We Tested the Saatva Classic Mattress (and Our Marriage) for 30 Nights – CNET

As experts on CNET’s sleep team — testing and reviewing all things mattress and sleep-related — my husband Dillon and I frequently joke about the ironic fact that we still struggle to get quality rest. My sleeping positions and preferences are much different than Dillon’s, which is an issue many partners face. To name a few of these differences: Dillon is a night owl, and I’m an early bird. He prefers a quiet room, while I sleep better with a noise machine. I enjoy cuddling with our pets on the bed and he does not. I like to sleep in the pitch black, and Dillon wouldn’t even notice if a construction-grade work light illuminated the entire bedroom all night. Fortunately, after much trial and error and trying various sleep products, Dillon and I have found solutions for most of these differences. 

Firmness

We took turns laying on it, rolling around and testing out the various sleeping positions. It didn’t take long for Dillon to come to the conclusion that while it was an extremely nice bed, it would be too firm for him to sleep on his side. I had the opposite reaction — I enjoyed how firm and supportive it felt while lying on my stomach and back (and even my side). It provided ample support for keeping my spine neutrally aligned.

Feel

We immediately appreciated the responsiveness of the bed. Unlike the sinking-in feeling associated with memory foam, the Saatva Classic is extremely responsive and bounces back quickly, which we both prefer. We also both enjoyed its plush pillow top feel.

Temperature

We agreed that the cover was not cool to the touch but seemed temperature-neutral. As a hot sleeper, I felt this might pose an issue for me, but Dillon wasn’t too concerned about it.

Motion isolation

With one person lying still on the bed and the other moving around, we tested its motion-isolating abilities. We also tested it by placing a glass of water on the bed and bouncing and rolling around. Dillon felt the mattress had pretty decent motion isolation. I found it so-so and thought it might not work well for me in that regard — not just because Jess constantly jumps on and off the bed, but because Dillon and I frequently go to bed and wake up at different times. As a night owl, he tends to go to bed later, and I usually wake up earlier. Having a mattress that absorbs motion and won’t jostle the other person awake would be helpful since we often get in and out of bed at different times.

Design and construction

As I mentioned, we were immediately impressed by the look and quality of the materials used in the Saatva Classic’s construction. The model we had was 11.5 inches tall, which is pretty standard, and Saatva also offers a thicker 14.5-inch version. 

I liked how soft and luscious the cover felt. It’s made with naturally hypoallergenic organic cotton and is treated with Saatva’s Guardin botanical antimicrobial treatment that is intended to inhibit bacteria growth and mold. We prefer our mattresses to be hypoallergenic since we sleep with our pets (and their fur and dander), so that’s a great feature. 

I could tell that it would keep my spine in neutral alignment, partially due to the Lumbar Zone Active Spinal Wire in the middle of the mattress. Just below that is the layer of Lumbar Zone Pocketed Coils made with recycled steel, firmer in the center third of the bed where most of our body weight was. The base is a coil unit made of tempered steel. That said, the mattress was heavy but lighter than I expected, considering it’s such a durable hybrid bed. 

Brand standards

Dillon and I have always admired Saatva as a brand. Its policies are fantastic: 365-night trial period, lifetime warranty, free shipping, delivery and setup, and even complimentary removal of your old mattress. Its beds are handcrafted to order in the US using high-quality and sustainably sourced materials. What’s not to like about that? 

Right off the bat, I really enjoyed this mattress and was sleeping better than I had been on the Brentwood Hybrid. The edge support kept me from feeling like I was going to fly off whenever I’d get pushed to the edge. I didn’t wake up feeling sore like Dillon was, even when I would lay on my side. 

Dillon was impressed by its ability to isolate motion, whereas I thought it did a fine job. As a very light sleeper, I’m more sensitive to motion transfer than Dillon is — particularly so because our cat tends to jump on and off the bed (and me) constantly throughout the night — an issue that no amount of motion isolation can solve. I also woke up quite often when Dillon moved around or switched positions throughout the night. 

A few nights, I’d find myself overheating and whipping the covers off in sweaty panic. We keep the temperature in our bedroom cool and sleep with a light comforter, so I do think this was happening in part because of the mattress. Dillon wasn’t getting quite as hot as I was, but he also mentioned that he would like a bed with more cooling technology. 

A little over halfway through the trial, something interesting happened. One day, I pinched a nerve in my shoulder, which is what led me to the realization that I spend more time sleeping on my side than I had initially thought. For about a week, I would constantly wake up in pain and find myself lying on my side. Because the bed’s firm profile doesn’t offer much pressure relief, it was intensifying the pain from my pinched nerve. After this, I began paying closer attention to my sleeping habits and found that I spend way more time sleeping on my side than I ever thought. 

Feel and firmness (the most important features of this trial for us)

On a scale of 1 to 20:

• 1 = Absolutely abhor this particular feature of the bed
• 10 = Not my favorite, but I can make it work
• 20 = It’s perfect, and I could not imagine my life now without this feature of the bed

Motion isolation, edge support, temperature, construction, brand standards and sleep quality

On a scale of 1 to 10:

• 1 = Absolutely abhor this particular feature of the bed
• 5 = Not my favorite, but I can make it work
• 10 = It’s perfect, and I could not imagine my life now without this feature of the bed

Scoring the Saatva Classic

After completing the 30-night trial, we ranked each factor preferentially and offered a brief explanation for the score given. Here are the results:

Dillon’s scoring breakdown

• Feel: 12/20

  The Saatva Classic feels like a classic firm hybrid bed, which I don’t mind. It’s pretty accommodating. I don’t sink into it at all like memory foam, which I like about it, but I would prefer a softer neutral foam feel with more pressure relief.

