Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Dual Cooling Pillow (Queen) review

It's a single block of TEMPUR foam with a cooling gel layer on each face, inside a quilted cotton cover. Tempur-Pedic describes one piece of TEMPUR material in a medium feel, with a layer of its cooling technology added to both sides to help absorb excess heat. The zip-off cover is 100% cotton and machine washable^[1]. Mattress Clarity's Katie Golde lists the fill as 96% molded viscoelastic polyurethane foam and 4% gel pad, with polyester netting over the foam. She describes each gel layer as a rectangular pad in the middle of the face, visible as a blue patch through the white cover^[2].

The Queen measures 27 x 19 x 6.4 in (69 x 48 x 16 cm) and the King 35 x 19 x 6.4 in^[1], so the King adds length for people who drift across the bed, not height. It's heavy: Golde puts the Queen at about 7 lb (3.2 kg)^[2]. Tempur-Pedic designs it for all sleep positions^[1].

Despite the name, it isn't the extra-soft TEMPUR-Cloud with gel added. Tempur-Pedic rates this foam medium and the pillow 6.4 in tall, while the plain TEMPUR-Cloud is extra-soft and 5 in tall^[1,3]. Many reviews call it the TEMPUR-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling, the name Sleep Foundation and Mattress Clarity still use^[4,2]. The specs they list match the pillow Tempur-Pedic now sells as the TEMPUR-Cloud Dual Cooling.

The gel feels cool when you lie down and when you turn to a fresh face. It doesn't chill the pillow all night. Sleep Foundation says the gel layers move heat away from you to keep the surface temperature more even, and because both faces have gel, you don't have to hunt for the cool side^[4]. Golde couldn't feel the gel on her back, but as soon as she turned on her side she felt a cool touch on her cheek^[2]. That fits the design: the pad sits in the middle of each face, right where a side sleeper's cheek lands. Sleep near the edge and you may miss it.

Testers rate the cooling highly. Reviewed found it one of only two pillows in its test that delivered on their cooling claims, and its tester called it a dream for hot sleepers^[5]. Sleep Foundation names it the best cooling pick in both its gel pillow and Tempur-Pedic roundups, with a test lab score of 8.4 out of 10^[6,4]. The doubts come from owners: Golde read reviews saying the cooling relief was only temporary, though she didn't experience that herself^[2].

The cover helps as well. Sleep Foundation credits the breathable cotton quilted cover with boosting the cooling and promoting air circulation^[4,6], a step up from the polyester knit on the TEMPUR-Cloud and TEMPUR-Neck^[3,7]. Compare the plain TEMPUR-Cloud: during a fever, Tom's Guide's tester found that flipping it bought only a few moments of relief before the other side warmed up^[8]. Gel on both faces is meant to make that flip worth more.

Fading is what you'd expect from gel. It absorbs heat until it warms up, and how long that takes depends on how much heat it can hold. A mattress with a dense, high-heat-capacity top layer added an average of 7.5 minutes of deep sleep a night in a 72-person study, though results varied widely between people, and one of its authors worked for a gel company^[9]. A pillow pad is far smaller than a mattress layer, so think of its cooling as a head start. Turn to the other face when the first one warms, and use a thin pillowcase so less fabric sits between your cheek and the gel. Our cooling guide explains which features keep working after the first hour.

Our owner data on this point is thin. Brand-wide, all 4 comments about heat were positive, and owners singled out Tempur's cooling Cloud models, but that group mixes several Tempur pillows and the sample is tiny^[10].

At 6.4 in, it suits side sleepers with average or broad shoulders better than petite ones. Sleep Foundation calls it high loft and well suited to side sleepers^[4,6]. Your head sinks well below that figure, though. Golde described a “quicksand” feel as her head slowly sank further into the foam, and said the sink makes the height less of an issue in some positions^[2].

Fit still varies with body size. Golde couldn't reach a neutral neck on her back or stomach, where it felt too firm and her head didn't sink far enough. On her side she got comfortable after a few minutes, though her photo showed her neck not quite level. She concluded it's best for side sleepers who like slow foam, sleep hot and have larger frames, because more weight sinks the head further^[2]. Reviewed also found it too thick and firm for spinal alignment on your back or stomach^[5], even though Tempur-Pedic markets it for all positions^[1].

If you're petite or narrow-shouldered, the lower TEMPUR-Cloud or an adjustable pillow is the safer buy. If your mattress is soft, your shoulder sinks and you need less height, so lean toward a lower pillow there too (see factoring in your mattress).

Expect dense, slow, medium-to-firm foam, not a soft cloud. Tempur-Pedic and Sleep Foundation both call it medium^[1,4]. Healthline's 2022 roundup called it medium-firm^[11], and Reviewed lists firm and supportive among its pros^[5]. Mattress Clarity's Golde agrees it's firm and supportive, and calls it one of the heaviest and least responsive pillows she has reviewed. Press it and it takes a few seconds to recover^[2].

