Saatva Classic mattress review in brief
The Saatva Classic mattress is an award-winning innerspring hybrid from New York-based sleep specialist Saatva. It's available in three firmness options and two different depths, enabling you to pick the version that suits your exact preferences. It's billed as America's best-selling online luxury innerspring mattress, so we decided to test it out for ourselves to discover what makes this mattress so special.
For this Saatva Classic review, we tested out the Luxury Firm version (the middle firmness option) to help you decide whether it's the best mattress for you. Simply put, we loved it. Two of our testers slept on the Classic for two weeks, and another two reviewers tested the Saatva mattress for over a year to get a longer-term picture.
Type: Hybrid innerspring
Materials: Coils, foam
Firmness: Plush Soft (3/10), Luxury Firm (5-7) or Firm (8)
Depth: 11.5 or 14.5 inches
Trial period: 365 nights
Warranty: Lifetime
MSRP: $995 - $2,710
Price bracket: Lower-premium
From the get-go we found the Saatva Classic extremely comfortable. This is a mattress you sleep 'on top of', without sinking in too much. Our Luxury Firm version was firmer than we expected, but no less comfortable for it, with high levels of cushioning and excellent support for our pressure points and posture in general. While it kept us cool and comfortable, we did note a little motion transfer, which could be an issue for particularly light sleepers who share a bed.
12 months on, the Saatva Classic was still performing incredibly well. Although the sleep feel softened up a little, overall support remained strong, and edge support nice and sturdy, with no signs of weakening. One of the features our reviewers were most impressed by was the pressure relief – this was evident from the first night and just as effective several months down the line.
Price-wise, the Classic sits at the lower end of the premium bracket. We think it offers strong value for money, delivering the kind of luxurious experience you'd expect from a much more expensive mattress. Deals crop up regularly, too, and it's worth timing your purchase to make sure you get the lowest price (we'll expand on this in the Price section of our review). Free white glove delivery and setup in a room of your choice, a 365-night trial and a lifetime warranty boost value for money – you won't find a more comprehensive or generous set of extras with any other mattress brand.
Saatva Classic mattress review: price
- Regular discounts up to a maximum of $400 off
- Queen size $1,995 at MSRP, but as cheap as $1,595 around major sales
- Quality and extras match what you'd expect from a pricier model
The Saatva Classic mattress sits at the lower end of the luxury mattress market. It's something of an investment, but we think it's strong value for money based on what you're getting. Like many big bed brands, Saatva runs regular deals. There's almost always some kind of sale on, but the discount varies depending on when you buy, and the Twin size is almost always excluded from any offers.
The best discount you can expect is $400 off MSRP, which tends to crop up around major sales events such as Black Friday, Memorial Day, Presidents' Day and 4th of July. Outside of these events, you can expect between $200 and $400 off, with discounts increasing with the size. Our Saatva mattress sales page tracks pricing and discounts.
Like many other mattress brands, Saatva increased its prices over the course of 2022 and into 2023, as a result of inflation. For that reason, you can't expect all-time low prices, even during sales events. Here's the current pricing, as of early 2023, excluding any deals (note, the price for each size remains the same regardless of which firmness or height option you pick):
- Twin: $995
- Twin XL: $1,355
- Full: $1,895
- Queen: $1,995
- King: $2,445
- Split king: $2,710
- Cal king: $2,445
- Split cal king: $2,710
The extras help amp up the value here. Saatva offers a full year's trial period and lifetime warranty (which match the best you'll find anywhere), as well as free white glove delivery and setup in your room of choice, and free old mattress and foundation removal too (which all other brands charge for, as far as we're aware).
How does it all compare to what competitors are offering? Price-wise, the Classic is roughly in line with what we think are the best luxury mattresses around, bar the Tempur-Adapt mattress, which is more expensive.
Frequent mattress sales muddy the waters a bit, but based on what you'll usually pay, the Classic is in the same price bracket as the Purple Plus mattress, the WinkBed mattress and the GhostBed Luxe. While all of these scored well in our reviews, all have shorter trial periods than the Saatva Classic, and only the WinkBed offers customization options (and even then, only in terms of firmness, not height).
If you want to stick to Saatva, however, the Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid is the brand's newest offering. Released in late 2022, it has the responsiveness of the Classic but with more of a sink-in feeling. It only comes in one firmness level and height profile, but it's also up to $500 less than the Classic. Read our Saatva Memory Foam Hybrid mattress review to find out what we thought of it.
Saatva Classic mattress review: Design
- Luxury hybrid innerspring mattress
- 3 firmness options (soft, medium firm, firm) and 2 heights
- Design is mostly springs, with a little foam and pillow top
The Saatva Classic is a hybrid innerspring mattress, made from a combination of foams and coils. One area where this mattress stands out immediately is the level of customization on offer. You can pick from three different firmness levels: soft (Saatva calls it 'Plush Soft'), medium ('Luxury Firm') and Firm.