• Firmness: 5/20

   The bed was way too firm for me as a side sleeper. A lot of times, I would wake up feeling sore with my arm asleep. I just need something a little softer. The plush soft model of the Saatva Classic would probably be perfect for me.

• Motion isolation: 7/10

  I never really noticed Aly moving around on the bed (and she moves around a lot), so I was pretty happy with the motion isolation. I think the only time I felt her move was when she’d get out of bed completely in the middle of the night.

• Edge support: 7/10

  Edge support is important to me, and it felt sturdy, but I slept against the wall so it was harder to tell for me personally. For the next bed, I will not be sleeping against a wall (thankfully), so it will be a better test.

• Temperature: 5/10

  Cooling technology is important to me. I would like a bed that has a cool-to-the-touch feel, which this definitely does not have. It felt more temperature-neutral.

• Design/construction: 8/10

  Saatva got it right with the construction. The materials are super high-quality. This bed feels very durable and luxurious.

• Sleep quality: 3/10

  I slept so poorly that I considered taking sleep supplements before bed for the first time in my life.

• Brand standards (policies, sustainability): 8/10

  Saatva has great policies, such as the 365-night trial and lifetime warranty. Sustainability is important to me, and they have a lot of green initiatives. I really like them as a brand and always have.

Dillon’s overall score: 56/100 = 5.6/10

“My score is actually higher than I thought it would be. There are definitely features I really like about this bed, but overall, it’s just not a great fit for me.” – Dillon

How we tracked our sleep

At the beginning of the trial, we were tracking our sleep data using the TEMPUR-Ergo® ProSmart® Base, which has a built-in AI sleep tracker. After a few hiccups (such as the base disconnecting or accidentally tracking our dog’s sleep), we decided to switch trackers about halfway through the trial. I began using my Apple Watch, and Dillon used his Whoop band, which seemed to provide more accurate biometrics.

The nights when we got little sleep — 3, 4 or 5 hours — usually went like this: I would fall asleep first while lying on my stomach. An hour or two later, Dillon would gently crawl into bed as slowly and quietly as possible to prevent me from waking up. But what would I do? Wake up. No matter how silently he moved through the room, I’d always wake up due to the motion transfer of his movements on the mattress.

We’d then adjust to lying on our sides, and Dillon would (try to) spoon me while I would (inadvertently) spoon our cat. Not long after this, I’d either become overheated, pushing everyone away in exasperation and yanking all the covers off, or Dillon’s arm would fall painfully asleep, and he’d be forced to lie on his back instead. Next stop: Snoreville. Unfortunately, snoring is more likely to occur when sleeping on your back, which is what would happen. I’d lie awake, trying to get comfortable on my stomach again, while Jess would bounce around and make herself comfortable on my head. Eventually, she’d take over my entire pillow, and at that point, I’d have no choice but to wake Dillon up and ask him to please roll onto his side again — I felt terrible doing this because I knew it was uncomfortable for him — or I’d give up, jump ship and move to the couch in the wee hours of the morning. I’d usually wake Dillon up while trying to sneak out of the bed too. 

The nights we got great sleep — 8, 9 and even 10 hours (for me) — had a common denominator: I took a sleep supplement before bed. Usually, I’d take a melatonin gummy, lay down on my stomach and pass out within a few minutes, feeling cozy, comfortable and supported on the Saatva Classic. The melatonin helped keep me from waking up, completely unaware of the world around me, and allowed us both to stay asleep throughout the night. 

As I mentioned, our sleep numbers aren’t solely based on our experience with the mattress. We recognize that there are many other factors in play when it comes to sleep quality, such as our diet, exercise, bedroom environment, stress levels and so on. But with a mattress that one partner finds uncomfortable, the issues can become exacerbated and affect both people — such as Dillon having to lie on his back because there’s not enough pressure relief for his side, causing him to snore, or me getting too hot and sweaty on a bed with no cooling technology and ripping the covers off. 

Saatva Classic: 30-Night Sleep Trial (Sleep Averages)

Final thoughts on the Saatva Classic

In continuing our search for the perfect mattress, there are three areas of improvement we’d ultimately like to see: more sleep (closer to 8 hours of sleep per night for Dillon and at least 8.5 for me), more consistent sleep and less time spent awake throughout the night.  

After trying this bed for 30 nights, we both feel that the Saatva Classic is a super high-quality and luxurious mattress, but it’s simply not the right bed for us. It’s durable and supportive, and with three firmness options to choose from, this bed can accommodate most sleeper types.

Saatva Classic’s firmness options

After our trial, we realized that Saatva’s website says that the luxury firm model of the Saatva Class is ideal for couples who can’t agree on a firmness profile. The irony! Let’s break that down:

• If you and your sleep partner are primarily side sleepers and prefer a softer mattress, we recommend checking out the plush soft version of the Saatva Classic, which we rank around a medium or 5 out of 10.
• If both of you sleep predominately on your back and stomach (and especially if you are heavier) and prefer a firm bed, we recommend checking out Saatva Classic’s firm model. We rank this a true firm or around a 9 out of 10 on the firmness scale.
• If you’re both combination sleepers or have different sleeping positions (like Dillon and me), then, in theory, the luxury firm model would be the right choice; however, in our subjective experience, it was still slightly too firm. Saatva ranks the luxury firm between 5 and 7 on the firmness scale. Dillon and I agreed that it feels firmer than that, perhaps around a 7 to 8. Again, if you and your partner are heavier individuals with varying sleep positions, then this will likely feel a little softer to you and could be a great option. You could also consider the Saatva HD, which is designed specifically for bigger bodies.