Today I’ll be exploring the original all-foam mattress from European bedding brand Emma. Designed by German engineers, this bed’s special combo of foams and nifty zoned support channels seems likely to provide an all-encompassing sleeping experience that’s both supportive and luxuriously soft.
But is the Emma mattress really all it’s cracked up to be? I won’t know until I put it through my series of tried-and-true tests, which should not only tell me if this bed is worth the hype, but whether or not it could be the perfect bed for you! From firmness level to motion control, breathability to bounce, here’s all you need to know about the original Emma mattress.
Don’t have time to read it all? No problem! Click here to skip to the bottom and check out my review summary.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Is the Emma a Good Mattress for You?
Let’s hit the ground running with some of the basics about the Emma to help you decide if it’s a good mattress for you. Depending on your body weight, height, and preferred sleeping position, the Emma may or may not work for you. While I can’t make that decision for you, you can take a look at some of my recommendations below to get there on your own.
Who I recommend the Emma mattress for
- I think the Emma is a great choice for side sleepers. It is a soft all-foam mattress that can provide the deep pressure relief these sleepers are looking for.
- The Emma is a nice option for hot sleepers who still want a soft foam touch.
- Light sleepers, even kiddos, should be quite fond of the Emma mattress. It is truly soft, and offers the hugging feeling these sleepers often look for.
Who I don’t recommend the Emma mattress for
- The Emma is probably too soft for stomach sleepers, who need more support along the hips to be comfortable.
- Couples may want to head in a different direction. The softness of this mattress extends to all edges, leaving it prone to sagging around the perimeter.
- The Emma is not a bouncy mattress, so I don’t think it’s the best choice for combination sleepers, who need a bit of bounce to help them easily switch positions throughout the night. I typically recommend combo sleepers check out our best hybrid mattresses roundup.
- Heavier folks are not going to be supported enough on this all-foam build and should check out one of our best innerspring mattresses instead.
How Firm is the Emma Mattress?
One of the most important factors that goes into buying a new mattress is firmness level, which is the initial feeling you experience when you first lie down. To determine the Emma’s actual firmness score, I asked a few of my colleagues to test out the Emma alongside me and provide their input. We each gave a firmness level score between 1 and 10: 10 being the most firm and 1 being the softest. We averaged our scores together to come up with the final number which you can see below.
Naturally, people of different body types and shapes will feel firmness differently, so you might not find the bed exactly as firm or as soft as we did; but hopefully our combined responses will give you a general idea of what kind of firmness to expect from this bed.
Thanks to that strong initial feeling of softness and contouring, I would say this bed ranks on the softer side of the firmness spectrum, so I gave it a 5 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale. As you can see from the graph, my colleagues were pretty much in consensus about the firmness of the Emma, giving it an average firmness rating of 5.5 out of 10. Given that the industry standard for medium firmness is 6.5, the Emma is a soft bed, falling well below the threshold for medium-firm.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress Performance
Firmness is one of the most important characteristics to consider when searching for a new mattress, but there are definitely more things to look at. To really determine whether a bed is a good match for you, it’s also important to consider how it performed in different sleeping positions, how it relieved pain and pressure, and how it might feel to couples sharing the bed. So let’s do just that!
Testing the Emma Mattress in Different Sleeping Positions
Different sleeping positions and weights require different amounts of support. Generally, light sleepers don’t need the same amount of support as heavy sleepers. Read on below to see how the Emma mattress performs for sleepers of different weights.
Is the Emma a Good Mattress for Light Sleepers (Under 130 lb)?
- Light Back Sleepers – Light back sleepers tend to feel mattresses as a bit firmer than advertised, so I think this bed would be a good option for these folks — if they prefer a soft touch. This mattress definitely falls on the soft side of the firmness scale, and some back sleepers may desire more support.
- Light Side Sleepers – I think light side sleepers will really enjoy this mattress. The Emma will provide soft zoned support at all the right spots for these sleepers.
