Today, we’ll explore the original all-foam mattress from European bedding brand Emma. Designed by German engineers, this bed combines foams and nifty zoned support channels. This creates a sleeping experience that’s supportive yet luxuriously pressure-relieving.
But hey, we wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t run the Emma mattress through Sleepopolis’ series of tried and true tests. This feels especially important since the brand recently updated their flagship bed with exciting changes. Our test results should tell us if the Emma is worth the hype, and whether or not it’s the right 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? 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers will enjoy.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress Review – Our Video Analysis
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 the best mattress for your weight, height, and preferred sleeping position. While I can’t make the ultimate purchasing decision for you, you can take a look at some of my recommendations below to get there on your own.
To start off, we put each of our mattresses through something called a “Rest Test,” where we lie down on the bed for an uninterrupted 15-minute power nap. This gives us a comprehensive, big-picture assessment of how it performed. I had my colleague Amelia take a whirl on the Emma, and here’s what she had to say:
“I felt that the bed was firm and supportive. I felt elevated on the mattress and didn’t sink in very much. I thought it was pretty comfortable for lying on my back and decently comfortable on my stomach. It felt a little firm on my side and I did feel some pressure forming at my shoulder after awhile.”
With all that in mind, let’s dive a little deeper.
Who I Recommend the Emma Mattress for
- I think the Emma is a great choice for back sleepers. Although it’s an all-foam mattress, it has the right combination of comfort and support that these folks need.
- Stomach sleepers should ] find the requisite support in the Emma — a truly impressive feat for an all-foam bed.
- The Emma is a nice option for combination sleepers or those with mobility issues due to its responsiveness.
Who I Don’t recommend the Emma Mattress For
- The Emma is too firm for most average-weight side sleepers, who need more pressure relief at the shoulders and hips.
- Heavier folks won’t find enough support on this all-foam build and should check out one of our favorite beds designed for heavier sleepers weighing more than 250 pounds.
- If you’re looking for a more traditional feel in a mattress and one that utilizes coils, I’d steer you toward our picks for the best innerspring mattresses.
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.
While the Emma is all-foam, its ergonomic layer creates a lot of support and firmness to help keep the spine in a neutral alignment. This puts the bed at a 7 out of 10 on our mattress firmness scale. So, it’s slightly firmer than the industry standard 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers will enjoy.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress Performance
To really determine whether a bed is a good match for you, it’s important to consider not just firmness, but also how it performed in different sleeping positions, how it relieved pain and pressure, and how it might feel to couples sharing the bed.
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, this bed would be a good option for these folks.
- Light Side Sleepers: I think this bed may be too firm for these sleepers. Instead, check out one of our top picks for side sleepers.
- Light Stomach Sleepers: Light stomach sleepers should be comfortable on the Emma, getting even more support than average-weight or heavier sleepers.
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 most comfortable on this mattress. The dense poly foam and Airgocell foam should make these folks feel balanced.
- Average-Weight Side Sleepers: Some of these sleepers may feel comfortable on this bed due to the zoned construction that allows softness beneath the shoulder. Overall, I don’t think the Emma is the best fit for this sleeping position. Most side sleepers need a mattress with more contouring in the shoulder and hip area.
- Average-Weight Stomach Sleepers: The Emma is a good fit for average-weight stomach sleepers. While that may sound unusual for an all-foam mattress, it’s firmer than many other foam beds. Plus, the zoned support goes a long way toward keeping the hips elevated, which is essential for anyone in the prone position.
Is the Emma a Good Mattress for Heavy Sleepers (over 250 lb)?
- Heavy Back, Side, and Stomach Sleepers: Heavy sleepers will not be supported enough by this mattress. These sleepers should opt for a firmer and more supportive bed, which they can find in our best mattresses for heavy people roundup. I’d recommend checking out the Emma CliMax, which is a bed the brand designed for these sleepers.
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, you 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 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. This all makes this bed a great option for back sleepers with back pain. For more great options, check out our roundup: the best mattresses for back pain.
Shoulder Pain: Rolling onto my side, I felt a little pressure from at my shoulders (indicated in green, yellow, and red on the above graphic). Because this is where side sleepers put a lot of their pressure while lying down, I wouldn’t recommend the Emma mattress for those with sensitive joints. However, back sleepers should feel their shoulder pain alleviated.
Hip Pain: Similar to the shoulders, I felt pressure buildup around my hips while lying on my side. However, it did a great job with pressure relief for back sleepers and stomach sleepers with hip pain.
Emma Performance for Couples
When sharing the bed with a partner, you’ll want to consider 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 planning to share your bed with a partner. 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 is average when it comes to isolating motion. Most folks should be able to sleep with their partner without getting woken up. However, if either of you is an especially light sleeper, consider a mattress with lower motion-transfer results.
Sex
All-foam mattresses tend to be poor options for sex, but the Emma has an “on top of the bed” feel, which makes it easy to move around on. This makes it 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 above some of its competition in the all-foam bed world. It has a breathable cover and Airgocell poly foam with an open-cell structure to promote airflow and regulate your temperature. If you’re a hot sleeper, you should take a look at our roundup for the best cooling mattresses.
