It’s hard to remember a time before the ubiquity of the Koala mattress. From the deeply satisfying unboxing videos to the fact the mattress industry has now been well and truly disrupted by the direct-to-consumer lifestyle brand, their high-quality products have left a mark. There are around 25 thousand five-star reviews for you to peruse on the Koala website but if you’re after a true deep dive, read on for marie claire’s well-rested review.
Koala mattress delivery
Before one can sleep on a mattress, one must acquire it—and Koala has made the process as smooth as their removable mattress cover, which is to say: very. Delivery to my metropolitan address was available within four hours, though I opted for a day we were working from home for ease.
You’re also able to select a window of time for your mattress to arrive in—extremely helpful for those of us with Dr. Seuss levels of places to be and people to see. Due to the current public health situation, delivery drivers aren’t able to actually place Koala mattresses and furniture inside your home, but tipping the boxes through the front door into the hallway was more than enough help.
As is typical of direct-to-consumer mattresses, it came in a comically small box that belied the queen size mattress inside. From there, it was as easy as the timelapse videos make it look, simply unroll it from the plastic on your bed and let it unfurl.
Koala gives mattress purchasers a credit with the mattress collection service Soft Landing—plan it right you won’t have to endure a week of having your old mattress propped against a wall while praying for a stranger on Facebook Marketplace to take an interest.
In terms of packaging—while Koala does have a focus on sustainability throughout numerous aspects of their business—there is a fair bit of plastic wrapped around the initial mattress-burrito. That said, it was simple enough to just bring it along on the next grocery trip and pop it into a REDcycle bin and the box broke down easily to be popped into our curbside recycling bin.
Koala Mattress review
Koala notes that while the mattress is good to sleep on from the get-go, it does improve even further as it relaxes over a couple of days. The mattress itself is made of Koala engineered Kloudcell, an open-cell foam that’s been engineered to have the luxurious feel of memory foam and latex.
As a longtime sleeper on a memory foam pillow, I had high hopes for the Koala mattress but was intrigued to see what the full-body foam experience would actually be like. (Could it possibly feel too dense or squishy?) From first flop down on the mattress, I was sold. I was coming from a typical spring mattress experience and the way the Koala mattress felt like it was gently cupping my entire body was sublime, and not dissimilar to the feeling of being suspended in a float tank.
Obviously, comfortableness is somewhat subjective but both I and my partner, who is heavier and taller than me, found this an excellent blend of firm support and soft, supple cushioning. We’re also pleased to report there’s no sinking into the middle of the mattress or being jostled when your partner moves—ideal if you’re a light sleeper or easily disturbed. While not game enough to try bouncing on it with an open glass of red wine, a closed water bottle didn’t topple during the same experiment.
Having slept on it for two weeks now, I can confirm that the mattress’s breathability is excellent. On the few very balmy evenings we’ve had neither myself nor my partner felt overheated or stuffy, which wasn’t unheard of on the previous mattress—even with minimal sheets and a fan at full blast.
(Watch this space for a mattress check-in at a later date!)
Koala Mattress’ Sustainability
Beyond the sensorial experience, the Koala mattress is also made with human health and the environment in mind. The foam is GECA certified to ensure a lower impact on human health and it’s been created without heavy metals, phthalates and ozone-depleting substances like methylene chloride. It also has very low VOC emissions. Indeed, there’s only a very faint “new mattress” smell that’s fading to neutrality very quickly. No airing out of the bedroom required.
Koala, a B Corp, also look after their namesake. The brand has donated more than $1.3 million dollars to WWF since its inception as a “business with a purpose,” as Koala founder Mitch Taylor described.
Every single element of the Koala experience was seamless, and it feels really nice to sleep soundly knowing my previous mattress was disposed of as responsibly as possible and that the current one has excellent environmental credentials. Of course, there’s pretty much no risk in trying it yourself with the 120-night trial that they offer. So, if you’re in the market for a new mattress, go forth knowing that this one is of excellent quality.
(I assume the koala-ty joke has been made.)
Shop the range of Koala mattresses and furniture on the Koala website.
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