When it comes to investing in a new memory foam mattress, you always want to be sure you’re getting a high-quality and long-lasting bed that won’t sag or dip over time.
The Leesa Original and Tempur Pedic Cloud Luxe are two fantastic all-foam mattresses, though with the Leesa being a far newer brand, we’re sure our readers have some questions for us.
Although both beds do get extraordinary reviews online, there’s the issue of Leesa being only a few years old, whereas Tempur have been around since the dawn of memory foam.
The Tempur Pedic model features a tonne of advanced and proprietary technology developed by Tempur to make sleeping on their bed more unique and curated than just about anything else out there. The Leesa on the other hand, is a little more ‘generic’ in a sense, with only a few engineered foams landing in here. Either of these mattresses is a great buy, though one might be better than the other for you.
That said, let’s take a look at the Leesa Original Mattress and the Tempur Pedic Cloud Luxe and why you might want to choose one of these mattresses above the other.
The Leesa Original Internal Layout
To kick off our comparison between Leesa and Tempur, we’ll take a look at what goes on inside the Leesa Original Mattress. There aren’t as many new-age features or materials landing in here, and you’ll only really see generically-advertised cooling foam, memory foams and base foams coming into play here.
That in mind, however, the Leesa still does offer an incredibly comfortable sleep experience, though not too much else in the way of added features.
The Upper Layers
At the top of the mattress you’ll see the company’s Cooling Foam coming into play. It’s a 2 inch layer of foam that offers a little body contouring support and a lot of heat regulation features.
In this layer you’ll find that you’re lightly cradled and kept cool thanks to the foam’s design focusing on airflow and ventilation.
In most mattresses, this layer is in the core of the mattress, meaning the cooling sensation is a little muted, however the Leesa bed’s cooling foam being at the top of the bed means you’re getting a cool-touch feel when you first lie down.
To end, being 2 inches thick, the foam layer is just thick enough to offer support for the joints and shoulders. There’s also a little bounce here too, so you’re not getting that over-sinking mushy feeling that comes with a lot of foam beds.
The Core Layer
In the middle of the mattress is where you’ll see the majority of that famous cloud-like floating sensation.
This is, again, a two inch layer of memory foam that works to cradle and slowly absorb your body’s weight as you sleep. This is the layer where you’ll find the most weight and pressure lifted off your joints.
It is a little thin at 2 inches, which means there isn’t a whole lot of depth here for lighter and heavier sleepers to sink down into. Paired with the comfort layer above, you will get a four inch thick foam topper experience, which does work out a little better, with 4 inches being plenty thick enough for body contouring.
To end, the foam is firm enough and designed in a way that supports spinal alignment when you pair it with the base layer below. You’re not getting a painful hip dip or too much sinkage here.
The Base Layer
With those two upper layers out of the way, we’re coming to the base layer.
This is where you’ll see a 6 inch support foam that’s incredibly dense and supports your weight and all the layers above. As you’d expect, this is where all of the support comes in for the back.
We’re glad to say that this mattress is firm enough to support sleepers in all positions, so whether you’re partial to the side, tummy or back, this base layer support foam has you well-covered for a good night’s sleep.
To end, the firmness of this layer lands at around a 6 out of 10, making it ideal for all sleepers and body weights.
The Cover
Wrapping this mattress is a grey fabric cover with a twill layout.
We’re also happy to say that this fabric is ultra-soft and going to add an extra layer of plushness to the upper layers of this mattress, so you’re getting plenty of support and softness here — there’s no overly hard topper coming into play here.
It’s also good to keep in mind that this is a cooling cover, which means you’re getting a sleep surface that’s kept nice and fresh before bedtime.
One Thing to Note
As you might have noticed, the mattress only comes in three layers, whereas a lot of mattresses in this calibre come with around four to five.
There lacks a transition layer here as well as gel-foam layer and dual upper layers which means this mattress can seem quite thin when compared to other 12 and 18 inch models, which is a little bit of an issue for us.
