Description
The Pillow That Made Ergonomic Memory Foam a Household Name
The TEMPUR® Original SmartCool™ Pillow is one of the most recognised and enduring pillow designs in the world — the pillow that introduced millions of sleepers to the concept of ergonomic memory foam support, and that continues to define the category decades after its introduction. Its iconic curved shape, moulded from authentic TEMPUR® Material, provides precisely contoured support for the head, neck, and shoulders of back and side sleepers — and its SmartCool™ cover adds cool-to-the-touch freshness from the moment you lie down. This is the definitive TEMPUR® ergonomic pillow experience, now with cooling technology built in.
Explore our TEMPUR® mattress collection → TEMPUR® mattresses
TEMPUR® Material — Billions of Ultra-Sensitive Cells, Precisely Adapted to You
At the heart of the Original SmartCool™ is TEMPUR® Material — the viscoelastic foam material that TEMPUR® has been developing and refining since its founders took NASA’s original pressure-absorbing material and spent years perfecting it for sleep. TEMPUR® is the only mattress and pillow brand recognised by NASA for improving quality of life — a distinction that reflects the material’s direct lineage from space technology.
Inside the Original SmartCool™, billions of ultra-sensitive open cells respond simultaneously to your body’s shape, weight, and warmth. Unlike standard memory foam that responds primarily to pressure, TEMPUR® Material’s cells shift and reorganise their position to mould to the exact contours of your head, neck, and shoulders. The result is adaptive contouring that is precise to your individual anatomy — not an approximation of a generic head shape, but a specific response to your specific curvature in your specific sleeping position.
The pillow is moulded — a single piece of TEMPUR® Material shaped in the manufacturing process to achieve the specific ergonomic profile — rather than filled with microcushions or loose fill. This gives the Original its characteristic firmness and structural integrity: it holds its shape, adapts to you, and returns to its moulded form when unloaded.
The Iconic Curved Design — Engineered for Neck and Shoulder Support
The Original’s signature curved shape is the design element that made it instantly recognisable and that remains the pillow’s most distinctive functional feature. Unlike a flat pillow that simply supports the head wherever it happens to rest, the Original’s curved profile is engineered to match the natural geometry of the head-neck-shoulder relationship during sleep.
The curved design has a flat base with a gently contoured top surface — the side designed to support the neck is slightly higher, while the central section slopes down to cradle the head. This geometry provides two specific functional benefits:
Spinal alignment: by supporting the neck at the correct height and allowing the head to rest in a slightly lower position, the Original helps maintain the natural curvature of the cervical spine throughout the night — reducing the muscular tension that accumulates when the neck is either under-supported (too flat) or over-elevated (too firm/thick).
Pressure relief: the TEMPUR® Material distributes the weight of the head and neck across a larger contact area than a standard pillow — removing concentrated pressure points at the cervical vertebrae that can cause morning stiffness and discomfort.
Explore our full TEMPUR® pillow collection → TEMPUR® pillows
SmartCool™ Cover — Cool-to-the-Touch from the First Moment
The Original SmartCool™’s cover incorporates TEMPUR®’s SmartCool™ technology — cooling threads woven throughout the soft cover fabric that naturally disperse heat away from the sleeping surface. The cover is cool-to-the-touch from the moment you lie down, and continues to absorb excess body heat throughout the night to keep the sleeping surface fresh and comfortable.
For those who find that standard memory foam pillows feel warm — a common characteristic of viscoelastic materials that respond to body warmth — the SmartCool™ cover provides a specific thermal management layer that significantly improves the sleeping experience on an otherwise excellent ergonomic foam pillow.
The cover is removable — it unzips completely for machine washing at up to 40°C. Washing the cover regularly maintains hygiene and freshness. Note: the TEMPUR® Material pillow itself cannot be washed — contact with water or cleaning fluids damages the material and invalidates the guarantee. Only the cover is washable.
Three Sizes — Choosing the Right One
The Original SmartCool™ is available in three sizes, reflecting TEMPUR®’s recognition that ergonomic pillows must fit the individual body rather than offering a single universal size:
- Small (W61 x D31cm, H7/10cm) — suited to a smaller body frame with a shorter head-to-shoulder distance
- Medium (W61 x D31cm, H8.5/11cm) — the most common choice for average body frames
- Large (W61 x D31cm, H10/13cm) — suited to a larger body frame with a longer head-to-shoulder distance
The dual heights in each size reflect the curved profile — the higher dimension is the neck support zone, the lower dimension is the head cradle zone. Mattress firmness also influences size selection: the softer the mattress, the more the shoulder sinks in, reducing the effective height gap that needs to be bridged — which may suggest choosing a smaller size.
Sleep Gallery offers a home trial for TEMPUR® pillows — pay the full deposit, test the Original SmartCool™ in your own bed for a few nights, and return it for a full refund if it does not suit you. Or swap for a new unopened unit if it does. Call 596 14 9977 to arrange.
