Saatva Classic vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt: Which luxury mattress for back pain should you buy in the Black Friday sales?

If your New Year's resolution is to vanquish nighttime back pain once and for all, shopping for a mattress in this year's Black Friday sales is a good place to start. The Saatva Classic and the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt are a couple of luxury models that are close in price and considered two of the best mattresses for back pain, but they achieve the same goal in different ways.

The Saatva Classic is an innerspring hybrid that tops our overall guide to the best mattresses for its customizable comfort and dedicated lumbar support. It's also $400 off with our exclusive discount link, meaning a queen-size Saatva Classic Mattress drops to $1,739 at Saatva (was $2,139).

Meanwhile, the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt makes our best memory foam mattress guide as the premier choice for those with back pain who'll benefit from the superb pressure relief of Tempur Material. After $200 off during Tempur-Pedic's Black Friday sale, a queen-size Tempur-Adapt Mattress is now $1,999 (was $2,199).

Som which one should you buy? As someone who's slept on both of these mattresses — and spent considerable time with the Tempur-Adapt in particular — I'll be comparing them head-to-head so you can make the best decision for your sleep. And if neither one appears to be a match for you, browse our Black Friday mattress sales hub for more great deals.

Saatva Classic vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt: Price, trial & warranty

• The Saatva Classic and Tempur-Adapt are premium-priced mattresses
• Saatva includes a 365-night trial and a forever warranty
• Tempur-Pedic offers a 90-night trial and a 10-year warranty
• Both brands provide white glove delivery free of charge

Whether you choose the Saatva or Tempur-Pedic, expect to pay more than the average cost of a mattress. Even when they're on sale, the Saatva Classic and Tempur-Adapt fall into the lower end of the premium price range ($1,500+ for a queen-size).

The Saatva Black Friday mattress sale cuts $400 off orders over $1,000, courtesy of our semi-exclusive discount link. That drops the price of a queen-size Saatva Classic to $1,739 (was $2,139).

Due to a gradual rise in the retail price earlier in the year, this isn't the lowest price we've seen for the Saatva Classic in 2025, but it's still a solid deal for a handcrafted luxury mattress that includes free white glove delivery, a one-year sleep trial, and a forever warranty.

As for the Tempur-Adapt, you have two choices when browsing this year's Tempur-Pedic Black Friday sale. You can go with the current-gen Tempur-Adapt — which falls to $1,999 in a queen-size after $200 off — or buy the previous-gen model at 30% off, dropping the price of a queen to $1,539.

The Tempur-Adapt models have similar designs, but choosing the previous-gen model means forfeiting returns, as all sales are final at Tempur-Pedic Outlet.

Regular Tempur-Pedic purchases include a 90-night trial, and all Tempur-Pedic mattresses receive free white glove delivery and a 10-year warranty.

Saatva Classic vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt: Materials & design

• The Saatva Classic comes in three comfort levels and two heights
• The Tempur-Adapt is also available as a hybrid of foam and springs
• Overall, the Saatva Classic has a more complex design

The Saatva Classic is a handcrafted innerspring hybrid mattress that measures 11.5" or 14.5" tall. (You can choose the height you want.) You can also select the firmness level: Plush, Luxury Firm, or Firm.

There are five tiers to the Saatva Classic, starting with a Euro pillow top wrapped in organic cotton. The quilting in the middle-third of the mattress enhances the bed's lumbar crown, which is a 1/2" strip of gel memory foam paired with an Active Spinal Wire to help keep your back in alignment.

The bulk of the mattress is made up of springs, including a bed of 14.5-gauge wrapped recycled steel coils to deliver targeted pressure relief plus a series of 13-gauge tempered steel support coils for stability. (The coils also aid airflow.) A foam encasement surrounds the base of the mattress for edge support.

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By contrast, the Tempur-Adapt mattress comes in one height (11") and one firmness (medium-firm). You do have the option of turning this all-foam mattress into a hybrid by replacing the foam core with 1,000+ wrapped coils.

Relative to the Saatva Classic, the Tempur-Adapt has a straightforward design. It features a soft layer of Tempur-Material on top for pressure relief, a firmer layer of Tempur-Material in the middle for full-body support, and an 8" polyfoam core at the base for stability and motion isolation.

