Written by Julia Forbes, Sleep Advisor Mattress Tester
Editor’s note: The Emma mattress has been discontinued. For more foam mattress options, take a look at our favorite memory foam beds.
‘Emma’ might strike you as a unique choice for a mattress name, but it hails from a German mattress company with the same name that aims to provide a good-quality foam bed for budget shoppers. I put the Emma mattress through a gamut of hands-on tests to see whether there’s more to it than an interesting name. Read on to find out what I learned.
Emma Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Emma Mattress Performance Ratings
How the Emma Mattress Compares
Here at Sleep Advisor, we’ve tested over 150 different mattresses. The Emma outperforms other mattresses we’ve tested in the areas of motion isolation, bounce, edge support, and performance for couples. It also has a longer sleep trial and a lower price than the average bed we’ve tested.
| Test | Emma | Average |
| Overall | 4 | 4.1 |
| Mattress Height | 10″ | 11″ |
| Sleep Trial | 365 Nights | 141 Nights |
| Price (Queen) | $1,399 (before discounts) | $1,695 |
| Pressure Relief | 4 | 4.3 |
| Support | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Motion Isolation | 5 | 3.9 |
| Cooling | 3.5 | 3.9 |
| Bounce | 5 | 4 |
| Edge Support | 4 | 3.9 |
| Couples | 4 | 3.9 |
Watch My Emma Mattress Video Review
Who I Recommend the Emma For:
- People who like a responsive bed – If you like an all-foam bed but still want quick-responding materials, then I think you’ll like this one.
- Back sleepers – Based on our testing, we all felt most comfortable on the Emma while lying on our backs, so we think it could be a good choice for back sleepers.
- Petite stomach sleepers – Our lightweight tester, Loren, experienced fantastic support while on her stomach, which can help with lower back support.
Who I Don’t Recommend the Emma For:
- Side sleepers – We didn’t get much cushioning from the Emma, which suggests it’s likely too rigid for this group. Instead, take a look at a softer memory foam mattress for more options.
- Hot sleepers – The Emma is pretty average for cooling, so if you run hot, go with a cooling mattress instead.
Customer Reviews of the Emma Mattress
On the Emma website, reviews of their original mattress put it at 4.7 out of 5 stars based on over 65,000 reviews. One negative aspect of the Emma Original mattress, according to some customers, is its softer firmness level, while a positive aspect highlighted by many customers is its durability.
Testing the Emma Mattress
Sleep Advisor’s Testing Methodology
When the team and I tested the Emma, we focused on certain factors to help determine whether it’s a well-made bed and who we think would benefit most from it.
We also had testers of different body types try it out for a more comprehensive evaluation. While Sosha Lewis and I were the average-weight testers, Loren Bullock tested it for petite sleepers and Spencer Blend tested it for heavyweight folks.
Each of us checks how it feels in various positions. Does it support our heaviest points? Does it relieve pressure in sensitive areas? We also test other preference-based features like temperature regulation, bounce, edge support, and motion isolation. These categories also help us evaluate it for couples.
For more on our testing methodology, visit our product review process page.
Firmness & Feel
Firmness Scale: 7/10
I rated this bed as a 7 out of 10 based on our firmness scale, with 10 being the absolute firmest feel possible. This means we consider it to be a slightly firm bed.
How Does the Emma Mattress Feel?
You’re not getting much sink — you stay elevated. It’s not a very comfortable mattress in the sense that it’s like lying on a mattress topper on the floor. Good for people who want a hard mattress, just not my cup of tea.
Sleeping Positions for Different Body Types
According to Emma, their mattresses can hold up to 1,000 pounds.
