During this review I take a look at the double-sided Layla mattress which allows sleepers to choose between different firmness levels, depending on which side they choose to face up. Throughout this review I will describe the performance of the Layla for both the firm and soft sides of the mattress. If you’re interested in learning more about the Layla mattresses, read on for my full review!
If you’re in a hurry you can click here to skip to the review summary.
Construction
The Layla is an all foam mattress consisting of four different layers. As I mentioned before, it is a double sided mattress which allows the sleeper to choose between a firm or soft feel depending on their preference.
Cover – The Layla cover is made of a soft polyester blend that I found to have a bit of a cozy feeling to it. Along with the soft feel, the cover has a gel infusion to help with temperature regulation and cooling. I should also note that the cover is fully removable for dry cleaning.
Close up of the Layla mattress
Soft Comfort – The comfort layer for the softer side of the mattress consists of 3 inches of copper infused memory foam (3.5 lb density). This is a pretty thick layer of memory foam, which is a soft material that will allow the sleeper to sink in for pressure relief. This material has a slow response to pressure and provides a contouring feel to the mattress. At times memory foam can have a reputation for trapping body heat, so Layla included the copper infusion to help with cooling.
Transition – Below the comfort layer is a 2 inch layer of poly foam (1.8 lb density). This layer begins to add a little bit of support to the mattress and acts as a transition layer from the soft comfort layer above to the firm support core below. I should also note that this layer is convoluted (with an egg crate design) to allow air to flow through the mattress for temperature regulation.
Support – What would be considered the base or support center of the Layla mattress is made of a high density (2 lb) poly foam. It is a firm layer that provides support regardless of the firmness that the sleeper has chosen. This portion of the mattress has a quick response to pressure and gives the Layla its shape.
Firm Comfort – The comfort layer of the firm side of the Layla is made of 1 inch of the same copper infused memory foam as the soft side of the mattress. With only an inch of memory foam, the sleeper won’t sink far into the layla with this side up, but will still feel some contouring. Another reason this side will feel firmer is that there is no transition between the comfort and support layers.
Showing the layers of the Layla mattress
Firmness
When I pressed into the soft side of the mattress I found that the memory foam compressed pretty easily. As I pushed further into the mattress my hands sunk pretty far into the construction of the Layla and could feel the memory contouring to my hands.
Pressing into the Soft Side of the Layla mattress
When pressing into the firm side of the mattress there is still some contouring from the memory foam. The noticeable thing about pushing into the firm side is the quick transition from the soft memory foam to the firm support center beneath it, which is a noticeable change from the soft side of the Layla.
Pressing into the Firm Side of the Layla mattress
Because of differences in size and body type everyone will feel the firmness of a mattress a bit differently. Rather than giving just my opinion on the overall firmness level of Layla, I enlisted three other people to give their opinion as well. This will give you a better sense of the firmness range you can expect from both sides of the mattress.
Showing the firmness ratings from four testers
The chart above shows the resulting scores from the testers for both sides of the mattress. In general a mattress with a 6.5/10 on the firmness scale is considered medium firmness. The soft side of the Layla came in at an average of 5.5/10, showing that the Sleepopolis testers found it to be as advertised.
There was a pretty large range on the firmness of the firm side of the Layla, with scores ranging from 5.5/10 to 7/10. I believe the variance in response from testers is due to the amount they felt they were sinking into the support layer of the Layla. I personally felt that the firm side came in at a 6.5/10 as it allowed me to sink into the memory foam a bit, but the dense poly foam beneath provided good support.
It is notable that there isn’t a massive difference between the firmness levels of the two sides of the Layla. With some flippable mattresses there will be a much wider variance in firmness, however the Layla does seem to sit just on either side of medium firmness.
Pressure Map
Instead of just describing what it feels like to lie on a Layla mattress I wanted to give a visual representation of where someone may feel pressure points while lying on it. To do this I placed a pressure map on top of the mattress and lied on my back, side, and stomach. On the image below pressure will be represented from blue (low pressure) to red (high pressure).
