What is the Leesa Original Mattress?
The American-made Leesa Original is a 10-inch all-foam mattress. We slept on it for several weeks to see how it compares to the best mattresses we've tested. Below is our full review of the Leesa Original, but if you're short for time, here's the headlines — including if the Original can earn a place among the best memory foam mattresses...
Leesa gives the Original a firmness rating between five and seven, or medium-firm. We found it sits on the firmer end of that scale, but with a comfortably cradling sleep feel. We recommend it for back and side sleepers. However, stomach sleepers should seek something firmer to keep their spine properly aligned,
The Leesa Original also delivers good temperature regulation and is able to absorb most movement, making it suitable for anyone sharing a bed. While the support in the centre was good, the edges are much softer, which might be an issue if you want to be able to use the whole sleep surface, or sit comfortably on the edge of the mattress. Poor edge support is often an issue with memory foam mattresses, but for the mid-range price, we'd expect better.
When we first reviewed the Original, it was Leesa's entry-level model, but since then the brand has added a more budget-friendly option (head to our hands-on Leesa Studio review to find out how we got on with that one). You'll also find more advanced hybrid options in the range – you can read about one in our Leesa Sapira mattress review.
At full price, a queen bed size Original is $1,299, but you shouldn't have to pay that – mattress sales run all year round, and this brand's evergreen deal knocks $200 off, taking this into the mid-range price bracket.
Since entering the market in 2015, Leesa has made it a point to use its business for good. Although it sadly seems to have lost the B-Corp certification, it still balances purpose and profit, and for every 10 mattresses sold, Leesa donates a mattress to one of its many charity partners. The Leesa Original mattress comes with a 100-night trial and 10-year limited warranty. Read on for more information in our full Leesa Original mattress review...
Leesa mattress: Price and deals
- Mid-range pricing
- Regular deal cuts $200 off the price and includes free pillows
At full price, the Leesa Original mattress costs from $879 for a twin size, and maxes out at $1,639 for king and California king. However, a permanent Leesa mattress deal knocks 20% off, ensuring it sits in the mid-range price bracket.
Here's the official pricing for all sizes, and what you can expect to actually pay:
- Twin: MSRP $879 (usually sold at $699)
- Twin XL: MSRP $933 (usually sold at $739)
- Full: MSRP $1,133 (usually sold at $899)
- Queen: MSRP $1,332 (usually sold at $1,059)
- King: MSRP $1,639 (usually sold at $1,299)
- California King: MSRP $1,639 (usually sold at $1,299)
Leesa runs an evergreen 20% off sale and for the most part, we think the Original is good value. However, if you want the best deal and you aren't in a rush to buy, Leesa does tend to increase the savings around the major sales days (such as Memorial Day and the Black Friday mattress sales.) You can expect to find 25% off on these special occasions.
There is a Leesa Amazon store, where deals crop up now and again. Most of the time, the Leesa Amazon store price matches Leesa direct, but on rare occasions we have spotted an even lower price on Amazon (although so far, not on the Original.)
When it comes to value for money, the Leesa Original sits in a very competitive market. Memory foam competitors such as the Nectar Memory Foam mattress and Cocoon Chill mattress both undercut the Leesa by significant margin. However, for some, Leesa's ethical credentials will hold a value of their own, and it still compares well to the rest of the best affordable mattresses around.
Leesa Original mattress review: Design and materials
- A memory foam mattress with a three layer internal structure
- Finished with a breathable knit cover
- Fiberglass free, CertiPUR-US and Greenguard Gold certified
The Leesa Original mattress is a 10-inch tall, all-foam mattress that's designed to provide comfort and support for all types of sleepers. It has a three layer design, similar to many of our favorite memory foam mattresses (including the Nectar Classic and Casper The One.)
The Original features a two-inch top layer of breathable foam, two inches of contouring memory foam beneath, and a six-inch core support foam base, all capped by a seamless twill fabric cover.
Leesa Original mattress review: Comfort and support
- Medium-firm sleep feel (somewhere between 5 and 7 out of 10)
- Comfortably cradling sleep feel
- Best for side or back sleeping, too soft for stomach sleepers
Leesa says its Original mattress is medium-firm, with a range between 5-7 out of 10 (10 being the firmest) on the comfort scale. To sleep on, we found it sat at the higher end of that range. However, when we placed a 15lb weight in the middle to gain an objective measurement, it sank in 2.5 inches, which puts it in our medium bracket.
We slept on the Leesa Original mattress for three weeks, and during that time we were most impressed by how supportive it was – we fell asleep each night feeling comfortably cradled by the mattress. The best mattresses for side sleepers we've tested offer relief at the shoulder and hips, something the Leesa achieves through its squishy cushioning and adaptive feel.
Our lead tester experienced the most support and pressure relief when lying on her side or back. Sometimes softer memory foam mattresses have too much 'sag' causing the lumbar region to sink into the mattress, resulting in back pain. When back or side sleeping, this wasn't an issue, with the base foams keeping the spine lifted.
However, the Original is too soft for stomach sleeping. While our lead tester wasn't uncomfortable on her stomach, her hips did begin to sink slightly in that position, which can lead to back pain developing over time. A firmer all-foam mattress, such as the Plank Firm, is a better alternative.
Leesa Original mattress review: Performance
- Sufficient heat wicking
- Minimal motion transfer
- Poor edge support
As well as comfort and support, during our three-week testing period we also assessed how well the Leesa Original performed in a number of other areas – namely temperature regulation, edge support and motion isolation. These are all things that can lead to disturbed sleep or a generally poor experience with a mattress, and are worth paying attention to when deciding which mattress to buy.
