I’ve worked in commerce journalism for over half a decade now, and just about every mattress tester I’ve spoken with has recommended a Leesa. Aside from the very generous risk-free trial and 10-year warranty, the brand is known for its exceptionally comfortable mattresses—with and without springs—at all price points. You don’t have to splurge (unless you want to!) to find the right fit.
Until trying the Leesa Sapira Chill, I preferred to pay as little as possible for a mattress. I moved into a new apartment about a year ago and purchased the cheapest model I could find: the somewhat infamous Zinus 12″ Green Tea Mattress from Amazon (I have admittedly purchased it twice in my adult life). The Green Tea Mattress is a prime example of “you get what you pay for,” and what I paid for was a poor night’s sleep and sore back.
Set Up
The Sapira Chill mattress arrived in a 40×16″ box, compressed in several layers of plastic. I’ve ordered and tested three different mattresses before, and this one was the easiest to unwrap—but also the heaviest. If the parcel hadn’t been delivered right to my doorstep (or if I didn’t have an elevator), I would have needed help lugging it up the stairs. Luckily, I was able to shimmy the box through my apartment and into my bedroom—no heavy lifting required. The plastic tore away easily with sharp scissors, and the mattress was unwrapped in less than five minutes. While Leesa partners with LoadUp for in-home mattress setup and removal (which starts at $159), I removed my existing mattress and placed it on my bed frame myself.
Leah Muncy
I set up the mattress myself and slept on it that same evening. If you’re able to sleep elsewhere that first night, I’d recommend it; The mattress hadn’t firmed up yet, and I sunk uncomfortably far down into the pillow-top. It also gave off a strong chemical smell (though this is normal for new mattresses) that made it difficult to sleep. The mattress firmed up and the odor dissipated the next day, and I haven’t noticed any smell since.
My Experience
The Leesa Sapira Chill is branded as a “luxury” mattress. It’s stabilized by a layer of high-density memory foam, which supports over 1,000 individually wrapped springs. This is followed by four cooling memory foam layers (each slightly different, some gel-infused), which is then topped off by a plush pillow-top. (That’s seven layers total, compared to Zinus’s three.) The model ranges from $1,499 to $2,399, and is available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, and Cal king.
The first night with the Sapira Chill—after it had firmed up and degassed—I realized just how crucial those extra four layers are. The mattress was both soft and supportive, and the height from the pillow-top made my IKEA bed frame look, by some miracle, almost regal; I felt as though I were sleeping in a five-star hotel.
With my previous mattress, I felt my partner’s every shift and turn, which would sometimes wake me up. Because of the Sapira Chill’s layered memory foam and plush topper, I’ve hardly felt any movement and consistently sleep soundly through the night. The edges of the mattress sink down when weight is applied, but they’re firm enough for sitting.