You can also choose from two depths: 11.5 inches and 14.5 inches. The difference here is purely in spring height, and the pricing is the same regardless which one you go for. Sizes range from twin all the way up to split California king. For our Saatva Classic mattress review, we tested the 11.5 inch Luxury Firm version.
Inside the Saatva Classic, there are five distinct tiers. On top, you'll find a 3-inch thick Euro pillow top made from organic cotton, with zoned quilting in the central third for extra lumbar support. The pillow top is designed to cushion your body, and has an antimicrobial fabric treatment to help it stay fresh.
In the centre third of the mattress, beneath the pillow top, is a layer geared specifically towards keeping your spine in healthy alignment (we rate the Classic amongst the best mattresses for back pain). This section is the only part of the mattress to use memory foam – CertiPUR-US certified, of course.
Next, a layer of individually wrapped 14.5-gauge recycled steel coils is designed to contour to your body, providing tailored support and easing pressure points, while reducing motion transfer across the mattress. There are firmer in the central third, to support the lumbar.
These sit on top of a strong, durable base of 13-gauge tempered steel support coils that have been oven heated and aim to prevent the mattress from sagging over time. Together, these two coil layers create a responsive, dual support system that help air flow through the mattress, keeping you cool at night. A foam encasement wraps around the perimeter, offering edge support and helping stabilize the entire mattress.
Saatva has an excellent reputation as a bed brand, backed up by a range of industry accolades – including a sustainability award from the Business Intelligence Group – and thousands of good user reviews, too.
The Classic is Saatva's flagship model, and the most popular of the brand's range of nine options. Other options in the lineup include a couple of memory foam models (head to our Loom & Leaf review for more on one of those), a dual-sided latex mattress, and options for bigger bodies and for children (you can see the brand's three top-sellers compare with our Saatva Classic vs Loom & Leaf vs Latex Hybrid faceoff). Finally, for smaller budgets, there's the Saatva mattress topper.
Saatva Classic mattress review: support & comfort
- 3 firmness options – we tested the Luxury Firm (7/10 rating)
- Outstanding pressure relief
- Traditional sleep feel – you lie on top, rather than sinking in
The Saatva Classic mattress is available in three firmness levels – Plush Soft, Luxury Firm, and Firm. Saatva describes the Plush Soft as being contouring with a body-hugging feel, stating that it is ideal for lighter weight sleepers and side sleepers. The Luxury Firm is the brand’s most popular comfort level and supports all sleep positions. It's also suitable for co-sleepers who have different firmness preferences and sleep styles.
Finally, the Firm offers a 'floating' feel and is suited to those who prefer a very firm mattress, including stomach sleepers and heavier body weights (note: this bed is designed to support sleepers weighing up to 55lb – if you need something sturdier, there's the similar Saatva HD, which we rate amongst the best mattresses for heavy people).
If you choose the wrong firmness, you can swap it for another option during the 365-night trial period, but note there is a $99 fee for exchanges or returns (more on this in the Delivery & setup section).
| Version | Firmness (out of 10) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Plush soft | 3 (soft) | Siide sleepers, lighter weight people, people who prefer a soft mattress |
| Luxury firm | 5-7 (medium firm) | Most people; back pain; couples with different preferences |
| Firm | 8 (firm) | Lower back or neck pain, stomach sleepers, bigger body types |
For our review, we put the Luxury Firm version to the test and found it firmly supportive, while still offering excellent pressure relief. The sleep feel is fairly traditional – this is a mattress you lie on top of, near the surface, rather than sinking in. The pillow top cover is cushioned, without too much sink, and the mattress' dual-coil system delivers a buoyant feel with a little bounce.
Saatva classifies the Luxury Firm mattress as medium, and says it measures between 5-7 out of 10 on the firmness scale (with 10 being the firmest). We found that the mattress initially falls on the firm side of medium-firm, classing it between 7 and 7.5 out of 10.
Two of our reviewers slept on the Saatva Classic luxury firm mattress for over two weeks, and having been used to innerspring mattresses, it took no time to break in or adjust. It was extremely comfortable and supportive from the first night. They found that their lower spines and pressure points – including shoulders, hips and knees – felt cushioned and supported, with their weight distributed evenly. We give this model very high marks for side and back sleeping in particular.
If you're used to memory foam mattress, it may take you a little time to get used to the slight bounce of the springs, but otherwise you should find very little adjustment needed.
