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Layla Essential Mattress Review: Takes From Our Test Lab
Ranked #3 on our Best Affordable Memory Foam Mattress list
The Layla Essential is a wallet-friendly foam mattress that offers a comfy balance of cushioning, support, bounce, and breathability. Budget shoppers should consider this model for their child’s bed or guest room.
- Affordable price-point for a memory foam mattress
- Good support for sleepers under 130 pounds
- Mattress cover is removable and machine-washable
- Lacks support for most sleepers over 230 pounds
- Foam layers may emit a strong off-gassing odor after the mattress is unboxed
The Layla Essential is a budget-friendly option from Layla, a well-established online mattress company.
The mattress is 9 inches thick and has a firmness level of medium firm (6). Its straightforward design includes a layer of memory foam on top of a high-density polyfoam base.
During evaluations in our Test Lab, our team of experts tested this mattress personally and recorded their findings, which we’ll go over in detail. We’ll also cover the pricing, sizing, and construction of the Layla Essential to help you determine if it’s the right mattress for you.
SMART MATCHING
Is the Layla Essential Right for You?
Use the filters below to see how well the Layla Essential lines up with your unique needs. We'll also give you a couple other recommendations based on your answers.
TEST LAB RATINGS
How the Layla Essential Scored
Motion Isolation7.5/10
The Layla Essential’s all-foam construction makes it effective at isolating motion. In particular, the memory foam helps keep vibrations from rippling across the mattress surface when a bed partner rolls over or gets in or out of bed.
While the Layla Essential won’t eliminate all motion transfer, it can prevent movement-based sleep disruptions for the majority of couples. And its motion isolation is better than what you get from most other mattresses at this price-point.
Jeremy Klein, Product Testing Manager: Although the memory foam layer isn’t extremely thick, it does a good job of absorbing vibrations from movement.
Pressure Relief7.0/10
During our pressure relief testing, the Layla Essential received roughly average scores. It doesn’t have the deep contouring that you’ll find in many other memory foam mattresses, which is a result of the relatively thin comfort layer.
Although the memory foam can reduce pressure buildup, it may not work as well for people who have a higher body weight or sharper pressure points. We found people under 130 pounds were most likely to give this mattress high marks for pressure relief.
Brad Nehring, Product Testing Manager: I would have liked a more robust comfort layer to cushion my shoulders and hips, but I think the pressure relief from this mattress is good enough for most side sleepers.
Temperature Control6.5/10
Mattresses made from foam tend to absorb body heat, and the Layla Essential Mattress isn’t an exception. We found that it performed about average during heat mapping trials, which means it didn’t feel excessively hot or especially cool.
Hot sleepers and people living in warm climates may prefer a mattress with more cooling features or a design that more effectively resists heat retention. However, people who don’t tend to sleep too hot should be comfortable on this mattress.
Mary Fenton, Head of Product Content: The heat buildup was about what I expected from a memory foam mattress. It got warmer over the course of a few hours, but, at least in my case, never became suffocating.
Edge Support6.5/10
While the edges of the Layla Essential have a bit of extra sinkage compared to the middle of the mattress, our testers didn’t find the edges to feel unstable.
Ultimately, like most memory foam mattresses, there’s noticeable compression along the perimeter. For most people, that’s not a problem, but it could be a concern for sleepers with limited mobility and those who frequently sit on the edge of the bed. The foam compression around the edges may also be more significant for people over 230 pounds.
Jeremy Klein, Product Testing Manager: I could feel the memory foam compress more around the edge – but at the same time, you can feel some underlying support from the denser foam base.
Ease of Movement7.0/10
Our testers found this bed relatively easy to move around on, especially considering its memory foam comfort system. Most often, memory foam mattresses inhibit movement by giving sleepers the feeling that they’re being embraced by the mattress. While many enjoy this feeling, moving on the surface can be difficult.
The Layla Essential has a surface that allows sleepers to move around on the bed without sinking too deeply into the foam. So while it’s not bouncy or springy, it also doesn’t feel like quicksand.
Brad Nehring, Product Testing Manager: I didn’t feel stuck in this mattress, but I also didn’t find it to be totally resistance-free when I wanted to adjust my sleeping position.
Durability6.5/10
Foam mattresses typically last less than latex or hybrid mattresses, since foam inevitably starts to break down and lose its pressure-relieving and supportive capabilities. The memory foam used in the Layla Essential has a density of 2.5 pounds per cubic foot, while the polyfoam core has a density of 1.5 pounds per cubic foot. These are considered relatively low-density foams, so they’re more apt to break down prematurely, probably around the five- to six-year mark.
