Saatva Mattress Review

• The Good
• The Bad

Our Score

Visit Retailer

What’s it made from

The Saatva is a Euro PillowTop innerspring mattress with a 14.5-inch total depth. The core layers are:

• The Euro PillowTop is essentially the top layer. It is a raised, self-contained plush top stuffed with bio foam. The appearance of the pillow top looks more contained than a standard pillowtop design.
• A Memory Foam Layer sits between the pillowtop layer and the one below to offer additional lumbar back support.
• The Dual-perimeter Edge Support Layer has a foam-encased comfort coils design that ensures the edge of the mattress won’t sag down over time.
• The Comfort Coil Layer is 4-inches deep. It has individual foam-wrapped contour coils that respond separately to pressure/weight changes during bed usage. The individualized coil design mitigates motion transfer.
• The Foundation Layer is a thick 7-inches filled with hand-tied hourglass-shared steel coils offering coil on coil comfort rather than the single coil layer typical of cheap innerspring products.
• The luxurious MattressCover is made from 100% organic cotton. It is soft to the touch and adorned with the Saatva logo. An organic Damask material is also present down the sides of the mattress to ensure it remains fully covered.

Top Layer

The Euro PillowTop has bio-foam that is more natural and less likely to create long-term problems with off-gassing. The foam doesn’t use chemicals that are harmful to people or the environment making it a friendlier type of filling. The foam is inserted below the cover, rather than the pillowtop being an extra item sewn onto the mattress as a final attachment. As a result, it won’t slip or move out of position like some other pillow tops sometimes do.

The surface layer is soft, but it does not offer a memory foam-like sinking in experience. It is quite plush, so it feels very comfortable when lying on it for long periods.

Memory Foam Layer

Positioned between the Euro pillowtop cover and the Edge Support Layer, is a memory foam layer to provide back lumbar support. It is only 1-inch thick, so it avoids enveloping the body and doesn’t retain heat like some thicker, older-style memory foams. The pressure relief is noticeable for people who find lying down to be uncomfortable at times.

Dual-Perimeter Edge Support Layer

The Saatva mattress has a separate edge support system. Steel contour coils wrapped in comfort foam prevent the side of the mattress from sagging over time. Both the springiness and original height are retained while the foam provides a comfortable edge that will make contact with the backside and backs of the legs when getting out of and getting into bed. The design avoids the sagging that is evident with foam-based beds where edge support is usually relatively poor.

Comfort Coil Layer

The upper coil layer comprises 884 individually foam-wrapped coils made from 14.5-gauge recycled tempered steel. The idea behind this design is to provide a completely supportive layer with coils that respond individually to body weight (one coil moves down, while another moves up). The cushion effect is impressive rivaling more expensive mattresses with a similar number of innerspring coils.

The use of steel instead of foam layers here avoids issues with heat retention and provides improved support for anyone with sustained back problems which regularly interfere with their sleep pattern.

Foundation Layer

The 7-inch foundational layer has 416 hourglass coils made from tempered steel that’s been oven-baked three times to increase its longevity. The 13-gauge recycled steel is eco-friendly and offers excellent base support to ensure the mattress retains its shape and support over time.

Cover

The 100% organic cotton cover is soft, attractive and extremely breathable. It comes with the Saatva logo and branding repeated throughout which is not intrusive. The texture feels pleasing under the hand and provides a similar experience to their sister Loom & Leaf mattress’ cover. The edge of the mattress uses an organic damask material with a sewn ribbed appearance and the patterned “organic cotton” graphic repeated diagonally along the side.

Visit Retailer

Hands on Review

In this in-depth review, we look at the following criteria:

• Firmness
• Comfort
• Pain Relief & Support
• Heat Retention
• Off Gassing
• Intimacy
• Saatva Plush Soft
• Saatva Luxury Firm
• Saatva Firm

Firmness

The firmness is important to us all. We all have our personal preferences on how a mattress feels. If it’s too firm, we toss and turn and cannot sleep. On the other hand, a plush bed that’s soft enough to sink into is a real turn-off for people who need good lumbar support throughout the night, or they’ll wake up with back pain that they’ll be stuck with all day.

