Birch Natural mattress review in brief
The Birch Natural mattress is a hybrid mattress consisting of non-toxic, eco-friendly materials. From the top town, it consists of an organic cotton cover and organic fire retardant wool, followed by a comfort layer of organic birch wool, a pressure relief layer of natural Talalay latex, a support layer of individually wrapped coils, and a final base layer of fire retardant wool. We tested one for 3 weeks to see how it compares to the rest of today's best mattresses, as well as the best organic mattresses specifically.
Type: Latex innerspring hybrid
Materials: Natural latex, wool, cotton, coils
Firmness: Medium-firm (6-7/10)
Depth: 11 inches
Trial period: 100 nights
Warranty: 25 years
MSRP: $1,811 - $2,186
Price bracket: Premium
The mattress is medium-firm to firm, ranging from 6 to 7 on a scale of 10 for firmness. Although the Birch Natural mattress won’t conform to your body or sink as much as a memory foam mattress will, it still offers a mild amount of cradling to provide comfort. One of the most notable aspects of this organic mattress is that it has a lot of bounce, which makes it ideal for combination sleepers who switch positions throughout the night. At the same time, however, this may make the mattress less than ideal for co-sleepers—especially if one or both co-sleepers are fidgety or wake up easily—as motion isolation may be lacking compared to other mattresses.
Given its firmness level, this mattress is also a good option for back and stomach sleepers of most weights. Side sleepers (particularly of lighter weights) may want something a bit more plush, but it isn't necessarily uncomfortable for sleepers of most weights who prefer this position.
Another key benefit of this mattress is that it’s highly breathable, so it’s a worthy option for sleepers who run hot at night. All organic mattresses are fairly pricey, and the Birch sits roughly in the middle of the market, and we think offers excellent value for the quality here.
Overall, we found that this organic hybrid mattress lives up to its reputation. Keep reading to discover why—as we’ll cover everything from support and comfort, performance, and customer reviews—plus see if it’s the right choice for you. Here's our full Birch Natural mattress review.
Birch Natural mattress review: Price
- The brand’s 'entry level' and most popular mattress
- Often on sale at 20% off, taking it down into upper mid-range
- Free ground shipping to all 50 states and comes with two free pillows
The Birch Natural mattress is the cheaper of the brand’s two adult mattress options, and also its most popular. Organic mattresses always command slightly higher price tags – you won't find any budget mattress options in this category. At full price, the Birch Natural mattress is a premium model, but there are almost-constant mattress sales that take the price down into the upper mid-range bracket. You can expect a discount of 20% off.
Here are the official prices for the Birch Natural, including the typical promotional prices:
- Twin size: MSRP $1,248.80 (usually sold at $999)
- Twin XL size: MSRP $1,311.30 (usually sold at $1,049)
- Full size: MSRP $1,561.30 (usually sold at $1,249)
- Queen size: MSRP $1,811.30 (usually sold at $1,499)
- King size: MSRP $2,186.30 (usually sold at $1,749)
- Cal king size: MSRP $2,186.30 (usually sold at $1,749)
The purchase of a Birch Natural mattress comes with complimentary ground shipping to all 50 states, as well as two free Eco-Rest pillows. Altogether, this can equate to sizable savings and enhances the value of the purchase. However, at 100 nights, the trial period isn't too generous.
Overall, we think this mattress is good value for the quality on offer here. It sits roughly in the middle of the organic mattress market – you can find cheaper options (an Awara Natural Hybrid is usually $,1099 for a queen size, for example), but also plenty of pricier mattresses (a queen size Avocado Green will set you back $1,999). You might see bigger discounts over major shopping events such as the Black Friday mattress deals.
Birch Natural mattress review: design
- 11" thick, latex innerspring hybrid mattress
- Consists of all-natural, organic materials with several certifications
- Breathable wool offers moisture-wicking properties
Most of today's best hybrid mattresses feature memory foam and springs, but the main point of difference with the Birch mattress is that instead of memory foam it uses natural Talalay latex. This will mold to the sleeper's body, and is known to be one of the most durable mattress materials.
As its name would indicate, the Birch Natural mattress is composed of organic materials, and there are reputable certifications to back that up. The cover consists of Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Certified cotton for breathability and softness. The next layer is organic wool, which offers natural fire protection.
Next up is the comfort layer consisting of organic birch wool, which helps to retain shape as well as regulate temperature. Following that is eco-INSTITUT certified natural Talalay latex (with this credential reflecting its consistency and low-emissions standards) in the pressure relief layer. This offers cushioning to alleviate pressure points in the shoulders, back, and hips. The support layer consists of up to 1,000 individually wrapped coils that are meant to offer stability by cradling the body and limiting motion transfer. Last up is the base layer of fire retardant wool, which too provides stability as well as durability.
