Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm Review (2019)

Comfort & Feel

There are three aspects that make up our assessment of comfort and feel. We call these "preference-based characteristics" because no rating here is better or worse – rather, the attributes that are most desirable to you will be determined solely by your personal preferences. We apply the same classification standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.

Softness ( what’s this )

Keep in mind that what mattress companies call “firm” or “soft” is a purely a preference. All mattresses should be supportive and promote healthy spinal alignment. Whether a mattress is fluffy and squishy (what mattress companies call soft or plush), or less so (what companies call firm), is purely down to your personal needs and preferences.

This Beautyrest mattress is an Extra Firm as per the company, and on our scale, we would also class it an extra firm bed. (We class an extra firm bed as feeling a bit like laying on a very plush carpet.)

The extra firm version of the Beautyrest Black Calista is definitely much firmer than most mattresses we have reviewed. We did note that there is some surface softness and cushioning, so your hips do sink a bit into the mattress. So overall, we would say the Calista Extra-Firm mattress skews just to the softer side of extra firm.

Not sure what softness is best for you? Take our Mattress Match Quiz and find out.

Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )

This refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress or feel cradled or hugged, versus a feeling of floating on top of the bed. As you can see below, there is some cushioning from the quilted cover and top comfort layers of foam, but our bowling ball sinks into the mattress much less than with other beds we have reviewed.

When laying on the mattress, our tester's hips sunk in just enough for the mattress to reach his lumbar area.

Responsiveness ( what’s this )

Responsiveness refers to how quickly a mattress recovers its shape after being compressed. When you press your hand into the mattress, for instance, then remove it, does it take several seconds for the mattress to return to flat, or does it recover immediately?

The Beautyrest Blac, Calista Extra-Firm bed does have some memory foam, but there is almost none of the memory-foam feel you would expect. Rather, the mattress springs back almost immediately when depressed, so there is none of that slow, melting-into-the-bed feeling.

As for bounce, the spring support layer comes into play, tossing our tester back up when he dropped his weight on the bed. If you like a mattress with some bounce, the Calista has it.

Back Support & Pressure Relief

The two things that you should always be sure to get from your mattress are spinal alignment (commonly thought of as "back support") and pressure relief. Unfortunately, no mattress will deliver these two things equally well for all sleepers. In particular, spinal alignment and pressure relief capabilities will vary across sleepers with different weights, body shapes, and sleep positions. To help you determine how this mattress will perform for you, we break down our spinal alignment and pressure relief assessments by sleeper type.

In our evaluations, the Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm would be an excellent choice for most back sleepers and stomach sleepers, even those heavier than our 200-pound tester.

Spinal Alignment

The key to good back support is maintaining proper spinal alignment while you sleep. This means that the mattress should hold your spine in roughly the same position it's in when you're standing. The ability of a given mattress to do this will generally depend on your weight, sleep position, and body shape.

Here is how we break down the spinal alignment of the Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm mattress:

Back Sleepers:

Our tester felt very supported in this position, and we felt that most people would feel similarly well supported in this position, with the possible exception of those who are very light who might not compress the mattress enough with their hips to achieve proper spinal alignment. But for back sleepers who prefer a firm mattress, we think the Calista Extra-Firm is very suitable.

Side Sleepers:

Because this is a very firm mattress, our tester in the side-sleeping position did not feel his shoulders could sink enough into the mattress to get a neutral spinal position. For those who sleep only occasionally on their side, and who really like a firm mattress, this might not be bothersome, but for most side sleepers, we think a mattress with more softness and cushioning would likely provide better support.

Stomach Sleepers:

Stomach sleepers, especially heavier stomach sleepers, often have a harder time finding a mattress that supports their hips enough to prevent over-sinking or hammocking. Because this Beautyrest mattress is so firm, however, this wasn't an issue at all for our tester, who felt very well supported on his stomach. We felt that most stomach sleepers would have a similar experience. One possible exception might be female stomach sleepers with a prominent chest, who might find the firmness of this Beautyrest mattress uncomfortable.

Pressure Relief

Similarly as with side sleeping in general, we found that pressure relief with the Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm may not be adequate since this mattress has so much firmness. Those that have pressure-relief needs will likely be more satisfied with a softer mattress that offers more cushioning.

