Bath pillows – or an attempt to avoid neck pain in the tub
31.3.2023
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
I love taking long baths and reading. I’d love it even more if I had a comfier bath pillow. On my quest for a truly comfortable one, I tested four models.
What’s better than getting into a warm, scented bath while the outside world is busy storming, raining or snowing? But I can’t bring myself to lie idle, not even in my tub. Sometimes I watch sports or Netflix on my tablet. Mostly, though, I use this me-time to read a book. I’m sure there are people who don’t mind sitting upright in the tub to do so – but I’m certainly not one of them. That’s why I bought myself a bath pillow a few years ago.
Source: Martin Rupf
But even with this pillow, my neck starts hurting after an hour or two. What’s more, the pillow really doesn’t look so fresh after my countless baths. So, I decided it was high time to get a new one.
Source: Martin Rupf
Now then, which pillow should I go for? I’m spoilt for choice on Galaxus. There are almost 600 bath cushions and inserts to choose from. I ordered four and tested them so you don’t have to.
Source: Martin Rupf
1. The cuddly one
I start with the largest pillow. It’s really soft, but it’s so big that it reaches down to the middle of my back. I can’t settle into a comfortable position because the cushion’s just too thick for my back.
It’s a mystery to me how you’re supposed to use this pillow without getting lower-back pain, stat. But my wife, who also tested each pillow, came to a completely different verdict. She has a bit of a hollow back and finds this pillow to be very comfortable – «just right» for her back.
If I didn’t have further pillows to test, I’d resort to a trick I used back in the day. Namely, I’d create a little pillow from a small terry cloth towel. Fortunately, I do still have a few cushions to put through the wringer.
2. The classic one
Next up is the first model’s little sister; same principle, much thinner. Indeed, this pillow is worlds better for me. My wife, on the other hand, can't make this pillow work at all for her hollow back.
Admittedly, this pillow isn’t quite as premium in terms of texture. It’s covered in a cheap plastic and not fabric like the first model I tried. But this does have a big advantage: it doesn’t soak up water and therefore doesn’t need to be hung to dry.
3. The minimalist one
My wife and I finally agreed on this next pillow – or rather, neck support. Now, it’s not very soft. But even after several minutes of lying in the tub, my neck rests comfortably on the heart-shaped foam.
4. The useless one
Because I didn’t want to test only high-end pillows, I also ordered a cheaper model. In fact, it was the cheapest of the four, but both my wife and I deemed it a fail. Not only do the suction cups not stick to the bathtub, there’s frankly no way to position the pillow so that it’s comfortable to lie on. The rather hard, plasticised foam doesn’t help, either.
Verdict: there are better pillows, but I could just as well keep my old one
Of the pillows my wife and I tested, we’ll keep the first two – one for her and one for me. She’ll get the fluffy, thick one. I’ll stick to the rather hard and thin one.
Header image: Martin Rupf
Martin Rupf
Senior Editor
martin.rupf@digitecgalaxus.chHalf-Danish dad of two and third child of the family, mushroom picker, angler, dedicated public viewer and world champion of putting my foot in it.
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