There are so many face cradles on the market now, I can see why it would be difficult to choose. I wish I could say there was one that was superior to the rest, but in my experience, there is no perfect face cradle (or face pillow). Although some MT’s claim that certain pillows eliminate sinus congestion, I’ve tried everything from memory foam to Boiance, and sinus congestion for certain clients remains a problem with all the brands.
Memory foam’s an interesting material, because some clients say it’s so soft that it’s the most comfortable face rest they’ve ever experienced. But other clients literally have the opposite reaction. For them, the memory foam feels extremely hard and they develop face pain or a headache from the pressure. Same face pillow – opposite reactions.
If you read the threads on the various products, you’ll see mixed reviews on all of them. I've tried Boiance, Kurve & a Standard Memory Foam Face Pillow. With each trial, most of my clients either didn’t notice the difference or didn’t care one way or the other. Of those that did express an opinion, half preferred the new pillow each time, and half hated the new pillow. In the end, I went back to using what I’ve always used:
Earthlite’s deluxe headrest: http://www.earthlite.com/headrests.htm
Covered by Earthlite Basics fleece crescent cover: http://www.earthlite.com/massageLinens_basics.htm
Final layer = Smoothie face cradle covers: http://www.sewandsewonline.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=detail&id=34145&product=107
It's a soft & comfortable combination. Recently, I’ve seen ads for some new face cradles that I haven’t tried, and I wonder if anyone has any experience with them:
Earthlite’s Caress
http://www.earthlite.com/caressFacecradle.htm
Head Kradle
http://www.restaheadtherapeutics.com/
Custom Craftworks Posi-Tilt Face Rest:
http://www.customcraftworks.com/acc.html