Edge Support
If you are an active sleeper and tend to move around throughout the night, you’ll 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, which is reinforced to ensure sturdiness.
Lying on my back near the edge of the bed, I didn’t feel the mattress collapsing under my weight. This tells me that the Emma mattress has good edge support. You and your partner should be able to spread out toward the edge of the bed without feeling like you’re going to fall off.
What is the Emma Mattress Made Of?
The Emma mattress is made of a mix of Airgocell foam, memory foam, and dense poly foam 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 all about, let’s take a closer look at these individual layers, one by one.
Cover – The cover is designed to be moisture-wicking and temperature-regulating, earning its name of “UltraDry.” Sleepers should find it to be soft and breathable.
Comfort Layer – This bed’s top layer is built with Airgocell foam (also called the “Cloud Comfort Layer”), which responds quickly to pressure and should provide the sleeper with some immediate tension relief. This layer encourages extra breathability and airflow, thanks to an open-pore structure.
Transition Layer – Moving down to the transition layer, you’ll find a more responsive layer that eases you into the bottom half of the mattress.
Support Layer – Here, you’ll find an extra-thick layer of HALO Memory Foam, which is designed to offer the sleeper ergonomic support. It’s where most of the Emma’s firmness comes from. Working in tandem with the foundation layer below, it has different levels of support in different areas of the bed to help keep your spine neutrally aligned.
Foundation Layer – The base layer in this mattress is made up of HRX Supreme Foam. Like the HALO foam above, the sturdy and supportive material in this section helps counteract the soft comfort layer higher up in the bed. The zoned support channels in the bottom layers offer a more comfortable sleeping experience, providing varying degrees of lift and cushion throughout the bed, and helping promote spinal alignment.
Emma Unboxing and Off-Gassing
The Emma is a bed-in-a-box mattress, so it arrives 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers will enjoy.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back 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 supportive foam mattress that still gives you some contouring, the Emma won’t steer you wrong. It features a moderate level of body-contouring and sinkage, but its Airgocell layer balances things out on top.
As I mentioned throughout the review, this mattress would probably be a great choice for back sleepers. This bed’s memory foam and Airgocell layers offer a dynamite combination of comfort and support that will feel like a dream to these folks. It’s also a supportive enough for stomach sleepers, something that’s no small feat for an all-foam mattress.
My Emma Mattress Complaints
If you love to snooze on your side, the Emma mattress is not the best option for you. You’ll likely want something softer with deeper pressure relief.
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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers 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. Its all-foam construction provides great support and comfort that back sleepers and stomach sleepers will enjoy.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Warranty
10-year warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
10-year warranty
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Medium-firm: 7/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
10-year warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Hot Sleepers
If you often overheat while you sleep, this mattress should help you stay cool.
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress Policies and FAQs
Does the Emma mattress come with a sleep trial?
The Emma mattress comes with a 365-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.
What are customers saying about the Emma Original?
"Very fast shipping and super comfortable mattress! Like sleeping on a cloud! Back discomfort practically disappeared in a month of use! Absolutely recommended the purchase!" -Gloria
"Very hard, despite having requested and obtained a soft layer even if not the correct size...in this heat, I am finding that the mattress is not cool at all. Overall, I am not very satisfied with the purchase and I think that, later, I will have to buy a new mattress." -Gianluca
"After the first mattress didn't thicken, we got a new one quickly and easily. We use the mattress in our caravan and are very content with it." -Vanessa K.
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. It’s 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.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. 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.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. 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.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
101 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
101 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Puffy Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Trial Period
101 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
Kids
This bed is perfect for young sleepers.
Back Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from back pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma vs. Nectar
- Memory foam can often run up prices, but the Nectar is a budget-friendly option.
- The Nectar mattress includes five inches of memory foam, making it great for side sleepers looking to sink deeply into the bed.
- The Nectar is quite a bit firmer than the Emma, coming in at a seven out of 10 on the mattress firmness scale.
- If you struggle with joint pain or arthritis I recommend taking a peek at the Nectar.
- For more information, check out my full Nectar mattress review.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of gel memory foam, which allows the sleeper to really sink into its surface.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress. The original Nectar mattress is a pressure-relieving, yet supportive, bed. It’s made with a thick layer of gel memory foam, which allows the sleeper to really sink into its surface.
We recommend this mattress for the following sleeper types: Financing options are available for this mattress.Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Trial Period
365 nights
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Price Range
$$$$$
Joint Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from joint pain.
Hip Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from hip pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Trial Period
365 nights
Price Range
$$$$$
Joint Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from joint pain.
Hip Pain
This bed is perfect for anyone suffering from hip pain.
Back Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Nectar Mattress
Material
Foam
Firmness
Soft: 6/10
Trial Period
365 nights
Warranty
Lifetime warranty
Shipping Method
Free shipping
Price Range
$$$$$
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 Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight back sleepers.
Side Sleeping
Ideal for lightweight and average weight side sleepers.
Financing Options
Emma Mattress
-
Materials
-
Comfort
-
Support
-
Value
-
Cooling
-
Edge Support
-
Trial
-
Warranty
