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Emma mattress review: Do Emma mattresses live up to the hype?
The brand boasts one our highest scoring mattresses ever!
Tested by Blossom Boothroyd and Kim Hawley
If you’re looking to invest in a new mattress, the chances are you’ll have come across Emma. The mattress brand is wildly popular and based on our test results here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, for good reason. It has been a firm fixture in our best mattress guide for years.
Our top picks below are among our best hybrid mattresses, which means the foam sits on top of a pocket sprung base. This should give you a best-of-both-worlds bed, with both softness and support. They also arrive in a box for easy delivery, and rest assured that our testers found them relatively easy to move into place, too.
When it comes to peace of mind, Emma has you covered – the brand offers a 200-night trial and a 10-year guarantee.
Best Emma mattresses to buy
All prices are for a UK double.
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How we test Emma mattresses
At the Good Housekeeping Institute, our mattress testing process is extremely rigorous, combining hands-on testing and long-term reader feedback rather than relying on quick impressions.
To start, we send each mattress to a panel of at-home testers who sleep on it for up to six weeks. After this trial period, they give us detailed feedback on each and every aspect of their mattress, including what delivery was like, how easy set-up was, and of course, what it was like to sleep on night after night. We also ask about temperature regulation, noise when moving, support levels and if the mattress offers effective pressure relief.
We then combine this hands-on feedback with insights from our wider panel of almost 4,000 readers. To ensure the results are meaningful, we only analyse brands once they’ve received at least 50 responses, helping us build a reliable picture of long-term durability, comfort and value.
All this data is carefully analysed by our experts before each mattress receives an overall score out of 100, helping us identify the models that are truly worth investing in.
Emma Original Pro Mattress
Emma Original Pro Mattress
Pros
- Very supportive
- Medium-firm
- Good at regulating body temperature
Cons
- Quite heavy
Score: 92/100
This is our joint-winning hybrid mattress, so you know you’re in for a real treat. It has four different foam layers, and its pocket springs are divided into zones to ensure you’re getting the right level of support throughout your body. Testers noticed this too, saying that it cushioned their hips and shoulders particularly well.
It’s medium firm, and while some testers found this took some getting used to, everyone loved the comfortable, cocooning feel. It was quiet when they rolled over at night, and it absorbed the movement well too. Plus, most found it temperature regulating. As a result, everyone slept brilliantly, waking up feeling well rested and ready to go.
Although it arrived in a box, it wasn’t the easiest to get into place as it's heavy. But its ‘new’ smell dissipated quickly. Ultimately, everyone said they planned to keep snuggling up on this mattress.
Key specifications
| Sizes | Single, small double, double, king, super king, EU sizes |
|---|---|
| Composition | Medium |
| Depth | 27cm |
| Care | Rotate, washable cover |
Emma Original Elite Mattress
Emma Original Elite Mattress
Pros
- Well-designed
- Breathable
- Popular with our panellists
Cons
- Expensive
Score: 90/100
Supportive, temperature-smart and delivered to your doorstep perfectly packaged, there’s a lot to love about this bestselling hybrid – so much so, in fact, that 100% of panellists said they’d continue using this mattress post-trial.
Make no mistake, this is one clever design: the 7-zone InfinitySpring base delivers balanced support and targeted pressure relief, while the AirGrid technology ensures breathability and prevents heat retention, which meant our testers maintained that “just right” temperature all night long.
Much like the brand’s other designs, the Airgrid feels well-made, with soft yet sturdy fabric and neat stitching.
Key specifications
| Sizes | Single, double, king, super king |
|---|---|
| Firmness | Medium |
| Depth | 27cm |
| Care | Washable cover |
Emma Original Lite Mattress
Pros
- Affordable
- Built-in handles make it easy to manoeuvre
- Good at regulating temperature
Cons
- Quite heavy
Score: 85/100
First impressions count, and this mattress wowed from the start, arriving neatly boxed and vacuum-sealed (a bonus if your staircase is a tight squeeze). It’s fairly heavy, so we do recommend having a second pair of hands on hand, though the built-in side handles make it easier to manoeuvre onto your bed frame.
Once settled in, the Original Hybrid was a hit, thanks to its effective temperature regulation, structured support (no dipping or sinking in sight), and super soft cover (which is removable for easy washing). Testers praised the lack of motion transfer, too; a bonus if you’re a light sleeper or share your bed with a partner who tosses and turns at night.
Despite one minor hiccup with delays, delivery was generally smooth, leaving the vast majority of panellists satisfied with Emma’s service and happy to recommend it to family and friends. All in all, this mattress offers excellent value for money.
Key specifications
| Sizes | Single, small double, double, queen, king, super king |
|---|---|
| Firmness | Medium firm |
| Depth | 22cm |
| Care | Washable cover |
Emma Original Mattress
Emma Original Mattress
Pros
- Good for various sleep styles
- Breathable
- Easy to move
Cons
- Some panellists could feel the springs at the edge of the bed
Score: 80/100
While it is a hybrid design, the real star of the show here is the revamped pocket springs, which have been made bigger to increase the breathability of the mattress. Our testers told us it provided comfortable support with good weight distribution. As a result, it suited various sleep styles and some people even experienced relief from back ache.