Other Features

Beyond the preference-based characteristics of comfort and feel, and the body matching for spinal alignment and pressure relief, a mattress will have a number of other attributes that can make it a better or worse choice for you. We call these "priority-based characteristics" because they are areas in which a mattress can be better or worse, but that will have differing amounts of importance to each sleeper. So, determining how much importance to give to these features will be entirely a matter of your own personal priorities. As always, we apply the same ratings standards to each mattress so you can more easily compare apples to apples.

Motion Isolation ( what’s this )

With a bowling pin standing upright on the Beautyrest Black Calista bed, we dropped a bowling ball on it to gauge how movements on one side of the mattress might be transferred to other areas. The pin wiggled but did not fall. When our tester dropped his body to the bed, the pin did topple. We did note that this is a tightly packed mattress with a tight cover -- so right there, you have some transfer of motion. While motion isolation wasn't the best, we do think it's good.

Temperature ( what’s this )

Mattresses with lots of foam have a reputation for heat retention, so this is always something we examine. he Beautyrest Black Calista does have some heat-conducting elements in some of its foam, intended to channel heat from the body. The cover also includes some kind of cooling material, though the company does not specify what this is or how it is applied. The main reason we do not feel that overheating will be an issue for most people is that this mattress has very shallow cushioning. Since you do not sink in very far, most of your body is exposed to air, allowing body heat to dissipate.

For the majority of people, we do not think heat will be an issue on this Beautyrest mattress.

Edge Support ( what’s this )

Edge support is likely a priority for you if you like to sit on the edge of the bed, or if you find yourself sleeping right on the edge. Edge support is excellent on the Beautyrest Black Calista mattress. As you can see, the mattress barely dips when sitting, and does not lose its integrity while laying right on the edge either.

Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )

Ease of movement is a highlight of the Beautyrest Black Calista mattress, owing to its firmness. Our tester found moving/rolling and changing sleep positions very easy.

Green Features ( what’s this )

For mattress shoppers concerned with the use of natural materials, sustainable manufacturing practices or the like, we offer our subjective evaluation of any efforts taken by the company to make the mattress more green, healthy, or safe. 

In the case of the Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm mattress the company makes no claims about the use of natural materials. However all of the foams used are certified to the CertiPUR-US standard, which verifies that a material has low VOC off-gassing as well as a lack of chemicals and other substances regulated by the CPSC. The mattress includes a layer of steel coils, and steel is not known to off-gas at all.

Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )

We did test the Beautyrest Black Calista Extra Firm with our standard adjustable base. Owing that this is a very densely made mattress, the Calista did not conform to the curves of our base as well as some other mattresses we have tested. We did not, however, note any unusual bowing or protrusions, and the manufacturer says that using this mattress on an adjustable base is perfectly fine. We do think that after a break-in period, the mattress would better conform to an adjustable base.

How Much Does a Beautyrest Black Calista Mattress Cost?

Prices shown are list prices. Remember that GoodBed keeps our site current with the best available discounts on all online mattresses, many of which are exclusive discounts for our readers. 

What Are You Getting?

The Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm is a 12" mattress that's firmer than many beds we have reviewed. It's made with several layers of foam and memory form (of undisclosed density) along with a support layer of pocketed coils. The coils themselves are made of twisted strands of wire (essentially a cable) which we think should be very durable. The cover appears sturdy, with soft quilting and a luxury look.

How Long Will the Beautyrest Black Calista Mattress Last?

When it comes to estimating the comfort lifespan of a mattress, we tend to use foam density as our best, albeit imperfect, predictor of how long a foam will retain its shape and resiliency. In the case of the Beautyrest Black Calista mattress, Simmons-Beautyrest has chosen not to disclose the densities used, so it's hard to compare to more transparent companies. Generally, we have not seen concerning issues for the Beautyrest Black series, but without more information from the company on the materials used, it is hard to make a call on predicted longevity.

Overall Value

Pricing for the queen size Beautyrest Black Calista Extra-Firm, at the time of this article, is $1,799. This is a mattress you will see primarily in stores, where it sits alongside similar coil-and-foam mattresses. If you are looking for a very firm mattress that has a very traditional look and feel, the Calista fits that criteria. Compared to similar hybrid mattress available from online bedding companies, the Calista is priced a few hundred dollars higher. One plus is that the Simmons Beautyrest company has been in business more than 100 years, whereas many online mattress companies don't share the same long track record in the industry. Taken all together, we think the Beautyrest Black Calista is an okay value, depending on your priorities.

Other Factors to Consider