You can opt to add a plush topper, for a fee – it'll cost you an extra $559 for the queen size.
Birch Natural mattress review: Support and comfort
- A medium-firm to mattress (average 6.5 out of 10 rating)
- Best for back and stomach sleeping, but side sleeping isn’t ruled out
- Has some give but doesn’t sink
The brand notes that the Birch Natural ranges from 6 to 7 out of 10 for firmness. Our tester found that a 6.5 firmness rating sounds about right, though some customers find that it’s a bit firmer—even up to an 8 out of 10.
Laying down on the mattress offers more of a lifting versus a sinking feeling (the latter of which you’ll find in memory foam mattresses). The Birch Natural is taut and bouncy, and you can feel the springs providing elevated support while resting on it. While it’s not highly conforming and adaptive, there’s a slight amount of give that offers comfort and mild molding to your body shape.
Our tester—who weighs under 130 pounds and is a combination sleeper with a natural tendency for side sleeping—tried out all sleeping positions to gauge the level of comfort and support in each. The Birch Natural was most comfortable while back sleeping and stomach sleeping; no pain or pressure buildup was felt in either position, and we had no complaints about spinal alignment. During the testing period, we found it was most ideal for switching between one position to the next, thanks to the extra bounce it provides.
Most of the best mattresses for side sleepers are on the softer side, providing extra give around the shoulders and hips in this position. Our tester was surprised to discover that side sleeping wasn’t uncomfortable given the firmness level of the mattress, especially when compared to other mattresses they’d tested at firmness levels of 7 and above. While this mattress offers decent pressure relief in a side sleeping position, if this is your priority, you'll always find greater pressure relief with a softer mattress.
Our tester enlisted a tall, average weight sleeper to test the Birch Natural in different positions. This tester enjoyed comfort and support in all positions—including side sleeping, even more so than our petite primary tester.
To measure pressure relief, our tester placed a 55-pound kettlebell at the center of the mattress. (This test mimics the sinkage from a sleeper’s weight.) The amount of sinkage clocked in at approximately 2.5 inches, which also informed the tester’s assessment of 6.5 out of 10 for firmness.
Birch Natural mattress review: Performance
- Motion isolation could be better
- Great cooling properties
- Outstanding edge support
Our reviewer tested the Birch Natural mattress in a queen size for 3 weeks, testing it in three major areas of performance. In this section, you’ll find details on how it fared for motion isolation, edge support, and cooling properties.
Motion isolation
Assessing motion transfer in a mattress is a highly important performance indicator, particularly for co-sleepers. If one or both co-sleepers shuffle around throughout the night and/or sleep lightly, sleep quality can be disrupted.
To objectively assess how well the Birch Natural performs in terms of motion isolation, we placed a wine glass in the middle of the mattress. We dropped a 10-pound kettlebell at three separate distances from the wine glass to see how much it moved or if it would tip over.
The wine glass tipped over during several experiments when we dropped the kettlebell 4 inches away. It looked in danger of tipping from 10 inches away, yet recovered its standing position each time. It also wobbled slightly at 25 inches away.
Our tester had yet to see a wine glass fall while testing other medium-firm to firm mattresses and noticed greater recovery (and less movement overall) from these alternatives. That said, the Birch Natural didn’t meet our expectations for motion isolation, so it may not be the best option for co-sleepers. However, since the glass only fell from a very close position, this may not be a major deal breaker for co-sleepers who fidget and/or wake easily throughout the night.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Temperature regulation
Hybrid mattresses are most often more ideal than all foam ones for temperature regulation. (Memory foam adjusts snugly to the body and doesn’t permit a great amount of air flow. They also lack a coil layer, which enhances breathability.)
The Birch Natural mattress is known to be one of the best cooling mattresses in the organic category, and our tester was pleased to confirm that it lives up to its reputation. Our tester runs hot at night every so often, but never found it to be too warming or woke up sweating.
The cooling benefits of the Birch Natural can be chalked up to several materials—including the organic cotton cover (which is soft and breathable), hygroscopic organic wool (a moisture-wicking natural material), natural Talalay latex (which offers extra ventilation), and coils (to amplify airflow).
For context, our tester reviewed the Birch Natural during the start of spring in Southern California, with nightly temperatures averaging in the low 50s Fahrenheit. Our tester used bamboo sheets, a comforter, and a bamboo duvet.
