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12 Best Luxury Pillows For the Best Sleep of Your Life—Tested & Reviewed
Your little head deserves it.
You spent all your hard-earned coins on a bed frame, mattress, sheet set (maybe a cooling sheet set), and a duvet cover all just to neglect the place you literally rest your head at night? We can't have that. It's time to buy the nicest pillow your little head has ever rested on. Your pillow doesn't have to cost your whole paycheck to be considered luxurious, but you should invest some money into it. There's no storage of brands that offer next-level plushness, and we gathered them all up right here.
Finding that perfect luxury pillow is all about the science of what it's made from and your sleep preferences. To help you out, our bedding experts put a bunch of the best luxury pillows available to the test and narrowed the choices to these top 12 options. These are the ones that'll have you feeling like you're sleeping in a five-star hotel every single night—they're worth the investment.
Pros
- Machine washable
Cons
- Only one firmness option
Sleepers who know for certain that a firmer pillow is just right for a good night's rest, look no further than Frette. This option only comes in one firmness and the cotton sateen casing is filled with a dense polyester filling that offers support and no sagging while you snooze.
Pros
- Comes in a range of options for different sleep styles
Cons
- Pricey for one pillow
Parachute offers a range of pillows to suit every kind of sleeper. If downfilling is your preference, you can choose between standard and king sizing and customize even further between standard, medium, or firm densities. The cotton sateen casing is soft and machine washable on a cold, gentle cycle. There's also an option for side-sleepers, that's more square, and a down alternative too.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Available in various firmness levels
- Repels sweat
Cons
- Not firm enough for some sleepers
A departure from the ever-popular bamboo, Sijo taps the cooling powers of eucalyptus for its pillow. The fabric is also moisture-wicking, so if you happen to sweat while sleeping, it won't absorb into the fibers. Inside the removable cover is a fluffy recycled polyester down alternative that comes in either a soft level or medium firm option.
Pros
- Completely adjustable
- Minimal chemicals used in the memory foam
Cons
- Some customers found the options difficult to configure
Get the exact plushness or firmness you need with this completely customizable pillow. There are soft, medium, and firm inserts in either standard or king size, made with either down alternative filling, low VOC memory foam, or a combination of both. The cooling bamboo viscose cover that keeps it all together will help ward off night sweats.
Pros
- Great for all sleepers
- Perfect if you want a firm pillow
Cons
- Traps heat a bit too much
We've shouted this thing out in our testing of best pillows for neck pain, and would say it's worth of the luxury top spot. There's a lot of sleeping positions that can give you neck pain, but this Tempur-pedic pillow is the one that can help you in any of them. Side sleepers use the taller side, back and stomach sleepers the other.
The only issue is that being totally made of memory foam, this one runs hot.
| Fill | Memory foam |
|---|---|
| Density | Firm |
Pros
- Doesn't run as hot as other memory foam pillows
- Nice and firm
Cons
- Not as plush as down
We're guilty of putting a lot of stake in down. While it's objectively the most luxurious thing to put your head on at night, memory fam can, in fact, be luxurious. But, the issue is that it retains heat. This Saatva pillow has graphite infused in with the memory foam to help it keep cool.
| Fill | Memory foam |
|---|---|
| Density | Firm |
Pros
- Adjustable fill
- Great price
Cons
- Memory foam just doesn't have that same down feel
Now we were skeptical at first that this adjustable down alternative pillow really qualifies for the luxury category. But, we really, really love this pillow.
| Fill | Cut memory foam |
|---|---|
| Density | Adjustable |
Pros
- Incredible feel
- Perfect weight
Cons
- High price tag
When we're talking luxury bedding, no one is really matching SFERRA's Italian heritage feel. The Buxton, believe it or not, is on the low end of the brand's offering. That's insane, considering this thing is filled with 600+ fill European goose down, and it's miles more luxurious than anything else on this list.
| Fill | 600+ fill goose down |
|---|---|
| Density | Soft, medium, or firm |
Pros
- Gentle on skin and allergies
- Price is high, but not outrageous
Cons
- Only one density option
Imagine telling a Roman emperor that someday regular people would be able to buy pillows that are filled with silk. Honestly, imagine just telling that to your grandparents.
