Spindle Mattress Review

Note: Spindle is an all-latex mattress made by a company that’s been in the mattress business since 1915. The Spindle mattress is available exclusively online, delivered for free to your door.

If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, check out our full Spindle latex mattress video review above.

Table of Contents

Nobody does more in-depth mattress reviews than GoodBed — which means there's a lot of information here! Use the links in this table of contents to quickly jump to the sections of this review that interest you most.

Summary: Is the Spindle a Good Mattress?

The Spindle mattress is an organic latex mattress made from layers of material processed from the sap of rubber trees. This type of mattress typically appeals to those who want to avoid as many chemicals as possible and place high value on eco-friendly manufacturing and products. Of note, this process is also renewable and does not harm the tress in any way.

In our view, latex mattresses are suitable for a wide variety of individuals; they simply haven’t received the same “press” as memory foam mattresses. In fact, many mattress company executives choose latex mattresses for their own families.

The Spindle mattress is a classic all-latex construction. It ships in multiple boxes as three separate 3” layers of latex in varying densities, which you then assemble yourself in a particular order. You can adjust the comfort level by arranging the layers in a different order (the company’s customer service department can advise you on this), or even by ordering different layers of latex should your comfort preferences change.

In our evaluations, the Spindle mattress performed well for our 200-lb. tester in terms of back support and pressure relief.  

This is a quick-responding mattress that, while it may look like memory foam, does not behave at all like memory foam. Rather, it springs back very quickly to its original shape. As a result, we feel it’s a great choice for those who are sensitive a partner’s movements in bed. In our tests, movements on one side of the bed were barely detectable on the other. At the same time, this is a mattress with some bounce, which some people prefer.

Another highlight was ease of movement, or repositioning.

If you are considering this mattress, you likely prioritize natural materials and lack of chemicals in your bedding and should know that the Spindle has recently updated from natural latex to GOLS-certified organic latex. Of course, those with latex allergies should likely avoid this mattress.

It's also worth noting that Spindle has a long list of people that they recommend do not buy their mattress. The company says they want everyone to be happy with their mattress purchase, and that they have found subsets of individuals that won't be suited to a Spindle mattress. For example, the company does not recommend it for those with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 31, as those on the high end of the weight scale may not be well enough supported by three layers of latex (and no support core of springs or harder foam). The Spindle mattress is also not recommended for those who sleep particularly hot (more on that below in the Temperature section), those who are sensitive to odors, those who have acute pain issues, those who prefer a very soft or very firm mattress, and those who "are not comfortable on most mattresses." Notwithstanding these guidelines, we are aware of many people who do not meet these criteria that have been perfectly happy sleeping on an all-latex mattress.

Given that, the Spindle mattress’s price is competitive among high-quality latex mattresses. Free shipping is included and although there is not a no-questions-asked return policy, the company guarantees it will work with you to adjust the mattress to your comfort; if it cannot do so it will provide a full refund up to 365 days.

Because the Spindle latex bed is heavy (150 pounds queen size) and floppy, be aware that it does need a supportive foundation. The company sells its own foundation, but you can also use a platform foundation or frame as long as it has center supports and slats no more than three inches apart. The Spindle website includes guidance on which frames will work best.

While the Spindle mattress may not be everyone’s cup of tea, we feel it's a good choice for those who prioritize natural materials, and don’t mind assembling and adjusting the mattress themselves. That's assuming you don't fall into one of Spindle's restrictions.

Read on for our detailed report, and be sure to check out the video to see this mattress in action as we put it through our tests.

Bottom Line: Who is the Best Match for a Spindle Natural Latex Mattress?

BEST if you:

• Want a natural mattress as free from chemicals as possible
• Are easily disturbed by a partner’s movements
• Like a blend of sinking into your mattress and floating on top of it
• Are average or lighter in weight
• Like some bounce in your mattress
  

NOT IDEAL if you:

• Tend to sleep right on the edge of the mattress
• Are a heavier individual (over 31 BMI)
• Have had issues with sleeping hot
• Prefer a fully assembled mattress or need in-home delivery

Comfort & Feel

These are the "preference-based characteristics" of a mattress. No classification here is better or worse – they are strictly a matter of your personal preference.

Back Support (by Sleeper Type)

No mattress will provide equally good spinal alignment (a.k.a., back support) for every sleeper. Here's what to expect in terms of spinal alignment on this mattress – by sleeper weight and sleep position.

Pressure Relief (by Sleeper Type)

The pressure relief offered by a mattress – especially important for side sleepers – will vary based on a sleeper's weight and body shape. Here's how we size up the pressure relief capabilities of this mattress.

Other Features

These are the "priority-based characteristics" of a mattress. Ratings here indicate where this mattress has strengths or weaknesses – however the importance of these features will depend entirely on your personal priorities.

Key Facts

Materials & Construction

What's in a Spindle Mattress?

