I put my mattress down, flipped it and reversed it. You heard right: The Layla mattress is an all foam, flippable mattress that provides two firmness options in one bed. Another key feature inside is its copper-infused memory foam, which can potentially have some cooling benefits. So long, sleep sweats.
We previously reviewed The Layla mattress, though it recently went through a slight redesign. So once again it’s time to put the mattress under the microscope!
Continue reading below for my entire Layla mattress review. If you’re short on time, simply click here to skip to the bottom for a handy summary.
A flippable design makes the Layla mattress a truly customizable bedroom accessory. Get $160 off your purchase using code SLEEPOPOLIS.
Brand Snapshot
In the few years since its founding in 2016, bed-in-a-box retailer Layla Sleep has become a pretty popular brand in the bedding industry.
The company only sells one mattress, indicating that its flippable, “2-in-1” bed will fulfill the needs of most, if not all, sleepers! A unique characteristic of the Layla mattress is that its memory foam is infused with antimicrobial and self-cooling cooper, which helps to keep sleepers from sweating while also warding off pesky germs. For more on the brand’s history, check out our interview with Layla Sleep founder Akrum Sheikh.
Construction
The Layla Mattress is a 10”, all-foam mattress made up of four distinct layers. As I mentioned before, it’s double-sided, so you can choose between a firm or soft feel — the best of both bedding worlds!
To see how this all comes together, let’s dive into each layer.
Cover – The cover is made with a polyester blend, which feels soft and super cozy. The materials is infused with gel to help with temperature regulation and cooling as well.
Comfort Layer 1 – I’ve labeled this layer “1,” since this is the soft side of the mattress. Naturally, the firm side will be the bottom layer of this bed. This plush layer is comprised of 3″ of copper-infused memory foam that’s super soft and provides plenty of body contouring. In other words, you’re likely to sink deeply into the mattress thanks to its slow response to pressure. As we said earlier, copper is known for its antimicrobial qualities, and can potentially help with blood circulation and cooling —an issue regular memory foam often runs into.
Transition Layer – Here, you’ll find 2” of firm, HD poly foam, which is typical for many bed-in-a-box beds.
The reason this layer exists is to literally “transition” you from the soft comfort layer to more firm parts of the bed.
Support Layer – The bottom of the bed features a firm HD polyfoam, another common material found in many mattresses. However, unlike other beds, this isn’t the final layer, since we have another comfort layer to look at!
Comfort Layer – The bottom layer in the Layla (or the top, if you flip it!) features 1″ of copper infused memory foam. This is a rather thin layer, meaning it’ll provide a little bit of pressure relief while being pretty firm to the touch.
Firmness
A flippable design makes the Layla mattress a truly customizable bedroom accessory. Get $160 off your purchase using code SLEEPOPOLIS.
Now that we’ve looked at Layla’s construction, let’s dive into the feel and firmness of the mattress. As always, what you’ll read below is my personal take, but my experience should help provide a general idea of how you’ll also feel on this bed. And of course, we have two sides to look at.
I began with the soft side. I applied light pressure into the mattress, and found that the memory foam compressed really easily. As I pushed further in, my hand sunk pretty far into the bed and I could feel the memory foam contouring to my hands. In fact, it felt a little stuck because of the material’s slow response to pressure, though I still feel like I would be able to change positions if I needed to. All in all, I’d rate this side a 5.5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, giving it a medium-soft feel.
On the (literal) flip side, when I pressed down into the firm comfort layer, I still felt some of that contouring from the memory foam. However, when I continued to push, I noticed a quick transition from the cushioned memory foam to a pretty darn firm core beneath it. I didn’t feel “stuck” in this part of the mattress at all. All things considered, this side produces a dramatically firmer feel than the other side; I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10 on my handy firmness scale.
The versatility of a flippable mattress means it should be a good fit for most types of sleepers. Stomach sleepers might bode well on the firm side, where they’ll get ample support for their hips and core. Meanwhile, side sleepers will get enough contouring and cushioned support for their shoulders and hips on the softer side of the bed.
Lastly, when I rolled to the ends of the bed, I was less than impressed with the edge support. It was easy to push through the soft support and feel like the sides of the bed were collapsing. So take note, couples — you might feel less supported on this mattress if you roll toward the end of the bed.
Pressure Map
Besides plopping down on the bed, another way to determine how it will feel is to look at where pressure points might form once weight is placed on the bed.
To examine this, I used a pressure map, which visualizes where these points of tension could creep up. I placed the map on top of the mattress and lied on my back, side, and stomach. You can see the results on the image below, where pressure is represented from blue (low pressure) to red (high pressure). I’ll talk you through it, too.
Back – As you’ll see, there is pretty much blue across the board on both the firm and soft sides, meaning my weight is evenly distributed and no pressure points are popping up. You might see a tiny bit of fuzziness on the soft side of this bed due to the body sinking and contouring into the thick layer of memory foam. In general, back sleepers shouldn’t have an issue on the Layla — the contouring foam helps ensures your spine is resting in its most natural position.
Side – Unsurprisingly, the firm side of this bed has some green and yellow spots around the shoulders, meaning a bit of pressure is forming around these vulnerable body parts. When I flipped the mattress, the map went back to blue, since the soft comfort layer provides enough “give” and cushion for the shoulders. In general, side-sleepers should stick to the soft side of the bed for ample pressure relief and support for key pressure points.
Stomach – On my stomach, there is mostly blue across the board on both sides, meaning my weight is evenly distributed. I’ll add that while blue is definitely best, stomach sleepers will fare better on the firm side of this mattress, in order to have good support for the hips.
