We’ve tried a lot of memory foam pillows and to be honest we’ve never really been fans for various reasons (smell, stodginess, lack of support, too hard, etc), in fact we’ve never had a memory foam pillow even come close to being on the best pillow reviews list before. So, I didn’t have high hopes for the Tempur Original Queen Pillow, except for the fact that a osteopath friend recommended it to me (Hi Emily!) and that a lot of people had good things to say about it. It’s not exactly cheap either, at about £90 it’s a serious pillow investment but after a few weeks of waking up with a stiff and sore neck I thought it might be worth it.

Like all memory foam pillows, the Tempur Original Pillow is heavy and solid, that’s expected, what I didn’t bargain for was that this pillow is contoured; it’s shaped with a dip in the middle to better support the neck. I was pleasantly surprised by the soft cover which seems of high quality, also, the lack of the usual serious memory foam pillow smell was a good sign.

Now, the real test, what is it like to sleep on – does it do what it promises and support the head perfectly to take pressure off the neck? I’m very happy to say that yes it does, it does it wonderfully. I’ve had a couple of weeks of really comfortable sleep with this Tempur pillow, it’s just the right height, it has just the right amount of give to feel that it is cradling the head without that suffocating feeling you can sometimes get with more squishy memory foam pillows. My neck soreness has gone and I feel more refreshed in the mornings, I’m really enjoying this as an every-day pillow. In fact, I’m so happy with this pillow that I’m not looking forward to giving it up to do the next review.

Before I get too carried away it’s worth noting that what works for some may not work for others, there’s no guarantee that this pillow will be perfect for everyone. Memory foam pillows can be a bit like Marmite; some people just don’t like them at all. But, I would say that this is probably the best memory foam pillow I’ve ever tried and would thoroughly recommend you get this memory foam pillow if you are going to try one at all.

A couple of handy tips about size and name:

Tempur is considered as the one and only, original Rolls Royce of Memory Foams – it is said you can’t get better. Tempur memory foam was apparently invented by NASA whilst seeking a cushioning material with extraordinary pressure relieving properties for their precious astronauts. It’s since become a household name for popular though somewhat expensive mattresses and pillows.

Tempur call this their ‘Original Pillow’, they also call it the ‘Tempur Original Queen Pillow’ and at one point they called it the ‘Millennium Pillow’!  Basically, they’re all the same pillow – just look at the distinctive shape.

It’s the size you need to be careful about.  It is available in ‘medium’ which is slightly cheaper (1.5cm lower in depth than the ‘large’ or XL).  However this seems just a little too low and you’ll feel the need to put a thin pillow underneath to raise it up to the right height.  If you’re suffering from neck pain after sleeping, I would suggest going for the ‘large’; remember there is a higher and lower side already due to the pillow’s shape.

Generally, the broader your shoulders are, the higher pillow you’ll need – so as a rough estimate, if you’re a small to average-sized woman, go for the M ; a large woman to average man, go for the L ; a large guy, go for the XL.

If it’s good enough for Neil Armstrong then it’s good enough for me! Highly recommended.

AVAILABLE  HERE:

Queen Medium 61cm x 31cm x 10/7cm    –   Available from John Lewis

Queen Large 61cm x 31cm x 11.5/8.5cm –  Available from John Lewis

Queen X-Large 61cm x 31cm x 13/10cm    –  Available from Amazon

75% cotton 25% polyester, machine washable