Pressure map of the soft side of the Layla mattress
First up in the pressure map test was the soft side of the mattress and I began on my back. In this position my weight was pretty evenly distributed and the results above show low pressure across my body. When lying in this position I could feel myself sinking into the memory foam and it began to contour to my body. The memory foam has a slow response to pressure, so I felt like changing positions took a little bit of added effort on this side of the mattress.
Once I rolled onto my side I began to dig a bit further into the mattress as there was a higher weight concentration over a lower surface area. Side sleepers can sometimes have issues with pressure points forming at the shoulders and hips but the pressure map results show only slightly raised levels of pressure in those areas. Thick layers of memory foam, like the one on the soft side of the Layla, are generally a positive for side sleepers as they allow the sleeper to sink into the mattress for pressure relief. I found this side of the mattress to be pretty comfortable while lying on my side.
Finally I moved onto my stomach and with my weight evenly distributed the pressure map shows low pressure across my entire body. Stomach sleepers tend to like firmer mattresses as they keep their hips from sinking, which can lead to lower back pain. I did find that my hips sank in a bit on this side of the mattress, so if you are a strict stomach sleeper you may prefer the firm side of the Layla.
Pressure map of the firm side of the Layla mattress
After I flipped the mattress and lied down on my back the pressure map again shows low pressure across my body. There was a slight feeling of contour from the memory foam layer but, with the quick transition to the firm support layer, this side of the Layla did a good job of keeping my spine aligned. Even though there was a slight memory foam feeling, I didn’t sink in too far so I didn’t feel stuck in the mattress on this side.
When I rolled onto my side I quickly pushed through the thin layer of memory foam and began to interact with the support layer. This firmer feel is generally not great for side sleepers and I think strict or bigger side sleepers will prefer the softer side of the Layla.
I switched to lying on my stomach and found that the firm side of the Layla did a good job of keeping my hips from sinking into the mattress and my spine aligned. This combined with the low pressure on my chest for easier breathing, leads me to believe that stomach sleepers would probably prefer the firm side of the Layla.
Motion Transfer
If you are sharing the mattress with a partner, you will want to know what it will feel like when the other person gets into and out of bed or tosses and turns during the night. This next test is helpful in showing the intensity of motion that is detectable from one side of the mattress to the other.
For this test I dropped a 10 lb steel ball from heights of 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches and measured the disturbance on the other side of the mattress. This should be pretty intuitive: the bigger the lines, the bigger the disturbance.
Motion transfer results for ball dropped from 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches on the soft side of the mattress
I performed this test on the soft side of the Layla first and was really impressed with the results on the 4 inch drop. This drop simulates someone changing positions on the other side of the bed and the results graphic above shows the Layla did a great job isolating motion. As expected there was slightly larger disturbance felt for the 8 and 12 inch drops, but these are some of the best results I have seen while performing reviews.
Motion transfer results for ball dropped from 4 inches, 8 inches, and 12 inches on the firm side of the mattress
The firm side of the mattress also performed well on the motion transfer portion of the review. The 4 and 8 inch drops show similar results on the seismometer readout above and both are well below the average disturbance when compared to the same drops on other mattresses. The 12 inch drop showed a larger disturbance, but this is still a good result for this drop.
Sinkage Test
For many people buying a mattress it will be important to know whether they are going to feel like they are sitting on top of or sinking into bed. In order to get a better idea of how someone might sink into a mattress, I use four balls of varying sizes and densities (a 6 lb medicine ball, a 10 lb steel ball, a 50 lb medicine ball, and a 100 lb medicine ball) and place them on the mattress to measure how much they compress the surface.
These different sizes, weights, and densities help to imitate different body parts or different sized people to show how far into a mattress you may sink.
First up in the sinkage test I measured the results for the soft side of the Layla.
Mattress sinkage with 6 lb, 10 lb, 50 lb, and 100 lb balls placed on the soft side of the Layla
- 6 lb medicine ball: 1.5 inches of sinkage.
- 10 lb steel ball: 2.5 inches of sinkage.