Sinkage & Bounce Test
When it comes to comfort, another thing you’ll want to know is whether you’ll feel like you’re sinking “into” the mattress or lying “on top” of it. To visualize this sinkage, I placed 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) on the mattress and measured how much they compressed the surface. Of course, I did this on both sides of the mattress!
The variations in size, weight, and density are meant to simulate different body parts and different sized sleepers.
The graph above basically shows that the soft side comes with a lot of sinkage — well above what I’m used to seeing. This is because of the plush 3” comfort layer,and means you’ll likely feel like you’re sinking in the bed versus floating on top of it. I’ll add that if you are a bit heavier, the softer side of the Layla might not support you due to this fact, since you might feel too stuck in the bed without ample mobility to move around.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is the firm end of this mattress, which actually sinks below average. You’ll definitely get the “floating on top” feeling and will be able to easily change positions in bed. This is super useful for combo sleepers who need to roll around.
Motion Transfer
The motion transfer test demonstrates the amount of disturbance you’ll detect from one side of the bed to the other. This is especially important for people who share your bed with a partner (or a pet) — especially if they tend to toss and turn a lot.
To illustrate this 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. And just a note! Each drop is meant to symbolize a different movement you’re likely to experience in bed, from tossing and turning (4”) to getting out of bed (8”) all the way to full on jumping (12”).
The results? I was really impressed with what I found. The memory foam on both the soft and firm side of the Layla does a great job of dulling the disturbance that transfers across the mattress. If you sleep with a wiggly bedmate, you shouldn’t feel their movements throughout the night.
Layla Mattress vs.
Now, let’s look at how the Layla compares to some of its direct competitors. We’ve chosen two similar brands, Nectar and Nolah Signature, and compared them side-by-side. Game on!
Nectar
Just like the Layla, the Nectar mattress is an all-foam bed. However, it does have some important differentiators.
- The Nectar features more inches of memory and poly foam in its various layers, providing a much softer feel. In general, the softer the bed, the better it’ll be for side-sleepers. You’ll also lose some mobility which’ll make it harder to change sleeping positions.
- In a similar vein, this bed is not flippable, so it’ll be more comparable to Layla’s softer side.
- You’ll experience deep sinkage on this mattress, making it a nice choice for side sleepers who need extra love for their shoulders and hips.
- Since there is no copper-infused foam, The Nectar might sleep a bit warmer than Layla.
- A Queen costs $699, versus Layla’s $999 price point for a Queen.
Nolah Signature
Next up is the Nolah Signature, an all-foam mattress that unlike Nectar is flippale, but features a few different types of foams.
- Utilizing a “2-in-1” design, you can also flip this mattress to get either a soft or firm feel.
- Instead of memory foam, the Nolah Signature features its proprietary AirFoam, which is a memory foam substitute that, according to Nolah, sleeps cooler than memory foam while also providing pressure relief.
- When I laid on the Nolah, I experienced nice pressure relief and solid motion isolation, quite similar to the Layla.
- This one will be more expensive — a Queen comes in at $1,499.
Is the Layla Mattress Right for You?
A flippable design makes the Layla mattress a truly customizable bedroom accessory. Get $160 off your purchase using code SLEEPOPOLIS.
Now that we’ve examined the in’s and out’s of the Layla, here are some recommendations and things to watch out for.
You Should Buy The Layla If
- You want memory foam that sleeps cool – While memory foam is infamous for trapping heat, the copper-infused foam helps to draw heat away and keep you comfortable throughout the night.
- There’s impressive motion isolation – If you sleep with a partner, you’re in luck with Layla. This mattress dulls motion really well so you won’t be disturbed by your restless bedmate.
- Positional Recommendations – Lastly, I would recommend the soft side of the Layla for side sleepers who need to sink in the mattress for pressure relief. The firm end will be great for stomach sleepers who need study support for hips and proper spine alignment. Back sleepers should feel aligned on either end, so make sure to try each side out to see what you prefer.
Layla Complaints:
- Lacks bounce. The memory foam on the Layla does dulls motion, which also means it removes bounce. If you’re a combo sleeper who wants something springy so you can easily change positions, this bed might not be what you need.
- Poor edge support. For couples who need to utilize the entire surface area of mattress, you may feel like you’re collapsing the sides of the Layla.
Layla Mattress: Size and Pricing Information
If you’re sure the Layla is the right mattress for your body and bedroom, let’s also see if it’s a good fit for your wallet. Check out the size and pricing information for the mattress below.
| Size | Dimensions | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twin | 38" x 74" x 10" | 50 lbs | $599 |
| Twin XL | 38” x 80” x 10” | 55 lbs | $699 |
| Full | 54” x 74” x 10” | 70 lbs | $899 |
| Queen | 60” x 80” x 10" | 80 lbs | $999 |
| King | 76” x 80” x 10” | 90 lbs | $1,099 |
| California King | 72” x 84” x 10” | 90 lbs | $1,099 |
Basic Information
If you’re interested in purchasing the Layla, here is some helpful shipping and cost information:
- Trial: 120 Nights
- Warranty: Lifetime
- Shipping: Free + Compressed
Just getting started? Begin your mattress search with my mattress reviews breakdown.
And that’s it for me and the Layla review! Feel free to leave me comments and questions below. And note – Layla also made the Mattress Clarity best mattress picks as well.
Layla Mattress
- Materials
- Comfort
- Support
- Value
- Cooling
- Edge Support
- Sex
- Smell
- Company
- Refunds
- Trial
- Warranty
Summary
Layla features an all-foam, flippable design with different firmness levels on each side. This allows sleepers to experience a different feel simply by turning the mattress over. Layla’s comfort layers incorporate memory foam for significant pressure relief, and in our testing we also found the mattress to sleep very cool.
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