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Do Emma mattresses live up to the hype? We tested them all to find out
The brand boasts one our highest scoring mattresses ever!
Tested by Blossom BoothroydHomes Testing Manager
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 all 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.
When it comes to peace of mind, Emma has you covered too – it offers a 200-night trial, a 10-year guarantee, and it also offers old-mattress collection. After testing the full range, here's how we rated them in one quick list, but keep scrolling for our detailed reviews.
How we test mattresses
Our Good Housekeeping Institute experts enlist a panel of testers to try out each mattress for up to six weeks. At the end of the allotted period, they give us detailed feedback about the mattress, including what delivery was like, how easy set-up was, and of course, what it was like to sleep on night after night after night.
We ask about temperature regulation, noise, support levels and if the mattress eases any preexisting aches and pains. (We recommend checking out our best mattresses for back pain if that's a particular concern).
Then, our experts analyse all of that data and combine it with brand-specific feedback from our reader panel (find out how we assessed Emma's performance over time with the help of our panel below). Finally, each mattress is awarded an overall score. These are the Emma mattresses we’d turn to for the sweetest of dreams.
All prices are for a UK double.
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 |
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, 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 (particularly helpful for easing aches and pains), 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-assembled, with soft yet sturdy fabric and neat stitching.
Key specifications
| Sizes | Single, double, king, super king |
|---|---|
| Firmness | Medium |
| Depth | 27cm |
| Care | Washable cover |
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 |
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 |
What do our readers say about Emma mattresses?
Our opinion of our mattress can change, and they're a very personal choice. So, when our experts start testing for the best mattresses, they send out a survey to our reader panel to learn about the different brands on the market and understand how different 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.
The verdict on Emma mattresses
The Emma Hybrid Thermosync Mattress is our top pick from the brand. If you're on more of a budget, the Emma Original Hybrid Mattress comes in at £418 and it scored highly across the board in our tests. However, the brand often runs great sales, so there's plenty of opportunity to nab a bargain on your preferred design.
Why you should trust the Good Housekeeping Institute
From mattresses to the best pillows and best sleep gadgets, we’ve tested it all, 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 testing, collating tester feedback to bring you the very best buys.
Our sleep and wellness editor, Priyankaa Joshi, helps provide quality assurance, asking all the questions you expect answers to and interpreting the data to bring you clear, informative reviews.
Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.
Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.
Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.
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.
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