Overall the unique design of the Ostrich Pillow allows you to find a comfortable position to nap in no matter where you are. The fabric is soft and the microbead filling is firm. However, it can’t be machine washed and you may draw unwanted attention when wearing the pillow thanks to its special design.
Ostrichpillow Original Travel Pillow
Mattress Clarity Score
3.90 / 5
Read Full Review
Who Makes It
The Ostrich Pillow is a product of STUDIO BANANA THiNGS, a division of STUDIO BANANA, and the company describes itself as an “imagination studio excelling at impactful actions.”![Ostrichpillow Travel Pillow tag](https://mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewTag.jpg)
Key Features
- One size and the dimensions are 17.7″ x 11″ x 5.9″
- Circumference opening for the head – 27.6″
- The pillow’s fabric is 95 % Viscose and 5% Elastomer
- The filling is made up of Polystyrene microbeads
- Available in two colors – Sleepy Blue and Midnight Grey
- To care for the pillow it must be hand-washed with mild soap and water
- The Ostrich Pillow comes with a travel bag
![Ostrichpillow Travel Pillow and packaging](https://mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewGroup.jpg)
Pros
- The soft fabric on the cover feels like thin t-shirt material
- The microbead filling provides firmness
- There are fashionable color options to choose from
- Travelers have the ability to rest head in nearly every position
- The design blocks out light and helps muffle the sound
- It is compatible with small headphones or earbuds
- It is also compatible with most glasses
- It offers decently high-quality design and construction
Cons
- The unique pillow design may draw unwanted attention
- Hand clean and air dry only care required; it may take several days to be fully dry and useable
- The pillow arrived with a chemical-heavy smell that did not go away completely after the first wash
- It is a large or bulky size for travel; there is an inability to compact or roll to a smaller size
- More expensive than standard travel pillows ($98)
![Ostrichpillow looped around suitcase handle](https://mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewLuggage.jpg)
My Experience
I’d been looking forward to reviewing the Ostrich Pillow for some time, as it has one of the most memorable designs for a travel pillow that I’ve seen. The pillow is intended to make it easy to nap anywhere, especially outside the bedroom. The makers of the pillow, STUDIO BANANA THiNGS, highlight several ways to use the pillow on their website, including face down on a desk – which is a fairly unusual position for a travel pillow. Before I could put the pillow on, I needed to wash it and let it air out for a while because it had a very strong chemical-like smell, especially when I put the pillow over my head. This was not the best first impression and I was disappointed I couldn’t just throw it in the washing machine for a simpler cleaning experience. When I did wash it by hand, I used a mild soap and water to do so and discovered that it can take several days for the pillow to dry. I was able to leave mine outside, where it’s well ventilated, so it took a little over one day for mine to dry completely. The smell was less aggressive, but still present. The pillow covers almost the entire neck, head, and face but is surprisingly not claustrophobic and I think this is because it’s roomy inside the pillow, it’s not tight like a mask. I had no problem getting my head through and the opening for my nose and mouth adjusted to breathe. [rwp-review id=”0″]![woman wearing the Ostrichpillow Original Travel Pillow](https://www.mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ostrich-pillow-katie.jpg)
Things To Consider Before Buying
In my opinion, the pillow is a bit ostracizing (pun, intended!) because of the way it looks on a person – covering the entire head, most of the eyes, nose, and mouth. I’m not alone in my thoughts as this attention-grabbing theme came up in many reviews – even from people who enjoyed the pillow.![Amazon reviews of the Ostrichpillow Original](https://www.mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewReview2.jpg)
![ostrichpillowreviewreview1](https://mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewReview1.jpg)
Overall
In the end, the Ostrich Pillow’s attention-grabbing design and inability to be machine washed/dried made it a poor fit for me- I struggled to get over the weird smell, even after I let the chemical-smell dissipate.![close up image of the Ostrichpillow Original](https://www.mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Ostrich-pillow-cover.jpg)
Ostrichpillow Original Travel Pillow
![Ostrich Pillow Travel Pillow Review Ostrichpillow Original Travel Pillow](https://www.mattressclarity.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/OstrichPillowReviewTitle.jpg)
Overall the unique design of the Ostrich Pillow allows you to find a comfortable position to nap in no matter where you are. The fabric is soft and the microbead filling is firm. However, it can’t be machine washed and you may draw unwanted attention when wearing the pillow thanks to its special design.
Mattress Clarity Score
3.90 / 5
Read Full ReviewKatie Golde
Katie previously managed the day to day operations of the Mattress Clarity news site and reviews sleep products in addition to writing and editing sleep news.
She hails from Austin, where she lives with her growing family. She is a Certified Sleep Science Coach and has a master’s degree in Journalism from Northwestern University and has a background in health and science content. Her work can be found in print and online publications like Discover Magazine, USA Today and The Huffington Post.