Saatva Classic mattress review: performance
- Some slight motion transfer, but still suitable for most couples
- Strong temperature regulation – doesn't trap heat
- Edge support is sturdy
Two of our reviewers slept on the Luxury Firm Saatva Classic for two weeks, and another two reviewers tested the Saatva mattress for over a year to get a longer-term picture. During our review period, as well as judging the comfort and support on offer, we also assessed the mattress in key areas of performance including motion isolation, temperature regulation, edge support and durability. Here's what we discovered during the review process…
Motion isolation
The trade off for that more responsive, slightly bouncy sleep surface is that the Saatva Classic doesn't isolate movement as well as, say, an all-foam model. We noted a little motion transfer during our testing period. While it wasn't enough to disturb our testers' sleep, and would still recommend this mattress to most couples, it is something to be aware of if you have a particularly restless partner who's prone to lots of tossing and turning at night. (As a rule, memory foam mattresses are better at motion isolation than anything with springs, although it does vary from model to model.)
Temperature regulation
There was no uncomfortable heat retention with the Saatva Classic. Our reviewers all found the temperature remained neutral throughout the night, with the mattress not becoming too hot or too cool at any point.
As a rule, foams can struggle with trapping body heat, while coils do not. There's only a little bit of foam in the Saatva Classic, compared to plenty of springs, creating lots of space for air to circulate freely. So we're not surprised that this model performs well when it comes to temperature regulation. The fact that the cover is made from cotton, which is a naturally breathable material, will help matters too.
Edge support
Edge support refers to how sturdy a mattress feels around its perimeter. Sturdy edges make getting into and out of bed much easier, and enable you to make use of the full sleep surface. The Saatva Classic mattress offers excellent edge support. Our reviewers could sleep right up to the edge without it sagging or feeling like they might roll off.
Durability
As you'll discover in our 'One year on' section, the Saatva Classic holds up very well in terms of durability. However, one aspect to watch out for is body indentations over time. These are unavoidable with most mattresses, and while the Saatva Classic's steel coils will do much to protect against this, the Euro pillow top (although denser than a standard pillow top) is likely to imprint eventually, when you're sleeping on it for six-eight hours each night.
The risk is a lot lower here than for a pure foam mattress, but we would recommend rotating your Saatva mattress regularly, especially for the first six months, and trying not to sleep in exactly the same spot each night.
Saatva Classic mattress review: delivery & setup
- Free white glove delivery to room of choice
- Delivered flat rather than vacuum packed
- $99 fee for exchanges and returns
One key area where Saatva stands out is that unlike many of its online-only rivals, the Saatva Classic mattress isn't a mattress in a box. That means it won't arrive rolled up in a package on your doorstep, but instead is shipped flat.
To make this more manageable, Saatva offers free white glove delivery as standard: a local shipping company will hand-deliver and set up your mattress in the room of your choice, and remove your old mattress (for free) too, if you want. As well as being ultra-convenient, this approach also means the brand is able to include more springs in the design, resulting in that bouncy, traditional innerspring feel you read about in the Comfort section of our review. This is the most generous and comprehensive delivery offering we've come across – some bed brands offer similar things, but not for free.
All of Saatva's mattresses come with a 365-night risk-free trial, so you have plenty of time to decide if the Classic is right for you. Trials of a year are rare in the industry, and you won't find any that are longer than that. If you choose not to keep the mattress for any reason, Saatva will collect it, donate it to a Veteran's shelter and refund your money – less a $99 processing fee. You can also exchange your mattress for a different firmness level or depth for the same $99 fee during your trial period.
Those processing fees are pretty unusual, and one of the few things we'd mark Saatva down on. None of Saatva's closest competitors charge a fee for exchanges or returns.
Saatva ships its mattresses with a non-prorated lifetime warranty. If there's a defect within the first two years, you'll get a free replacement. From year three onward, Saatva will repair or replace your mattress; you'll just need to pay a $149 processing fee.
Saatva Classic mattress review: one year on
Saatva Classic mattress owner Diana Kelly Levey has slept on the mattress for over 12 months.
A freelance writer, content marketing writer, and digital strategist, Diana Kelly Levey lives in Long Island, NY, with her husband, son and adopted dog. We asked what her mattress is like a year later - and if anything has changed.
TG: How long have you had the Saatva Classic mattress?
Diana Kelly Levey: A little over one year.
What firmness score would you give it?
DKL: It felt like a 7 [out of 10] when I first got it. I might say it's about 6.5 now. It felt quite firm at first after sleeping on a seven-year-old innerspring mattress so the support was noticeable. Now, it still feels supportive but not quite as firm, but I'm okay with that.
What's it like to sleep on?
DKL: You sleep on top of this mattress. I’m a side sleeper and stomach sleeper, but when we got this I was in my second trimester of pregnancy so I needed to sleep on my side. I noticed the support and pressure relief instantly. In terms of temperature, I don't think it sleeps warm or cool.