The mattress isolates movement well, is cooling, and bounces back into place nicely come morning. But the springs go right to the edge, which wasn’t to all our testers’ tastes, as they could feel them slightly. It was also too firm for some and did smell initially.
Testers found the mattress (and the box it arrived in) easy to move and handle, which is worth noting if you’ve got a flight or two of stairs to negotiate. It will also suit you if you're after a hybrid that’s more supportive pocket spring than foam.
Key specifications
| Sizes | Single, small double, double, EU double, king, EU queen, super king |
|---|---|
| Firmness | Medium firm |
| Depth | 25cm |
| Care | Washable cover, rotate |
Why should you trust the Good Housekeeping Institute?
From mattresses to the best pillows and best sleep gadgets, we’ve tested every element of your bedroom set-up, so our experts know a thing or 20 about getting a great night's sleep. Our senior sleep and wellness tester, Kim Hawley, looks after all our sleep reviews, collating feedback from our panel and conducting in-house wash tests to bring you the very best buys.
Our sleep and wellness editor, Priyankaa Joshi, helps provide quality assurance, asking all the questions you want answers to and interpreting the data to bring you clear, informative reviews. Priyankaa regularly attends industry events and interviews leading sleep experts to make sure she stays on top of the latest trends and product launches.
How do our readers review Emma mattresses?
Our opinion of our mattress can change, and they're a very personal choice. So, when our experts review mattresses, they send out a survey to our reader panel to learn about the different brands on the market and understand how their mattresses perform over time.
It turns out, Good Housekeeping readers have a lot to say about their sleep – we’ve heard from nearly 4,000 of you about your mattress brands. To be included in our results, each brand must receive at least 50 responses from people who have owned their mattress for a minimum of six months. And Emma fared exceptionally well, with 91% of our readers telling us they were happy with their mattress.
Testers praised the firmness and longevity of the brand's mattresses, with most keeping their shape and comfort levels over time. Some found them a little warming, but generally people were happy with their temperature regulation. As a result, most readers said they would recommend their Emma mattress to friends or family.
Are Emma mattresses really good?
Put simply, yes. Feedback from our testing panel and our reader surveys make it clear that Emma mattresses are a reliable choice. The hybrid options we tested are comfortable, supportive and durable – what more could you want?
Their mattress-in-a-box design makes delivery and set-up quick and seamless, and they offer good value for money compared with many competitors. Plus, all mattresses come with a 10-year manufacturer guarantee and a 200-night trial period, providing peace of mind when making such an important investment.
Does an Emma mattress sag over time?
Emma mattresses are designed to maintain their shape over time, with supportive spring and foam layers that help distribute weight evenly.
Our reader survey results back this up. Most Emma owners told us their mattress continued to feel comfortable and supportive for months after their initial purchase, with several highlighting its lasting firmness and comfort.
For extra reassurance, the 10-year manufacturer guarantee covers defects such as excessive dipping.
The verdict: What is the best Emma mattress?
The Emma Original Pro Mattress is our top pick from the brand, providing great cushioning and support as well as being temperature-regulating.
If you're on more of a budget, the Emma Original Lite Mattress comes in at £289 and it scored highly across the board in our tests.
The brand also often runs great sales, so there's plenty of opportunity to nab a bargain on your preferred design.
Priyankaa is our sleep and wellness expert, specialising in expert-tested reviews and roundups on the latest health and fitness products. From walking boots to running machines, Priyankaa has written about hundreds of products and is passionate about providing in-depth, unbiased reviews. Plus, as an avid runner and gymgoer, she knows exactly what to look for when finding the right gymwear, fitness tracker or earphones.
Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist’s Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges. She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more. Outside of work, Priyankaa can usually be found trying out a new gym class, seeking out London's best eats or watching a Spanish TV show in a bid to keep up her language skills.
Blossom is passionate about finding the best home products and appliances for GH readers. As head of the homes testing team, she has led reviews across multiple categories, from pizza ovens, and smart plugs to portable fans and hobs. She enjoys delving into the intricacies of products and refining testing protocols to ensure we’re testing them against their claims. Her aim is to find the top-performing products on the market, to help take the hard work out of housework. Blossom’s most notable accomplishment in the lab has been toasting 528 slices of bread in her quest to find the best toasters money can buy. In her free time, she openly admits to being a music geek and indulges her creative side through crocheting, baking, singing and writing.
Kim Hawley is the Senior Health & Fitness Tester at the Good Housekeeping Institute, where she leads the independent testing of health, fitness, wellness and sleep products using evidence-led protocols and her extensive industry expertise.
With more than 30 years' experience in the health and fitness industry, Kim has worked as a lead personal trainer, fitness instructor and health writer, teaching at some of London's leading health clubs, including The Harbour Club, David Lloyd and The Chelsea Club. Kim has a particular interest in women's health, especially pre-, peri- and post-menopause, and combines hands-on industry experience with rigorous product evaluation. From fitness trackers and smartwatches to home gym equipment, recovery devices, wellness tech, supplements and sleep solutions, she oversees comprehensive testing to help consumers make confident, informed purchasing decisions they can trust.
