This Mattress Is Comfortable, Cooling, and Supportive — and It Changed How I Sleep
Courtesy of Leesa
My relationship with mattresses can best be described in Goldilocks terms: I've tried and tested ones that are too hard, others that are too soft, and though it took many, many years, I've finally found one that's just right. It's not that I wasn't interested in finding the perfect match — tossing and turning all night on a creaky bed always prompted a pile of complaints by the time my alarm buzzed in the morning.
But, in retrospect, these were futile quibbles, because as much as I whined about waking up bleary-eyed and without enough sleep, parsing through the clutter of information and choices (foam or innerspring? soft or firm?) seemed too daunting of a task. To me, each mattress simply looked like an identical, indistinguishable rectangular box.
So, when the opportunity arose to test a Leesa mattress, I jumped — or leapt out of my squeaking, sagging bed, so to speak. And after a few months of sleeping on this queen-sized throne, here's what you need to know: Sleeping is one of life's greatest pleasures — when done right. It's said we spend a third of our lives sleeping, so having the proper gear is paramount. Sure, turning off electronics an hour before bedtime, avoiding sweets at night, and keeping your room at a balmy temperature will help you catch some Zs, but there's nothing like a pampering, butter-soft mattress (that's how I like it anyway) to help you drift off into a satisfying slumber.
Leesa, a major player in the bed-in-a-box movement, offers four mattresses options — the Original, Hybrid, Legend, and Studio — that vary in terms of firmness and construction to suit different sleeping styles: side, back, stomach.
Courtesy of Leesa
To buy: Leesa Original, amazon.com, from $525
As a combination side and back sleeper, I opted for the Original, a 10-inch-thick, all-foam option. I'll sell you on all the virtues of this mattress, but the bottom line is: Comfort is king. The Original is supportive with an ideal amount of sink, and on the spectrum of soft to firm, it lands smack in the middle. There are three foam layers — each one doing its part to help the whole package conform to your body, offer pressure relief in all the right places, and hug you from head to toe without sucking you in like quicksand. The breathable top foam layer provides a cooling feel — a must for people like me who tend to overheat overnight — and a gray twill cover gives added comfort.
Without getting too technical, the Hybrid, another popular option, combines foam with over 1,000 pocket springs for a buoyant yet supportive backing, and the hole-punched top foam layer keeps things cool. Meanwhile, the Legend comes with two layers of springs — pocket springs and microcoils for relieving aching hips and shoulders — as well as a quilted organic cover with wool filling for a luxe finish.
This is all just a long-winded way of saying: Sweet dreams are made of these.
Courtesy of Leesa
To buy: Leesa Original, amazon.com, from $525; Leesa Hybrid, amazon.com, from $850; Leesa Studio, amazon.com, from $599; Leesa Legend, leesa.com, from $1,449
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Alisha Prakash is Travel + Leisure's senior digital editor. A New Yorker through and through, she's caught in a love affair between big cities and the great outdoors. Follow her adventures on Instagram and Twitter.
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