave very well under my weight, it still did not compress far enough to allow my head to rest in line with my shoulders.
I even attempted to shift my body up to rest more of my shoulders on the pillow to apply more weight and create a gentle slope, but as you can see in the photo- my head is much higher than my shoulders. Over time, this began to place stress on my upper and lower back, forcing me to shift to a more comfortable side-lying position. With more weight or a larger frame, this may have worked better, but in the future if I plan on using it for my back, it will be to lean against it because it is a seriously comfortable pillow to use to prop up against when reading or watching television (or typing on a laptop in bed like I’m doing right now).

Side

This is great. As a side sleeping choice, this pillow definitely provides excellent side sleeping comfort. The thickness is conducive to proper head and neck elevation, and it allows for a soft cradling beneath your weight for true soft tissue relaxation and stress reduction. It also provides pressure relief, as I could feel absolutely no push against my jaw, side of my head, or neck as I occasionally have with more firm memory foam choices.
I am probably on the smallest end of the spectrum concerning who can take advantage of this pillow as a side sleeper. Although it did fit me quite well, and any less give would have made it a less comfortable choice. I would hazard a guess that it would work wonderfully as a side sleeper for anyone of average to heavier dimensions.

Stomach

Despite TempurPedic claiming this is a back, side, and stomach choice, I am struggling with justifying this option for any body size. Stomach sleepers truly need the thinnest surface they can get to try and align their cervical spine if they use a pillow. Since I prefer a pillow than laying flat upon the mattress (which really is the healthiest way to support this position), I try to manipulate my pillow choices and how I use the pillow to keep stress off my lower back and hips. Often I lay my upper body upon the pillow to allow for a gentle slope which sometimes helps.
With this pillow, I was unable to find anything that worked well for me, and I think most people would struggle with this as well. The pillow is simply too thick and dense when compressed. Even though it really provides excellent contouring, the material within can only ‘squish’ together so much and what is left is still too much to provide proper support. As you can see in my picture, I was able to get my shoulders along the edge of the pillow to allow my spine to slope and not hunch along the top of my back, but my head is still significantly higher than my lower back. I could feel the stress in my back and hips almost immediately.

Trial Conclusions

TempurPedic claims this is a back, side, and stomach sleeping choice, and for that, I’m going to have to disagree. I would recommend it highly for side sleepers of almost any stature as well as back sleepers of a heavier body type, but it definitely is not a good stomach sleeping choice from both comfort and health standpoint. This pillow is soft in comparison to many of their other pillow choices, but it not by any means what I would consider a ‘soft’ pillow. But I do give it two big thumbs up for the responsiveness of the memory foam, as it is awesome in alleviating pressure points and providing some seriously comfortable contouring.
The cover is a really nice touch as well, and the layered quilting provides a plush, cool surface to lay your head upon if you do not use your own pillowcase. However, since the entire pillow is not washable, it is suggested you should provide further protection.
If there is one thing I have to pinpoint as problematic about the pillow, I would have to say the thickness of it; if it was constructed a bit thinner, it would be a more available pillow to a wider range of sleepers. Overall, the slightly squishy, slightly malleable, highly contouring foam provides an overall comfort that we do feel is worth taking note of since the comfort level it does provide to those who can take advantage of it is very high.

You might be interested in our best soft pillow choices

Since everything the company claims about this pillow isn’t the best indication of its overall comfort, we have to provide our honest opinion to help keep you from making any assumptions in relation to your own sleep needs. Whereas we feel this is a great pillow, it is more narrow in scope for consumer use than originally thought, or even marketed as, and it should be categorized more as a side sleeping choice than anything else.
This is a great quality pillow overall. The construction and design are solid, the memory foam is extremely conforming, and it would be an excellent choice for many side sleepers. Heavier back sleepers may also want to take note of it as a possible choice, but I highly recommend stomach sleepers stay away unless you have a different use for it.

Conclusion

To conclude, this is a pillow we do recommend. It may not stand up to all its claims, but the features and benefits are excellent indicators of a pillow worth investing in for specific sleep purposes. The Tempur-Cloud Soft and Conforming Pillow definitely helps expand the company’s reach to a wider variety of consumers to meet more personal preferences surrounding the feel of their pillow. Side sleepers probably can’t go wrong when using this pillow unless you are of a very slight body frame, and even then, it may be a decent choice due to how malleable a memory foam is used.