Side Sleepers
| Body Type | Weight Range | Tester Feedback |
| Lightweight Sleepers | Less than 130 pounds | Loren said it was cushiony on her sides, and even though her hips were sinking in more than her shoulders, she added that it was not in a way that felt stiff and uncomfortable. |
| Average-Weight Sleepers | 130-230 pounds | I didn’t love it for side sleeping simply because it didn’t contour around my body like other foam beds I’ve tested. I could still feel how rigid the mattress was with a slight cushion. Sosha also wasn’t a fan and said she could feel pressure around her ribs and shoulder. |
| Heavyweight Sleepers | More than 230 pounds | Spencer shared that he was floating on the top of this bed — that’s how firm it is. He could rock his body side to side without getting stuck and to him, that’s too firm; rather, he needs some cushion for this sleep position. He added that his hips sank in slightly more than his shoulders. |
Back Sleepers
| Body Type | Weight Range | Tester Feedback |
| Lightweight Sleepers | Less than 130 pounds | Loren said it was cushiony on her sides, and even though her hips were sinking in more than her shoulders, she added that it was not in a way that felt stiff and uncomfortable. |
| Average-Weight Sleepers | 130-230 pounds | I didn’t love it for side sleeping simply because it didn’t contour around my body like other foam beds I’ve tested. I could still feel how rigid the mattress was with a slight cushion. Sosha also wasn’t a fan and said she could feel pressure around her ribs and shoulder. |
| Heavyweight Sleepers | More than 230 pounds | Spencer shared that he was floating on the top of this bed — that’s how firm it is. He could rock his body side to side without getting stuck and to him, that’s too firm; rather, he needs some cushion for this sleep position. He added that his hips sank in slightly more than his shoulders. |
Stomach Sleepers
| Body Type | Weight Range | Tester Feedback |
| Lightweight Sleepers | Less than 130 pounds | “Lifted for days”. That was Loren’s thoughts while testing for stomach sleeping. She added that the firm feel kept her lower back up and in alignment. |
| Average-Weight Sleepers | 130-230 pounds | I felt like my lower back was lifted and aligned, but my chest was uncomfortably pressed into the bed. Would not recommend it for stomach sleepers with a large chest. Sosha also felt like it was uncomfortable for her chest in this position. |
| Heavyweight Sleepers | More than 230 pounds | Even for stomach sleeping, the Emma was way too firm for Spencer. He added that because there was no cushioning against his hips, it was uncomfortable. |
Pressure Relief
4/5
To test for pressure relief, my teammate Sosha, placed a pressure map on top of the mattress and then she lay down on top of it. The pressure map helps us tell if there’s pressure buildup in different sleeping positions. Lots of blue and green indicate minimal pressure, whereas red and yellow indicate more pressure.
Here’s what Sosha shared from her experience: “Pressure maps showed little pressure build-up, but I didn’t find it extremely comfortable on my side. It was ok on my back but my lower back didn’t get the contouring I like (especially for an all foam bed). Stomach [sleeping] was good in that it kept my hips elevated and spine aligned (thus pressure at bay), but the firmness of the foam wasn’t great for my chest.”
Even though the Emma has a slightly firmer feel and Sosha had mixed feelings on it, we still gave it a 4 out of 5 since the pressure maps were practically all blue.
Learn More: Best Mattresses for Pressure Relief
Is the Emma Mattress Good for Pain Relief?
The Emma has a very noticeable feel with minimal cushioning, which I think narrows the field for whether it’s helpful for pain relief.
| Back Pain | The Emma’s distinct firmness could be useful for back support to aid pain but just keep in mind that you might not get much pressure relief from it either. Read more about mattresses for back pain here. |
| Hip Pain | This one is just too rigid against the hips; it would likely exacerbate pain if you already have it. Read more about mattresses for hip pain here. |
| Shoulder Pain | Same with the shoulders; the Emma likely won’t give you enough cushioning to relieve pain in this area. Explore more mattresses for shoulder pain here. |
Support
3.5/5
The Emma’s support system comes from its overall firmer feel and HRX foam. When we tested for support, we sunk in deeper in the hips than the shoulders and the middle of our back dipped a bit, which could lead to back pain. We were mostly aligned on our backs. We noticed plenty of lifting for stomach sleeping, but it wasn’t the most comfortable.
Because back sleeping was the only position across the board in which we felt supported and comfortable, we gave this bed a 3.5 out of 5 here.
Motion Isolation
5/5
Have you ever felt the bed move on your side while your partner tosses and turns? Yeah, no fun! That’s where motion isolation can help. This means the materials absorb movement so that you don’t feel it.
We tested for motion isolation by having me roll around while Loren lay still on the mattress. Loren didn’t notice any movement during this testing, which is a good sign. However, to do some real data testing, we also had Sosha use a seismograph app to detect motion disturbances.
“Zero, zip, nada motion. You could land a fighter jet on this bed and it wouldn’t move”, Sosha shared. You can see the seismograph barely registered anything, which means this one got a perfect score here.
Temperature Regulation / Cooling
3.5/5
Temperature regulation is helpful for anyone who has a tough time falling asleep because they feel like their bed space is like a sauna. The Emma is an all-foam bed, and these are sometimes hit or miss for cooling, so we put it to the test with our heat gun.
We first took the initial temperature of the bed, which was 68.3 degrees Fahrenheit. We then lay on the bed for five minutes and took the temperature again. That came to 81.2 degrees. Then, we took the temperature after lying down for another five minutes, with a final reading of 81.9 degrees.
The temperature made a massive jump from the initial to the five-minute mark and didn’t really change. You won’t be baking exactly, but it’s definitely not cooling, which is why it got a 3.5 here.
Bounce
5/5
If you’ve ever felt like you were stuck in mud while trying to change positions on a mattress, then it probably didn’t have much bounce or responsiveness to it. Of course, this is a helpful feature for combination sleepers, but it can also be useful for people with limited mobility and sexually active couples.
