Leesa Mattress Review: Our In-Depth Testing Experience

Pros and cons

Pros

• Wallet-friendly
• Outstanding adjustable base compatibility
• Surprisingly good edge support for an all-foam bed

Cons

• Rock-bottom bounce
• Average motion isolation

Features

• Type: Memory foam
• Firmness: Relaxed firm
• Best sleeping positions: Side, back and stomach

Key takeaways from our testing

A simple, affordably priced bed. At $1,332 for a queen, the Leesa Original is the lowest-priced mattress on this list. It doesn’t have the bells and whistles of the other models — it lacks reinforced coils and cooling features — but it’s still a high-quality three-layer memory foam mattress. The company rates the bed as medium firm (between 5 and 7 on the firmness scale out of 10, with 10 being the firmest). If you appreciate the sinking feeling of memory foam, you may like the Leesa Original. “This bed is really soft and supportive,” said tester Toni, a 50-year-old side sleeper. “My spine feels aligned in all positions.”

A top choice for adjustable bases. If you have an adjustable base — or are thinking about buying one — the Leesa Original is worth a close look. It earned a perfect score when we tested it on three different adjustable bases, significantly outperforming its hybrid counterparts. Toni said this bed conformed “exceptionally well” to the adjustable base, noting it had minimal gapping. For older adults with mobility issues, if your mattress doesn’t fit on your adjustable base, it may be easier to fall out of bed. This model also delivered surprisingly good edge support for a memory foam bed. When we tested this metric in our lab by placing a 150-pound sandbag on the edge, the bed only sank 3 inches, earning an exceptional score.

Disappointing responsiveness. Without a coil layer, the Leesa Original isn’t as responsive as a hybrid mattress. In our bounce test, which involves dropping a 15-pound ball on the bed and measuring how high it rebounds, the ball bounced only 14 inches, garnering a bottom-level score in that assessment. That’s likely due to memory foam's tendency to absorb motion rather than redirect it, which can make switching positions and getting in and out of the bed more difficult, especially for older adults with limited mobility. Despite having such a low bounce, it earned only average motion isolation scores in our ripple and couples’ tests. If you’re a light sleeper, we recommend considering the Leesa Plus, which earned higher motion isolation scores.

The Leesa Original earned a spot on our list of the best mattresses for back pain as the top memory foam option.

Leesa Plus Hybrid: Best for Higher-Weight Sleepers

Score: 9.2 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Designed for higher-weight body types
• Cushioned pillow top for pressure relief
• Stellar bounce

Cons

• Less-secure edges 
• Middling temperature regulation

Features

• Type: Hybrid 
• Firmness: Medium firm
• Best sleeping positions: Side, back and stomach

Key takeaways from our testing

Higher weight limit. The Leesa Plus Hybrid is a medium-firm mattress designed for higher-weight body types, with individually wrapped springs and three layers of sag-resistant foams for extra support. This bed supports up to 1,000 pounds (500 pounds on each side). Many other queen mattresses have a 500-pound total weight limit. The company says the mattress’s tailored construction helps ensure the bed doesn’t sag, lose its shape or compromise support over time. 

Cushioned top for side sleepers. Jim, a 78-year-old higher-weight side sleeper, said he felt no pressure buildup on his shoulders. He awarded this bed admirable marks for both pressure relief and spinal alignment in the side sleeping position. Despite being a medium-firm bed, Jim said the bed felt “soft” to him. He rated its pressure relief average for back sleeping, noting a lack of lumbar support. He added that his hips dipped below his shoulders, which caused his back to curve slightly. On his stomach, he gave it decent scores for pressure relief and spinal alignment.

Disappointing edge support. When a lab tester placed a 150-pound sandbag on the edge of the Leesa Plus to assess the bed's edge security, it received a poor score. We saw a 7.5-inch compression, the highest of any mattress on this list. (The Leesa Original, an all-foam bed, sank only 3 inches.) In addition, tester Jim gave the mattress low marks for edge support, saying it easily collapsed under his weight. “It’s not very supportive at all,” he said. Additionally, this bed has mediocre temperature regulation despite having a cooling cover the company says “wicks moisture.” In our cooling gun test, the bed retained 17.4 degrees — 9.5 degrees more than the top-performing Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid.

The Leesa Plus Hybrid made our list of the best mattresses for higher-weight people as our top pick for neck pain.

Leesa Natural: Best Natural Latex

Score: 9.5 out of 10

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Pros and cons

Pros

• Made with natural and organic materials 
• Above-average pressure relief for side sleepers
• High bounce

Cons

• Average couples’ motion isolation performance
• Middling edge support

Features

• Type: Latex hybrid 
• Firmness: Medium firm
• Best sleeping positions: Side, back and stomach

Key takeaways from our testing

GOLS-certified latex and organic cotton. The Leesa Natural is a hybrid mattress featuring an individually wrapped coil support layer beneath layers of memory foam, natural latex and New Zealand wool. For older adults who care about their environmental impact, this bed could be a good option. The organic cotton cover and New Zealand wool top layer are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified. And the bed’s latex is GOLS (Global Organic Latex Standard) certified, meaning the material has been third-party verified to meet purity and sustainability standards. 

Padded cover and foam layers provide pressure relief. Tester Patricia, an 84-year-old side sleeper, awarded the Leesa Natural an above-average pressure relief score for side sleeping. She said she felt “really good,” noting she did not sink too much into the topper and foam layers. Patricia also gave this bed a near-perfect rating for spinal alignment and pressure relief for stomach sleeping. She said it was too soft for sleeping on her back, but she still rated it average for pressure relief in that position.

