Saatva Pillow Review

The Mattress Nerd’s Take: The Saatva pillow features a pillow-on-pillow design that enables users to easily adjust the height of their pillow. The way the pillow feels typically depends on your body type. We think the Saatva pillow is an ideal choice for the average-weight back sleeper, as well as petite side sleepers and stomach sleepers with larger body types. It’s made with breathable materials, so we also recommend it to hot sleepers who want a little more support than a down or polyester pillow can offer.

Saatva is an online bedding company that houses several mattress brands, including Zenhaven, Loom & Leaf, and, of course, Saatva. The brand also makes bedding accessories like mattress toppers, sheets and pillows. Almost all Saatva products are geared toward high end, eco-friendly shoppers. The Saatva pillow is no exception—it’s made with high quality materials like organic cotton, American Talalay latex and microdenier fiber. The latex composition allows for responsive spine and neck support, which makes this a great pillow for neck pain.

Finding the right pillow is crucial to waking up well-rested and pain free. Even with the best mattress, an ill-suited pillow can really put a kink in your sleep quality. In this review, we take a closer look at the Saatva latex pillow. Specifically, we look at the materials, construction, pros/cons and how it feels in different sleep positions. Our goal is to help you decide for certain whether or not the Saatva pillow will give you the best night’s sleep. Not sure what size pillow you need? We’ve got you covered in our pillow size guide.

What Makes the Saatva Pillow Stand Out

Pros

• The whole core of this pillow is stuffed with shredded talalay latex foam, which is known for its breathability. Pair it with super fine microdenier fiber and a breathable cotton cover, and you’ve got a pillow that stays cool until morning.
• Once you lie down, the Saatva pillow keeps its shape. Gussets along the sides prevent the fill from shifting or clumping to one side, so you don’t need to continually adjust the pillow throughout the night in order to avoid neck pain.
• The bulk of the Saatva pillow is made with hypoallergenic materials that are almost dust-mite and mildew proof. Unlike memory foam, talalay latex is much less likely to produce an off-gassing odor. If you are looking to sleep on all-natural or hypoallergic materials, see the best organic mattresses.
• Latex lasts longer than memory foam, which bodes well for the durability of this pillow. Our team thinks it will last customers for at least three years, possibly more. 

Cons

• The Saatva pillow can’t easily be folded when the talalay latex core is inside. Taking the core out makes it more moldable, but memory foam pillows tend to offer sleepers more control over their pillow shape.
• Those who don’t want to regularly fluff their pillow may be disappointed, since the outer pillow is prone to flatten after a week or so of use.
• The height of the Saatva pillow is right between the ideal loft for stomach and side sleeping, so it may be too high or low for the average sleeper. We recommend it as one of the best pillows for combination sleepers.

Ready to buy a Saatva pillow and maybe a Saatva mattress? See our Saatva Mattress Comparison to find out everything you need to know!

What is the Saatva Pillow Made Of?

Organic Cotton Cover: The Saatva pillow cover is woven with 100 percent organic cotton sateen. This weave is known for being super soft, breathable and moisture-wicking. To wash the cover, just unzip it along the side and pull it away from the outer pillow.

Microdenier Fiber: The outer pillow is an organic cotton casing filled with microdenier, which is an ultra-fine synthetic fiber. A denier is a measurement of thickness. For context, a human hair is 20 deniers, whereas microdenier fiber is only 0.9 denier! Picture your pillow filled with airy, silky cotton cotton candy … except less messy. 

Microdenier fiber is often used as a down alternative because it’s similarly plush and lofty. It’s easily fluffable, which also lends to great airflow and a cool sleep experience.

Shredded Talalay Latex: The pillow core is made of a polyester inner pillow stuffed with shredded talalay latex foam. Talalay is a high end version of latex, similar to Dunlop latex but more responsive and breathable. Saatva says the material is recommended by chiropractors and orthopedists for its neck support. While we can’t verify that claim, we will say that the latex core makes this pillow noticeably more conforming, which helps to keep your head and neck in a healthy alignment. Check out the best latex mattresses for more information on the material.

What does the Saatva Pillow Feel Like?

Breathable

Saatva intentionally layered three breathable materials in the brand’s signature pillow to maximize cooling comfort. Right on the outside, the cotton cover is lightweight and airy, which allows air to flow freely through the fabric. Good airflow also reduces the accumulation of excess moisture. The outer pillow is stuffed with extra fine, silky microdenier fiber that doesn’t clump together. The loose fill creates countless tiny air pockets that prevent heat retention. 