To test for bounce we drop a weighted medicine ball and a lacrosse ball on it, and then we also try jumping on it. We then see how quickly the materials bounce back to their original shape.
In the case of the Emma, our bounce tests showed a pretty instantaneous response, which is a good sign that the foam will move with you and react to all movements on the surface. This earned it a perfect score in this category.
Edge Support
4/5
Good edge support means you’re going to feel secure either sitting or lying near the sides of a bed. This is helpful for couples since they have more useable surface space, but it can also be a good quality for seniors so they have extra support getting in and out of bed.
To test edge support, we lie on the edge for a minute and then sit on the edge for a minute tying our shoes. There aren’t a lot of comfort layers on the Emma, so you sit on the edge and immediately hit the support layer that keeps you securely in the bed. Lying at the edge is the same story; you aren’t at risk of sliding off at all. This earned the Emma a 4 out of 5 for edge support.
Accessibility
4/5
Our accessibility score is focused on any extra qualities that a bed brings to the table and how well we think it delivers in that regard. The Emma is designed to be a good quality foam bed, and while I might not write home about its pressure relief, I think it has some great qualities such as good edge support and excellent responsiveness, which we don’t always see with foam mattresses.
I also gave it a 4 here because of the brand’s policies, which include a solid 10-year warranty and a very appealing year-long sleep trial.
Customer Service
3.5/5
Our customer service score looks at how reachable and helpful a mattress brand is for customers. This is understandably important for many shoppers; they want to know that a brand is reliable.
I think the Emma offers pretty standard customer service options. You can contact them via phone, email, or chat on the website. When trying the chatbox, the help was immediate and useful, so I bumped the score up to a 3.5.
Performance for Couples
4/5
To determine whether we think a bed will be good for couples, we look at how it rates in the following categories: motion isolation, cooling, bounce, and edge support. Motion isolation can help prevent unwanted disturbances, while cooling helps mitigate the extra body heat from having two people share a bed.
Bounce/responsiveness can help make sex more enjoyable, and edge support means couples can comfortably spread out.
The reason why the Emma didn’t a 5 out of 5 here is because it underperformed for cooling, and the firmer feel may be too limiting for two people. Instead, a true medium-firm feel would be better.
Preference-Based Features
Removable Cover
The Emma’s cover is removable for easier cleaning.
Bed-in-a-Box Shipping
Bed-in-a-box shipping is highly popular, even among luxury brands. The Emma comes wrapped in plastic and packed in a box, so it’s not as cumbersome and difficult to move from your front door to the bedroom.
Browse: Best Mattress in a Box
Adjustable Base Compatible
This 10-inch bed works on all kinds of foundations and bases, including an adjustable bed frame. Find your perfect customizable frame in our roundup of this year’s best adjustable bases.
Construction: What’s Inside the Emma Mattress?
The climate-regulating top cover is made with polyester and spandex that is designed to breathe and increase air circulation while keeping out heat and moisture. The durable cover is intended to completely protect the mattress, and it can be zipped off and put directly into a washing machine. As the cover is durable, additional protection is likely unnecessary for most circumstances.
After decompressing, the bed stands 10 inches high and is made up of three layers of foam.
- The comfort layer is made of Airgocell® foam that was designed to quickly respond to movement and pressure. This technology helps to increase the responsiveness of the material while contouring to cradle curves. The structure of the foam was specifically created to act like gel as it conducts heat away from the body.
- The transition layer is made of Visco-Elastic memory foam, allowing you to sink into a deeper cradle that should specifically match the pressure you apply to the bed. This foam is meant to be progressive, meaning it should supply the correct level of support for each body type.
- The support layer is made of HRX material, which provides counter-pressure to relieve pressure points while offering targeted support in the shoulder and lower back regions. This should allow side and back sleepers to sink in only in the right places for optimal spinal alignment.
Unboxing & Off-Gassing
This bed arrives in a box, which we think makes it easier to move from point A to point B. However, the box may still be heavy for many people, so we suggest you have a friend or a family member help you move it around.
The mattress is compressed inside this box, so you’ll have to let it reach its full size before using it. This should take several hours, but we suggest you give it a full day. This way, any off-gassing odors will also dissipate during this time.
Certifications
- CertiPUR-US® – The foams in this bed are CertiPUR-US® certified. CertiPUR-US® is a third-party program that ensures the foams meet rigorous health and safety standards. This means they don’t contain harmful substances like ozone depleters, PBDEs, heavy metals, formaldehyde, and phthalates. They should also have low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Noteworthy Updates
Emma offers mattress financing in partnership with Klarna. You can learn more about this program here.
