Tom's Guide Verdict
The Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow is, as its name suggests, a luxury pillow crafted from premium memory foam. With a starting price of $229 for a queen, it's also expensive. But that doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent, with this pillow often out of stock due to high demand. Is it worth the price tag? After sleeping on it for a month, our lead tester praised its contouring support for side sleepers and found the cool-to-touch cover stopped them from overheating. However, lack of customizable options means that the loft will be too high for back and stomach sleepers. But if you're a side sleeper with a tendency to sleep hot, you'll likely love its bounce-back support.
Pros
- +
Excellent support for side sleepers
- +
Cool-to-touch cover
- +
100 night sleep trial
- +
3 year warranty
Cons
- -
Too high for back sleepers
- -
No option to customize
- -
Very expensive
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Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow review in brief
The average person sleeps one third of their life, which means we'll lay our head on a pillow for 229,961 hours of our lifetime. Choosing a pillow is no easy task, especially with so many different options on the market. Beautyrest has a reputation for crafting some of the best mattresses for luxurious sleep — so how well does its $229 Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow perform?
Type: Memory foam
Best for: Side sleepers, hot sleepers
Dimensions: 16" x 28" x 6" (queen) 16" x 32" x 6" (king)
Trial period: 100 nights
Warranty: 3 years
Price: From $229 at Beautyrest
After sleeping on it for a month, we think this premium-priced pillow is a solid choice for side sleepers thanks to its taller loft and medium-firm surface. The cashmere blend cover and the black velour gusset are nice, elegant touches. Also included in the price is a generous 100-night trial and a decent 3-year limited warranty.
If you're wondering if you have to spend a lot to secure the best pillow, our answer is still no. While it's quite nice, the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow will only suit a small niche of sleepers. (You'd be wise to save your money if you're a back or stomach sleeper.) Read on for our full review of the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow to find out how we got on with it...
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow review: Price & trial
- Retails from $229 (queen) to $259 (king)
- Rarely discounted on its own
- Comes with a 100-night trial and 3-year warranty
A queen-size Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow (28x16”) has a luxurious price tag of $229, while the king-size (32x16”) retails for $259. You can buy directly from Beautyrest or at Pottery Barn.
Specialist pillows from top brands retail between $125 and $200, so it’s noteworthy when we find one priced beyond that. In this case, the price might be a bit high considering that the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow can’t be customized. On the other hand, Beautyrest is a luxury brand, and you're paying in part for the name.
Discounts are rare, and it’s more likely that the brand will offer a saving on its pillows if you buy a mattress. For instance, Beautyrest sometimes cuts 50% off any two pillows with the purchase of a qualifying mattress during Beautyrest mattress sales.
Customers have 100 nights to try the pillow and will receive a full refund if they decide to return it. Exchanges are also possible within the 100-night trial. (Either way, return shipping is free.) It also comes with a three-year limited warranty that covers manufacturing defects in the foam or on the cover.
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow review: Design & materials
- Thick core of perforated CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam
- Cover woven with plant-based materials and feels cool to touch
- Cover can be removed and machine washed and tumble dried
The Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow consists of a perforated memory foam core encased in a cashmere blend cover that’s soft and slightly cool to the touch thanks to a proprietary plant-based cooling technology. The foam is CertiPUR-US-certified, ensuring it's low in emissions and free of harmful chemicals.
The cover has a mix of stitched lines that go in three directions, though the lines don’t have deep enough grooves to be able to feel them through a pillowcase. The gusset is made of black velour. You can remove the cover and machine-wash it in cold water on the gentle cycle and tumble dry on a low heat.
Considering its high price point, the fact that it lacks any organic materials or sustainability certifications means it's slightly overpriced. Yes, it feels and looks like a luxury product, but there are other high-quality pillows on the market that cost less and have more customization options and sustainable materials.
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow: Performance
- Arrived fully expanded so we could sleep on it right away
- A tall, medium-firm pillow that's great for side sleeping
- Sleeps temperature-neutral — our tester didn't overheat
Our tester, who sleeps on her side, black and stomach, slept on a queen-size Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow for about a month. Here's how the pillow performed...