Finally, the core is also shredded, so you don’t need to worry about warmth getting trapped in a solid chunk of foam. Plus, latex is naturally temperature regulating. Overall the pillow sleeps cool for most folks. It’s not cool on contact, but it won’t trap heat like memory foam pillows, so we’d say it’s a good choice for hot sleepers. If you are looking to sleep cool, see the best mattress for hot sleepers.

Plush Support

Microdenier has a similar feathery feel to down. When you put your head on the pillow, it feels plush and cloudlike. But unlike 100 percent down pillows, the Saatva pillow has a latex core that adds extra head and neck support. The pillow allows your head to sink down enough for pressure relief, but then the latex compresses, keeping your head level and maintaining your spinal alignment. 

We think this pillow has a medium-soft firmness level. The latex core gives it a medium feel, while the microdenier fiber adds the softness. If you like the feel of down, but need more support, this may be the pillow for you.

Mid-Range Loft

The Saatva pillow has a loft level of 8”, which is the height of some innerspring mattresses! The fluffy microdenier fill adds quite a bit of height to the pillow, but once your head compresses the surface, it sinks to 5–6”. Keep in mind that microdenier fiber is a down alternative, so it will lose a lot of volume when air is pressed out of it. 

Pillows with a 5” loft generally work best for back and side sleepers. Given how pliable the materials are, the Saatva pillow may have too low of a loft for larger side sleepers. Five inches is also an ideal height for average to plus-sized back sleepers. For similar options, see the best pillows for back sleepers. We wager that some stomach sleepers will need to remove the inner core to prevent their head from tilting up. 

Conforming

The Saatva pillow does a great job of conforming to your head and neck. That’s no surprise, since latex is known for its soft, conforming structure. Your head will sink into the pillow instead of lying right on top of it. Still, the latex is dense enough to keep its shape once you’ve settled in, which is ideal if you like to turn your head to the left or right while sleeping on your back.

Saatva Pillow Pricing and Specs

For the best price on all Saatva products, see our Saatva mattress coupons.

Saatva Policies

Shipping

The Saatva pillow ships for free within the contiguous U.S. Still, if you live in Alaska or Hawaii you’re out of luck: The brand doesn’t ship to those states. 

Sleep Trial

You get a 45-day trial period to test out the Saatva pillow. The return policy enables you to get a full refund to your original form of payment, and Saatva requests that you wash your bedding before returning it. To make a pillow exchange, just return your original pillow and then buy the pillow you’d like instead.

Warranty Coverage

Saatva pillows are warranted against defects for one year. In the case of a defect that falls under the warranty, the pillow will be either repaired or replaced, and then your original warranty will continue until it expires. Note that Saatva bedding warranties don’t cover defects like stains, discolorations or damages that result from abuse or misuse of the pillow. To learn more about the brand’s general warranty policies, check out our Saatva Mattress warranty breakdown.

FAQs

What certifications does the Saatva latex pillow have?

Saatva uses talalay latex that is OEKO-TEX and eco-INSTITUT certified, meaning it’s free of toxic chemicals, emissions and pollutants. The pillow is also made sustainably, and has been certified by Cradle to Cradle and the Rainforest Alliance. 

Can this pillow be washed?

The organic cotton outer cover and microdenier fiber outer layer can be machine washed. Just unzip the cover and remove the latex core. Make sure not to wash the inner pillow, since that can cause damage. Pillows are best washed a few times a year, though pillow cases should be washed weekly.

Is the Saatva pillow hypoallergenic?

Yep! The talalay latex is washed five times, which removes latex proteins that can cause allergic reactions. It’s a natural material and very unlikely to have an off-gassing scent. Microdenier fiber is also hypoallergenic and resistant to common allergens.

How long will the Saatva pillow last?

Latex is one of the more durable bedding materials, and latex mattresses typically last around eight years. Pillows are a little different, so we recommend replacing this pillow after around three years of nightly use.

See saatva.com for more FAQs.

The Nerd’s Final Take

The Saatva pillow’s dual layer construction creates a balance of pressure relief and support. It’s soft on the outside and denser on the inside. These characteristics make it a good fit for back sleepers and smaller side sleepers. The average stomach sleeper will likely need to remove the inner core, so a lower-loft pillow may be a better buy. The Saatva pillow also stays cool, which will prevent most hot sleepers from overheating.

So why buy this pillow instead of others? The Saatva pillow should last you several years. You don’t need to worry about it developing stinky odors, and the pillowcase and outer pillow are machine washable. It’s not a budget item, but you can test it for over a month to make sure it’s the right new pillow for you.