Emma Coupons, Trials, Warranties, and Shipping
| Shipping | Emma ships for free throughout the continental United States. |
| White Glove Delivery | We did not see any information on Emma’s website that they provide white glove delivery for customers. |
| Trial | With a 365-night sleep trial, you will have a full year to decide if it is the best bed for you. |
| Warranty | Every Emma mattress, including the Emma Original, comes with a 10-year warranty covering the dimensional stability and durability of the core materials. |
| Return Policy | Returns are free, so you can return the bed at any point during the trial, and the company will refund your money. |
Emma Mattress Prices & Sizes
| Size | Dimensions (inches) | Price (w/o discount) |
| Twin | 39” x 75” x 10” | $659 |
| Twin XL | 39” x 80” x 10” | $919 |
| Full | 54” x 75” x 10” | $979 |
| Queen | 60” x 80” x 10” | $1,159 |
| King | 76” x 80” x 10” | $1,459 |
| Cali King | 72” x 84” x 10” | $1,459 |
Emma Mattress FAQs
Is the Emma Original mattress good?
We think the Emma Original is a good mattress that could fit certain sleepers, particularly back sleepers and lightweight stomach sleepers. It’s also a more budget-friendly option for those looking to not spend too much on a new bed.
Is the Emma bed worth it?
We think the Emma bed is worth it if you’re a lighter-weight sleeper and are after an affordable mattress that provides good pressure relief. However, this bed won’t work for everyone so be sure to check our recommendations for weight and sleep position to get a better understanding of whether this mattress is right for you specifically.
How many years does an Emma mattress last?
The Emma mattress should last between eight and 10 years with proper care and use. We suggest you rotate the mattress occasionally to ensure even wear and tear and avoid jumping on the mattress to prevent early sagging.
Emma vs. Other Brands
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| Emma Mattress | Bear Original Mattress | Nectar Mattress | |
| Rating | |||
| Firmness | Medium: 5/10 | Firm: 7/10 | Firm: 7.5/10 |
| Material | Foam | Foam | Foam |
| Cooling | — | ||
| Warranty | 10-year warranty | Lifetime warranty | Lifetime warranty |
| Shipping | Free shipping | Free shipping | Free shipping |
| Trial Period | 365 nights | 120 nights | 365 nights |
| Best For | Hot Sleepers, Kids, Back Sleepers | Hot Sleepers, Back Sleepers, Side Sleepers, Hip Pain | Back Sleepers, Back Pain, Stomach Sleepers, Side Sleepers, Couples |
Who I Recommend the Bear Original For
- Couples
- Athletes
- Back sleepers
Read our Bear Original mattress review if you think the Bear Original is right for you
Who I Recommend the Nectar Memory Foam For
- Hot sleepers
- Those who want a Split-King size
- People interested in a longer warranty
Check our full review of the Nectar mattress if you think this bed is right for you.
Emma Original vs. Other Emma Models
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| Emma Mattress | Emma Hybrid Comfort | Emma Shift | |
| Rating | |||
| Firmness | Medium: 5/10 | Firm: 7/10 | |
| Material | Foam | Hybrid | Other |
| Cooling | |||
| Warranty | 10-year warranty | 10-year warranty | 10-year warranty |
| Shipping | Free shipping | Free shipping | Free shipping |
| Trial Period | 365 nights | 365 nights | 365 nights |
| Best For | Hot Sleepers, Kids, Back Sleepers | Back Sleepers, Stomach Sleepers, Hot Sleepers | Hot Sleepers, Couples |
Who I Recommend the Emma Hybrid Comfort For
- People who prefer a hybrid bed
- Those who want a taller bed
- Hot sleepers
Check our Emma Hybrid Comfort review if you want to learn more about this bed
Who I Recommend the Emma Shift Mattress For
- Hot sleepers
- Couples
- People who want multiple firmness options
My Verdict of the Emma Mattress
Emma’s flagship bed offers some great qualities to specific shoppers. First and foremost, it’s a budget deal, so if money is tight, this is a good one to consider. Secondly, we liked it best for back sleeping across the testing team, but lightweight stomach sleepers might also enjoy it.
Unfortunately for hot sleepers, the cooling on it is pretty mediocre, so if you’re prone to overheating, look for something better at this, such as their Emma Hybrid Comfort, which performed better at this. Overall, though, this is a pretty solid pick, which earned a final rating of 4 out of 5.
Emma Mattress
Product Details
Our Recommendation
Financing Options
Financing options are available for this mattress.
Julia Forbes
Sleep Advisor Mattress Tester
About Author
Julia is a product tester at Sleep Advisor, specializing in testing out mattresses and sleep accessories – she’s in the right line of work, because she loves to sleep.
Stomach Sleeper
Education & Credentials
- Certified Sleep Science Coach