- Popular mattress company Leesa makes three types of pillows. One of them is the Hybrid Pillow ($92), which can be slept on four different ways.
- Featuring a quilted pocket layer, ventilated gel comfort layer, and fabric that contains chilling fibers, the pillow always stays blissfully cool.
- It also never has to be refluffed and you can remove the pillow insert to take with you as a travel pillow.
There are few pleasures in life more universally acclaimed than the cool side of a pillow, and finally, a mattress company by the name of Leesa has managed to make a pillow that replicates that feeling all over.
This customizable Hybrid Pillow is pretty different from Leesa's first pillow, which is one piece made from the same foam used in Leesa's mattress, covered by a polyester lycra blend fabric (read our review here). In contrast, the Hybrid Pillow has a down-like quilted pocket layer on one side, a firmer, ventilated gel comfort layer on the other side, and an removable pillow insert between these two layers. An always cool-to-the-touch fabric containing chilling fibers surrounds the whole thing.
It's definitely not as simple as the original, but it's more customizable to fit your personal comfort preferences. Depending on factors such as time, season, or fatigue levels, you may sleep differently, and the Hybrid Pillow's configuration can accommodate such differences.
To adjust the support level, you can remove the pillow's insert by unzipping the bottom of the pillow. This small insert also makes a great travel pillow.
The quilted pocket top looks unique and textured, but you won't feel the different sections through a pillowcase. Instead, it just feels soft and fluffy. Though Insider Picks contributor David Slotnick still ultimately prefers the Casper pillow (read the review here), he does give props to the quilted side. He says, "Instead of totally sinking down into the pillow like with normal memory foam, you still stay mostly on top of it, even as it conforms to your head and neck."
On the flip side resides the ventilated gel comfort layer, which is what gives the pillow its support (and also likely its weight). This side feels even cooler and will definitely come to the rescue during warm summer nights.
For Insider Picks senior editor Malarie Gokey, the gel layer in combination with the soft quilted top is what tipped her in favor of the Hybrid Pillow over her go-to memory foam pillow for years:
"The gel pillow base is firm enough to make me feel like I'm still sleeping on my memory foam pillow, but the soft, quilted down alternative topper makes it more comfortable to rest my head on the pillow at night. I'm a side sleeper, so I need support, but sometimes my very firm memory foam pillow can hurt my ears if I stay on one side for too long (the human head is heavy!)"
The pillow is slightly more complex than your average one in both construction and maintenance. You need to take care to remove the gel insert, which can only be spot cleaned, before throwing the rest of the pillow and pillow insert into the washing machine. However, if you value the coolness factor and adjustable features, then you can probably justify the extra step to take care of the pillow.
If the cool, soft support of the pillow isn't enough to convince you, you can also sleep well at night knowing that someone else is, too. The pillow is part of Leesa's One-Ten Program, in which one pillow is donated for every 10 sold. Since Leesa's inception, it has donated one mattress for every 10 sold and has now donated more than 35,000 mattresses to nonprofits that serve people seeking refuge from homelessness, domestic risk and human trafficking.
The cost is on par with other "fancy" pillows at $92. It's admittedly quite an investment, but if you try it and like it, it could be the pillow you carry with you through life as your sleeping habits and preferences change.
Shop the Standard Hybrid Pillow ($92) and Queen Hybrid Pillow ($101) at Leesa here
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