Which level of firmness do you prefer? An “1” rating is super soft, and a “10” rating is about as firm as sleeping on a plank of wood. Choosing carefully is important. Fortunately, Saatva is innovative with their firmness setting too because they offer three mattress versions each with a different firmness level. This is perfect for just about everyone which is great.

Comfort

The Saatva is a highly comfortable mattress when selecting the appropriate firmness level to match your personal preferences. For most of us, that’s the Saatva Luxury Firm model.

The experience of the Saatva mattress is a multi-level one. The Euro pillowtop isn’t separate to it and sewn on, but instead, it’s an integral part of the bed. The visual aesthetic is accentuated by the organic cotton cover with its attractive patterned design. The softness of the pillow top cover is only part of it. The padding beneath the cover feels softer under the body when lying down. There is a small sinking effect across the pillowtop.

The memory foam layer directly under the pillowtop reduces the impact on pressure points. The body-contouring foam supports the lumbar area of the back particularly well and is an additional element not often found in innerspring mattresses.

The coil on coil dual spring system is excellent at offering isolated support using individual foam wrapped steel springs. The foundational layer with its hourglass hand tied coils provides a steady base that all the other layers build upon.

Pain Relief & Support

The pillowtop avoids the feeling of sleeping on coil springs. Without it, the one-inch memory foam layer would be insufficient to avoid feeling the springs pushing through the mattress cover.

The softer initial feeling is balanced with the firmer subsequent one from the dual-layers of tempered steel coils beneath the pillowtop and memory foam layers. The balance of materials and firmness creates a comfortable body contacting feeling, with a flexible, supportive innerspring system that responds perfectly to body movements while isolating motion transfer.

Heat Retention

The pillowtop doesn’t have any issues with trapping heat unnecessarily. The organic cotton cover is very breathable, ensuring no problems with heat build-up. The 1-inch memory foam that adds support for the back isn’t thick enough to be an issue on warmth levels either.

Below the memory foam is two spring systems for coil on coil efficiency that provides plenty of ways for air to circulate. Overall, heat retention is not a problem with the Saatva mattress and is a standout feature.

Off Gassing

Bio-foam tends to give off fewer fumes, and the off-gassing is less pungent too. The foam present in the mattress benefits from some airing out once the product is unwrapped, but the plastic wrapping already comes with a built-in ventilation system that helps ventilate any fumes right after packing the mattress for shipment. As such, the off-gassing is minimal compared to most memory foam or latex foam mattresses.

Intimacy

The pillowtop makes it very comfortable to roll over and move across the surface during bedroom activities with your partner. Elbows and knees aren’t digging into an unforgiving surface with no padding, so moving into different positions feel more comfortable than with other mattresses. The dual-spring system also delivers a greater bounce than memory foam, and latex mattresses can do which makes lighter work of longer lovemaking sessions. Partners who are very active in the bedroom will enjoy sleeping on the Saatva mattress.

Check Price

Saatva Plush Soft

The Saatva Plush Soft mattress is rated at a 3 for medium plush. There is more of a sinking in effect that hugs people sleeping on the surface. The foam that encases the individually wrapped steel coils is softer and less dense than the type used in either the Saatva Luxury Firm or Saatva Firm models.

While the foam won’t envelop part of your body like a thick memory foam mattress does, you certainly sink into it deeper for that floating-on-air feeling. Side sleepers and stomach sleepers who cannot handle a firmer mattress will find this one acceptable. Back sleepers may find it lacks sufficient support for them.

Saatva Luxury Firm

The Saatva Luxury Firm mattress is rated at a 6 for medium firmness just beyond the Goldilocks point. The foam that wraps the individual coils strikes a balance between being too soft and too firm with the aim of getting it just right. The level of firmness is a perfect balance for sleepers who like how a hotel bed feels and want something similar. Every type of sleeping position is catered for when owning a medium firm bed.