Score: 5 out of 5
Edge support
Edge support is an important element in a mattress. Adequate edge support enables you to get in and out of bed with ease, helps you sit comfortably around the perimeter, and increases the overall usability of the sleeping surface. Robust edge support can also help prevent premature sagging along the sides.
Our reviewer had no issues getting in or out of bed and felt just as comfortable sleeping along the bed’s perimeters as along the center. We also placed a 55-pound kettlebell along the sides of the mattress to objectively quantify sinkage and assess edge support. The amount of sinkage was measured to be somewhere between 2.25 and 2.5 inches, which varied very slightly (if at all) from the kettlebell sinkage at the bed’s center.
From this test as well as subjective experience, we found that the Birch Natural excels on this front. Its high performance in this can be credited to its firmness level, plus the support layer that has thicker coils lengthwise along the mattress.
Score: 5 out of 5
Birch Natural mattress review: Delivery & setup
- Mattress delivered vacuum-packed and rolled in a box
- Free ground shipping
- No major complaints about off-gassing
Each purchase of the Birch Natural mattress comes with free, no-contact delivery to all 50 states. The option to choose a delivery time isn’t available, and neither is white glove delivery. However, upon placing your order, you can begin to track your shipment with a link provided via email.
The brand notes that it takes 3 to 10 business days to ship. Our reviewer was surprised on two fronts: first, to see that the mattress arrived at their unit doorstep instead of in the building lobby, and second, that it arrived in less than 72 hours from receiving the order confirmation email.
The mattress arrived vacuum-packed and rolled up in a box. Upon unwrapping the first shrink wrap layer, the mattress made a steady yet mild hissing sound for approximately 2 and a half minutes. Our reviewer didn’t notice any major smells from off-gassing, despite leaving the bedside window closed. (Since it’s organic, rest assured that the Birch Natural won’t off-gas harmful chemicals.)
While folded, it was easy enough for our petite tester to move the mattress onto the bed frame solo. From there, it was wrapped in a thick layer of plastic, followed by a third and final plastic encasing.
The shipment came with a printed paper with a QR code leading to the setup page. The brand shares that the Birch Natural requires 1 to 2 hours to unwind and fully expand, though it appeared as though it was near-fully expanded in the middle of cutting through the plastic layers.
There's a 100-night sleep trial period, which is about the shortest you'll find from any major bed brand, and pretty stingy for the price (competitors Awara and Avocado Green give you a full 365 nights). The warranty is 25 years.
Birch Natural mattress review: Customer reviews
- Average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from ~1,800 reviews on the brand website
- Common praise for comfort and pain relief from back and side sleepers
- Some complaints about firmness and motion isolation falling short
At the time of writing (April 2023), the Birch Natural has an average 4.7 stars out of 5 from nearly 1,800 reviews on the official product page. Although the mattress is also available for purchase at CB2.com, it doesn’t have any published reviews at present.
While reviewers commented on many different points, a few key trends stood out. Satisfied customers—namely those who prefer back and stomach sleeping—wrote that they felt pressure relief and fewer aches and pains, sometimes significantly so. Some noted that while the first night or two doesn’t offer instantly obvious comfort, it turned out to be just right for their needs. Praise on temperature regulation and robust edge support were also commonly cited. Many reviewers commented that they found the Birch Natural to be a worthy investment and a good value for the cost, especially given its high-quality, natural, and non-toxic materials and when compared to other organic competitors.
Less satisfied customers were disappointed because it was either too firm or even too soft for their needs. (Note, however, that firmness can be quite subjective, especially based on your weight and preferred sleeping position—as well as swayed by the previous mattress you had slept on.) Some found the mattress to be mediocre and were neither impressed nor dismayed. Other customers called out lackluster motion isolation while co-sleeping, plus a lack of adequate relief from aches and pains.
Should you buy the Birch Natural mattress?
Based on our reviewer’s testing experience, the Birch Natural is worth buying for combination back and stomach sleepers of most sizes and sleepers who run hot. Those who are seeking an organic and/or hybrid mattress made of high-quality, safe materials should also keep this mattress at the top of their list. In addition, it offers a good value for the price, given that it’s often on sale at 20% off and comes with complimentary shipping and two pillows. This can amount into hundreds of dollars of savings compared to competitors who don’t offer these bonus perks.
Although our reviewer doesn’t think it’s a major red flag, the underperformance for motion isolation could be an issue for co-sleepers if one or both partners wake easily and/or move often throughout the night. Some side sleepers (notably those under 130 pounds) may also find that the mattress may exacerbate—rather than alleviate—pressure along the shoulders and hips. Customer reviews also sway, noting that it’s too firm or even too soft—but again this is largely subjective, and our reviewer thinks a 6.5 out of 10 firmness rating fits best.
