Saatva Mattress Review

This article was originally published on Mattress Finder.

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The Saatva Classic mattress is the bed that launched the Saatva brand back in 2011. Over the years, this mattress has developed a following of sleepers who say it relieves pressure while they sleep. But while the bed has thousands of reviews from satisfied customers, that doesn’t mean that it’s the perfect bed for everyone.

There is definitely a kind of sleeper who will love the Saatva Classic in the Luxury Firm feel — and sleepers who won’t get what they’re looking for.

Let’s dive into the pros and cons as well as discuss what kind of sleeper this mattress works best for.

What is Saatva?

Saatva derives its name from a Sanskrit word, “sattva.” Sattva is defined as the virtue of goodness, freshness, and purity. The Saatva founders felt like it encapsulates that just-woke-up feeling after you’ve been refreshed by a good night’s sleep. It also reflected the brand’s stated commitment to honesty with customers and sustainable materials, according to its own mission statement.

Saatva is known for being one of the pioneers of the direct-to-consumer mattress sales model. Unlike the “bed-in-a-box” competitors, Saatva offers white glove delivery and removal of your old mattress when you order one of its beds.

Saatva is also known for its luxury innerspring mattress (“Classic”) that’s available in three comfort levels: Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm. This article focuses on the Saatva Classic mattress in Luxury Firm — the brand’s best-seller.

The company states on its website that over 80% of people favor this model. And that’s the model we tested, so that’s what we’ll primarily be referring to throughout the review.

The brand also carries a latex mattress called the Zenhaven and a line of premium memory foam called Loom & Leaf, along with a few other options we’ll touch on in a minute.

Pros and cons at a glance

Saatva mattress types

Aside from its popular flagship mattress, Saatva also has other choices to shop from:

• Solaire: This adjustable pick is for all sleep positions and features 50 firmness options.
• Latex hybrid: This one’s a medium-firm mattress with pocketed coils and a hand-tufted cushioned Euro top — it’s designed for excellent airflow and all sleep positions.
• Loom & Leaf: This is the brand’s line of “ultra-premium” gel memory foam mattresses. Offered in two firmness options (Relaxed Firm and Firm), the brand says it’s best for back, combination, and side sleepers.
• Zenhaven: Dual-sided (and flippable), this mattress is made of organic wool and natural latex. It’s available in Luxury Plush and Gentle Firm.
• Memory foam hybrid: Combining the best of both worlds, this medium-firm mattress uses CertiPUR-US-certified memory foam and innerspring, making it a good choice for back, combination, and side sleepers.
• Saatva HD: This mattress uses what the brand describes as a high-durability coil base intended for sleepers with larger bodies and is good for all sleeping positions.
• Saatva Youth: Saatva offers dual-sided and flippable mattresses for children with a waterproof barrier and cooling materials.
• Crib mattress: Made with organic wool and breathable materials, this mattress has one extra-firm side for babies and one regular firm side for toddlers.

Who is the Saatva mattress for?

Saatva takes a different approach than most other online mattress companies in that its bed incorporates multiple layers of coils. The Saatva Classic Luxury Firm mattress starts with a steel coil base support system that gives the bed a solid, durable foundation.

Sitting on top of the steel coils is a layer of individually wrapped comfort coils. These coils are closer to the top of the mattress, obviously, and give the bed a little bounce.

Having the coils near the top also gives the bed strong bi-directional support, meaning the coils can contour to your body’s shape while also providing a little pushback.

On top of all the coils is a layer of memory foam. This is supposed to relieve tension in your lower back.

Encasing the entire mattress is Saatva’s dual perimeter foam edge support system. This gives the edges of the bed some structural support and, over time, is meant to prevent sagging.

The mattress also comes with a Euro pillow top for extra softness and an organic cotton cover. Euro pillow tops add more cushioning than traditional pillow tops.

We like that Saatva uses organic materials and the bed looks nice, but it just kind of reminds us of an old-school-looking innerspring mattress. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

One possible red flag: The cover is nonremovable, so if you happen to spill something on the mattress (or sometimes share your bed with a tyke or two), you’ll just have to spot-clean any stains with mild detergent and water. That’s how you clean most mattresses, even if the cover is removable, so no big deal there.

Saatva mattress temperature regulation

The Saatva mattress is not cool to the touch, but since it incorporates multiple layers of coils, we feel the mattress does a pretty good job of regulating airflow.

Still, we wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s a top-notch cooling mattress. We’d say it’s temperature neutral. The mattress won’t sleep hot, but it also doesn’t sleep particularly cool either.

Most of the mattresses we test are in this category, so it’s not a knock by any means. There’s only been a handful of mattresses that we’ve tested where the bed is cool to the touch.