- 50 lb medicine ball: 5 inches of sinkage.
- 100 lb medicine ball: 6.5 inches of sinkage.
Next up in the sinkage test was the firm side of the mattress.
Mattress sinkage with 6 lb, 10 lb, 50 lb, and 100 lb balls placed on the firm side of the Layla
- 6 lb medicine ball: 1 inch of sinkage.
- 10 lb steel ball: 2 inches of sinkage.
- 50 lb medicine ball: 4.5 inches of sinkage.
- 100 lb medicine ball: 6.5 inches of sinkage.
Edge Support
If you’re going to share a mattress with a partners and need to use the entire surface then edge support is something you are going to want to take a look at. Foam mattresses can struggle at times to live up to the edge support of traditional innerspring mattresses, so I wanted to have a look at how I would feel near the side of the Layla mattress.
Edge support while lying near the edge on the soft side of the Layla mattress
I started on my back on the softer side of the Layla and moved pretty close to the edge. I definitely felt as though I was compressing the top of the mattress a good amount in this position, which is to be expected out of a softer foam.
Edge support while lying on my side near the edge on the soft side of the Layla mattress
When I changed positions to my side I again dug into the mattress a bit more. In this position I could feel the soft memory foam layer contour to my body. When I hung of the mattress a bit I could feel the comfort layer compress a bit, but again that is expected out of softer foams.
Support while sitting on the edge of the soft side of the mattress
By sitting up on the edge of the Layla I concentrate all of my weight over one area. I did see a pretty good amount of compression in this position, but that is to be expected out of such a thick layer of soft foam.
Edge support while lying near the edge on the firm side of the Layla mattress
Once I flipped the mattress firm side up I lied down on my back again and I found there to be less compression through the top as the transition to the firm support layer is much quicker.
Edge support while lying on my side near the edge on the firm side of the Layla mattress
When I rolled onto my side and hung off the mattress on the firm side there was compression through the comfort layer, but the support layer held up pretty well.
Support while sitting on the edge of the firm side of the mattress
Finally, I sat up on the edge of the firm side of the Layla and while there was a bit less compression through the top of the mattress, there was still some overall compression of the mattress. Because the soft comfort layer is now at the base of the mattress my increased weight pushed the entire side down.
Basic Information
Corner view of the Layla mattress
- Sleep Trial: There is a four month trial period for this mattress.
- Warranty: Layla offers a lifetime warranty on this mattress.
- Shipping: Shipping is free to the continental United States. The Layla will arrive compressed in a box.
Click here to read my post on the unboxing of the Layla.
Size and Pricing Information
Convinced the Layla is for you? Be sure to use the code “SLEEPOPOLIS” to save $110 off!
| Size | Dimensions | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38" x 74" x 10" | 50 lbs | $499 |
| Twin XL | 38” x 80” x 10” | 55 lbs | $599 |
| Full | 54” x 74” x 10” | 70 lbs | $799 |
| Queen | 60” x 80” x 10" | 80 lbs | $899 |
| King | 76” x 80” x 10” | 90 lbs | $999 |
| California King | 72” x 84” x 10” | 90 lbs | $999 |
Is the Layla Mattress right for you?
Front view of the Layla mattress
Now that we’ve taken a deep dive into the Layla mattress it’s time to discuss who it would be a good fit for.
- Memory Foam – Both the firm and the soft comfort layers of the Layla use copper infused memory foam to provide pressure relief. This material allows the sleeper to sink in and provides the classic memory foam feel of contouring to the body.
- Sleep Cool – The Layla has a few different components in the materials used in the construction of the mattress that have cooling properties. These include the gel infusion in the cover as well as the copper infusion in the memory foam of the comfort layers, which help with temperature regulation.
- Flippable Option – The Layla could be a good fit if you’re not sure which firmness level is right for you and want two shots at getting it right. Another possible benefit of a flippable mattress is for use in a guest room where there will be sleepers with different preferences on the mattress depending on the occasion.
Click here to learn more about the mattress on Layla’s site.
Logan Block
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