You might be thinking – what is a prone cushion? Well, it is exactly what it is – a cushion designed for you to prone on it. Prone Cushion is a rather novel product, being the world’s first cushion that’s been designed for lying down! The company says it helps correct your posture, and relieves stresses on your back, neck, and shoulders. Prone Cushion retails for US$189, but you can use the code TECHJIO for $20 off!
Idea behind Prone Cushion
Comfort Space, the company behind Prone Cushion, realized that there should be a dedicated product for lying in a prone position. They found that the prone position is a naturally therapeutic posture that helps with muscle relaxation and stress-relief. While the Prone Cushion is suited for anyone, the company believes that it will be greatly helpful for those who medical conditions (history of back disc surgery, spine related problems, paraplegic, or have certain respiratory conditions).
I do get into a prone position at times on my bed when I want to chill out and scroll aimlessly on social media. But I usually don’t stay in a prone position for long as it starts to get uncomfortable due to the strains on shoulders and pressure on elbows. After getting the Prone Cushion, I must admit that I started getting into a prone position more often.
Build quality
Prone Cushion comes in two colours for the regular suede edition – (1) Midnight Blue, and (2) Dawn Beige, or a luxury edition for US$40 more. The unit I have is the Midnight Blue colour. The price of US$189 is quite steep for a cushion, but once I got the Prone Cushion in person I could see why the company is charging a high price for it. Prone Cushion isn’t just stuffed with foam in an unique shaped, the build quality of it feels premium and dense. There are actually four layers combined together to form the Prone Cushion.
- Suede texture cover
- Anti-bacterial inner mesh
- Soft memory foam
- High-density memory foam
The memory foam used is unlike those for a regular head pillow. It is more on the thick and denser side, but still offer that softness when you rest your upper body on it. The cushioning is closer to what you’d find on gaming chairs. As your whole upper body weight is going to be resting on it, this denser memory foam used on the Prone Cushion is a wise choice. Supporting the soft memory foam, is the high-density memory foam at the bottom which gives the Prone Cushion its solid build and creates a good foundation to support any weight put on the whole cushion.
The suede outer cover is easily unzipped and can be machine washed so you can always keep the Prone Cushion fresh. I’d recommend washing the cover when you first receive it as I found the suede tends to shed at the start, but after giving it a a wash it sheds less.
User experience
I’d usually lie flat or on my side if I just want to chill about using my phone. Ever since I got the Prone Cushion I found myself lying in a prone position more often. In the past, I won’t be able to lie on my front for long as I could feel the tension building up on my shoulders. With the Prone Cushion, it really does help create a natural resting prone position where I could just lay on for a long time using my phone or my laptop.
I liked how there was a dedicated chin & neck support, which actually feels softer compared to the rest of the cushion. The generous curved surface was comfortable to rest my chin on, especially while using my phone.
Prone Cushion is adjustable to three different heights as shown above to cater to different body size, or for my different use cases. I found that while relaxing or using my phone, the lowest height is good enough as my elbows can afford to be more relaxed. When using the Prone Cushion with my laptop, I found the highest height to be most comfortable as I can rest my chin while keeping my elbow angled for typing.
The height adjustable legs lock in rather effortlessly through the use of magnets, so you don’t have to flip the whole cushion around to make the adjustments. The company says that Prone Cushion can be used in four other ways – (1) on your side, (2) against the wall, (3) for exercise, and (4) on your back. I found lying on the back to be the most useful of them all. Using it for other purposes just seemed a little awkward for me. Lying back down on the Prone Cushion was helpful for stretching my shoulders, or just zoning out after a long day.
Conclusion
The retail price US$189 is indeed a little steep for a cushion, but the materials used in the Prone Cushion does feel premium and well constructed. Personally, the Prone Cushion does feel like a product that you never you know that you need it until you have used it. I found myself lying around more frequently on the floor and on my bed, especially when I want to wind down. I think the Prone Cushion makes a good addition for any home’s chill corner where there are usually bean bags.