- Light Stomach Sleepers – Light stomach sleepers will need more support than the Emma offers and should lean towards a firmer, possibly hybrid option.
Is the Emma a Good Mattress for Average Weight Sleepers (130 – 250 lb)?
- Average Weight Back Sleepers – I think average weight back sleepers will be okay on this mattress. It is on the softer side, but throwing lots of dense polyfoam and Airgocell foam into the build should make these sleepers feel evenly balanced.
- Average Weight Side Sleepers – I think the Emma is an excellent option for average weight side sleepers who will benefit from its soft and contouring foam layers. The Emma will feel especially comfortable to sleepers that enjoy a classic memory foam feel.
- Average Weight Stomach Sleepers – I would steer average weight stomach sleepers towards a firmer mattress. This soft option will allow these sleepers’ hips to sink into the bed, creating an unhealthy bend in their lower back and leading to painful pressure build up.
Is the Emma a Good Mattress for Heavy Sleepers (over 250 lb)?
- Heavy Back Sleepers – Heavy sleepers will not be supported enough by this mattress. These sleepers should opt for a firmer bed, which they can find in our best mattresses for heavy people roundup.
- Heavy Side Sleepers – See above.
- Heavy Stomach Sleepers – See above.
Emma Mattress Pain Relief Performance
Something important to consider in any mattress purchase is how the bed responds to pressure points along the body. If you sleep on your side, for instance, you probably tend to feel pressure at the hips and shoulders, so you’ll want to check out how the bed supports you and provides relief in those areas.
Words alone can sometimes fall short in conveying the feel of a mattress, so I thought I’d make a handy visual aid to show where someone may feel pressure points form while lying on it. To do this, I placed a pressure map on top of the mattress.
As I moved between positions, the map created a colorful graphic depicting how my body was interacting with the structure in real time. Blue and green areas indicate zones of low pressure, while yellow and red ones demonstrate high pressure.
Back Pain – When lying on my back, I felt some fantastic contouring and sinkage at my lumbar region. The memory foam layer did a top-notch job of filling in the space at my lower back and the foam contouring helped to cushion my spine. While this all makes this bed a great option for back sleepers with back pain, it also means it’s a poor choice for stomach sleepers with back pain.
Shoulder Pain – Rolling onto my side, I felt pressure relief at both my shoulders and hips, typical problem areas for side sleepers. The dense, cushiony memory foam layer cradled me along those pesky pressure points, while the zoned support channels in the support layer gave extra relief to my spine and shoulders. This bed would be an excellent choice for side sleepers with shoulder pain. While it wouldn’t be as targeted, shoulder pain should also be alleviated for back sleepers — the mattress will really work to keep you level and cushioned across its surface.
Hip Pain – As I just mentioned above, I had great hip pain relief when lying on my side. On the other hand though, I immediately felt my hips dip into the soft memory foam layer when I rolled onto my stomach. The Airgocell layer seemed defeated by the pressure of the hips in prone position, and couldn’t provide quite as much bounce as it did when I was lying on my back. Overall, this bed is not a good choice for stomach sleepers, but especially not for those with hip pain.
Emma Performance for Couples
When sharing the bed with a partner, you’ll want to keep a few more things in mind while shopping for a new mattress. Features you’ll want to consider include motion transfer, performance during sex, cooling, and edge support.
Motion Transfer
No review would be complete without a good old fashioned motion transfer test. While this test is useful for all sleepers, it’s especially applicable to those of you planning to share your bed with a partner, as it’ll give you an idea of how much you’ll be disturbed when they sneak out of bed to eat ice cream in the middle of the night.
To illustrate motion transfer, I dropped a 10 lb steel ball from heights of 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches and measured the disturbance it caused: the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.