The Tempur-Adapt has a flat top with a specialist cool-touch cover to help wick heat and moisture. However, don't expect it to be on the level of the advanced temp-regulating materials in the Tempur-Breeze lineup of cooling mattresses.

Saatva Classic vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt: Comfort & support

These mattresses deliver greatly different experiences — and the "better" of the two will come down to your preference.

To sum it up, the Saatva Classic will appeal to sleepers who like to feel as if they're floating on top of their bed, whereas the Tempur-Adapt will suit those who prefer to feel as if their mattress is hugging them.

For our Saatva Classic Mattress review, we slept on the 14.5" Luxury Firm version. We needed time to break it in, as it felt firmer than advertised the first several nights — but even then, this isn't a mattress we sank into. This responsiveness helps if you're prone to switching positions at night.

The Euro pillow top and wrapped coils nicely contoured our touchpoints, while the lumbar crown and support coils kept our spine in a neutral position, no matter how we lay. The Luxury Firm Saatva Classic kept our average-weight testers well-supported in all positions, but we'd recommend going softer if you're a side/back sleeper under 130lbs, or firmer if you weigh over 250lbs.

Lead tester Claire has dealt with back and hip pain since her pregnancy several years ago, but that discomfort "disappeared" when she slept on the Saatva Classic. "I commented to my husband that I hadn't slept that well since I was a teenager," she says. The exceptional lumbar support of the Saatva Classic was more evident after Claire spent a few weeks testing a different mattress.

Our panel rate the Tempur-Adapt Mattress a 7.5 out of 10 on our firmness scale, which is a touch firmer than Tempur-Pedic's assessment. It's not what we'd call 'squishy,' but Tempur Material is slow to respond. It takes about 20 seconds to snap back into place. (By comparison, the Saatva Classic rebounds in less than a second.)

This balance of plush pressure relief and a firmer support core made it an unanimous hit among the back sleeping testers in our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Mattress review. Our stomach-sleeping testers felt just as supported — their hips didn't dip — but our side sleeping panelists either found it too soft in the middle or too firm around their shoulders.

I tested the Tempur-Adapt as someone with bouts of lower back pain and mild scoliosis. While I'm primarily a side sleeper, resting on my back allowed me to experience the very best of Tempur's "legendary pressure relief." The contouring properties of the Tempur Material alleviated tension in my lower back, and I didn't experience any pain during my time with this mattress.

My one quibble with the Tempur-Adapt Mattress is its temperature regulation — or lack thereof. I regularly woke up in the middle of the night in a sweat. Conversely, the Saatva Classic doesn't absorb or hold onto much heat at all. Keep this in mind if you're prone to overheating, especially since frequent tossing and turning can make back pain worse.

Saatva Classic vs Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt: Which should you buy?

Buy the Saatva Classic in the Black Friday mattress sales if...

✅ You want to tailor your mattress to your comfort and space: You can make the Saatva Classic as firm and as tall as you want, with three comfort levels and two height profiles to choose from.

✅ You don't want to feel hot and bothered at night: Whether you live in a warm climate or have a medical condition that affects your body temperature, the breathable build of the Saatva Classic will provide many sleepers with relief from the heat.

✅ You want to take your time breaking it in: Saatva offers a generous one-year trial so you can try the bed throughout every season. If it doesn't work out, you can either exchange it for a different firmness or return it for a refund (minus a $99 processing fee).

Buy the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt in the Black Friday mattress sales if...

✅ You like the sensation of memory foam: Tempur Material molds to your shape. This slow-moving foam will either feel divine or suffocating, depending on how much freedom of movement you require at night. (Combi sleepers may want to reconsider.)

✅ You sleep on your back: In our opinion, this is the best way to experience the essence of the Tempur Material's deep pressure relief. It's also suitable for front sleeping, but if you're seeking the best mattress for side sleepers, look elsewhere.

✅ You share a bed with a restless partner or pet: The dense foams eat up movement, so you're unlikely to feel it when your co-sleeper fidgets or your dog suddenly jumps into bed.