The Embrace body-pillow became an instant family favorite and I suspect that we'll end up purchasing another one, as soon as I can figure out how to launder them in the future. The kids absolutely love it -something about the mega-size! -and I find it really comfortable.
PHYSICAL FEATURES::: You should note it is extra large: not only in length, but width. About the same length, in fact, as my 11 year old daughter who thinks it would make a great bed for friends during a sleepover. You should also note that it is heavy for a pillow, about 10 pounds, and that lugging it from bed to bed is no minor matter. As for the 'feel' it's fair to say that it has a soft exterior, and yet is firm. I didn't find, for example, that it needed fluffing during the night.
It comes in a large-ish box, nicely wrapped. The pillow had no 'funny' odor and didn't need any airing out before use. I did wash the pillow case that comes with it, but that's just the way I am. I wash everything before we use it.
My own experience with the body-pillow was really good. I happen to have a back problem -the ever-popular L4/L5 compression -so I'm used to snuggling with what I call a 'support' pillow which I sometimes just lean on, and other times put between my knees to reduce pressure on my vertebrae when they act up. The Body-Pillow worked great for this. It was soft enough to be comfortable, and firm enough not to need fluffing during the night.
THE SKINNY:::
This pillow is extra-large and consequently heavy. It's about as wide as a thin person, so keep this in mind before you press the order button.
My daughter, currently 11, has no problem sleeping with this pillow in her twin bed when it's her turn. Your experience may differ depending on how much room you need.
Concerns::: I have only one concern and it involves washing. There is no way the body-pillow is going to get it in a standard washing machine so if the dry cleaners can't deal with it when the time comes, I don't know what I'll do when it's spring cleaning time.
Generally speaking, I'd say that you'll like this pillow if you like to sleep in that position that's between on-your-side and on-your-stomach. You'll be able to throw arm and leg over this pillow and not find that it gets all nasty and flat. It's soft but firm.
I suffer from bulging discs in my lower back which causes me a great deal of pain. I have gone through physical therapy and I'm getting ready to go to pain management. This body pillow does help alleviate some of the pain and pressure in my lower back. It will contour to your body. I placed the pillow on the couch and then laid directly on top of it with my back facing it. It was the best feeling that I've had in a long time. It is so comfortable. You immediately get that relaxed feeling! The memory foam had me in a state of euphoria. The pillow is rather large and a little heavy to carry around. I'm 5 feet 1 inch and the pillow is just about as big as me! It comes with a pillow case. The gel-infused memory foam pillow is actually inside an outer layer (fabric cover) that looks a little something like one of those removable pillow top mattresses. The outer layer that encloses the pillow actually zips up and the pillow case goes over the top of that. The pillow does come with a 5 year limited warranty which covers the fabric cover and the foam material and severe body contours. There is information in the package that goes over all of that. The following information that I have provided below is from the Sleep Innovations paperwork that came with the pillow. I wanted to include it because it may help you in making a purchase decision.
The actual pillow is filled with Memory Clusters and per Sleep Innovations, "they are a premium, non-allergenic fill designed to emulate the loft and softness of natural goose down. And just like natural down Memory Clusters have a tendency to settle over time. In order for you to experience all the benefits of your new pillow, we recommend you fluff the pillow before your first night, and every few nights after. This helps your pillow keep its original shape and allows it to provide years of deep comfort and lasting support." Sleep Innovations also state the following, "Gel-infused memory foam is sensitive to temperature. When exposed to colder climates, your pillow will become firmer. Please allow at least 24-48 hours for your new pillow to renew its feel once placed in room temperature. Sleeping on your pillow before it warms to room temperature will not damage it. Your body heat will help the foam to soften." You can find more information at their website.
Overall, I'm quite happy with the pillow!
Pros: Low maintenance, pillow case and fabric cover are washable, contours to the body really well, made with breathable material and is inexpensive.
Cons: Rather large, a little bulky and heavy to carry around.
Will I recommend it? Most definitely!
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I have severe back problems, and absolutely cannot get a good night's sleep without a body pillow. After going through about 6 pillows purchased from a big box store over time, I became frustrated with how quickly the knee area would go flat on those poor quality pillows. About a year ago, I had purchased a good quality body pillow from Amazon that I was really happy with. Recently, I took the pillow with me on a weekend trip, and accidentally left it behind. I returned to Amazon to buy a replacement, only to find that the pillow I had purchased previously is no longer available. So, I began my search anew, and decided on this one. As soon as I opened the package I knew I had a winner. The quality is absolutely top notch, with gusseted sides, and a cover that feels divine. This is a big, heavy, robust pillow, like previous reviewers have mentioned, and that's one of the things I like about it. It is sturdy, and I can tell it will last a good long time without going flat. It gives great support between my knees and lets me get a good night's sleep without aching hips. So, the silver lining to the cloud that was my leaving the previous pillow behind was finding this even better one. This one truly is my "holy grail" body pillow; everything I've wished for.
