Emma Sleep Original Review

The Emma Sleep Original is an all-foam mattress offering upgraded sleep experience at a wallet-friendly price. The mattress combines deep pressure relieving contouring with ergonomic support. It's also designed to effectively isolate motion and reduce heat retention providing a cool sleep environment.

The Original is one of Emma's two manufactured mattresses. The second one is the Original Hybrid, which consists of foam and steel coils.

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Pros & Cons

Mattress Construction

The Original is 11'' thick. It's built from 4 layers of different types of foam providing contouring and supporting sleepers' body. Put together, these layers give a medium feel. 

Cover: Soft and breathable polyester-based fabric, which can easily be removed and washed.

Layer 1: Body-conforming Airgocell memory foam molding to sleepers' body. The foam is manufactured using open-cell technology for active heat dissipation.

Layer 2: Malleable memory foam providing extra pressure relieving contouring and improved motion isolation.

Layer 3: HRX Supreme highly resilient medium density poly foam generating bounce and reducing sagging. The foam has over 100 supportive points evenly distributing body weight helping alleviate pressure.

Layer 4: High density poly foam designed to deliver overall support and increase the mattress' durability

Feel

The Original Hybrid's plush and breathable cover gives a smooth-like feel while wicking away hot air keeping the surface of the mattress cool and dry.

The two upper layers of cushy and slow responding memory foam hug sleepers' body creating a pleasant melting-into-the-bed sensation and maximizing comfort. The two bottom layers of supple medium density and hardened high-density poly foam counter the sinkage generated by the upper memory foam layers increasing sleepers' stability making them feel secure lying on the bed.

Pressure Relief

The Original is a great fit for side sleepers of all weights. The two upper layers of contouring foam will cradle the sensitive areas in their body, the hips and shoulders in particular, mitigating pressure. The more than 100 supportive points the HRX Supreme poly foam in the third layer has will distribute their body weight more evenly preventing the accumulation of pressure in these areas. Finally, the hardened poly foam in the fourth layer will prevent over sagging which may throw their spine out of its natural alignment.

Back sleepers weighing up to 250 pounds will also feel comfortable on the Original. The two upper layers of body-conforming memory foam will cushion their lumbar and thoracic spine mitigating pressure. The bouncy HRX Supreme poly foam in the third layer will lift their back and together with the high density poly foam in the last layer will provide them the support they need to maintain a healthy sleep position.

XL back sleepers who weigh more than 250 pounds will most likely require a more robust mattress capable of carrying their heavier body and preventing over-sagging. The bouncier Emma Original Hybrid with its supportive coil system will serve them better.

Stomach sleepers who weigh up to 150 pounds will like the Original. Its memory foam layers will contour their abdomen enabling a cozy sleep experience with reduced pressure. The denser poly foam in the third and fourth layers will deliver adequate support to make them feel stable lying on the mattress.

In contrast, their heavier counterparts whose weight exceeds 150 pounds will suffer from excess sinking especially in the area beneath their rib cage. This will result in discomfort and pain. These sleepers had better opt for other mattresses designed for plus-size people.

Motion Isolation

The Original does a wonderful job isolating motion. The memory foam in its upper two layers responds slowly to sleepers' body weight and so absorbs most of the energy generated by these sleepers' movements. The HRX Supreme poly foam in the third layer is more supple and bouncier than the memory foam, but it still has a much lower capacity for motion transfer compared to coils in hybrid mattresses.

All in all, sleeping on the Original, you'll enjoy undisturbed sleep even if your partner tosses and turns repeatedly during the night.

Repositioning

The Original isn't the best choice for sleepers seeking ease of movement. Although the HRX Supreme poly foam in the third layer generates some bounce and the high-density poly foam in the fourth layer delivers decent support, both of them combined aren't enough to counter the sinkage caused by the two layers of soft memory foam above and are, therefore, unable to provide smooth and effortless repositioning, especially when it comes to heavier people who sleep restlessly.

Edge Support

The Original's edge support is a function of sleepers' weight. Most of those who weigh up to 250 pounds will feel stable lying on its perimeter thanks to the bounce and support delivered by the two bottom layers of medium and high density poly foam.

