ChiliPad Review: Why the Ooler Sleep System is Worth It

Update July 2023: The Ooler Sleep System is no longer offered for sale by Sleepme. I’d recommend reading our Eight Sleep Pod 3 review for the best alternative to the Ooler system.

For years now I’ve been on the fringe of some of the biohacking communities out there. I’ve had some friends that have gone deep down the rabbit hole into things like red-light therapy, infared saunas, nootropics, and much more.

I haven’t done that much with those things, but there’s one recommendation I’ve continually seen come up that has intrigued me:

The ChiliPad Sleep System. (Now also known as the Cube Sleep System).

You might be wondering, “what the hell is a Chilipad?”

And more than that you might be saying, what does this have to do with golf??

Well in this ChiliPad review I’ll answer exactly that.

Imagine it’s a cold night and you climb into your bed and it’s already warmed to a perfect 110 degrees, and it feels like slipping into a heated massage bed?

Or how about a summer night where you’ve been sweating all day, and you can climb into a bed that feels like the cold side of a pillow, all night long?

And all the while it helps you get more deep sleep, and recover from hours spent on the golf course faster?

That’s what a ChiliPad does.

And let’s just say, I received my Ooler Sleep System by Chilipad about a month ago, and within two days I could tell you: it’s absolutely game-changing.

What is a ChiliPad and How Does It Work?

So how does all of this actually work?

In basic terms, A ChiliPAD is a water-powered mattress pad that you put under your sheets to heat and cool your bed.

There’s a control unit fits under your bed, and you fill it with water. It then connects to the mattress pad which has radiator tubes that feed water throughout the entire pad to quickly heat or cool the pad.

You can set a ChiliPad to anywhere from 55 to 115 degrees, so no matter if you’re a hot or cold sleeper – you can adjust it to find the perfect temperature for you.

Depending on which version you get, you can have separate controllers for both sides of the bed – so you and your significant other can each set your bed to your desired temperature.

Benefits of a ChiliPad and Better Sleep

On the surface, it seems kind of silly. You might have a standard heated blanket, or maybe you have AC at your house – so why would you need something like this?

There are a lot of different sleep systems out there that work to varying degrees of effectiveness. 

The ChiliPAD is water-based, which means it regulates temperature much better than electric, or air powered options.

For instance, with an electric blanket you can turn it to high or low, but you’re going to have a tough time getting it down to the exact temperature you want.

Air based systems also have less concentrated temperature, so good luck maintaining a specific temperature over the course of the night.

I’ve been using my Ooler by ChiliPad for the last month now, and it’s helped me fall asleep faster, wake up feeling more refreshed, and even improved some of the sleep stats that I track on my Apple Watch. 

I’ve been using it on the coldest setting, and it’s dropped my average sleeping heart rate by about 5 points.

I wake up feeling more refreshed. 

We live in an old house with no AC, and it’s made the last week where temperatures have creeped up towards 95 degrees much more manageable.

What is the Ooler Sleep System?

As I mentioned, I decided to get the Ooler Sleep System rather than the standard ChiliPAD.

If you’re looking at buying a ChiliPAD, this is one of the most important decisions that you’ll have to make.

The Ooler Sleep System is the follow up to the standard ChiliPad and was released in 2019.

In 2022, Sleep.Me released it’s latest sleep system, the Dock Pro, which I’ll talk about at the end of this review.

The Ooler does the same thing as a regular ChiliPAD in that it heats and cools your bed in the exact same way.

However, the Ooler has some extra features that make it worth the extra cost for my needs.

With a standard ChiliPad you have a controller where you can turn the dial and set the temperature. No major customization, and it can’t change anything in the middle of the night.

It also only has one fan speed for the controller, which can be pretty loud at night.

The Ooler however, takes things a step further.

Features of the Ooler vs ChiliPad

There are a few major differences between the Ooler and Chilipad, let’s at what they are.

The Ooler Has an App

The most obvious difference between the Ooler and ChiliPAD is the fact the Ooler is app based. It has both Android and IOS apps that you can use to control the device.

I’ve found this alone to be worth the upgrade.

It’s bluetooth based, so when I’m sitting in my living room directly below my bedroom, I can turn it on half an hour before I go to bed, and when I get up there my bed is already the perfect temperature.

The only downside is if you want to manually change the temperature in the middle of the night it can be a little bit more of a pain with the Ooler. There are controls directly on the unit itself, but no remote or easy access to them if it’s under your bed.

So you have to pull out your phone and the app in order to make a change. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.

The Ooler Allows You to Create a Schedule

What might be the most beneficial differences between the Ooler and the Chilipad is the fact that you can set a schedule with the Ooler.

Let’s say for example, you know about the benefits of sleeping with your body temperature being a little bit colder, but you also love the feeling of crawling into a warm bed.

You can create a schedule that says to have your bed heated to 105 degrees at 10pm, then lower it to 65 degrees at 11pm, and back up to 100 at 7am in order to wake you up.