Setup
Our queen-size Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow arrived fully inflated and wrapped in plastic in a black cardboard box so our tester could sleep on it immediately. There was no perceptible off-gassing smell when we removed the pillow from the packaging, either.
Score: 5 out of 5
Firmness and support
Having slept on it for a month, the first things our lead tester noticed about the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow were the height and feel. According to Beautyrest, this is a 6" tall pillow with a medium-firm feel. While we measured a 4.5" loft, which is still quite tall, we agree with the comfort assessment.
When our tester laid her head in the middle of the pillow, she could feel it sinking slowly. After about five minutes, her head settled deep enough that it felt comfortable — at least when sleeping on her side. As the brand suggests, this pillow is best suited to side sleepers. With its taller height and the responsive foam, it dips enough so that the neck and spine remain aligned.
Our tester sleeps on their stomach, back, and side, so she did try sleeping in different positions. Sleeping on her stomach with this pillow was equally as comfortable, but only when she slept on the edge of the pillow as it would flatten to a comfortable height with the weight of her head.
Without weight, the pillow returns to its original shape immediately, which is to say that there is no need to religiously fluff this pillow. Our tester also appreciated that this pillow had no off-putting scents or smells, unlike other foam-based pillows she's slept on in the past.
While the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow is soft and comfortable in many ways, we were surprised that it doesn’t have any customization options (beyond size), especially considering how many options you have when ordering a Beautyrest Black mattress.
Meanwhile, the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow is too thick for back sleepers. Our tester found her neck bent forward at an uncomfortable angle when she attempted to sleep on her back. If you're a dedicated back sleeper, try the latex-based Sleep Number Naturalfit Ultimate Pillow, or go for an adjustable loft pillow such as those from Coop Sleep Goods.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Temperature regulation
In terms of temperature, our tester never once got hot sleeping on this pillow, even when using a variety of pillowcases made of microfiber, cotton, and specialty cooling fabric. Considering it’s a foam pillow, it does a good job with regulating temperature, so you don’t have to worry about waking up with sweat on your head or neck. (The perforations help, too.)
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow review: User reviews
- Average score of 4.6 out of 5 (December 2024)
- No way to customize beyond size
- Slightly overpriced for what it is
While the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow is soft and comfortable in many ways, we were surprised that it doesn’t have any customization options (beyond size), especially considering how many options you have when ordering a Beautyrest Black mattress.
While some positive comments laud its overall comfort, negative user comments question whether the pillow is worth the high price point (for context, our top rated pillow, the Casper Wave Hybrid With Snow Technology is $149 for a queen at full MSRP.)
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow review: Should you buy?
Buy a Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow if...
✅ You sleep on your side: The Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow’s tall loft and medium-firm feel means should provide enough support for a side sleeper’s head and neck.
✅ You tend to sleep hot at night: The cover has plant-based cooling technology that contributes to this pillow being slightly cool to the touch. The perforation of the foam also helps with airflow.
✅ You want plenty of time to test out its comfort: Customers get 100 nights to test out the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow. If they don’t like it, they can return for a full refund at no extra charge.
Don't buy a Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow if...
❌ You want to customize your pillow: Despite the high retail price, the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow has no customization options besides choosing a queen or king size.
❌ You like a flatter or softer pillow: The foam used for this pillow is 4.5" thick and has a firmer feel, which means it may be soft but it’s very supportive. It won’t dip too much with the weight of your head, which should suit side sleepers but not so much back or stomach sleepers.
❌ You're on a stricter budget: The Beautyrest Black Pillow is a splurge. If you're unwilling to spend over $200, there are luxury pillows that don't quite hit that threshold such as the Saatva Latex Pillow (from $165) and the Coop Home Goods EdenCool+ Pillow (from $139).
Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow: The bottom line
We think the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow exquisitely comfortable for side sleeping thanks to its medium-firm level of comfort and tall loft. The perforation in the memory foam core and the cooling cover kept our tester from overheating, and we like that we can remove the cover for easy laundering.
Although the three-year warranty and 100-night free trial are nice perks, the Beautyrest Black Luxury Foam Pillow isn't what we'd consider a good value buy with a starting cost of $229. But if you're a side sleeper who's willing to splurge, then we say go for it. Otherwise, consider the alternatives below.
Also consider...