That slow response is the trade-off for its contouring. When you turn from one side to the other, the hollow you left takes a moment to fill, and the gel under you is already warm from your head. If you change position many times a night and want instant bounce, latex or a shredded fill will suit you better. If you fall asleep on your side and mostly stay there, the slow sink feels settled and supportive. Like all memory foam, it's also firmer in a cold room^[12]; our memory foam guide explains why.

Air it out on day one, wash only the cotton cover, and don't crush it for storage. Golde noticed a little off-gassing after unwrapping the plastic, and the smell was gone after 24 hours in a ventilated room^[2]. Healthline also lists a noticeable smell on opening^[11]. Tempur-Pedic suggests airing a new pillow for several days, rolling it tightly to push out the odor, and washing the cover before first use^[13].

Wash the cover with a gentle detergent in cold water. Air drying is best, but a cool dryer setting is fine; don't over-dry it. Never clean the foam with liquid. To freshen it, gently roll and unroll it, and don't keep it tightly compressed for long periods^[1]. Golde washed and dried her cover on a gentle cold cycle without trouble, though it was a snug fit going back on^[2].

One older tip to ignore: Healthline's 2022 roundup suggests plumping the whole pillow in a dryer on low^[11]. Tempur-Pedic's own care instructions only put the cover in the dryer^[1], so follow the maker. Tempur-Pedic also doesn't sell spare pillow covers^[14], so a zippered protector is the easy way to keep the cotton cover fresh between washes. When you store it, keep it flat and in its normal shape: Tempur's UK care guide says its pillows should be stored and moved in their original shape^[15].

It's one of the most expensive pillows reviewers test, and you can't return it once you've slept on it. Reviewed lists it among the most expensive pillows it tested^[5], and Tom's Guide calls it Tempur-Pedic's most expensive pillow^[16]. Tempur pillows have no sleep trial, and the brand takes returns only when an item arrives damaged or has a defect^[17,18]. Reviewed puts it bluntly: you can't sleep on it to decide if it's for you^[5]. Other stores may have different terms^[19], so check the listing.

The pillow carries a 5-year limited warranty^[1]. The cover has its own 2-year warranty, and if Tempur-Pedic replaces it, the new one may be a different style or material^[20]. Softening with age isn't a defect; foam that cracks or no longer recovers its shape is^[20]. Keep the receipt: Tempur-Pedic says it can't move a warranty claim forward without one^[21].

So who gets their money's worth? Someone whose main complaint is a hot pillow, who already knows they like dense memory foam and who has the shoulder width for 6.4 inches. Golde's own verdict is that it isn't a universal fit, but people who know what works for them may find a great match^[2].

Testers agree it cools better than most pillows. They disagree on how firm it is and who it suits. Beyond Sleep Foundation's two best-cooling awards, Healthline's 2022 roundup named it the best cooling pillow for side sleepers^[11], and Mattress Clarity scores it 4.3 out of 5^[2]. In its TEMPUR-Neck review, Tom's Guide steers hot sleepers to this pillow or the Neck's cooling upgrade, citing the breathable cotton cover and gel on either side^[16].

The splits follow a pattern. The sources that call it medium are the maker and Sleep Foundation; the testers who slept on it at Reviewed and Mattress Clarity call it firm. Tempur-Pedic markets it for every position, while Reviewed and Mattress Clarity found it worked only on the side. And while reviewers praise the cooling, the doubts about how long it lasts come from owner reviews. Read together, that makes it a side-sleeper's pillow for heat, not an all-position pillow.

Choose the Dual Cooling for a cool first touch in a dense foam pillow. Choose an airier or adjustable pillow if heat builds up later in the night or you need a different height.

• Purple Harmony: our top cooling pick. Sleepopolis describes a latex core with a grid layer sewn into the cover that feels cool to the touch, in low, medium and high lofts^[22]. Latex and an open grid let air move, which our cooling guide rates above solid foam once the first chill wears off.
• Helix ComfortAdjust and Luxome LAYR: both adjustable. The Helix pairs zippers and removable fill with a cool-to-touch cover, and the LAYR stacks three inserts from soft and low to firm and tall. Pick one of these if you aren't sure 6.4 inches is your height.
• Nest Easy Breather: a crescent-shaped adjustable pillow with a breathable cover. Tom's Guide rates it ahead of Tempur's TEMPUR-Neck on breathability^[23].
• TEMPUR-Neck: Tempur's firm contour, sold in three heights. Its cooling option is a cover with heat-absorbing fibers rather than gel^[7].

Buy the TEMPUR-Cloud Dual Cooling if you sleep hot, sleep mostly on your side, have average or broad shoulders and like memory foam's slow hug. Skip it if you're petite, sleep on your back or stomach, switch positions all night, or want a trial before you commit.