The results of this test showed that the Emma has fairly low motion transfer, which is great news for couples and dog-lovers. You’re not likely to feel normal movements and disturbances from across the bed, and even larger motions produced relatively minor spikes in our test. This means the Emma could be a great pick for lighter sleepers.
Sex
All-foam mattresses tend to be poor options for sex, and the Emma falls along with the rest of its category. While it may perform a little better due to its dense foundation, there is not much bounce or responsiveness here — which is necessary in a good mattress for sex.
Cooling
Memory foam mattresses have a reputation for overheating, but the Emma is here to change that! This mattress has cooling capabilities that rank it way over its all-foam bed competition. It has a breathable cover and Airgocell polyfoam with an open-cell structure to promote airflow and regulate your temperature. I would say it’s a safe bet that even hot sleepers will find the Emma a cool option!
Edge Support
If you are an active sleeper and tend to move around throughout the night, you’ll probably want to know what your chances are of falling off the bed and ending up on the floor. To help you in this endeavor I tested out the Emma’s edge support.
Lying on my back near the edge of the bed, I felt the mattress sloping down from the center under my body weight. I found the edge of the bed in general collapses a bit too easily, which means this bed is likely not the best choice for those in need of a structured mattress or for couples who share a bed.
What is the Emma Mattress Made Of?
The Emma mattress is made of a mix of Airgocell foam, memory foam, and dense polyfoam to provide the sleeper with deep pressure relief, body-contouring and sinkage. Additionally, zoned support sections built into these foam layers help to balance all that softness with some necessary structure.
To figure out what this bed is really all about, let’s take a closer look at these individual layers, one by one.
Cover – The cover is constructed of a straightforward polyester blend, with the added perk of being removable and machine-washable. Polyester is often used in mattress covers thanks to its breathability and natural heat-dispersing properties, so Emma wisely chooses not to reinvent the wheel here.
Comfort Layer – This bed’s top layer is built with 1.5 inches of Airgocell foam, which responds quickly to pressure and should provide the sleeper with some immediate tension relief. This layer also encourages extra breathability and airflow, thanks to an open pore structure.
Contour Layer – Moving down to the contour layer, you’ll find 2 inches of cushioned memory foam. A favorite among side sleepers thanks to its pressure-relieving softness, memory foam is famous for its sinkage and its slow response to movement (thus the name). Since the comfort layer is made of quick-responding Airgocell foam, and the contour layer directly beneath is made of slow-responding memory foam, these two layers in concert provide a contrasting balance that cradles the sleeper without restricting movement too much.
Foundation Layer – The base layer in this mattress is a thick 8 inches of high-density poly foam. Like the comfort layer above, the sturdy and supportive material in this section helps to counteract the super-soft contouring layer of memory foam. The inclusion of zoned support channels offers a more comfortable sleeping experience, providing varying degrees of lift and cushion throughout the bed helping promote spinal alignment.
Emma Unboxing and Off-Gassing
The Emma is a bed-in-a-box mattress, which means it will arrive compressed and will have to be unboxed at home. As with all bed-in-a-box mattresses, you’ll need to wait at least 24 hours for this bed to fully decompress.
Like many new mattresses, the Emma will likely emit a smell when it is first unboxed — this is known as off-gassing. If you do detect an odor, I suggest unzipping the mattress cover and leaving it in a well-ventilated room for a few hours while the smell completely dissipates.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
My Final Thoughts about the Emma Mattress
Now that we’ve fully explored the Emma mattress on a granular level, let’s recap some of my favorite things, as well as my complaints, to get to the bottom of the final question: Is the Emma an excellent fit for you?
My favorite things about the Emma mattress
If you crave a soft, sinking feeling but don’t want to feel smothered or stuck, the Emma won’t steer you wrong. It features great body contouring, soft sinkage, and all the deep pressure relief you’ve come to expect from memory foam, but its Airgocell layer balances things out on top.
