Okay, so putting together and opening a new showroom is no walk in the park - I get it.  So, now you know where I've been and why I haven't been to regular with my pillow reviews lately!

Rest assured that I've been "resting" and testing new pillows each month like usual, it's just finding the time to write that's been the problem!

Without any further excuses, here's my review for Natura's Contour Pillow, a.k.a. Cloud Contour, a.k.a. Classic Contour.

Contour pillows and I normally do not get along.  They are not something that I enjoy sleeping on and I generally do not respond favorably in my reviews.

The Natura Contour Pillow, however, is quite a bit different than the normal contour pillow.  First, it is not "carved from a hunk of foam" like all the others (yes, friends, that's how those latex and memory foam ones are made).  Second, it's flexible - almost as flexible as a regular pillow.  Third, it has character!

Cutting to the chase, the Natura Contour Pillow is filled entirely with "Natura Smart" wool.  This is a natural wool, not organic.  The difference?  Lanolin, strand length, pesticides and that little something called the organic certificate.  No matter, everything else about the wool is pretty much the same.

The pillow is covered in a natural, unbleached cotton fabric.  It's a percale weave, so it's not super soft, but definately adequate.  At this point, everything is the same as the Natura Cloud Pillow, but now we're taking that "character" turn.

In order to create the contour shape, the pillow is then hand tied into that shape.  On one side of the pillow you can see the loop of the tie string, on the other are the tied knots themselves done personally by the expert pillow craftspeople at Natura (no machines on this step, folks).

The pillow that was tested was in standard size (as usual) and featured 4 deep ties to create the neck roll and two shallow ties to keep the wool from shifting in the head area.  The pillow has a resting loft in the neck area of 4 1/2 inches with 5 inches in the head area.

The tailoring is very good, harking back to old-world craftsmanship.  The pillow is also available in queen and king sizes and all sizes are packaged in a zippered bag with product label.

In order to sleep correctly with this type of pillow, the pillow must be placed exactly at the top of the shoulders - no higher and no lower - in order to get the proper neck support from the pillow.  What I found immediately unique about this pillow is the firmness of the neck area and the softness of the head area - almost like two pillows in one.  I found it easy to give it a "hug" when I wanted to without sacrificing the support it offered and, because it is filled with wool, the pillow didn't sleep hot in any way. 

For me, I would have liked a little bit more loft due to my broad shoulders, but now I'm being nit-picky.  This is a great contour pillow and it is easy to see why it is so popular.

One note of caution, however:  Natura is fantastic about encouraging their dealers to have pillows out for customers to try, but because there is a "hands on" aspect to making this pillow, a slight bit of difference may be felt from one pillow to the next due to how much wool was present in that exact area when it was tied.  Nothing big, but it can be a little different.

OK, that's the first one!  Stay tuned shortly for it's somewhat heftier cousin - the Contour Plus!