Of course, the mattress is high quality and a trusted model, though with fewer foam layers and a thinner profile, there’s always the risk of the foams flattening out over time and the mattress losing a good portion of its support within a few years.
Leesa Original’s Support and Firmness Options
Taking a look at the mattress’s firmness and support, you’re getting a 6 out of 10 when it comes to firmness — with 10 being the most firm.
If you’re in the know about mattresses, this firmness is a great middle ground for all sleepers as it’s not too firm and not too plush. If you side sleep or back sleep, this mattress will support you without an issue.
One thing to note is that the density of the upper foam layers prevents lighter weight sleepers from experiencing the full compression of the foams. That said, if you don’t weigh a whole lot, you may not be able to sink down to the supportive body-contouring layer at all.
There is a good level of support here though, and you’re going to be kept elevated and in alignment as you sleep, regardless of your body weight.
Older models of this mattress were rather hit or miss with regards to back support, and heavier sleepers did have an issue with the mattress’s foams simply flattening out from under them, though this seems to be fixed.
In all, the level 6 firmness is a winner for us and the two comfort layers make for a relaxing and supportive sleep.
The Comfort and Sleep Experience
Moving on to what it feels like to sleep on the Leesa Original, we’re happy to highlight that the bed is incredibly comfortable — in more ways than support and contouring.
The focus on the cooling layer in the top of the mattress is immediately a reliever for us as you’re going to see your joints cooled off and the body instantly relaxed when you get into bed. As you’ll agree, there isn’t much worse than getting into an overly hot bed and being too warm to go to sleep.
As for the foam’s responsiveness and support, the upper foams are tweaked to be just soft enough to allow the joints to fall away from the body and get the relief they need, whereas the lower layers give you plenty of leeway for hip and shoulder sinkage.
If you’re someone who sleeps with pain in the joints or the back, you’re going to find a good level of relief here.
One big perk that we enjoy from the Leesa Original is the bounce and responsive in the foams. A lot of foam beds are simply a slow-moving mush, though this bed has been well-developed to offer bounce and even something we’d regard as a ‘spring’ which is excellent.
The heavier sleepers on this bed will notice that they don’t fall all the way to the base layer, which is brilliant. Those four inches of comfort foam are firm and dense enough to prevent a full compression — a testament to the quality of the mattress.
To sum up, this is bed offers a memory foam feel with an innerspring level of support and bounce. The best of both worlds.
Heat Regulation
If you’ve done any research online, you’ll know that memory foam can be a killer when it comes to getting way too hot to sleep on comfortably. However, the Leesa is rather average at heat regulation, it isn’t great, though it doesn’t get too hot.
The mattress doesn’t stand a chance against the Cloud Luxe for heat dispersion, though you’ll be able to tell that the upper cooling foam and the twill cover do their best to keep the bed from overheating.
If you live in a hot climate, you’re going to be a little too warm on this bed for your liking, however, in cooler cities, the mattress will be able to work its magic on keeping you refreshed throughout the night.
To combat this, we would suggest investing in a gel-foam topper.
Motion Isolation and Contouring
For the motion isolation and body contouring features of this mattress, we will have to start off by saying that this bed’s ability to cradle sleepers depends on their weight.
It seems as though the foams are a little too rigid to offer this experience to everyone, so the heavier you are, the more you’re going to experience that memory foam and cloud-like experience.
The dual comfort layers in the top of the mattress do compress quite a bit for heavier sleepers, however, you’re less likely to experience this if you don’t weigh all that much.
One final thing to note about weight, this mattress will bottom out if you are quite heavy and you’ll be sleeping on the base layer below the comfort layers, something that isn’t ideal for spinal alignment and joint pressure relief.
For our readers who enjoy sleeping and sitting on the edge of the mattress from time to time, we’re happy to mention that this isn’t an issue. The Leesa is firm enough all the way to the edges to prevent you from sinking too far and causing a hassle when it comes to sitting up. There is always the chance of falling off the bed though, so be wary of that.
To the readers with co-sleepers, it’s good to keep in mind that motion transfer here is excellent. There’s little to no movement shared between sleepers, so you’re free to get up during the night to use the bathroom or get a glass of water without worrying about waking up your partner.