My husband mostly sleeps on his back and switches to his side. He has back pain and was experiencing more aches on our old mattress. Once we started sleeping on the Saatva he noticed some of that pain decreasing.
Is there any motion transfer? Has this changed over time?
DKL: Motion transfer was one of the main reasons I sought out this mattress. My husband and I sometimes have opposite sleeping schedules and I didn’t want one person getting out of bed to wake up the other person.
With the initial firmness of the mattress, I didn’t feel any movement on my side of the bed when he would get in or out. Now, I’d say the pressure change in the mattress feels a little different if I'm awake and he gets in or out, but when I’m sleeping well and he gets up, I don’t notice it at all.
I put my side through the wringer, bouncing a screaming newborn while sitting on the side of the bed, and the edges are still firm.
Diana Kelly Levey
How good is the edge support?
DKL: Edge support was important to me as well, and the Saatva Classic offers that in spades.
We got a king-size mattress so we’d each have more room to spread out. My husband is 6'3" and spends a lot of time sleeping near the edge of the bed, and so far it's still firm and supportive. I put my side through the wringer, bouncing and rocking a screaming newborn while sitting on the side of the bed and it's still firm.
How well has the Saatva aged in the time you've had it?
DKL: I like it more as the firmness has decreased a bit – I’m sleeping on top still, but sink in a bit more. It's challenging to say though because I was pregnant when I first got this so sleeping was a different experience. (The support and pressure relief was amazing during pregnancy, but getting in and out of a bed that's over 3 inches higher was a bigger challenge later in pregnancy.)
Would you recommend this mattress to others?
DKL: Yes, it's very supportive and comfortable but also plush with the pillow top. It’s good for couples, people who sleep in different positions, and those looking for a medium firm option from an innerspring mattress that has a pillowtop.
What score would you give it out of 10?
DKL: I’d give it an 8 because it offers good pressure relief, customer service was great and I liked their white glove delivery service. It’s also nice that there wasn’t any off-gassing and we could sleep on it right away. I’m hoping it holds up well since it was a costly purchase, but with a 15-year warranty, I felt comfortable making the decision. Not knowing how well it holds up in a few years keeps me from giving it a 9 or 10.
Saatva Classic mattress review: Customer reviews
- Rated 4.8/5 stars from nearly 6,000 reviews for the Saatva Classic
- Some had to change firmness before finding the right one
- Lots of reviewers found it eased their back pain
Our reviewers loved the Saatva Classic mattress, but mattresses will feel different from person to person. Your experience will depend on your body shape, size, weight, whether you sleep hot, what type of mattress you previously slept on and your own personal preferences, too. To build a more rounded review of what the Saatva Classic mattress is like to sleep on for most people, we dug into the customer comments on the Saatva site, to seek out any recurring themes. While there are tens of thousands of comments, Saatva doesn't separate by model, making it very difficult to tell which mattress a customer is talking about.
That said, the Classic is the bestseller in the Saatva range, and an average score of 4.8 out of 5 from approximately 6,000 user views (May 2023) is impressive.
There are plenty of comments from those who suffer from back or joint pain, and who found the Saatva mattress eased or even alleviated that pain completely. Reviews paint a positive picture for longevity, too – lots of people have posted 1-, 2- or even 5-year reviews, and say their mattress has held up impressively well, and remains extremely comfortable. (There are a handful of reviews saying the mattress had started to develop sleep indentations, but we don't know which model these comments relate to.) Saatva’s customer service receives glowing praise throughout, with users commenting on expertise, speed of response and willingness to help.
Of the negative comments we found, almost all are to do with the mattress being softer or firmer than expected (you can swap out for another firmness level if you pick wrong, although you will incur that $99 processing fee). It's notable that even when customers weren't super happy with their mattress, they still spoke highly of the customer service they received from Saatva, and found the exchange process smooth.
Should you buy the Saatva Classic mattress?
To the important part of our Saatva Classic mattress review: should you buy one? It's a resounding yes from us. If you're looking for an extremely comfortable high-end hybrid that provides noticeable support across the entire mattress and on the edges, doesn't retain heat, and has minimal motion transfer and gentle bounce, the Saatva Classic mattress is an excellent choice.
We like the customization options, and Saatva's willingness to help customers find exactly the right version too. Even in light of inflation, it's still well priced within the luxury market, with the added convenience of free white glove delivery, which leaves nothing for you to do but make the bed. The 1-year trial is also a nice perk – it's well beyond the industry average (120 nights) and will allow you to gauge performance of the mattress across all seasons.
If you're seeking comfort, design and all-round great value, the Saatva Classic is the best-value luxury mattress you can buy, and an excellent choice for most people.
First reviewed: September 2020
Saatva Classic mattress review: Alternatives to consider