In practice, I’ve found this to work really well, and my wife and I can have completely separate temperatures or schedules for our individual side of the bed – more on that in a minute.

The Ooler Has Three Speeds

Another upgraded feature with the Ooler vs Chilipad is the fact there are three fan speeds: Silent, Normal, and Boost. 

If you need to adjust the temperature quickly, boost will turn everything up and cool down or heat up your bed in a matter of minutes, but it can get pretty loud.

Silent isn’t quite completely silent, but much less noisy than the standard ChiliPad.

Frankly, I’ve fallen asleep with my Ooler on Boost pretty much every night, and it’s never once bothered me or kept me awake. It turns into white noise very quickly.

Ooler Has Better Design than ChiliPad

Finally the last major difference I’ve found between the Ooler Sleep System and a standard ChiliPAD is the design. 

The Ooler is a little bit sleeker and slightly shorter making it easier to fit under your bed. The Ooler looks more like a sleek gadget, and the Chilipad looks a little more utilitarian. Almost like a CPAP machine or something similar.

Despite both devices essentially performing the same function, the Ooler really is a level above and beyond in terms of flexibility, options, and aesthetics. 

How Much Does an Ooler Cost?

When I decided I wanted a ChiliPAD I told my wife that’s what I wanted for my birthday. It didn’t start out as that extravagant of an investment.

I just wanted the half-queen ChiliPAD. This comes with one controller, and a pad for one side of the bed – since at the time she didn’t seem that interested.

When using the code SLEEPME which saves 25%, you can find one of these for just a touch over $400.

If you decide you want an Ooler or Chilipad for both sides of the bed – it’s essentially double the cost. You get two separate controllers, and then a pad that is double the size.

So now you’re getting up into the $800 range. Not exactly chump change.

But then you have to make a decision between the ChiliPAD and the Ooler (and now the Dock Pro, which I talk about at the end of this review).

For any given size or combo the Ooler is around $300-400 more.

So now all of a sudden my sub $500 birthday gift is going to be over $1k – since my wife decided that she did in fact want one for herself.

Retail price on the Chilipad ranges from $549 to $1299 depending on if you want the “me” or “we” and the size of your bed.

The Ooler ranges from $799 to $1799.

But again, you can take 25% off any of those using the SLEEPME code.

If you’re on a budget, then I’d take a look the BedJet 3. If you’re not on a budget, then consider the Eight Sleep. It’s more expensive than the Ooler, but a significantly better product as well.

Ooler and ChiliPAD FAQs

Here are some answers based on my experience to some of the biggest questions I personally had before buying the Ooler.

How Well Does the Ooler Work with Two People?

As mentioned we decided to get a “we” version of the Ooler, and I’ve been extremely impressed with how it works.

It only took about 15 minutes to have both sides of the bed up and running after getting it out of the box.

I was able to pair both controllers to the app and easily switch back and forth from one to the other.

As my first test I set one side to 115 degrees and the other side to 55.

WOW.

I couldn’t believe how well it worked and how dramatic the difference was. My wife prefers to be warm, and I prefer to be cold when we sleep, so there is often a 40+ degree difference, and it works even better than I expected.

She’s able to set the perfect temperature for her, and me the same.

I’m not gonna lie though, when I first get in bed, I’ll often find myself creeping over to her side to get some of that “warm blanket” feeling before returning to my side to fall asleep.

Is the Ooler Sleep System Loud?

Even on silent mode there’s still a low fan noise. So, while it’s not completely silent, I certainly wouldn’t call it loud. 

If you have it on Boost, however, it’s definitely louder. But again, it just feels like a white noise machine, and hasn’t been nearly as much of an issue as I expected it to be.

So if you were considering buying the less expensive original ChiliPad but were worried about noise, I wouldn’t be.

How Well Does the Ooler App Work?

After buying the Ooler I went to the App Store to download the IOS app and started reading some reviews that were negative about the app – which was making me worried if the Ooler really was the right choice.

I’m happy to report that after a month I’ve found the app to work great.

I’ve never had any issues connecting to the device, the schedule always works the way it should, and changing the temperature or switching from Boost to Silent is incredibly easy.

It sounds like they’ve made a lot of the requested updates since it first launched, and now I’m happy to report that the App works great.

Can You Feel the Cables in the ChiliPad?

One of my biggest concerns before purchasing was whether or not sleeping on a bed with radiator cables going through it would be uncomfortable.

They advertise it as not being able to feel the cables in the pad at all, which isn’t entirely the case.

As you lay down on it or rub your hands across it, you can definitely feel the cables. But I generally only notice them when I’m actively trying to feel them.

While laying in bed and sleeping, you don’t notice them and I certainly wouldn’t call them uncomfortable by any means. But they’re definitely there.

Ooler Review: Is It Better than a Regular ChiliPad?

So, is the Ooler better than the ChiliPad?

While I haven’t personally used the original ChiliPad, I’m very happy with the decision to get the upgraded Ooler version.

The flexibility of having the app gives you has made using the device incredibly easy and unobtrusive. I do think it looks better, and having the flexibility of fan speeds is definitely worth the extra money.

