Why the Saatva Luxury Firm Mattress Is a Bargain
There's no dearth of mattress options available. For the Men's Health Sleep Awards, we tested a slew to see which gives you the most blissful slumber.
The mattress showed up on a Thursday, because that was the only day Saatva could arrange delivery to a rural Pennsylvania address. This was explained to me by a fastidiously helpful Saatva customer service representative when I asked her to have the mattress left on the porch. She seemed deeply concerned about exposure to the elements. We each checked the three-day forecast on our phones.
No matter. Inside the cardboard box, the Luxury Firm queen-size mattress was wrapped in blanket-thick plastic, and came out pristine and surprisingly free of chemical odor. The mattress wasn’t vacuum-sealed, so there was no edge compression. It looked like it had come straight from a showroom.
If you’re used to the enveloping density of a memory foam mattress, the Saatva’s springs-plus-memory-foam-plus-pillow-top construction has a bouncy feel that belies its rock top. (The website lists “Luxury Firm” squarely in the middle of a 1-10 firmness scale, and calls it a “true medium firm,” though this suggests a “10” on said firmness scale is simply a granite slab.) The side-sleeper awoke with a stiff neck after the first two nights; the deep sleeper had no such problems.
The organic cotton pillow top kept everything cool-no clammy heat retention, even in the depths of an Indian summer with nothing but a ceiling fan for air circulation-and the springiness, though pronounced, was localized: unless you’re the lightest of sleepers, a tossing-and-turning partner probably won’t jounce you awake. The mattress is solid and comfortable, and the extra-deep 14.5-inch stance gives it the look of a European luxury hotel bed.
At about $1,100, the Saatva can’t be considered a bargain option, but the construction and finish make it feel like a bargain for the price. It’s not quite as comfortable or decadent as the high-end memory foam brands, but it’s thousands less-and it’s a categorical upgrade over cheaper, in-the-box foam options.
As Goldilocks said: just right.
Pros: Lives up to its name in both luxury and firmness; supremely tough packaging means the mattress shows up unblemished.
Cons: Springy, bouncy feel; firmer than advertised.
Types of sleepers: One very light side-sleeper; one deep-sleeping human furnace.
Best for: Light sleepers; Hot sleepers; All-position sleepers
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