The fact that Cozy Earth makes silk filled pillows is crazy, but their reasonable price tag and incredible performance might be even crazier. If you're opposed to down but not a fan of the typical alternatives, this is one seriously luxurious solution.
| Fill | 100% long-strand mulberry silk |
|---|---|
| Density | Medium |
Pros
- Plush, hotel-style fill
- The packaging and dust bag are incredibly luxe, makes a whole experience
Cons
- Only the one fill type
Maybe it's the free air conditioning you can turn down to 65 degrees. Maybe it's the burden of traveling. But, everyone gets their best sleep in hotels.
We think the big plush pillows have a lot to do with it, though. For the best hotel-style down pillows we, or course, go straight to Four Seasons. In true hotel pillow style, the 25 percent down to 75 percent feather ratio makes these a lot more plush than other options on this list.
| Fill | 25% white down, 75% feather |
|---|---|
| Density | Plush |
Pros
- Customizable support
- Really nice down, especially given the price
Cons
- Even the firm fill feels a bit plush
Classic, no-frills direct-to-consumer bedding. This Brooklinen pillow is as no fuss as down gets. But, simply by virtue of being an incredible down pillow, this one fits solidly in the luxury category. We'll also shout it out because you can choose the amount of support you want.
| Fill | Down clusters and feather |
|---|---|
| Density | Plush, mid-plush, firm |
Pros
- Ideal for allergy sufferers
- Machine washable
- Comes in a set
Cons
- Some say it's thinner than expected
One of the pain points of a down alternative pillow is how clumpy the filling can get over time, especially if you wash it. This set eliminates that thanks to a lighter-weight polyester that isn't made with any chemicals (a win for allergy sufferers) stays fluffy, and doesn't stick together or flatten.
How We Tested Luxury Pillows
At Esquire, we do a lot of things really well. Sleeping is one of them. So testing out the best luxury pillows was easy. Between our editors who test products day in and day out for a living and our ability to comb the vast internet for user reviews, we narrowed down the absolute best pillows worthy of your money. That means sleeping on them, finding out how you sleep on them, and checking the fabric quality, even if it'll slip inside a pillowcase. How they hold up over time, and These aren't your average pillows either. We know high-end. So we looked to the brands that make some of our favorite luxury bedding and narrowed our list to include various options for all kinds of sleepers. We also considered factors like washability, and knowing that people's sleep habits can change over time, we looked for customizable options, too.
How to Choose a Luxury Pillow
No matter what you're spending your money on, if you're going the luxe route, make sure it's worth your investment. Here are a few factors to consider when shopping for luxury pillows.
Sleep style: whether you're a side or back sleeper or a combination of both, look for pillows that match your sleep style. There's nothing worse than tossing and turning all night because you're on a pillow made for back snoozing when you typically settle in on your side.
Firmness: How soft or firm a pillow is can impact the quality of your sleep. Many luxury pillows come in various firmness levels and some on this list offer a truly customizable option where you can remove or add filling or inserts to suit your preferred level of plushness.
Size: Depending on the size of your mattress and bed frame, choose either standard or king-size pillows to match.
Material: If you tend to run hot while sleeping, have allergies, or just prefer to launder your bedding often, look for removable pillow casings or check care labels before buying to see if your pillow choice is machine washable. It'll help extend the life of your pillow and make for a more comfortable sleep overall.
FAQs
What is down alternative? Traditional down pillows are made using duck or goose feathers stuffed into a casing to provide warmth and plushness while you sleep. Down alternative, on the other hand, looks to achieve the same sleep comforts using synthetic materials like polyester or natural fibers like cotton.
Are luxury pillows worth it? If your goal is to achieve hotel-like sleeping quarters, luxury pillows are worth the investment. Much like the rest of your bedding, the quality, durability, and softness of the pillow filling and casing can impact the quality of your sleeping experience. And if you suffer any neck or back pain, a high-quality pillow in the right firmness level can help alleviate the hurt.
What is a cooling pillow? Some people can't help but sweat when they sleep. But with the help of cooling materials like bamboo and eucalyptus, you can dial down the night sweats. Even if you haven't invested in cooling sheets just yet, a cooling pillow is a good place to start to signal to your brain that your body doesn't want to heat up.
Why Trust Esquire
Sleeping is universally beloved. More importantly than that though, our commerce editors take sleep seriously. We know what true luxury looks and feels like and how you feel after a really good night's rest. We won't steer you wrong when it comes to sleep. So like every other product category we write about, we did our due diligence to test as many of these pillows as possible, and then we looked to our trusted readers for your opinions on the best luxury pillows you actually use. The result is an honest, curated list of the best options out there.
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