As I mentioned throughout the review, this mattress would probably be a great choice for side sleepers. This bed’s memory foam and Airgocell layers offer a dynamite combination of softness and support that will feel like a dream to these folks. If you’re a modern day princess-and-the-pea, and you feel even small movements or disturbances from across the bed, the Emma’s low motion transfer could also make this bed a solid choice for you.
My Emma mattress complaints
If you love to snooze on your stomach, the Emma mattress is probably not a good option for you. The bed’s soft comfort layer does little to support the hips in the prone position, which means stomach sleepers are likely to feel tension and misalignment in the spine with this bed. The Emma’s cushiony layers lack the firmness and edge support that heavier folks might need to be comfortable through the night.
How Much Does the Emma Cost?
Think the Emma might be just the mattress you’ve been looking for? Take a peek at the size and pricing information for the mattress in the table below. Don’t forget to click on one of the coupons in this article for a nice discount.
Prices listed below will be before discount or offer for each size.
| Size | Dimensions | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38” x 75” x 12” | $799 |
| Twin XL | 38” x 80” x 12” | $899 |
| Full | 54” x 75” x 12” | $1,099 |
| Queen | 60” x 80” x 12" | $1,299 |
| King | 76” x 80” x 12" | $1,449 |
| California King | 72” x 84” x 12" | $1,449 |
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The Emma Mattress is an all-foam bed-in-a-box mattress designed and manufactured in Germany. It’s soft all-foam construction provides great contouring and comfort that side sleepers and people who suffer from shoulder pain will enjoy. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
100 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
100 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 5.5/10
Trial Period
100 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress Policies and FAQs
Does the Emma mattress come with a sleep trial?
The Emma mattress comes with a 100-night trial period.
Does the Emma come with a mattress warranty?
Yes! Your new Emma mattress will come with a 10-year warranty.
How does the Emma mattress ship?
The Emma is a bed-in-a-box meaning that it will ship straight from the warehouse to your front door. Emma offers free shipping via UPS and FedEx.
Emma Mattress Vs.
If you’re interested in the Emma, there’s a good chance you’re also looking at some of its main competitors. Let’s take a quick look at two other mattresses that compete with the Emma: the Puffy and Nectar.
Emma vs Puffy
- Although the Emma has cooling properties, if you’re still concerned about overheating you might want to think about the Puffy mattress — a more breathable memory foam alternative option.
- The Puffy is a USA made product, whereas the Emma is made in Germany.
- The Puffy and Emma mattresses are very similar in price.
- Check out my full Puffy mattress review to learn more.
The Puffy is an all-foam bed-in-a-box with a medium firmness that is great for a wide range of sleepers. It also does a good job of reducing aches and pains, thanks to its balance of support and pressure relief. The Puffy is an all-foam bed-in-a-box with a medium firmness that is great for a wide range of sleepers. It also does a good job of reducing aches and pains, thanks to its balance of support and pressure relief.Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
101 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
101 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
101 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Emma vs Nectar
- Memory foam can often run up prices, but the Nectar is a budget friendly option!
- The Nectar mattress includes 5 inches of memory foam, making it great for side sleepers looking to sink deeply into the bed.
- The Nectar is quite a bit firmer than the Emma, coming in at a 7 out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale.
- If you struggle with joint pain or arthritis I recommend taking a peek at the Nectar.
- For more information, check out my full Nectar mattress review.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of gel memory foam, which allows the sleeper to really sink into its surface. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of gel memory foam, which allows the sleeper to really sink into its surface. We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.
Joint Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from joint pain.
Hip Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from hip pain.
Back Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.Joint Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from joint pain.Hip Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from hip pain.Back Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Couples
This bed has great motion isolation so you will not feel your partner tossing and turning at night.Joint Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from joint pain.Hip Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from hip pain.Back Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.Side Sleepering
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.Financing Options
Emma Mattress
- Materials
- Comfort
- Support
- Value
- Cooling
- Edge Support
- Trial
- Warranty