To end, being all-foam means there’s more contouring support here than springs, though sitting at a little firm 6 out of 10 means contouring can be lacklustre depending on what you were expecting.
Usability and Off-gassing
Once your Leesa Original has been dropped off at your home, we need to mention there is a little bit of off-gassing required here.
The smell isn’t overly bad or overpowering, though you might need to air the bed out in a guest bedroom before you get to sleep on it — depending on how sensitive you are to the smells it puts out.
In our opinion, this is a mattress you can sleep on the same night it was delivered, just be mindful of the harmless odours that can come from the bed after you’ve unboxed it.
Customer Support
One big point we’d like to note is that customer support is great with the Leesa team.
Being an online experience, it’s so vital that you’re able to have your questions answered, and we’re happy to say that a quick message or an email to the support team will have all of your queries dealt with quite quickly.
To add to this, the team are friendly and responsive too, so there’s little to stress about when it comes to making an order. If there’s a question, just simply ask and you’re on your way.
Essential Perks
A 100-night Sleep Trial
Free Delivery in 3 to 6 Days
A 10-year Guarantee
A USA-made Assurance
Pricing of the Leesa Original
When compared to a lot of other all-foam mattresses on the market, the Leesa falls well within the typical pricing zone.
A queen will set you back around $849 depending on sales and discounts from the online store, or whether you can find a reseller offering sales perks.
That in mind, it’s no surprise that the bed is somewhat generic in a sense with its three typical foam layers and not too much else. It’s a standard-priced mattress with a relatively standard sleeping experience and material layout.
On to the Tempur-Pedic Cloud Luxe Breeze
Now that we’ve taken a look at the Leesa Original, let’s take a look at the Cloud Luxe by Tempur.
The Tempur-Pedic Cloud Luxe Breeze Internal Layout
From the outset, the Cloud Luxe offers a tonne of differences when compared to the Leesa in that there’s a lot of proprietary technology on offer here.
As we’re sure you’re aware, Tempur are the global leaders in memory foam, and that means you’re getting the assurance that you’re sleeping on the best of the best especially when it comes to longevity.
A good portion of the foams inside the Cloud Luxe are entirely custom and that means you won’t find too many standard or generic materials in here. Just about everything in the Cloud Luxe is all-new or engineered for this specific bed, and that creates an incredible sleep experience that’s unique.
A Look Inside
Disclaimer: a lot of the foam layers and materials aren’t fully disclosed, so there may be more inside this mattress than what has been outlined by Tempur.
The Upper Layer
At the very top of this mattress, beneath the cover, is the PureCool+ comfort layer which was developed explicitly to deal with body heat and temperature regulation in the top of the Cloud Luxe mattress.
There’s a cooling sensation here which is a lot more curated and engineered to keep cool than typical gel-foam which means you’re not going to experience any ‘hot spots’ in this mattress.
It’s quite common for memory foam mattresses to heat up where you’ve been sleeping, leaving you ‘trapped’ in a divot in the bed that’s far too warm to remain comfortable. However, on the Cloud Luxe you’ll find that this cools off almost instantly.
To end, this material is kept under lock and key, so aside from information on the fact it’s very cooling, there isn’t much else to go on.
The Core Layer
Beneath the upper cooling layers are the core layers of the Cloud Luxe.
These are going to be where you experience the most comfort and find almost all of those pressure points in the body relieved and free of any pain and heat.
The material that make up the core of the mattress is an ultra-soft foam called TEMPUR-CM+ which is, again, a proprietary material.
This layer is the support layer which keeps the back and joints supported and ensures pressure relief for the muscles and sensitive areas around the hips and neck.
Something we’d like to mention is that although support and comfort layers are generally quite dense and warm, this foam is not. It’s been developed to be well-ventilated and cooling, along with being supportive and contouring to the body. This is by far the best implementation we’ve seen of a cooling support layer, and it ensures sleepers with painful joints won’t be experiencing this issue for much longer.
