Emma Mattress Review

Bed-in-a-box mattresses have become a feasible, go-to option for more and more people over the past decade or so. It makes sense — you can compare brands and products online, read testimonials and watch YouTube reviews, and have a bed delivered right to your door in a matter of days. Many of these brands offer a trial period and multi-year warranty, so for those of us a little skeptical of the whole process, it’s essentially risk free.

But with so many brands on the market, how do you know which to choose? Since you usually can’t check these beds out in local mattress stores as you traditionally would, it’s all about looking for what features fit you the best. While most of these bed-in-a-box mattresses are similar in both build quality and comfort, they do have some small differences that can make a huge difference.

While everyone benefits from a solid night of sleep, athletes especially require quality shut-eye on a nightly basis. Sleep allows the body to recover and rebuild after a hard workout, allowing you to feel energized and rejuvenated while decreasing your risk of sports-related injuries.

Here at Oxygen Magazine we were curious about this bed-in-a-box phenomenon. We review products on a regular basis, so we reached out to Emma, one of Europe’s highest rated mattresses. Their product line is now available in the United States (and there was little online about them), so their team graciously sent us a mattress to review.

The details.

We checked out the Emma Mattress, their flagship mattress that’s available from a twin up through a cal king ($499 and $1099, respectively). Like many on the market, they offer a 100-night trial period with a free return and full refund, and a 10-year guarantee on their product and materials.

The Emma Mattress is a memory foam mattress, which means it’s free from the traditional coils and springs you’re used to sleeping on. There are three layers in each bed — the top is their proprietary Airgocell® foam layer designed to adapt to pressure, the middle layer is made with visco-elastic memory foam to distribute pressure evenly, and the bottom layer (substantially thicker than the top two) is made with HRX material to provide back and shoulder support.

The entire mattress is wrapped in a climate-regulating top cover designed to both protect the mattress and help regulate temperature.

It’s easy to promise this and that, but how does the bed actually perform? Is it comfortable?

The test.

If you’ve never bought a bed-in-a-box before, it’s quite the experience. The bed arrived shrink wrapped in a 19”x19”x42” box, and once cut open, the bed unfolded and expanded in a matter of minutes. Setting it up couldn’t be easier — just make sure you cut open the bag in the room the bed belongs in.

Although it looked ready to go almost immediately, we gave the mattress a few days to expand back to its proper size and firmness. There was a slight “new bed” smell when the bed was first opened, but it was gone by the time we started testing.

Aesthetically, the bed is handsome. It’s not too thick, and the white top paired with the grey bottom looks nice. The cover is also surprisingly soft, and the ripple pattern adds a nice skin feel we really enjoyed. Sure none of these design elements matter once the sheets are on, but they’re nice nonetheless.

The Emma Mattress is labeled as a “cool” mattress due to their breathable open-pore Airgocell® memory foam. We faced a range of temperatures as spring changed into summer during our two-month test period, but we never once felt too hot or too cold. As far as memory foam goes, it’s plenty cool enough, but compared to a traditional mattress, we found it slightly (and we mean slightly) warmer.

The fit is where the Emma Mattress really shines, though.

As with most memory foam mattresses, this bed trends on the softer side. It isn’t too soft, and there’s plenty of support for sleepers of all shapes and sizes. But with the softness comes a lesser lack of edge support, and while we didn’t have any issues sleeping near the edge of the mattress, you can feel how it’s less rigid when sitting on the edge when compared to a traditional mattress. Don’t let this deter you — its softer build is great for side sleepers or those of us who toss and turn all night.

And speaking of the latter, the low motion transfer means your partner won’t be feeling every shake, rattle and roll (perfect for light sleepers). Sleepers with back, shoulder or hip pain will especially appreciate the Emma Mattress for its prime blend of suppleness and firmness that provides relief along the contours of the body while not letting you feel like you’re stuck.

Parting thoughts.

It’s no surprise why memory foam bed-in-a-box mattress have become such a hit. In an age where convenience is expected, these mattresses check all the right boxes — and Emma does it as well as any bed on the market.

The Emma Mattress is comfortable for all the right reasons — it’s breathable, provides plenty of support without sacrificing softness and it’s backed by an industry-standard warranty and risk-free trial. Wrap these features up at a significantly lower price point when compared to traditional mattress options, and Emma has a winner on their hands.

Learn more about the Emma Mattress here.