Saatva motion transfer

We were expecting the Saatva mattress to perform poorly in terms of limiting motion transfer but were pleasantly surprised. Typically, all-foam beds deaden movement a little better than innerspring beds, but we’re guessing the layer of memory foam and the Euro pillow top help out the Saatva mattress.

In our test, we placed a half-full glass of water at one end of the bed and then started rolling/walking around the glass. The water only sloshed around a little bit. We were expecting the glass to almost fall over, but it never even came close.

It’s still not the best mattress we’ve ever tested in this regard, but it’s good enough to where we don’t think you’ll have any issues if you or your partner move around a lot in your sleep.

As you would expect with an innerspring bed, the Saatva mattress is very responsive. The mattress pops back to its original shape immediately after releasing pressure. This means that you’ll find it quite easy to switch between sleeping positions throughout the night.

Generally, responsiveness is also an indicator of long-term mattress durability, so Saatva earns a high grade here for sure.

Saatva edge support

Saatva also performs extremely well in terms of edge support. The foam-encased perimeter definitely does its job.

When you sit or lay near the edge, the bed barely compresses, and you don’t get that roll-off sensation like you get with a lot of bed-in-a-box mattresses out there.

In fact, we’d say the Saatva mattress is one of the best beds we’ve tested in this department. Edge support is an important area for couples who share a smaller size bed.

Customer reviews and brand reputation

Saatva’s classic mattress has over 28,000 reviews on the brand’s website. You have to dig for less than 5-star ratings, but once you do, you’ll see some complaints that come down to personal preference — “too firm” or “not firm enough.”

Right now, Saatva has an excellent rating on Trustpilot, a popular third-party review site. The company is given a 4.6 out of 5-star rating here, with buyers noting positive experiences with delivery and mattress quality.

At the time of writing, the company also has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.

Shipping, trial period, and warranty

Saatva offers free shipping and returns. However, unlike most bed-in-a-box companies, the mattress doesn’t arrive compressed in a box.

Instead, Saatva includes free white glove delivery. That means an actual person will deliver the mattress and help you get it set up. And if you want, they will even remove your old mattress so it can be safely disposed of.

Once your new mattress is all set up, Saatva gives you a 365-night home trial. If you decide you don’t like the bed at any point during the trial period, just give the company a call, and they’ll send someone to come pick it up from your home or apartment free of charge and issue you a full refund. There’s no return shipping to worry about.

Saatva also backs the mattress with a 15-year warranty. In the first 2 years of ownership, Saatva will replace the mattress, no questions asked, if any material defects are found. In years 3 to 15, Saatva will repair or re-cover the mattress, but you have to pay the shipping fee each way.

Saatva mattress vs. competitors

There’s some steep competition between popular luxury (and like-luxury) mattress brands. Here’s how they stack up. (We based the pricing below on queen-size models.)

Frequently asked questions

Do Saatva mattresses sag over time?

The brand’s flagship mattress — The Saatva Classic Mattress — is an innerspring mattress built with high-density foam rails, which the brand says offers firm edge support. It’s likely that this mattress won’t sag as quickly as a traditional foam mattress might. Over time, mattress edges tend to sag, which is often a sign it’s time to replace your mattress.

Should Saatva mattresses be rotated?

Saatva suggests rotating your mattress after the first 6 months, then once per year after that.

Will the Saatva Mattress work with your existing bed frame?

Yes, Saatva recommends you use its entire system (mattress, foundation, etc.), but your existing box spring and foundation will work just fine as long as it’s sturdy and in good condition.

Is the Saatva mattress 100% organic?

No, but Saatva incorporates eco-friendly foams that use at least 30% soy or corn oil. Saatva also uses recycled steel for coils and organic cotton for the mattress cover. The mattress is made in the USA with Certi-PUR foams and a plant-based flame retardant.

What makes up the 3-inch height difference in offered models?

The height difference is in the lower steel base coil unit. The 11.5-inch model has two fewer turns than the 14.5-inch model. The feel of the mattress is still the same. The difference is purely for looks.

Takeaway

The Saatva Luxury Firm mattress isn’t our favorite bed, but that’s just because we prefer a soft, foam feel. This is a great option for people who like a traditional innerspring feel. It’s also likely to appeal to you if you live with chronic back pain, or if you are a back and stomach sleeper. It’s a good choice for couples, and the materials are high quality. This is a mattress that should last a long time, so it’s a good pick if durability is high on your priority list.

However, there’s no one-size-fits-all perfect mattress, and you should know that before you buy the Saatva Classic. People who sleep on their side, hot sleepers, and those who prefer a cushiony, body-contouring mattress with a memory foam feel should skip this one.

The Mattress Finder team is composed of certified professionals who are passionate about helping consumers improve their sleep. We thoroughly test each mattress we review through a series of practical, hands-on inspections and assessments. We write every review expecting that our closest friends and family members rely on us for their mattress and sleep product decisions, so honesty and authenticity are core principles of our inspection process.