Heavyweight sleepers (as well as most average weight stomach sleepers) will suffer from excess sagging around the mattress' exterior. They'll tend to move to the more stable center and, by doing so, will reduce their potential sleep space.

Heat Retention

Compared to latex and hybrid mattresses, all-foam mattresses are more susceptible to heat retention as a result of the improved contouring they provide. To tackle this problem, the Original's designers have used smart materials to enable it effective cooling.

The mattress' highly breathable cover neutralize body heat and wicks it away. The open-cell technology used in the manufacturing of the Airgocell memory foam in the first layer prevents the accumulation of heat by dispersing it across the mattress. To make a long story short, the Original is well suited to people who sleep hot or live in hot and humid areas.

Frame & Foundation

The Original works well with most of the foundations, framers and adjustable bases available on the market as long as they're strong enough to carry its weight. Emma manufactures and sells its own sleep platforms.

The Rustic Wooden Bed is built from pinewood and is reinforced with steel interior brackets enabling it to support a maximum weight of 900 pounds. The foundation is offered at 6 different colors consisting of walnut, natural, almond, black, white and grey. You can add to it a variety of black powder coated and stainless legs and 3'', 5'' or 9'' casters.There is no trial period, but the the platform is backed by a 1-year warranty. Minimum price is $495 for a twin mattress. Maximum price is $665 for a California King mattress.

The Emma Power Base is an adjustable base featuring customized head elevation, silent drive motors, power outrage protection and gravity release technology. Similar to the Rustic Wooden Bed, it comes with a variety of black powder coated and stainless legs and 3'', 5'' or 9'' casters. The base is sold with a 10-year limited warranty and with no trial period. It's compatible with Twin XL, Queen and King size mattresses. It's prices are $649, $799 and $1,099 respectively.

The Power Base Pro is Emma's most advanced adjustable base. It offers sleepers a smart control system, a user-friendly wireless remote and presets paired with offline voice control technology, head and foot TV and zero-gravity presets, massage motors, underbed lighting and dual USB charging ports. The base can be fitted with a selection of black powder coated and stainless legs and 3'', 5'' or 9'' casters.

The Power Base Pro comes with no trial and with a 10-year limited warranty. It's designed for Twin XL, Queen and King size mattresses and is sold at $1,399, $1,499 and $1,849 respectively. 

Additional Details

Emma is a German company founded in 2013. It has two mattress brands, the Original Hybrid and the Original all-foam. The company manufactures and sells its mattresses in more than 20 countries all over the world. The Original model which is sold in North America is manufactured in the United States and Mexico.

All of Emma's mattresses are CertiPUR-US certified indicating they're free of ozone depleters, PBDEs, TDCPP or TCEP (“Tris”) flame retardants, formaldehyde, phthalates, heavy metals and any other material which may risk sleepers' health or pollute the environment. Moreover, Emma follows stringent guidelines aimed at curtailing the emissions of volatile organic compounds (less than 0.5 parts per million) so as to make sure its customers breathe clean indoor air.

Shipping & Delivery

The Original is shipped to any US destination, including Alaska and Hawaii, free of charge. Since Emma uses warehouses located all over the United States, shipping time is no longer than 7 business days.

The Original will reach your doorstep wrapped in plastic, rolled and compressed in a box. You will be required to carry the box to your designated room and set up the mattress. You also have the option to opt for white glove delivery the company began to offer in late 2022.

Return & Warranty

The Hybrid Original is sold with a 356-night trial and no break in period. Put differently, you have 356 nights to return the mattress and get a full refund.

The mattress is backed by a 10-year warranty. The warranty extends to the original buyer only and it covers manufacturing defects and premature deterioration of the foam which led to cracks and/or indentations on the surface deeper than 1.5''. In case the mattress needs to be repaired or replaced, the company will pay for transport.

The Bottom Line

Apart from being highly affordable, the Original is a great choice for light and average weight sleepers who enjoy the sensation of being cradled by their mattress. Its two upper layers of body-conforming and slow responding memory foam will definitely provide them with this pleasant cradling sensation while the two bottom layers of medium and high density poly foam will deliver ample lift and support.

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