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Eve Sleep’s premium mattress lives up to its name

Feeling like ‘The Princess and the Pea’, we put the luxe, four-layered bed to the test

Ellie Fry
Friday 02 June 2023 13:16 BST
It claims to be a dream for back, side or front sleepers – does the medium-firm mattress deliver?
It claims to be a dream for back, side or front sleepers – does the medium-firm mattress deliver? (The Independent)

From Deliveroo to Depop, we’re suckers for any service that brings the goods straight to our doorstep. One industry that’s enjoyed this switch from in-store shopping to online ease is the lucrative world of sleep, as bed-in-a-box brands revolutionised the mattress market a few years back.

Eve Sleep was founded in 2015, the same year as its other main competitors, Simba and Emma. An OG in the bed-in-a-box game, Eve’s founders were inspired by their frustrations at how difficult it is to find a great mattress. Traipsing around stores and lying on beds that other shoppers have just tried felt so 2002, and so it launched its own line of sleep products, now boasting four mattresses in total.

Easily recognised for its canary yellow piping and minimalistic branding, Eve Sleep offers a 365-night trial (a much-needed guarantee if you want to stand out in the new era mattress crowd), a 10-year warranty, a recycling service for your old mattress and delivery straight to your door. It also partners with experts to refine its technology, and it hopes its mattresses cater to every type of sleeper.

To put this claim to the test, we tried out the brand’s premium mattress. Claiming to be the ultimate all-rounder, Eve says this mattress should make every sleeper feel supported, whether you prefer to snooze on your back, side or stomach. The clue is in the name, but you get all the bells and whistles here; four different types of foam, contour zones that adapt to your body, temperature control and a thick quilted cover that’s removable and washable. But is it worth the price tag? We found out.

How we tested

We spent three weeks testing this mattress, sleeping alone and with our partner, to put it through its paces. We sleep mostly on our side, while our partner sleeps on their front, tosses a lot, and always gets too hot even in the depths of winter, so we were primed for thorough testing. We considered everything from delivery to packaging to how well we slept.

Eve Sleep the premium mattress

Eve Sleep’s premium mattress indybest.jpeg
  • Sizes available: Double, king and super king
  • Material: Memory foam and floatfoam
  • Mattress depth: 28cm
  • Sleep trial: 365 nights
  • Guarantee: 10 years
  • Why we love it
    • Provided immediate feeling of relief
    • Noticed fewer aches and pains
  • Take note
    • Depth can feel overbearin
Eve Sleep the premium mattress design and features

Before our mattress even arrived, we were impressed with Eve’s service. We got a few emails ahead of delivery, giving us tracking details and nuggets of intel about the premium model. We know these emails are automated, but they are written with personality and we liked the build-up ahead of its arrival.

When it came (on time with a specific slot) we were surprised at how compact the bright yellow box was. It was heavy, but easy to manoeuvre. After sleeping on old mattresses in rented accommodation for many moons, we were thrilled to unfurl our new slumber companion. It came tightly rolled in plastic, and unravelled on its own with ease. After half an hour or so, all the edges had straightened out and after three hours it had expanded to reach its full, plump potential.

A big bugbear for bed-in-a-boxes is the chemical-y smell that they often have, but despite being braced for it, there was no scent at all here. There’s also useful handles on the side of the mattress to move it into place and to turn it (the brand says you don’t need to flip the premium but suggests rotating it every 30 days for the first year). We were shocked at how tall the mattress was, remarking to our partner that we felt like The Princess and the Pea when we first jumped onto it, but Eve Sleep explains that its height is all down to the many layers of premium foam inside.

Speaking of, let’s get down to the technicalities. The premium boasts four layers of foam that all have different roles; the base layer features contour zones to soothe achey muscles, the support layer keeps your spine aligned with firmer foam; the memory foam layer hugs the body and Eve Sleep’s trademarked floatfoam is a brand new cloud-like layer that acts as the cherry on top. The last two layers are infused with graphite that actively removes the heat when your body gets too hot, which sounds pretty impressive.

We can’t forget the top cover either – the thick, quilted finish is undoubtedly luxe. It’s these little touches that make you feel like you’re getting value for your money. Plus, it’s quite literally lined with silver. Fancy? Yes, but also practical, as it has natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. This can be unzipped and popped on a 40C degree wash, making aftercare pretty simple.

As mentioned earlier, the mattress does look hilariously large when you’re not used to such a tall bed. But it did fit perfectly on our standard-size double frame and looked the part with its cloud-like quilted finish and sunshine yellow piping.

Read more: Best mattress toppers that are comfortable and breathable

Eve Sleep the premium mattress comfort and performance

Rather than creating various models to suit different sleepers, Eve Sleep claims that all of its mattresses give you “a Goldilocks, just-right, medium-firm support”. We were sceptical, and after sleeping on a hard spring mattress for a few years, this new soft-yet-firm hybrid took a few nights to get used to. But after that, we immediately felt the benefits of its supportive technology and slept better than we had in a long time.

As cheesy as it sounds, sleeping on this mattress feels like a comforting hug. Unlike other memory foam mattresses we’ve tried, this one is soft enough to settle into for that immediate feeling of relief, but it still offers that firm support for your back and spine. Regardless of which way we slept, we felt supported by this mattress, and after a few nights, the foam had cleverly moulded to our body, supporting it in a snug cocoon of medium-firm support. We slept on this mattress in the midst of an August heatwave and did feel it kept heat and sweat at bay more successfully than our old one. We still needed our trusty tower fan, but every little helps.

Our partner sleeps on his front usually and noted that he too felt supported by the premium’s seemingly endless layers of foam. He usually complains of back ache after sleeping on a softer mattress, but added that the premium gave him the best of both worlds. His tossing and turning didn’t wake us up either, which was a bonus. After a long day at work, the premium is a real treat to sink into, and leaves us feeling genuinely rested when we wake up.

Our only bugbear is an aesthetic one. Unusually for London dwelling, we have a generously sized bedroom, and even then found that the height of this mattress did take some getting used to. If you have a small space, this is something to consider as its height may feel overbearing. With that said, a tall mattress is a small price to pay for the brilliant support and comfort the premium offers. What isn’t a small price, however, is the cost of the mattress itself. It’s certainly an investment, but all the features work hard to justify it, and we love the little details that make you feel like a valued customer from the get-go.

Read more: Best pillows for a great night’s sleep, from memory foam to feather-filled

Back to top

The verdict: Eve premium mattress

Eve Sleep’s claims are ambitious, but it lives up to its premium name. Packed with clever technology that actually works, we’ve noticed that we’re sleeping far more deeply on this mattress with less aches and pains. We love all of the little details, from the silver-lined mattress cover to the cooling graphite technology, and can’t wait to climb into it tonight.

Looking for more sleep recommendations? Read our review of the best mattresses

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