Temperature regulation
The top cooling layer, combined with the twill fabric cover, makes for a comfortable night’s sleep. Granted, we tested the mattress during the winter, but our reviewers cranked up the heat and wore multiple layers, and didn't wake up in a sweat once. However, as a general rule, all-foam mattresses like this one will sleep slightly warmer than hybrid models, due to the denser structure – a coil layer helps boost breathability. Our best hybrid mattress guide has some recommendations if you want to explore that option.
Score: 4 out of 5
Motion isolation
Motion transfer refers to how much movement reverberates across the surface of the mattress. This can disturb your sleep if you're a light or restless sleeper, or if you share a bed with a wriggler.
We were impressed by the lack of obvious motion transfer with the Leesa Original mattress. Despite shifting in her sleep and occasionally having to share the bed with a restless tabby, our lead tester didn't have any issues with having their sleep disturbed.
We tested this again by placing a wine glass on the surface, and dropping our 15lb kettlebell as distances of 4, 10 and 25 inches away. The glass wobbled slightly at all distances, but never fell over, which is a good result. We found this model had slightly more motion transfer than the cheaper Leesa Studio, which isolates movements extremely well, though.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Edge support
Relative to the rest of this medium-firm mattress, edge support is lacking. This seems to be the case for many basic or entry-level foam mattresses, but we'd expect better from a mid-tier model like this one.
When we tested this out by placing our 15lb kettlebell on the edge of the mattress, our impressions were confirmed. The weight sank 3.1 inches on the edges, compared to 2.5 inches in the centre. For good edge support, we'd expect the sinkage at the edge to be equal to, or less than, the sinkage in the centre. So that's a poor result. (In fact, it was difficult to even get the weight to stay on the edge of the mattress to be measured.)
Score: 2.5 out of 5
Leesa Original mattress review: Delivery & extras
- Delivered rolled and boxed, but can take up to 14 working days
- Takes a couple of days to reach final firmness
- We experienced some off-gassing
The Leesa Original is made in the US (you can see exactly how it comes together in our Leesa mattress factory tour.) Delivery and returns are free, and the mattress comes with a 100-night sleep trial and lifetime warranty.
This is a boxed mattress, which means the Leesa Original mattress arrives vacuum-sealed in a conveniently sized box. Unroll it onto your bed frame, remove the plastic, and within seconds it’ll shape itself into a full-fledged mattress. (Setup can be done solo, but it’s less cumbersome with the help of another person.)
It took about an hour for the Leesa Original mattress to fully expand, but a couple of days for it to reach full firmness. This is on the slow side for the best mattresses in a box, but not significantly so. It's comfortable after the first few hours, but we recommend waiting the full expansion time before sleeping on a bed in a box, to avoid damaging the interior.
One complaint is that our review model of the Leesa Original mattress had a potent off-gassing smell. While it's far from the worst we've whiffed, it’s still not a pleasant smell to fall asleep to. It took three nights before the off-gassing totally dissipated. Proper ventilation will help mitigate this. Off-gassing experiences can vary from person to person, even within the same model.
A minor thing to note: it looks like we set up the Leesa Original mattress the wrong way around. The four-stripe design is meant to be at the bottom of the bed per promo photos, not up by your head. But take it from us – it’s comfortable either way.
Leesa Original mattress: User reviews
- Average score of 4.5/5 stars from over 20k reviews
- Majority like the support and heat wicking
- Some found the foam is prone to sagging
In this Leesa Original mattress review, our lead tester is sharing their experience as a side sleeper of average build, who's prone to waking up in a sweat. Mattresses are subjective though: your shape, size, weight and sleeping style all affect how comfortable you find a mattress. So, to give you a more rounded view, we’ve combed through hundreds of Leesa Original mattress reviews from customers to look at what this mattress does well... and where it falls short.
This mattress has 4.5 stars out of 5 from nearly 20k customers on the Leesa site. At Amazon, it averages 4.1 stars out of 5 from just over 1,000 reviews.
Favorable user reviews praise the Leesa Original's support, lack of motion transfer, and cooling properties. Several satisfied sleepers even credit this mattress with alleviating their back and shoulder pain. Leesa’s customer service also received high marks for a quick turnaround to queries.
Many of the Leesa Original’s critical reviews regard the initial off-gassing smell. Even customers who were happy with their mattress have knocked off a star for that alone. Another common theme among the negative reviews is the degradation of the memory foam. Sleepers of various sizes and builds said that their Leesa mattress developed indentations and dips within a year. (Leesa says its mattress supports individual weights up to 300 pounds.)
Should you buy the Leesa Original mattress?
The Leesa Original mattress does many things well for its price – and knowing that one Leesa mattress is donated to charity for every 10 purchased may well help you sleep better at night. Certainly, if you're a back or side sleeper, the Leesa Original mattress is worth your consideration.
For most people, it should provide the right amount of give without creating too much movement if you (or your partner) shift positions during the night. Its top layer of breathable foam and twill fabric cover sufficiently wick away heat, which is good news for hot sleepers.
It won't suit everyone. Front sleepers should probably seek something firmer (head to our best firm mattress guide), and although officially this is suitable for individual weights up to 300lb, we'd probably recommend those over 250lb opt for something firmer too (if your much over that, our best mattress for bigger bodies roundup has some recommendations).
We're also a little concerned by those reports of the mattress softening within a year. Fortunately, Leesa's limited lifetime warranty covers indentations of at least one inch that are not a result of improper use. Of course, you hope to not have to use your warranty, but it's good to know it's there.