Average motion isolation. The Leesa Natural has the highest bounce on this list, at 21 inches. Unfortunately, that bounce impacts how well the bed isolates movement. It earned only middling scores on average across our motion isolation tests.

How much do Leesa mattresses cost?

The Leesa mattresses in this review range from $1,332 to $2,467 for queens. The Leesa Original is the most budget-friendly option. And the top performer, the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid, is the most expensive at $2,467. See the chart below for queen pricing. 

Leesa often runs sales that can knock 20 to 35 percent off the price of its beds, though discounts vary throughout the year.

Is a Leesa mattress right for you?

Whether a Leesa mattress is right for you depends on your needs. Each bed has a unique feature that sets it apart from the others, which may help you choose.

So what should you look for in your next mattress? Kathryn Strait, an advanced practice registered nurse in sleep medicine with Norton Sleep Specialists in Louisville, Kentucky, says important features older adults may want to prioritize include adequate pressure relief for sensitive joints, ease of movement in bed and strong edge support to aid with mobility.

When considering which mattress will help you get better sleep, ask yourself these questions:

Do I want to choose from multiple firmness options?

If the answer is yes, the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid is the only bed on this list offering more than one firmness option: Plush, medium firm or firm. Many side sleepers tend to favor plush or medium-firm models, while back and stomach sleepers often lean toward medium-firm or firm models. 

Am I looking for a memory foam mattress?

The Leesa Original is the only all-foam bed on this list, and it may be a good choice for older adults who want the contouring feel it offers. The mattress is compatible with adjustable bases and has strong edge support, according to our testing. Leesa rates this bed’s firmness between five and seven out of 10, with 10 being the firmest.

Do I want a hybrid mattress?

The Leesa Sapira Chill, Leesa Natural and Leesa Plus are all hybrid options. These beds include memory foam cushioning and supportive coils. The Leesa Sapira Chill has four layers of foam that provide cradling support on top of the coils. The Leesa Plus has individually wrapped springs and sag-resistant foams, while the Leesa Natural has 98 percent reclaimed steel coils and natural latex foam.

Is it important for my bed to include natural materials?

If so, consider the Leesa Natural, a hybrid bed with natural latex, pure New Zealand wool and an organic cotton cover. Strait says that natural and organic materials are hypoallergenic, or less likely to cause an allergic reaction. About 14 percent of respondents to AARP’s 2025 survey of 300 adults 50-plus who bought a new mattress in the last three years identified hypoallergenic materials as one of the most important factors when choosing their bed.

Strait says if you have a breathing condition like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), natural or organic materials may help reduce respiratory irritation. That’s because these materials are naturally resistant to dust mites, mold and bacteria. “This can help support bedroom air quality,” she says. 

Based on our testing, latex mattresses tend to be bouncy and responsive, which may make it easier to switch positions at night or get in and out of bed. Strait says latex may also ease pressure on arthritic joints. Also, the breathability and moisture-wicking properties of natural fibers, such as wool, could provide some relief for older adults who have difficulty regulating body temperature, she says.

The company says the Leesa Natural could be a good pick for hot sleepers because latex tends to be more breathable than other foams. However, the Leesa Natural only earned an average score during our cooling gun test. The Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid nabbed the best cooling score on this list.

What makes the Leesa Sapira Chill a good mattress for cooling?

This bed may help you stay cool thanks to its quilted top infused with phase-change cooling fibers the company says pull heat away from the body. Unlike other mattresses with cooling features, the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid is physically cool to the touch, according to our older adult testers. The company says the bed is designed to keep you at 88 degrees (the “ideal skin temperature,” according to Leesa), though the temperature you sleep at will depend on a variety of factors.

Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid vs. other mattresses we’ve tested

Here’s how the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid stacks up against other beds on the market we’ve tested.

Helix Midnight

The Helix Midnight, with a GlacioTex pillow top (Helix’s cooling topper), slightly outperformed the Leesa Sapira Chill in our cooling test by 1.1 degrees. While it’s only available in medium firm, it’s a solid hybrid bed that scored high for spinal alignment and pressure relief. The Helix Midnight is cheaper than the Leesa Sapira Chill, at $1,374 for a queen. However, if you want extra cooling performance, you’ll need to add the GlacioTex pillow top for $374. That’s still about $720 cheaper than the Leesa Sapira Chill, which retails at $2,467.

For more information, see our in-depth Helix mattress review.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe

The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe is another mattress that testers said felt “cool to the touch” and scored well in our cooling gun test. It retained only 10.8 degrees, 2.9 degrees more than the Leesa Sapira Chill Hybrid. Our testers rated it top-notch for side sleeping pressure relief and spinal alignment. The Aurora Luxe, which retails at $2,265 for a queen, is close in price to the Leesa Sapira Chill.

For more information, see our in-depth Brooklyn Bedding mattress review.

WinkBeds GravityLux

The WinkBeds GravityLux has the best cooling performance of all the mattresses we’ve tested, retaining just 1.26 degrees after being heated to 158 degrees. It’s an all-foam mattress with a TENCEL cover (a type of fiber that promotes temperature regulation) and two inches of cooling foam designed to wick moisture and improve airflow.

For more information, see our in-depth WinkBeds mattress review.

Questions or feedback? Email us at AARPSmartPicks@aarp.org.