Real Bed Mattress Review (2020)

Real Bed Topper

The optional mattress topper also impressed us with its quality materials and construction. It starts with a 1" layer of all natural latex atop a layer of individually pocketed micro-coils, and finally an inch of eucalyptus-based padding that our tester found to be incredibly soft -- "like a rabbit." The topper is wrapped in an organic cotton, zip-off cover. The underside of the cover had a micro-fiber type of texture, which helps it 'stick' to the top of the mattress to keep it from shifting.

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.

We classify the Real Bed mattress on its own as a Medium Firm in terms of softness overall. With the optional Real Bed Topper, quite a bit of softness is added, changing the profile to more of a Medium Soft.

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. The Real Bed on its own definitely has more or a floating on top feel.  As you can see, our tester is on the mattress in the image below, and his whole 200-pound weight is not sinking that much into the bed.

When we add the topper, however, more 'sink' is gained, and we did get more of that hugged sensation.

Bottom line, if you like to sink more into your bed, you'll probably prefer adding the topper.

Memory Feel ( what’s this )

Memory feel -- what we call 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 (as it would with memory foam, generally), or does it recover immediately?

The Real Bed contains no memory foam, so there's none of that slow, melting into the bed sensation.

Bounce

This is another aspect of "feel" that some people like, and some don't -- it's purely a preference characteristic of a mattress.

Since the Real Bed has a support core of pocketed coils, we would expect it to have a good deal of bounce, and it does. There isn't much on the surface, since the top layer of latex isn't very bouncy, but once you apply some body weight, you feel the bed push you back up.

Even with the topper, there's plenty of bounce, as the topper also has some micro-coils. So both with and without the Topper, we found the Real Bed to have some healthy bounce.

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.

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 Real Bed mattress, with and without the Topper.

Real Bed

 Real Bed with Topper

Back Sleepers:

While our tester was on his back, he found both the mattress and the mattress plus topper to support him very well. And we thought this would be true for a back sleepers in a wide range of weights, even those significantly heavier or lighter than our tester. The softness of the latex comfort layer reaches up into the lumbar area, while the zoned coils below prevent hips from sinking too much.

It's worth noting here that there are stronger coils in the hip area to enhance support for the heaviest part of your body.

Side Sleepers:

For side sleeping, we found there was a significant and noticeable difference between the mattress alone and the mattress with topper, especially for those lighter in weight than our tester. Purely for spinal alignment -- keeping the spine in a neutral position -- either version would work well for heavier people, but we think lighter people would be better served with the topper. Alone, for those under about 200 pounds, there might not be enough body weight for hips to sink in too much. This was entirely solved by adding the topper.

Stomach Sleepers:

For stomach sleepers, it's the opposite story. Lighter and heavier people should both achieve very good spinal alignment on the mattress alone. But with the topper, hips sink too much creating a hammocking effect for stomach sleepers, and that can lead to back pain down the road. So for stomach sleepers, we found the mattress on its own to be a better fit.

Pressure Relief

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 Real Bed, we tested motion isolation by dropping a 16-lb. bowling ball on it, as well as the whole weight of our 200-lb. tester.

In both tests, both with and without the additional topper, the Real Bed provided excellent motion isolation, making it a good option for couples who don't want to feel their partner's movements, or for those with kids and pets who might be easily disturbed. Performance was a bit better with the topper, but both were well above average for hybrid mattresses.

Temperature ( what’s this )

For hose concerned with sleeping hot, or for those with medical and hormonal conditions (like menopause hot flashes) that can lead to feeling overheated in bed, we offer our assessment of whether we think a mattress will effect sleepers.

The Real Bed has several aspects that lead us to feel that sleeping hot will not be an issue for most.

First, its pocketed coil support unit allows for a lot of airflow, from edge to edge of the bed, allowing warm air to flow out, and cooler air to flow in. Next, its top layer of natural latex has pin core holes. These are holes, about the size of a drinking straw, that piece through the latex and are a result of the manufacturing process. These also allow for air flow.

And lastly, even with the mattress topper, you don't sink in very deeply on the Real Bed, so more of your body is exposed to air. We do not think overheating is likely to be an issue on the Real Bed.

Edge Support ( what’s this )

If you like to sit on the edge of your mattress, or if you tend to sleep right on the edge (or get pushed there by kids or pets), then edge support may be a priority for you.

While sitting on the Real Bed, our tested noted the very stable edge, both when sitting and laying. The mattress on its own was a little better, (note in the image that the topper squishes and creates more 'dip') but both were excellent.

Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )

If you tend to move and change positions a lot over the course of a night, ease of repositioning will be a priority for you. Our tester did not experience any issues at all on the Real Bed. Adding the topper might make it just slightly more of an effort to change positions, but overall, we encountered no problems with either.

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. 

The Real Bed, while not 100% organic or entirely made of natural materials, contains a very high degree of plant- and animal-based materials. First, the latex is 100% natural, made from the sap of rubber trees. There's a 1/2" layer of wool at both the top and the bottom of the mattress, and the cover is made of certified organic cotton. The mattress is held together by tufting, not by glue, further avoiding chemicals.

Steel isn't a natural material, but it doesn't emit odors or dangerous off-gassing, and it's recyclable down the road.

As for the topper, you're getting more 100% latex, more steel coils, plus a layer of eucalyptus-based padding, all covered in that same GOTS-certified organic cotton.

While you can sometimes find mattress that are 100% certified organic, they would cost thousands more.

Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )

We always test mattresses on our adjustable base, as this type of foundation is becoming more popular among people of all ages. We especially look at how the mattress performs when the bed is fully articulated (bent).

Price, Value & Longevity

What Does the Real Bed 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.

The Real Bed is available on its own, or with a companion Real Bed Topper.