The Layla and Lessa are both all-foam mattresses with interesting twists — the Layla is flippable for different levels of firmness while the Leesa uses proprietary LSA 200 foam for a unique feel! Both mattresses also feature a comfortable balance between temperature control and body contouring, hopefully leaving sleepers more energized after a full night’s sleep.
Is the Layla or the Leesa better for you? I will go through their similarities, differences, and unique properties to get the answer. You’ll get all of the details below, but if you don’t have time just skip to the review summary.
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Similarities
The Layla and the Leesa resemble each other in more than name. Let’s first take a look at the similarities between the two. By the way, my full reviews on the Layla and the Leesa are right here if you want more details!
- Memory foam – Both the Layla and the Leesa create a classic feel of contouring with memory foam, with either an infusion or other foams used to reduce its tendency to trap body heat.
- Clean materials – Studies show that the copper infusions in the Layla kill 99.99999999% of the bacteria per hour on a high-touch surface. The Leesa is CertiPUR-US® certified, meaning that the mattress only includes organic materials.
What are These Beds Made of?
The Layla and the Leesa have important differences as well! I will go through each of these beds layer by layer, describing the materials and how they work within the bed.
Layla
[Note: The order of layers mentioned here is for the Layla with the softer side up.]
Cover – The Layla starts off with a cover of thin, breathable polyester. It helps with temperature control by separating the sleeper from the heat-absorbing memory foam layer below it. Polyester is a common material in bed-in-a-box configurations, but this doesn’t necessarily take away from the Layla.
Soft Comfort – After the polyester cover, a 3” layer of memory foam provides pressure relief and body-contouring because of its slow response to pressure. A copper infusion helps the memory foam to sleep less hot, as it is known to trap body heat.
Transition – After the soft layer of memory foam, 2” of high-density poly foam gives the Layla a transition layer between the softer comfort layer into the second layer of high-density poly foam below.
Support – One more layer of high-density poly foam gives foundational support to the Layla. HD poly foam is also a common material used in the base of most bed-in-a-box mattresses.
Firm Comfort – Under the second layer of HD poly foam, the Layla features 1” of memory foam. It is also infused with copper to help it sleep cooler. With the soft side up, this layer doesn’t affect the Layla’s feel. With the firmer side up, this memory foam provides a bit of pressure relief before transitioning into the high-density poly foam layer below it.
Thoughts: The Layla has a classic memory foam feel on its soft and firm sides. The difference between 1” and 3” of memory foam is the amount of pressure relief it gives before transitioning into firmer layers. Strict side sleepers will likely prefer the softer side of the mattress because of this additional pressure relief.
Leesa
Cover – The cover on the Leesa is a thin twill polyester fabric that helps the bed breathe before the sleeper touches the comfort layer.
Comfort – The Layla moves right into the memory foam layer, but the Leesa places its proprietary LSA 200 foam between the cover and contour layers. LSA 200 is a latex alternative that has a slow response to pressure. This lets the sleeper sink into the layer, but it also sleeps cool. LSA 200 foam is also bouncier than traditional memory foam.
Transition – After the soft LSA 200 layer, the Leesa places a soft layer of memory foam with a slow response to pressure. The combination gives sleepers a comfortable sink into the mattress and another layer of pressure relief. LSA 200 is a naturally cooling foam, so placing it above the memory foam keeps the latter from trapping body heat.
Base – After the layer of memory foam, the foundational support for the Leesa comes from a layer of high-density poly foam. This layer provides shape to the Leesa as well.
Thoughts: The Leesa’s LSA 200 latex alternative and layer of memory foam provide soft body-contouring, but the bed sleeps cooler than traditional memory foam. Strict back and side sleepers should find a lot to love about the Leesa — it gives pressure relief in the shoulders while holding firm in the hips. However, LSA 200 also has a bit more bounce and lift to it than traditional memory foam or latex, giving it a firmer overall feel than the Layla.
Layla vs. Leesa
We now know the similarities and the differences in Layla and the Leesa. It’s time to pit these two mattresses head-to-head. Comparing the construction of these two beds will tell us much more about how they might feel for different types of sleepers.
The Layla’s most unique feature is its ability to flip onto a softer and firmer side. Don’t worry, back sleepers — you still get good spinal alignment on both sides. Strict side sleepers will likely feel more pressure relief in the shoulders on the soft side. Regardless, the classic memory foam feel is prevalent on both sides. Sleepers will feel a bit more on top of the mattress with the firm side up, or you can sink right into the bedding on the soft side.
The Leesa’s LSA 200 foam gives sleepers a soft body contour while maintaining a feeling of firm support in the hips. Strict back and stomach sleepers should enjoy this. However, strict side sleepers may not be able to sink into the mattress enough to keep joints from jamming over the course of a night. However, do not expect its slightly firmer profile to provide the same bounce as a hybrid or innerspring mattress — the feel is still closer to an all-foam texture.
When comparing the two, the Leesa is firmer than the Layla, especially on the soft side. Although the Layla is firmer, strict stomach sleepers should probably move towards a specialized bed with even more support in the hips. Combo sleepers should be able to enjoy the firm side of the Layla or the Leesa because of the feeling of being on top of the bed that provides a bit more mobility than the Layla’s soft side.
Which Mattress Has the Best Feel?
