Spinaleze, pronounced as “spinal ease,” has made a name for itself in the bedding and pillow market. Besides producing high-quality products, the brand invests heavily in its marketing through radio shows and high-profile celebrity endorsements.
However, despite considerable investment in brand awareness campaigns, the price tag on the Spinaleze pillow raises several questions in a new customer’s mind.
“Is it worth buying?”
“Does the $220 price tag justify its features?”
“Is it helpful with back pain?”
These are just a few questions among many others.
So, in today’s review, let’s find out if the Spinaleze Pillow lives up to the hype.
Highlights
- The pillow comes in four different height options.
- The children’s pillow is $219 and the adult version is priced at $239.
- It’s an Aerated Visco-Elastic memory foam pillow.
- The pillow is covered in 100% cotton sateen casing.
- It fits in all standard pillow cases in Australia.
- The material is hypoallergenic and antibacterial, making it safe to use.
- Due to the current COVID-19 conditions, they only return sealed and unused products within 7 days of delivery.
- The company offers a 12-month warranty against manufacturing faults.
- The pillow is designed and manufactured in Australia.
- The company gives an option to make the payment later through Zip Pay and After Pay.
- If you are in Sydney, you can test the pillow at their Sleep Clinic.
Review Summary
The Spinaleze pillow comes in four models with similar construction and firmness but different heights. The flexibility to choose from four different heights makes it compatible with sleepers of varying body structures.
But the most notable feature of the pillow is its scientific design that provides support for the neck and spine and offers excellent pressure relief.
However, despite its unique design and features, its price tag can put customers off as you can find decent memory foam pillows for half its price. The Ecosa contour pillow that comes with an adjustable height feature for $120 only is one such example.
Still, let’s not entirely disregard the Spinaleze pillow before studying its features in detail.
Pros
These are some of the most notable upsides to the Spinaleze pillow:
- Scientifically designed and medically proved to aid neck and spine alignment.
- Compatible with a variety of sleepers (back and side sleepers specially).
- Different height options for people with different heights and body structures.
- Australian-made: from design to finish.
Cons
Despite the intelligent design and medical benefits, the pillow does have some drawbacks:
- The Spinaleze pillow is definitely not cheap. It’s actually double the price of its competitors.
- Spinaleze’s return policy is quite unfavorable for users. First, you don’t get a trial. Secondly, the company only accepts sealed and unused items for return.
- The pillow is not suitable for stomach or freestyle sleepers.
- For some reason, if the pillow height doesn’t suit your body, there’s nothing you can do about it since the height is fixed.
- In case of a return, the customer has to bear the cost of delivery.
WhatASleep’s Personal Experience
Our team decided to order a Spinaleze pillow and get it tested by a 5’10” (178cm) team member who is a side sleeper but also rolls to the back sometimes.
We asked Spinaleze’s team for recommendations for the above height and sleep preference, and they suggested a medium-profile pillow.
So, we complied and placed the order. It arrived at our address in Sydney in four days, which was a bit slower than what we were expecting.
The pillow was air-tight sealed, and when opened, it regained its original shape in a short while. Thankfully, there was no off-gassing or foul smell when we broke the seal open.
The pillow’s outer look is pretty simple and decent as it’s wrapped in a delicate 100% cotton casing.
However, there is a lot of thought and effort that goes behind its design.
At the core of the pillow is a solid foam enclosed in an airflow-supportive coagulated surface. Although it resembles a regular contour pillow, the Spinaleze pillow is unique in its accurate placement of the loft that supports the neck.
In terms of feel, we would rate it as a medium-soft pillow as it sinks a bit but does pretty well in terms of support. However, due to the sinking feeling, one could feel stuck. This means it would suit those users better who sleep in a single position all night.
Moreover, in our opinion, stomach sleepers might find it hard to match their sleep preference with the design of this pillow, even with the low-profile model.
But in general, the Spinaleze pillow does a fantastic job of promoting spine alignment and supporting your head right.
Design, Comfort, & Durability
Regardless of the height you choose from the four available options, Spinaleze’s quality materials, construction, and firmness remain consistent.
It’s a memory foam pillow made with the company’s patented aerated Visco-elastic foam, and the design offers excellent comfort. In addition, its scientific design is approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration and can be used as a therapeutic tool.
The pillow’s foam can easily mold itself around the head, neck, and shoulders due to its exceptional contouring properties. Interestingly, Spinaleze’s memory foam is a bit softer than other similar pillows like Ecosa and Koala that use a responsive memory foam instead.
Still, the memory foam keeps the body aligned with the spine and prevents unintentional twisting movement while you are asleep.
Moreover, the pillow features ridges along the length of the pillow’s surface and promotes airflow. The ridges help prevent trapping of body heat that is often an issue with memory foam pillows and mattresses.
When it comes to lifespan and durability, the brand recommends replacing your Spinaleze pillow after 18 months of use because the foam starts softening and loses its characteristics after this time. The replacement, however, is standard practice with all memory foam pillows.
Suitable Sleeping Positions
The Spinaleze pillow offers a different experience with its various profile options based on your sleeping position. Let’s see how these different profiles work and what positions they suit the best.
- Low-profile pillow: This model is ideal for back sleepers who don’t require a lot of pillow height to support their head.
- Medium-profile pillow: This variant is better for users with narrow shoulders or short height (less than 6 ft.) who prefer to sleep on their side. Sleeping on the side would require a slightly higher loft to align the head with the spine, and the medium-profile pillow does it nicely.
- High-profile pillow: This model is also designed for side sleepers, but specifically for tall users or those with broad shoulders.
- Children’s pillow: This pillow is designed for kids and supports side and back sleeping equally well.
Although stomach sleeping is regarded as an unhealthy practice, many people still do it. And if you are one of those 32% Aussies who sleep on their bellies, you should go with the low-profile pillow!
Dimensions
The length and width of all Spinaleze pillow models remain constant, and only the heights of the pillows vary.
Note that all pillow models easily fit in all standard Australian pillowcases.
Pricing and Return Policy
The regular pillows for adults are priced at $239 each, and the children’s model comes at a whopping $219.
The company claims to process all orders within 24 hours; however, their free delivery can take three to four business days. (Moreover, Covid-19 restrictions could further slow the delivery process.)
Customers might not appreciate the company’s return policy as they only accept unopened and sealed products for returns. Moreover, the return has to be claimed within 7 days of delivery, and the customer has to bear the return shipping cost.
On the positive side, the company offers a 12-month warranty for any manufacturing defects.
Does the Spinaleze Pillow help with neck pain?
Misalignment of the cervical curvature of the neck is responsible for many cases of neck or shoulder pain. And according to medical research, contour pillows help with spinal alignment and reduce the risk of developing neck and shoulder pain.
So, as an approved TGA (Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration) product, the Spinaleze pillow could prove to be helpful in alleviating neck/shoulder pain.
However, it’s recommended to consult a doctor and seek relevant medical advice first.
Is the Spinaleze pillow worth buying?
Finally, here’s what we think about the Spinaleze pillow and whether you should buy it or not:
Having tested the pillow first hand, we don’t consider it to be more value-adding than other memory foam contouring pillows.
We believe that the company has done really well with its marketing, so the hype behind its scientific design and benefits is understandable. Still, charging $239 for a pillow and offering no sleep trials is not a good deal at all.
However, being an Aussie, if you want a home-grown product that adds to your country’s economy and sustainability, there’s nothing wrong in paying extra money for comfort and support.
In our humble opinion, if you haven’t used contour or memory foam pillows before, start with cheaper options first. The Ecosa pillow does a wonderful job of spine alignment and head support, so that is one product you can consider.
