Emma Original Mattress Review 2021

*Note: The Emma Original mattress has been discontinued. It’s been replaced by the new and improved Emma Comfort, which you can read about here.

How good is the Emma Original mattress?

Founded in Germany in 2015, the Emma mattress has made waves across the globe – 21 countries to be exact – and is an award-winning triple-layered foam mattress. It offers exceptional value for money – especially for those on a budget. It’s incredibly comfortable while also providing fantastic support for all sleeping positions. The Emma is a great choice for sleepers who want superior quality in foam design that’s made to relieve pressure and minimise partner disturbance. The Emma Original mattress has been tried and tested in Europe with multiple awards won (in fact, it’s the most awarded mattress in Europe). 

How does the Emma Original mattress feel?

The Emma Original mattress offers 7 zones of support, making it noticeably softer around the hips and shoulders. This makes it an excellent option for side sleepers. Meanwhile, it offers a firmness around the spine to ensure property alignment and support for back and stomach sleepers. Despite being a foam mattress, the Emma Original can be described as feeling more soft and responsive rather than rigid. It’s a very well-balanced mattress.

firmness

We’d rate the Emma Original at a 6.5/10 on the firmness scale. It’s certainly softer than a traditional memory foam mattress, but if you’re used to spring/hybrid mattresses, you’ll certainly notice the increased firmness of this mattress.

pressure

The innovative foam layers of the Emma Original offer pressure-relief in all the important areas. The top layer gently hugs the protruding parts of your body, while the second, more resilient layer helps with proper weight distribution and support.

temperature

With cool, breathable, and moisture-wicking covers and foams the Emma Original certainly keeps you from sweating up a storm during the night.

How much does the Emma Original cost?

Construction of the Emma Original

The Emma Original mattress boasts three unique foam layers topped with two separate covers, all of which have an OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification. What does this mean? It means they are eco-friendly and totally free of hazardous materials or chemicals. Here’s what the Emma Original looks like on the inside: 

Removable Climate-Regulating Cover: This 99% polyester/1% elastane removable top cover wicks away moisture and helps keep you cool during the night. 

Breathable Comfort Cover:  The 87% polyester/13% polypropylene breathable bottom layer prevents the covers from slipping on the foam layers. 

Breathable Eco-Friendly Hyperfoam: Made from eco-friendly materials, the top foam layer provides breathable, moisture-wicking features. Emma also suggests this layer offers decent bounce while also providing motion isolation (perhaps somewhat contradictory).

Pressure-Relieving Polyether Foam: This pressure-relieving layer works to mould to your body’s needs. With seven zones of support, this layer is designed to make the Emma mattress supportive and comfortable from top to toe. Supportive Point-Elastic Foam: This firm foam layer sits on the bottom of the mattress and is intended to counteract the springier upper layers to give your back, hips and spine additional support. It’s also supposed to help keep motion transfer to a minimum.

Durability

With a 10 year warranty, it’s safe to say the Emma Original is a reliable and durable mattress. With a combination of resilient and high-density foams designed to retain their supportive properties longer than your average foam mattress, the quality of materials and stitching is also very apparent.

Sleeper type analysis

Perhaps what makes the Emma Original so universally popular is that this medium-firm mattress has been designed to suit all sleepers across the sleep position spectrum. 

side sleeper

If we had to choose which sleeper position would best suit the Emma Original, it would be side sleepers. Side sleepers will find their shoulders and hips cushioned by the bouncy upper layer and zoned support, making it a comfortable and gentler feeling on the “bonier” parts of the body.

back sleeper

Back sleepers will also enjoy the Emma Original with the pressure-relieving zoned support keeping their spine supported and aligned all night long. Meanwhile, the softer top layer also helps contour the body without making it feel like you’re sinking.

front sleeper

Front sleepers will certainly love the weight distribution features offered by the seven zones of support.

combo sleeper

Thanks to its buoyancy and soft top layer, combination sleepers will enjoy the freedom to easily move around during the night while feeling supported in any position they land in.

How much weight can the Emma mattress hold?

The Emma mattress is suitable for individuals who weigh up to 130 kgs or couples who weigh up to 250 kgs. Therefore, if you are someone with a larger body type, the Emma Original mattress might not be best suited for you.

Is the Emma mattress good for couples?

The Emma Original is a good choice for couples. Despite being bouncier and more resilient than traditional memory foam mattresses, the Emma Original offers low motion transfer. It absorbs shock from motion quite well and provides minimal motion transfer. 

Dimensions & weight

Edge support & motion isolation

Edge Support

Foam mattresses aren’t necessarily known for having excellent edge support – unlike their hybrid/spring mattresses counterparts. However, the firm bottom layer of the Emma Original does offer pretty decent edge support and stops major sinkage. Still, edge support is not as good as what a spring or hybrid mattress would provide. 

Motion isolation

The Emma Original offers great motion isolation thanks to the firm bottom layer working in conjunction with the softer top layer. This creates a great and comfy sleep surface that is both responsive but also isolated. 

Delivery

Emma offers free delivery on all mattresses to all areas, with delivery taking between 0-7 days depending on the time of order and where you live.

Final verdict after 30 sleeps

The Emma Original is a bit of a game-changer. It usually takes me a few nights to a week to get used to a new mattress but with the Emma Original, it took only one or two nights for me to feel comfortable and easily fall asleep. After a month of sleeping on the Emma Original, my morning aches and pains were noticeably absent.

The firmness of the mattress (dare I say) was “just right”, especially considering I don’t typically love foam mattresses. In terms of sleeping with my partner, I did find I could feel him moving around more during the night in comparison to similar mattresses, but the value and other benefits of the Emma Original outweigh that minimal disturbance. 

Emma comparison

If you’re searching for a well-priced foam mattress that’s received numerous awards around the world, you really can’t look past the Emma Original mattress. But how does it compare to similar players in the space? In terms of feel, if you’re looking for a medium foam mattress, the Emma Original should be top of your list.

However, if you’re looking for something a bit firmer or adjustable, Ecosa and Koala come in at a similar price point while also offering the feature of being able to adjust the firmness of your mattress. So, if you prefer to have the option of adjusting the firmness, you’d be better off going with Ecosa or Koala.

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Best Overall

Best Memory Foam

Mattress in a box

Mattress for couples

Best for Back Pain

Best Hybrid Mattress