Saatva Firm

The Saatva Firm mattress is rated at an “8” for high firmness. The foam wrapping the steel coils is the firmest version for a stiffer sleeping experience. The plush pillowtop feeling is still retained with the Firm mattress version, but the dual spring layers below use the most unyielding bio-foam to provide robust back support.

Whether the level of firmness is too much for you will depend on your personal preferences. For many, a level 8 firmness is a tad too much. Certainly, side sleepers will still enjoy the softness of the pillow top to avoid feeling like the springs are digging in their body (they don’t). People with extreme back issues might require and welcome this level of firmness. However, for stomach sleepers, a high firmness is likely to be a real challenge.

Visit Retailer

Sleeping Position Ratings

The sleeping position score varies depending on which model is selected (Plush Soft, Luxury Firm or Firm). We now look at how the Saatva fares in different sleeping positions:

• Back
• Stomach
• Side

Back

For back sleepers, the pillowtop is initially comfortable with the Luxury Firm and Firm models. The Plush Soft runs the risk of being too soft by half and could lead to walking around the next day with back ache. Back sleepers tend to be the most sensitive to the firmness level when needing a good night’s sleep, so select the firmness level carefully.

Back Sleeping score: 9.5/10

Stomach

With stomach sleepers, a medium to firm level of firmness is required to offer a soft enough initial feeling and deeper support. The innerspring offers firm support for the stomach and internal organs, while the pillowtop ensures the belly still feels okay when pressed into the mattress in the face down body position. The Plush Soft model certainly feels comfy on the stomach initially, but the lack of firmness in the mattress is likely to leave the back and internal organs unsupported.

Stomach Sleeping score: 9.25/10

Side

For side sleepers, an overly firm mattress sometimes digs into the rib cage making it an uncomfortable night. However, with the inclusion of the Euro pillowtop, this is avoided entirely. The medium to firm level is best for side sleepers to offer appropriate support where it counts. The Plush Soft model runs the risk of not contouring the side of the body sufficiently.

Side Sleeping score: 9.5/10

Visit Retailer

Bed Frame Compatibility

A good bedframe is useful to elevate the mattress off the ground. While the product does have a 7-inch foundational innerspring layer, it’s not intended for use directly on wooden or carpet floors. The dual spring layers don’t require a boxspring bed frame to add more bounce to the Saatva mattress. A strong, supportive frame to sit the mattress on will be quite sufficient.

One point of note: The warranty for the product is only effective when using it either on a metal bed frame or platform bed.

Warranty, Guarantee & Trial Period

• Warranty: 15-year warranty on two parts
• Guarantee: 100% money back
• Trial Period: 75 nights.

The trial period is not 100 nights like most other mattress companies offer, but it’s still long enough for an in-home trial. The warranty covers structural errors and faulty parts for the first two two years with a full replacement. Between years 3 and 15, repairs are covered to resolve defects. A metal bed frame or platform bed is required for the warranty to be honored.

Conclusion

The Saatva was the first e-tailer of mattresses to offer the product online. It is also still one of the few to sell an innerspring version (most other providers sell only foam-based models). The combination of a Euro pillowtop and dual spring layers with over 800 individual foam-wrapped steel springs on the upper spring layer alone ensure both top-level comfort and proper, full body support beneath. The thoughtful inclusion of a memory foam layer under the plush pillowtop adds greater support for the spine too. The availability of three firmness levels is a pleasing option that not all competitors think to offer.

Is this mattress right for you?

The Saatva mattress is an ideal one for people who prefer a cooler mattress with more bounce than a memory foam or latex foam model. The reduced use of foam on the upper layers of the bed avoid warm air being trapped and the sleeping surface heating up. The Saatva mattress is a good one for use in hotter climates where temperature control matters greatly. Anyone with back pain issues will enjoy the enhanced, localized bouncy support of the coil on coil system while being grateful for the plush pillowtop for the softer feel on top.

For more information on the Saatva mattress, click here.