The Emma Original Mattress is everywhere. I feel like I constantly see Emma advertisements on my social media feeds, as well as Emma mattress reviews popping up on our competitors' sites. When I finally decided to put this bed to the test, I was very impressed with the results.
For comfort and convenience at a low cost, you won't find much better than the Emma Original Mattress. Made from memory foam, this bed is designed to relieve pressure, ease pain, and absorb motion for restorative, undisturbed sleep. As a sleeper who suffers from recurring backache, I'm pleased to report that the Emma Original Mattress really took the weight off my body.
Here at H&G, we know what makes the best mattress: a careful balance between comfort and support; enhanced breathability; excellent motion isolation and edge support; as well as a high weight-bearing capacity. The Emma Original Mattress excels in almost all areas, though the cooling leaves a little to be desired.
Emma Original Mattress review
I was asked to test the Emma Original Mattress at the start of last year. Twelve months later, I'm still sleeping on it: it's just that good. It's our reigning champion for the best box mattress, as well as the best memory foam mattress on the market.
Emma Original Mattress Specifications
Who would the Emma Original Mattress suit?
- All sleep positions: the Emma Original Mattress has a medium-firm feel, made to relieve pressure from your hips and shoulders while lying on your side, but also able to bear your weight while sleeping on your back or stomach.
- Buyers on a budget: I tested the Full-sized Emma Original, which retails for $979, but it's almost always listed for less in the mattress sales. Right now, the Emma Original Mattress is selling at half-price in all sizes − that's just $489 for a Full.
- Anyone who suffers from chronic pain: built with support in mind, the Emma Original Mattress comprises three thick layers of foam to relieve pressure from pre-existing aches and pains and prevent any from developing in the future. In my time testing the Emma Original Mattress, I found that my lower back pain has significantly reduced.
- Light sleepers or anyone who shares a bed: the Emma Original Mattress boasts excellent motion isolation (all that thick foam is made to absorb movement), so you should be able to sleep undisturbed.
What's it like to sleep on the Emma Original Mattress?
- Comfort and support: when I first lay down on the Emma Original Mattress, I was instantly impressed with how comfortable the foam layers felt. Although it sank to shape around my body, I never felt like I was disappearing into the mattress. The Emma Original Mattress easily contoured to my hips, knees, neck, and shoulders, so that I never felt crushed against the mattress. My partner was similarly enthusiastic about the Emma Original Mattress, agreeing that it offered great support throughout the night – leagues ahead of our old mattress. One note he made, however, is that it isn't the softest mattress he's ever slept on, and he might have preferred something more plush. Emma rates their Original Mattress at a 5 on a firmness scale of 1-10, and I'm inclined to agree, but only you know whether such firm support would feel right for you.
- Breathability and cooling: you hear a lot about hot sleepers, but I'm a cold sleeper − I want to feel warm and cozy in bed. My partner, however, is a hot sleeper, and we had very different experiences with the Emma Original Mattress. Like I said, this bed is made from memory foam, which tends to trap heat, since all those thick layers don't leave much room for air to flow. That wasn't a problem for me, but it was for my partner, and it might be for you. If you're a seriously hot sleeper, I suggest you invest in the best cooling mattress, though you could always pair your Emma Original Mattress with a set of the best cooling sheets.
- Motion isolation: this is a particularly important quality for me, since my partner is such a restless sleeper. I found that the Emma Original Mattress absorbed most of the movement from his tossing and turning, so that I could sleep undisturbed on the other side of the bed. I even conducted a motion isolation test, filling a glass with water before walking up and down on the bed. Although the glass started to tip the closer I got, it never spilled a drop of water, indicating excellent motion isolation.
- Edge support: the Emma Original Mattress has pretty decent edge support, though it's nowhere near as good as the SweetNight Prime Memory Foam Mattress. Still, I never felt like I was slipping off the edge of the bed when I sat on the Emma Original Mattress, and I'd recommend it for stomach sleepers who tend to lie on the side of the bed.
- Sleep trial: Emma offers a 365-night mattress sleep trial. That's more than enough time to test your mattress across several seasons and monitor its performance throughout the year before you commit to your purchase.
- Warranty: the Emma Original Mattress comes with a 10-year mattress warranty that covers tears, dents, or other foam damage caused in spite of proper care and handling. If you're keen to elongate the life of your mattress, then I suggest you invest in the best mattress protector to safeguard against spills and stains. It'll only set you back $100, but it's the best way to protect your purchase.
How does the Emma Original Mattress rate online?
The Emma Original Mattress boasts a 4.7 average star rating from more than 65,000 verified reviews on the Emma site. There's an option to filter the reviews by sleep positions, so that you can hear from people who sleep like you: on their front, back, side, or a combination of the three.
Happy customers praise the comfort and support of the Emma Original Mattress, though opinion differs as to its firmness: some complain that the bed is too firm, while others insist it isn't firm enough. The vast majority of the negative reviews concern practical matters, from the return policy to the delivery time. Although I can only speak to my own experience, I had a swift delivery and no problems with the Emma Original Mattress.
Should I buy the Emma Original Mattress?
If you like a medium-firm mattress with good support, and you don't mind a slightly warmer, cozier temperature, then the Emma Original Mattress would make a great bed. It's suitable for a wide range of sleep positions, as well as joint and muscle complaints.
Best of all, it's one of the best affordable mattresses on the market, well within budget for the average American. I'd happily spend another couple hundred dollars if I knew I was getting an Emma Original Mattress at the end of it.
How we test mattresses
We put a lot of thought into how we test mattresses. Our expert testers sample mattresses for months to monitor their performance over time and assess their breathability throughout the seasons. Instead of sitting on a bed for 10 minutes in a test center, we do all our testing at home to give you the fullest possible picture of what it might be like to use this product.
We assess each mattress against the same criteria: comfort; support; cooling properties; motion isolation; edge support; and weight bearing capacity. Some of our tests are subjective, while others are more scientific. We use a system of weights and water glasses to measure features such as motion isolation, edge support, and weight bearing capacity, but we like to reinforce our findings with our feelings. We consider how it actually felt to sleep in the bed: how well it bore our weight and supported our bodies, as well as a bunch of dumbbells and water glasses.
Where possible, we compare our results against verified customer reviews to show a range of experiences with the same mattress. Finally, we bring it all back to the price of the product to help you determine value for money.