Overall, we classify the Spindle mattress as an "All-Natural Latex" construction type. The Spindle is a 10” latex mattress with a GOTS-certified organic cotton and wool cover. It comes as three layers of 3” GOLS-certified Dunlop latex that you stack inside the cover (the company provides instructions). Because you stack the layers yourself, there are no adhesives or glues.

The order of stacking also affects softness. The Spindle is available in a few different comfort levels that can easily be modified by switching layers of latex. The initial configuration is a classic latex construction with a 3" soft layer, a 3" medium layer, and a 3" firm layer, but this can be modified and made firmer or softer by swapping or even exchanging layers in the future. You can also purchase additional latex layers at reduced cost for up to 25 years.

Each latex layer is also pierced by pinholes to adjust the density of the latex and to promote airflow. Those "pin core holes" are formed when the liquid latex is poured into the mold and are relatively standard on thick layers of latex.

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 less so (what companies call firm), is purely down to your personal needs and preferences.

We tested the medium version of the Spindle latex mattress, and found that it did match our expectations for a medium mattress, neither too firm nor too soft.

If you find the Medium too soft or too firm, the latex layers can be rearranged to suit (Spindle has instructions on how to do this).

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

Cushioning Depth ( what’s this )

Cushioning depth refers to how deeply you sink into the mattress. Again, we found the medium version of the Spindle mattress to hit right about in the middle, or medium. Our tester sunk into the mattress, but not a lot, finding a good blend between being hugged or cradled by the mattress versus floating on top of it.

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? Memory foam, for example, is known for its very slow recovery, giving you that slow, melting into the mattress feeling. Innerspring mattresses, on the other hand, tend to recover immediately.

The Spindle latex mattress falls into the latter camp, with no memory feel and very quick recovery.

Bounce is another aspect of responsiveness. Some people enjoy a little bounciness in their mattress while others don’t. We found the Spindle latex mattress to have some bounce, though certainly not the level of bounce you’d get from, say, an innerspring mattress.   

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.

Remembering that we tested the Medium version of the Spindle latex mattress, our 200-lb. tester felt well supported overall, with his hips sinking into the mattress an appropriate amount to create good spinal alignment. Our tester sleeps primarily on his back.

If you are a stomach sleeper, you might choose instead the Firm version of this mattress to better support your hips. And if you are primarily a side sleeper the Soft version might be more appropriate. The Spindle website has a calculator that can help you figure out what softness to order.

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 Spindle mattress:

Our tester experienced good spinal alignment. Heavier individuals might instead choose the Firm version of the Spindle mattress, while lighter people that like a softer feel can opt for the Soft version.

In all cases, if you find that the mattress isn’t working for you, the company will help you rearrange the layers, or even swap out different layers, to get it right, but the information below applies to the Medium version we tested.

Back Sleepers:

For our 200-pound tester, who is primarily a back sleeper, the Spindle bed in the medium configuration felt very supportive, and was a good match for his size and weight. For lighter weight sleepers, we felt the Medium would also feel very supportive. Those heavier than our tester might instead choose one of the two firmer configurations (Firm or Extra Firm).

Side Sleepers:

Latex has a very good reputation for pressure relief, especially important for those who sleep primarily on their sides. Our tester has no acute issues when side sleeping, and the Medium version of the Spindle felt supportive to him. Lighter individuals might instead choose the Soft version, and those heavier might opt for the Firm configuration.

Stomach Sleepers:

Stomach sleepers need firmer support to keep hips from sinking in too far and creating arch in the back, which can lead to pain down the road. For lighter folks, the Medium version of the Spindle should work well, in our view, but heavier people will likely be better served by one of the firmer configurations.

Pressure Relief

Latex has a very good reputation for pressure relief in general, and our tester did not experience any issues. Again, because the Spindle latex bed’s layers can be rearranged, you can customize softer and firmer levels to reach an ideal construction for you.

Lighter or curvier people (for example, those with broad shoulders) will likely want a softer configuration to allow shoulders to sink into the latex. Heavier persons may be better with a firmer configuration so that shoulders and hips don't sink too much.

In all cases, since there isn't a very firm support core or layer of innersprings, sleepers are not likely to 'bottom out' and end up resting on a harder layer of the bed. So for most, it will be a matter of finding the right configuration of the Spindle bed to match your needs.

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 candlestick standing upright on the Spindle latex bed, we tested motion isolation by having our tester drop his weight onto the bed. The candlestick wiggled a bit, but didn’t tip over. And even when he deliberately bounced up and down on the bed, the candlestick didn’t topple.

In our experience, you don’t often see a mattress that has a bit of bounce, but also isolates motion well, so this latex bed could be a good choice for those who don’t want to be disturbed by a partner’s movements, yet still like a bit of bounce in their mattress.  

Temperature ( what’s this )

If you are a “hot” sleeper, or someone who experiences hot flashes, how a mattress affects your body temperature may be a concern. Latex in general is less heat-retaining than memory foam, so if you are deciding between these two types, and heat is a priority for you, latex has some natural advantages. Of note, some people do still describe some issues with heat retention on latex, though we tend to think that latex performs better in this regard than almost all other foams.