Product Details
- Fill material: moulded TEMPUR® Material — viscoelastic memory foam
- Design: iconic curved ergonomic shape — neck support zone + head cradle zone
- Cover: SmartCool™ technology — cool-to-the-touch, absorbs excess heat
- Cover care: removable, machine washable at 40°C
- Pillow itself: cannot be washed
- Sleep positions: back and side sleepers
- Sizes: Small (61x31x7/10cm), Medium (61x31x8.5/11cm), Large (61x31x10/13cm)
- Guarantee: 3 years
- Designed in Denmark
- Brand: TEMPUR® (founded 1991, Denmark)
- Home trial: available — speak to Sleep Gallery team at 596 14 99 77
FAQ:
Q: What makes the TEMPUR® Original SmartCool™ different from a standard memory foam pillow?
The TEMPUR® Original SmartCool™ differs from a standard memory foam pillow in two fundamental ways — the material specification and the ergonomic design.
On material: TEMPUR® Material is not standard memory foam. Standard memory foam is a commodity material produced by many manufacturers to varying quality specifications. TEMPUR® Material is a proprietary viscoelastic compound developed from NASA’s original pressure-absorbing material, refined by TEMPUR® over decades to specific performance parameters — cell size, cell density, response rate, and temperature sensitivity — that generic memory foam does not replicate. The billions of open cells in TEMPUR® Material respond to shape, weight, and warmth simultaneously, creating an adaptive contouring response that standard memory foam approximates but does not match.
On design: a standard memory foam pillow is typically a rectangular flat block — it adapts to pressure wherever it occurs but provides no geometric guidance for head and neck positioning. The Original’s curved design actively positions the head and neck in a specific ergonomic relationship — neck support zone higher, head cradle zone lower — so that the spinal alignment benefit is achieved through the pillow’s shape, not just through the material’s softness. This combination of ergonomic geometry and adaptive material is unique to the Original’s design.
Q: How do I choose the right size — Small, Medium, or Large?
TEMPUR® provides a framework for size selection based on three factors, used in combination:
Body frame and head-to-shoulder distance: the key measurement is the distance from the tip of the shoulder to the side of the head when lying on your side — this is the gap the pillow needs to bridge. A taller, broader-shouldered person has a longer head-to-shoulder distance and generally needs a larger pillow. A shorter, narrower person needs a smaller one.
Mattress firmness: the softer the mattress, the more the shoulder sinks into the mattress surface when lying on your side — which reduces the effective head-to-shoulder gap that needs bridging. Softer mattress → choose a smaller size. Firmer mattress → the shoulder does not sink as much, so the full head-to-shoulder distance must be bridged → choose a larger size.
Body type: a larger body type with greater weight will sink further into a soft mattress, again reducing the effective gap → smaller size. A lighter body type on a firm mattress sinks less → larger size may be needed.
As a general starting point: Small suits a smaller, lighter body frame on a medium to soft mattress; Medium suits an average frame on a medium mattress; Large suits a taller, broader frame or anyone on a firm mattress. Sleep Gallery’s home trial allows you to test the size in your own bed before committing — our sleep experts at 596 14 9977 can also advise based on your specific situation.
Q: Can I use the TEMPUR® Original SmartCool™ if I sometimes sleep on my front?
The Original SmartCool™ is designed and recommended specifically for back and side sleepers. It is not recommended for front sleepers — and this distinction matters for a specific ergonomic reason.
When sleeping on your front (stomach), the head is rotated 90 degrees to one side and rests at a relatively low elevation. The neck is already in a rotated position, and any additional height from an ergonomic pillow increases cervical spine rotation and tension rather than reducing it. For front sleepers, the correct approach is a very flat, soft pillow — or no pillow at all — to minimise neck rotation.
The Original’s curved profile, with its neck support zone and head cradle zone, is specifically shaped for the lateral or supine head position — lying on the side or back. Using it in a front-sleeping position would place the ergonomic contours in the wrong orientation relative to the neck, providing no benefit and potentially causing discomfort.
Sleep Gallery carries the full TEMPUR® pillow range — if you are a front sleeper or a combination sleeper who spends time on your front, our sleep experts at 596 14 9977 can advise on the most appropriate TEMPUR® pillow for your specific sleeping pattern.
Q: The TEMPUR® Original SmartCool™ costs more than standard pillows — what justifies the price?
The price reflects three specific distinctions from a standard memory foam or fibre pillow.
First, TEMPUR® Material: a proprietary viscoelastic compound that TEMPUR® has been developing and refining since NASA’s original invention — not a commodity material but a specifically engineered one with performance characteristics that generic memory foam does not replicate. TEMPUR® is the only pillow brand recognised by NASA for improving quality of life — a certification that reflects the material’s genuine lineage from space technology.
Second, the ergonomic design: the Original’s curved profile, moulded to specific dimensions that match the natural head-neck-shoulder geometry of back and side sleepers, represents an engineering investment in sleep biomechanics that flat or lightly contoured alternatives do not. The pillow actively positions the head and neck for spinal alignment rather than passively supporting wherever the head happens to rest.
Third, SmartCool™ technology: cooling threads woven throughout the cover provide a specific thermal management layer that addresses the most common complaint about memory foam pillows — warmth — through an engineered textile solution rather than a marketing claim.
Three-year guarantee, designed in Denmark, and Sleep Gallery’s home trial allow you to validate the investment before committing.
Learn more about TEMPUR® → https://www.tempur.com
