Home & sleep
6 things to check before you buy a contoured memory-foam pillow
Shaped pillows are not all alike. Here is what to look at, using the butterfly-shaped Derila Ergo as the example, with details from its seller.
A contoured pillow keeps one fixed shape. That is the point of it, and it is also why it pays to check a few things before you buy: you can't plump it up or flatten it the way you can a feather pillow.
The Derila Ergo is a memory-foam pillow with an outline a little like a butterfly. We have used it as the example below. The details come from its seller.
The shape: where will your head rest?
Look at where the low and high points are. The Derila Ergo has a central curve for your head, with raised sections at the front and back that the seller calls "support wings".
Your sleeping position
A pillow shaped for one position may not suit another. The seller says this one is for side, back and front sleepers, and its user guide shows where to place it for each.
The height
The seller lists one standard size: 54 cm long, 36 cm wide and 12 cm high. It doesn't say where the 12 cm is measured, and a contoured pillow is lower in the middle than at the edges, so compare it with the pillow you sleep on now.
Room for your arms
If you sleep with an arm under or beside the pillow, look for a cut-out. The seller's user guide mentions a "special arm cut out area".
Can you wash it?
With a foam pillow, the cover is the part you wash. This one unzips and is machine washable in warm water, according to the seller's user guide.
Delivery and returns
The seller estimates 8–12 working days to the UK. Its returns policy runs for 60 days, but its terms accept only unused pillows in the original packaging, and you pay the return postage.
Opens the seller's website. Price, delivery and returns are set by the seller.
How the seller says to use it
On your side
Place the pillow so the curve at the front rests against the side of your neck.
On your back
Rest the back of your neck on the front curve and let your head settle towards the centre.
On your front
Lie a little higher up on the pillow, rest your cheek in the central curve and use the cut-out for your arm.
Two things to expect
- It arrives flat. The pillow is vacuum-packed. The seller says to leave it for 6 to 8 hours after you open it so it can reach its full size.
- Memory foam feels different. It is firmer than feather or hollowfibre, and foam in general feels firmer in a cold room. If you have never used one, bear in mind that the seller's terms accept returns of unused pillows only.
The price: compare the bundles
The seller sells the pillow singly and in sets of two, three and four. Prices change and can differ by country and by offer, so we don't quote them here. Compare the per-pillow price for each option, check that the basket shows only what you chose, then check the total with delivery before you pay.
The key details
| Size | 54 cm long, 36 cm wide, 12 cm high (21.2 × 14.1 × 4.7 in) |
|---|---|
| Filling | Memory foam |
| Shape | Contoured, with a central curve, raised front and back sections and a cut-out area for your arms |
| Cover | Removable, with a zip; machine washable in warm water |
| Sleeping positions | Side, back and front, according to the seller |
| Packaging | Vacuum-packed; allow 6–8 hours to reach full size |
| Delivery to the UK | Processing: 1–2 working days. Delivery: about 8–12 working days (seller's estimates, not a promise) |
| Returns | 60 days, for unused pillows in the original packaging; you pay return postage (details below) |
| Seller | UAB Domestica, Lithuania (company no. 307174704, per the seller's About Us page) |
Source: the seller's product page, user guide, shipping page, returns page and terms of service, checked 15 November 2026. Check the seller's page for the current details before you order.
May suit you if you…
- sleep on your side, or move about during the night
- prefer the feel of memory foam to a soft, squashy pillow
- want a cover you can unzip and wash
Check before you buy
- The size: 54 × 36 × 12 cm per the seller. Compare the height with the pillow you use now
- Returns: the seller's terms accept only unused pillows in the original packaging, and you pay the return postage. Ask the seller before you open the vacuum pack if you think you may send it back
- Delivery: the seller estimates 8–12 working days to the UK
- The total: the price per pillow for one, two, three or four, plus delivery. The seller's terms say import fees or duties are not included at checkout, so ask whether VAT or customs charges could be added
- Whether you get on with memory foam: it feels firmer than feather or hollowfibre
Questions people ask
Is it only for side sleepers?
No. The seller describes it as a pillow for side, back and front sleepers, and its user guide shows how to place it for each. Comfort is personal, though, so read the returns terms before you order.
Why does it arrive flat?
It is vacuum-packed to keep the parcel small. The seller says to take it out and leave it for 6 to 8 hours so the foam can return to its full size.
How do I wash it?
The cover unzips and is machine washable in warm water, according to the seller's user guide. The guide covers the cover only, so check the care label before you clean the foam itself.
Can I send it back?
The seller lists a 60-day returns policy, but read the conditions. Its terms say it accepts only goods that have not been used and that come back in the original, undamaged packaging, so a pillow you have slept on may not qualify. In the first 14 days you get back the purchase price and the standard delivery fee; from day 15 to day 60, the purchase price only. You must contact the seller for a returns form before you send anything, you pay the return postage to the address on that form, and you should use a tracked service, because returns without a tracking number may be refused. If you think you might return it, ask the seller what counts as unused before you open the vacuum pack. Read the full policy and terms on the seller's site.
Is this a medical product?
No. It is an ordinary pillow. This page covers its shape, size and care only; it makes no health claims and is not medical advice.
If its shape and height suit the way you sleep, check the returns terms and the bundle prices, then decide.
Opens the seller's website. Price, delivery and returns are set by the seller.