Think of this layer as Tempur’s material to keep you supported and cool throughout the night, without causing any over-sinkage.
The Base Layer
At the base of the mattress, the Cloud Luxe boasts a Ventilated TEMPUR-APR material, which essentially is your spinal alignment and body support layer. This works to prevent over-sinking and also to support heavier sleepers.
Where the Leesa can cause issues for heavier sleepers, the Tempur does the opposite. The more you sink through the upper layers, the more support you’ll be finding in the base layer.
Both Tempur and reviewers have touted that this material is breathable and offers pressure relief along with support — something that could only occur with a custom-designed material.
We’d like to point out that sleepers of all weights will find that this is the material layer that offers the spinal alignment features and keeps you from experiencing back pain as you sleep or wakeup.
The Cover
Keeping all of these layers locked together is the proprietary material cover.
Known as the SmartClimate Dual Cover System, this mattress cover comes with a cooling technology and has been designed to keep heat well away from the mattress.
One good feature here is that the cover can also be zipped off the bed and easily thrown in the washing machine, so keeping the mattress clean and free of impurities is relatively easy.
To end, this cover also features the cooling technology, with this being so effective it’s actually cool to the touch. You’ll be lying down on a nice, cool and refreshing surface every time you go to bed each night.
The Cloud Luxe’s Support and Firmness Options
Where the big differences continue is in the firmness and support.
As we mentioned, the Leesa can be a little firm for some although it does hit the scale at a 6 which is generally ideal for all sleepers. However, the Cloud Luxe on the other hand comes with a firmness of around 4 to 5 which is exceptionally soft and contouring.
To get this out of the way, if you don’t like that soft foam feel — this bed is not for you.
However, for our side sleeper readers, this mattress may just be the holy grail when it comes to support and pain relief. You’re going to sink further into this mattress than just about all other beds out there and be kept cool as you do. This is the perfect solution for joint pain relief and a comfortable sleep.
If you weigh a little more, you’re really going to fall deep into this mattress as you sleep and essentially be enveloped by the first two layers.
It’s good to note, however, that the cooling technology integrated into this mattress ensures you’re still kept cool and comfortable when you are encased by the foam layers, so there’s little discomfort here — but rather an issue if it’s your preference to remain un-contoured in bed.
There is something else to keep in mind too, regarding the temperature of the bed.
Tempur has stated on their website that this mattress will sleep a little warm in the first few weeks of use, which means you’re going to have to wait a little while before you can get full use out of the cooling technology integrated in here.
In all, this is one of the softer mattresses on the market today and may be a little too plush for everyone, especially for back and tummy sleepers. We’d suggest the Loom and Leaf for you.
The Comfort and Sleep Experience
With the firmness or plushness outlined above, it’s not too hard to see that the sleeping experience on this mattress is going to be cloud-like.
You’ll already know that memory foam is a soft material that’s rather dull when it comes to bounce and movement, and there’s no difference on the Cloud Luxe.
However, where the major differences do start to rear their heads is in the level of comfort you’ll experience when sleeping on this mattress. You’re going to have almost all weight lifted from your body and moved into the comfort layers in the mattress.
There’s only one way to describe this sleeping experience and it’s as: exceptionally comfortable. We’re glad to say that the cushioning and proprietary materials really do offer a sleep experience you can’t find anywhere else — even though these do cost a little more, it’s certainly worth it.
We also need to highlight that the softness and comfort is so well-curated that your muscles and joints won’t have any pressure pushing into them at all, keeping you free to sleep without pain.
One final thing we’d like to mention is that the materials and foams are very well-built and of a high quality. That in mind, you’re going to see a lot of use in this mattress before it begins to show signs of ageing or sagging — if ever.
Heat Regulation
From reading above, you’ll have noticed that heat can become an issue on memory foam beds. Though, not the Cloud Luxe.
In years past, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about Tempur’s reputation for being a hot sleeping mattress brand, though today this couldn’t be further from the truth. There are no more hot summers and freezing winters on these mattresses.