Overall, we felt that feeling hot on the Spindle bed really would not be a concern for most people. However, if this is a known issue for you, the Spindle website suggests buying a different mattress.

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 of your mattress, you want a model that has good integrity and stability around the edges.

The Spindle latex mattress claims no specific features to enhance edge support, and our tester, when laying on the very edge of the bed, did feel himself leaning a bit. If you find yourself sleeping on the very edge of your bed, you might check out some of our other reviews for mattresses that offer specific features to enhance edge support.

Ease of Repositioning ( what’s this )

One of the highlights of the Spindle mattress, for our tester, was ease of movement, and in fact, this is a notable property of latex beds in general.

Green Features ( what’s this )

If you are shopping for a latex mattress, environmentally friendly features, as well as avoiding the presence of off-gassing and contact with chemicals is most likely a priority for you.

Latex is an all natural material made from the sap of rubber trees. The latex used in the Spindle mattress is a GOLS-certified organic latex which comes to you in three separate layers, so no glues or chemical adhesives are used to fuse the layers together.

The cotton and wool used in the cover are organic, and are GOTS-certified, which verifies organic claims.

Adjustable Base Compatibility ( what’s this )

We did not test the Spindle with an adjustable base. However, the company does state that the bed is compatible with an adjustable base, so long as the base has slats no more than three inches apart. So if you already own a base, you’ll need to check. A queen size Spindle bed weighs 150 pounds, so there’s a reason a sturdy base is required. Based on our experience with similarly constructed mattresses, we believe the Spindle will perform very well on an adjustable base.

Price, Value & Longevity

How Much Does a Spindle Mattress Cost?

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

What Are You Getting?

The Spindle is a 10” GOLS-certified organic latex mattress that comes with an organic wool and cotton cover. You assemble the Spindle mattress’s layers yourself, which means that no glues or adhesives are used, and also means there is a degree of customization in the order of the layers; the company can help you find-tune the firmness based on how you assemble the mattress.   

In our tests, the Spindle mattress provided our tester with good back support and pressure relief. We tested the Medium version of the Spindle. One softer version and two firmer versions are also available.

As a latex mattress, the Spindle latex mattress also boasts eco-friendly materials and construction, with GOLS-certified organic latex, an organic cotton cover, and an organic wool layer for fire retardance and heat regulation.

How Long Will the Spindle Mattress Last?

We believe the Spindle bed will last a long time. The company’s latex form densities range between 4.6 lbs and 6.5 lbs. These are high-quality foams that we believe should stand up well. The company itself states that it expects its mattress to last ten years, and because the mattress is made of three separate layers, you can opt to replace certain layers to extend its life even further; discounted pricing for replacement layers extends 25 years after your purchase.

The mattress’s cotton cover was tugged and pulled in our tests and we found it to be well made and sturdy.

Overall Value

Pricewise, the Spindle latex mattress stacks up very well against its latex competitors. GOLS-certified organic latex typically comes at a premium, and we think Spindle has done an excellent job balancing quality with price here.

The Spindle mattress's pricing is also in line with many memory foam mattresses, which are neither natural nor organic. So in the ecosystem of latex mattresses, we believe the Spindle mattress does present a very strong value. Add to that the ability to purchase replacement layers of latex down the road, extending the life of the mattress and possibly delaying complete replacement for many years.

Other Factors to Consider

Delivery

• Free delivery 

Free delivery via common carrier is included. And although the queen size mattress, for example, weighs 150 pounds, it will arrive to you in three boxes, so they’re easier to move around. There is no option for in-home delivery or set up.

Returns

• 365-day satisfaction guarantee
• Full refund if you don't find comfort

Spindle has some interesting return policies that bear explaining here.

Other online mattress companies often offer some kind of no-questions-asked 100-day (or thereabouts) return policy, but the Spindle company takes a different approach.

Rather, they require you give the mattress 60 days to get used to it. If you aren’t comfortable, the company will advise you to rearrange or even replace the latex layers in an iterative process to get you happy with your mattress. Within 365 days, if the suggestions and tweaks still fail to make you comfortable, the company will refund your original purchase price if you show proof that you have donated it to charity. See: Spindle return policy

Warranty

• Warranty Length: 10 years
• Indentation Coverage: 3/4" and above

One of the biggest, if not THE biggest complaints about any mattress from consumers regards body impressions—the inability of a mattress to spring back, eventually creating a low spot/sinkhole in the mattress. As such, mattress warranties all contain a term defining how big a sag or ‘body impression’ (measured when no one is on the mattress) is considered a defect, and thus covered under the warranty. The industry standard for mattresses is generally between ¾” and 1.5”. Spindle has chosen to cover indentations that meet or exceed 3/4”—a comparatively very generous indentation policy. Practically speaking, that means any softening or sagging would need to be at least that deep before the warranty would offer you protection.

Should damage or defect trigger warranty coverage, the company will repair or replace the affected latex layers of other mattress parts.See: Spindle warranty