This is a system that is very much an investment. We paid just over $1,000 for ours which seems like a lot – and well, it is! But I’ve already noticed an increase in my sleep quality, and having a way to stay cool in the hot summers while sleeping has made a huge difference.

I don’t think you can go wrong with either the ChiliPad or the Ooler, and despite the high price tag, it’s a product I’m more than happy to recommend based on my personal experience.

Buy the Ooler on the Sleep.Me Website here.

Buy the Cube Sleep System on the Sleep.Me website here.

Use the code “SLEEPME” to save 25% on any of the Sleep.Me sleep systems.

October 2022 Update: 30 Months In, How is the Ooler Holding Up?

I pretty much kept my original review which was published in early 2020 the same, as it all still holds true. 

But I did want to give a little update on my experience with the Ooler, and if I’d still recommend it. 

Here are a few specific thoughts about it.

How Does the Ooler Do on Really Hot Days?

First off, I absolutely still recommend the Ooler or ChiliPad. My wife and I use ours every evening, and regardless of what season it is, it has helped us to sleep deeper and more comfortably. 

We don’t have air conditioning in our house, and it happened to be a particularly warm summer here in Portland, Oregon. 

On really hot days, it can only do so much.

It struggles to get below 60 degrees on days that get up into the mid-90s or more.

That being said, having your bed cooled at all when it’s that hot out is super useful. The only downside is you generally want to turn the fan to high in order to really cool it down, and the heat put out by the fans at that point, can sometimes make the room even hotter.

If you have air conditioning? This is a non-issue.

And honestly, this was only a concern for about 10-15 days in the last 18 months.

How is Ooler Durability and Customer Support?

Both the Ooler and ChiliPad have a two-year warranty, and unfortunately, we’ve had to take them up on it.

The fan on one of our units started making a weird noise, and the unit stopped heating or cooling.

Upon reaching out to customer support they promptly offered a few options to fix it, and sent us some cleaning solution to see if that solved the problem.

It didn’t, so we sent it back and they had our unit fixed and shipped back out to us within about 3 weeks.

Working with the customer support team was great.

This happened in June of 2020, and we’ve been using both our Oolers nightly ever since. In over 2 years, we’ve had zero issues with our devices since then.

Would I Buy the Ooler Again?

Despite the warranty issue, I would absolutely purchase the Ooler Sleep System again.

I currently have mine set to warm the bed around 9pm, and then cool it all the way down to 55 degrees at around 11. 

So when I get in bed it’s nice and warm, but then I get the benefits of a low temperature while I’m sleeping.

My wife doesn’t like it cold, so she keeps hers at a higher temperature, and the dual controls work great. 

The app is easy to use, and while there are times I wish I could control the fan speed on the unit itself – overall it’s had all of the features I’d hoped for and expected.

Despite the high price tag, it’s definitely been worth the investment, and one that has absolutely made me more well-rested over the past year and a half.

In fact, it’s so good that I’m considering upgrading to their newest system, the Dock Pro.

What is the Dock Pro Sleep System?

Ok, for the second part of our October 2022 update, I wanted to introduce the newest sleep system from Sleep.Me: the Dock Pro.

This is the follow-up to the Ooler System I mentioned above, and it genuinely seems like a step up in almost every way.

A few of the differences between the Dock Pro and the Ooler:

• More Powerful – It has “double the cooling power of previous systems.” This is fantastic to see. As I mentioned on really hot days, the Ooler could struggle a bit getting all the way down to 55 degrees. So if the Dock Pro can do that? It’s worth choosing for this reason alone.
• Quieter – When the Ooler is on its quietest mode, you don’t really notice it. But turn it on regular or boost and it’s certainly not silent. At 41 to 45 decibels, the Dock Pro promises to be less noisy than previous models.
• WiFi Over Bluetooth – This is a huge update in my opinion. A lot of times I’ll find myself wanting to turn on my Ooler before heading to bed when I was in a different area of the house, or perhaps about to head home from being out. With Bluetooth, this wasn’t always possible. By having it be WiFi enabled? It makes setting it remotely much easier.
• SleepMe+ compatible – I haven’t tested out their sleep subscription service. But basically, it says it can track all of your sleep data without using a wearable like a Whoop Band or Apple Watch. Certainly intriguing.

The downsides?

It’s expensive. The cheapest model retails for around $1100, and if you’re looking for a Dock Pro for both you and your partner? This can creep upwards of $2k depending on the size of your bed.

The good news is you likely won’t have to pay quite that much, as if you use the code SLEEPME, you’ll save 25% on any product on the site.

The other downside? I personally don’t like the look of the Dock Pro as much as the Ooler. It feels a bit more clinical to me, but that’s just personal preference.

All that to say, if I were buying a new system having never had one before? I’d absolutely go with the Dock Pro.

As it sits, I’ve been so happy with my Ooler, that I’m considering upgrading. This says a lot about my respect for the company and the systems they’ve built.

If I do, I’ll do a dedicated review of the Dock Pro in the future.