HANDS-ON TESTING
Testing Team Takeaways
To test the Layla Essential Mattress, we had three people on our testing team each take the bed home with them for one week. Here are their initial observations.
Jeremy Klein
Product Testing Manager · Side sleeper · 160 lbs.
Side sleeper · 160 lbs.
I felt like there was just enough memory foam in this mattress to reduce pressure near my hips and shoulders. Ideally, the comfort system would be thicker, but for the price, this mattress does the trick.
Brad Nehring
Product Testing Manager · Side sleeper · 215 lbs.
Side sleeper · 215 lbs.
I’m a side sleeper, too, and I agree with Jeremy that the memory foam layer could be thicker to provide more comprehensive support. While it’s good for budget shoppers, it didn’t demonstrate standout performance in any category.
Mary Fenton
Head of Product Content · Combination sleeper · 150 lbs.
Combination sleeper · 150 lbs.
For me, the cushioning and support were adequate but not exceptional. I didn’t sink too deeply into the foam, but I wanted a bit more firmness, especially for the times when I was sleeping on my stomach and back.
Who it Fits
Fit by Sleep Position and Body Weight
Sizes, dimensions and weights
Side Sleepers
During our hands-on tests, the Layla Essential effectively supported side sleepers under 230 pounds, and the highest ratings came from side sleepers who weigh less than 130 pounds.
To provide enough support for sleepers in this position, a mattress needs to have enough hug to cradle the hips and shoulders but not so much softness as to cave in beneath the body.
Side sleepers with a lower body weight could feel the memory foam cushioning their joints without any problems related to excess sinkage. Those with higher body weights were more inclined to say the mattress was too soft. Some also felt that the memory foam layer was not thick enough to fully accommodate their pressure points.
Back Sleepers
Among back sleepers, the Layla Essential is best suited to those who weigh under 130 pounds. Most back sleepers weighing 130 pounds or more said this mattress felt too soft, although some between 130 and 230 pounds found that the mattress provided adequate support.
When they lie down on a mattress, a back sleeper needs enough firmness to keep their spine in a straight line, but they also need a touch of cushioning for the lumbar zone.
For most of our back sleepers, this mattress wasn’t firm enough to fully hold the spine in a neutral position. However, people under 130 pounds felt that the Layla Essential was able to offer both lower back cushioning and spinal support.
Stomach Sleepers
During our testing, most stomach sleepers expressed a preference for a firmer feel than what they experienced on the Layla Essential. The main exception was among stomach sleepers under 130 pounds. People in this weight group said that the mattress was effective at keeping their body in a neutral posture.
In contrast, stomach sleepers on our team who weigh 130 pounds or more could feel their midsection sinking too deeply into the memory foam, which led to some unnatural curving of the spine.
Construction
Inside the Layla Essential
Cover
98% polyester and 2% Lycra spandex (removable and machine-washable)
2″ Comfort Layer
Memory foam (open-cell)
7″ Support Core
Polyfoam
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Trial, Warranty, and Delivery
365 Nights
Sleep Trial (30-night minimum)
10 Year
Limited Warranty
Free
Shipping in the contiguous U.S.
Availability
The Layla Essential Mattress can be purchased directly from Layla on the company’s website. Shipping is available to all 50 states and Canada.
Shipping
Layla offers free ground shipping for customers in the contiguous U.S. Delivery to Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada is available for an additional fee. It usually takes one to three days for an order to ship and then another three to five days for it to reach its destination.
The mattress arrives at your doorstep compressed, rolled, sealed in plastic, and delivered in a box. It’s easy to set up and doesn’t require significant assembly. Carefully cut and remove the plastic and allow the mattress to expand. You can use it immediately, but it may not reach its full height for 24 hours.
Additional Services
Layla does not provide any services for installation of the Layla Essential or removal of your old mattress.
Sleep Trial
Layla’s sleep trial allows you to test the Essential for up to 365 nights before deciding whether to keep or return the mattress. The company requires you to test out the mattress for 30 nights before making a return. If you choose to return the mattress, you will get a full refund.
Warranty
The Layla Essential Mattress comes with a 10-year limited warranty. This warranty provides protection against rare defects in materials or manufacturing, but it does not cover accidental damage, improper use, or typical wear and tear.
Jeremy is a sleep product tester with a passion for methodology and data collection. He’s spent the last six years at Sleep Foundation testing nearly every mattress, pillow, and sheet on the market, and has gained a holistic understanding of how to get the most accurate and universal results possible. When he’s not working, Jeremy likes to make music, play tennis, and watch old movies.