We’ve seen the construction of the Layla and the Leesa. This is good info, but now you’re probably thinking about how these mattresses feel to different types of sleepers! I have tests that I run to answer this question, the most important of which is my Firmness test.
The test is scored on a range that moves between 1 (soft) to 10 (hard) with 6.5 being the industry standard for medium firmness. In order to consider the different body types that affect this subjective range, I run my firmness test with colleagues of different body sizes, shapes, and types. The numbers you see below are the averages of our responses.
Layla
With the soft side up, I gave the Layla a 5.5/10. This is quite soft when compared to the industry standard of 6.5. Sleepers in all positions (back, side, and stomach) should experience quality body-contouring, although there is support for good spinal alignment in the back position. I can also recommend the bed to strict side sleepers because of the pressure relief in the shoulders. Combo sleepers may prefer the firmer side because switching positions is easier when that side is up.
The firm side of the Layla got a 6.5/10. This is the industry standard for medium firmness. The 1” layer of memory foam helps sleepers feel more mobile and on top of the mattress without giving up pressure relief in the shoulders. However, this is probably still not firm enough to keep the spine aligned in the stomach position. I sank a bit too much into the memory foam when on my stomach, which may cause the back to bow uncomfortably.
Leesa
The Leesa earned a firmness ranking of 7/10. This is slightly firmer than the industry standard and firmer than both sides of the Layla. Strict back sleepers should definitely feel supported in the hips, and combo back-stomach sleepers should have a good experience as well. Strict stomach sleepers, however, may need even more support. The LSA 200 alt-latex layer gives a higher level of mobility than the memory foam comfort layer of the Layla, so combo sleepers may prefer the Leesa.
Strict side sleepers may be missing some very important pressure relief in the shoulders, however. The memory foam that is in the Leesa is covered by the LSA 200. Both provide decent pressure relief, but the deep sink you get from top layer memory foam isn’t quite present here.
Both the Layla and the Leesa should be great for combo sleepers (the Layla on its firm side more than its soft one). Sleepers also have a choice to make — go with the classic memory foam feel and sink (Layla) or sleep with a little bit more support (Leesa)? It’s a good problem to have, but keep in mind that the Leesa has a bit firmer profile than even the firm side of the Layla!
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Other Models
It is sometimes good to compare all-foam mattresses to their hybrid counterparts. Leesa also makes a hybrid mattress, which usually has a bouncier profile with better mobility than all-foam. The Leesa Hybrid is also good to compare against the Layla because of the latter’s ability to flip. Let’s do it and see what we get!
Leesa Hybrid
- The Leesa Hybrid uses foams similar to the Layla and the Leesa in its top layers for comfort. However, the coil support below gives the bed a profile most similar to the firm side of the Layla.
- Another result of using coils is that the Leesa Hybrid is bouncier than both the all-foam Leesa and the Layla. This mobility should appeal to combo sleepers.
- The Hybrid also has good motion isolation and edge support, which make it a good choice for couples.
- The Hybrid ($1095-$1895) is more expensive than the all-foam Leesa ($595-$1195) and the Layla ($499-$999).
- Get the details about the Leesa Hybrid in my full review here, and save 15% on the price of the Leesa Hybrid by simply clicking below!
Which Mattress is the Winner?
And now we come to the end of our head-to-head comparison of the Layla and the Leesa! I have gone over the feel, the construction, and the differences between the two beds. Which one is the winner for you? Hopefully this summary section will make your buying decision a little easier.
The soft side of the Layla has that classic memory foam sink and contour some sleepers love. You trade that in for bounciness, which combo sleepers may not find very appealing when trying to switch positions. Strict stomach sleepers will probably need a firmer mattress to keep the spine properly aligned during the night, so there are probably better choices here. I can recommend the softer side of the Layla for strict side sleepers because of its pressure relief and comfortable sink in the shoulders.
The Leesa has a firmer overall profile than either side of the Layla, which may cause strict side sleepers problems in the shoulder area. There is a bit of memory foam sinkage, but don’t expect to sink into the mattress. The advantage here is that you get a little more mobility for switching positions as a combo sleeper. I can recommend the Layla for combo back-side sleepers because of the balance of pressure relief and support in this mattress.
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Final Thoughts
And finally, we’ll conclude with a few of my most important takeaways. Let’s take a look at what really makes these mattresses unique, especially when compared to each other!
Layla
- Strict side sleepers should enjoy the softer side of the Layla because of the pressure relief in the shoulder area.
- If you love to sink into your mattress, this classic memory foam feel of the Layla should have you sleeping quite well!
Leesa
- Combo sleepers should love the mobility that the Leesa provides as well as the ease of switching positions.
- If you have a tendency to overheat during the night, the Leesa sleeps much cooler than most mattresses that feature memory foam!
Basic Information
| Layla | Leesa | |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | 120 Nights | 100 Nights |
| Shipping | Free | Free |
| Warranty | Lifetime | 10 Years |
FAQ: What’s the difference between Innerspring & Memory Foam mattresses?
How Much Do the Layla and Leesa Cost?
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| Size | Leesa | Layla |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | $595 | $599 |
| Twin XL | $695 | $699 |
| Full | $895 | $899 |
| Queen | $995 | $999 |
| King | $1,195 | $1,099 |
| California King | $1,195 | $1,099 |
If you have anything else to say about the Layla, the Leesa, or the comparison between them, feel free to continue the conversation below!
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