The company has worked on their own custom cooling tech, like the ones we outlined above, and these are integrated into the Cloud Luxe in such a way that prevents any heat absorption into the mattress. You will simply see body heat pushed right out of the bed as you sleep.
An all-night cooling sensation is common to experience here, and that means you’re not going to wake up hot like on other foam mattresses. Some of the other models on the market hit a heat saturation point and can no longer continue cooling, and the Tempur model does nothing of the sort.
In all, this advanced and custom-developed heat regulation tech is what will give you that cooling sensation that you simply can’t live without. It’s based on copper and gels, which means there’s little to no chance you’ll be feeling too warm — even in hotter climates like Darwin and Cairns.
Motion Isolation and Contouring
Thanks to the Cloud Luxe being so plush and sitting at a level 4 to 5 on the firmness scale, there’s little to no movement felt on this bed at all.
We mentioned above that memory foam can be rather dull, and this is a big perk from the Cloud Luxe. It might not be bouncy, but it certainly won’t have you waking during the night when a partner gets in and out of bed.
It’s one of the most ideal mattresses for those who sleep with a partner who moves a little too much during the night, and we’d stand by the Cloud Luxe as the best of the best when it comes to keeping you asleep without disruption.
When it comes to contouring the body, again, the firmness level is low enough to have you cradled as you sleep. You won’t feel trapped here, though you’ll certainly find yourself sinking into the mattress well enough to feel weight lifted from the joints.
Customer Support
Where the two companies differ quite a lot is in their customer support.
Tempur was generally a brand you got your hands on down at a local mattress retailer, which means the company doesn’t have its own customer support team. You essentially went through the retailer.
However, with Tempur Pedic making a leap to the online world, we’re glad to say that there’s a lot of changes being made and you will be able to find some rather helpful support staff online.
In all though, there is a lot to be desired when it comes to sales support and a friendly online team.
Essential Perks
A 90-night Sleep Trial
A 10-year Guarantee
At-home Delivery by Tempur Pedic.
Pricing
Where you might be stuck for the Cloud Luxe is when reading the pricing of the bed.
As you’ll agree, brands that develop a tonne of proprietary technologies charge a little more for these, and that holds true for Tempur. You’re going to see these mattresses retail for around $4,499 which is a whole lot more than the $800 Leesa Original.
That said, we still stand by the Cloud Luxe as being an excellent mattress, and if your budget supports this bed, we recommend this model for you.
Choosing Between Leesa Original or Tempur Pedic Cloud Luxe
To end our comparison, we’ll give you a few pointers to help make the choice a little easier between the two mattresses.
Pick the Leesa Original for:
Toned Down Foam Feel
The memory foam in the Leesa Original is relatively firm and not too soft and plush-like and that means we’re suggesting this mattress for those who want a standard foam feel without too much of the body contouring and enveloping feeling.
A Cool Sleep
As the materials in this mattress are rather thin, it’s a well-ventilated bed by design. That said, if you’re looking for a bed that has good airflow and is kept relatively cool, then this is the model for you.
Pick the Cloud Luxe for:
An Ultra-plush Sleep
This is arguably the best mattress out there for those who love the feeling of a soft memory foam. There isn’t too much else that competes with the contouring feeling of a mattress with a 4 to 5 on the firmness scale.
When it comes to getting a ‘hug’ from your mattress, then the Cloud Luxe is the best choice for you.
Great Motion Isolation
As we mentioned, being so plush has meant that the Cloud Luxe is our winner for motion isolation. If you sleep with a partner, there’s no movement being shared across this mattress.
It’s also a great option for kids. If your child falls asleep and you want to leave the bed without waking them, you can do this on the Cloud Luxe.
The Takeaway
With the above comparison out of the way, we hope that it’s a little easier to choose between the Leesa Original and the Cloud Luxe by Tempur Pedic. We know both of these mattresses offer their own suite of features and a great sleep experience, though one will be better than the other depending on your sleep style.
We suggest starting your decision making with your budget, sleep style and the feel you’d like from the mattress and go from there.