Read Best Reviews of Embrace Memory Foam Body Pillow from Sleep Innovations Here
I chose this body pillow because I've never owned one before, & because if I was going to get one, I wanted to buy the best one I could find. I have become a huge fan of the 8" memory foam mattress I purchased last November, & I wanted a memory foam pillow to go with it. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this pillow is made, & it is as good of a quality as I'd hoped for.
As a body pillow, this one is quite snuggable... You can just plop on this thing, or snug up to it, unwind, clear your head, & forget your cares. I was afraid as a down-alternative item, it would hold & collect body heat, like my old mattress' down-alternative mattress topper did. It doesn't. I not only don't roast under the covers with this pillow, but in fact, I almost wish it collected a little more heat & got a little warmer than it does but I know it's neutrality regarding body heat will make it much nicer to use in the summer time. It doesn't make me cold to sleep with it, but it doesn't heat up either.
As a bed pillow, I actually like sleeping on this pillow like a "regular bed pillow", more than the firm Serta pillow I own. To me, it just seems to be more compatible for use with my memory foam mattress, than my regular pillow does. My mattress is queen, & this pillow almost completely spans it end to end eliminating the need for large pillows.
It is too soft for me to use it as a back rest to sit up against & read, or use a laptop PC but if it were, it wouldn't be as functional as a soft huggable body pillow.
The white microfiber pillow case this pillow comes with is equally amazing. I have tried several other body pillow cases, even microfibers & micro-suedes, & nothing works as well with this pillow as the white outer microfiber case that was packaged with it. The outer cover is not shown in the ad picture, but you will receive one "premium white body pillow case" with this purchase. The cover feels like a cross between a micro-suede & a velvet, & is 1" wider than many body pillow cases sold, perhaps to accommodate the thick gusset. No other cover I've bought for it feels as comfortable, is as nice a quality, or works as well with this pillow as its own case does. I contacted Sleep Innovations to see if I could purchase some extra pillow cases like this one, & see if they sold them in other colors but they told me they only sell these cases with this pillow, & that people can't buy this same exact identically made case any other place.
I wondered exactly how this pillow was constructed so before I put the outer cover on, I unzipped the fiber filled outer shell, to see it's construction. When you unpack it, take it apart to see how it's made, & redistribute the self-contained foam core before using it.
The outer casing that unzips contains a down alternative fiber filled hypoallergenic (not just regular cotton material) sleeve.... At it's core, is a rectangular bag made of what feels like heavy white "felt" (I've seen some water bed mattress pads made of this material).... This inner felt bag contains small particles of chopped up foam, varying in size. It is definitely NOT one solid piece at the core, like many memory foam pillows are. Once I pull the core out, I was able to move the foam around inside the bag, fluff it, & redistribute it more evenly than it arrived as packaged. Either the memory foam itself, or some material in between the foam (?) contains a kind of squishy gel, which ads to the overall "visco-elastic" memory foam feel of the pillow when you are in contact with it.
If this pillow seems "lumpy" at first it will feel *much* more comfortable once you unzip it, get inside, take the core out, squish them around & evenly redistribute all of the foam particles, & give them a few minutes to fully expand then put it all back together. It's really pretty neat that we can do this, because this feature lets people adjust & re-adjust the firmness of the pillow for however they wish to use it. Be careful & take your time putting pillow covers on these, because if you pick it up by the end & shake it downwards you will pack down the memory foam tight at the opposite end. I only recommend doing this only before pillow fighting....to achieve maximum results. :)
I am extremely sensitive to chemicals, & unlike my memory foam mattress I was not bowled over by chemical fumes by this pillow. Amazingly, I did not have to air it out before I used it, & it did not set off my allergies or asthma. I am thankful & impressed.
I've only had this amazing pillow for a couple weeks, but so far...I like snoozing on this pillow as well as my queen 8" memory foam mattress itself.
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I prefer a really good firm pillow and since I'm preparing for surgery I wanted something that wouldn't completely squish flat when used, so I'm pleased with this pillow.
Note that when it is shipped it is folded in half and compressed. The polyfill was quite bunched up in places and it took quite a bit of "massage" work to get the pillow into usable shape without any lumps. Since the pillow is large and bulky, you need to make sure you have the strength to do the work. But the results are good. The pillow case that came with it was very soft and quite nice.
This pillow was too soft! It needs to be firm enough to keep your knees apart which is the whole purpose in using a leg pillow in the first place. This pillow was so soft that my knees ended up mashing it within minutes and therefore my knees were touching and the pillow was useless. I don't recommend this for anyone who needs a pillow for knee support for proper spine alignment and back health.
