Leesa Original Hybrid Mattress Review

About the Leesa Original Hybrid Mattress

While it may lack the name recognition of companies like Casper and Tuft & Needle, Leesa has been producing mattresses since 2015 and amassed a fairly dedicated following during that time. Even its cheapest model, the Leesa Original mattress, has just under 20,000 reviews and maintains a high rating of 4.5 stars.

As a company, Leesa states it has: "good products and good purpose." This refers to the self-proclaimed quality of its mattresses and the initiative to donate one bed to a needy family for every 10 sold. Specifically, it donates mattresses to children who otherwise lack or share one. Moreover, Leesa is environmentally friendly, and the products, including mattresses, use recycled materials.

Leesa sells both foam and hybrid mattresses, and the company describes the Original Hybrid as the "value hybrid." The bed is available in Twin, Twin XL, Full, Queen, King, and California King sizes. Prices start at $1,049 MSRP for the Twin. For this review, we tested the Queen mattress, which retails for $1,499 MSRP.

Like many mattress companies, Leesa has frequent sales, and at the time of writing, the Queen is on sale for $1,299.

As the name suggests, the Leesa Original Hybrid is a hybrid mattress, which means it contains a combination of memory foam and inner springs. The bed comprises five layers: an outer cover, a layer of memory foam, a layer of comfort foam, a layer of pocket springs, and a final layer of dense foam at the base.

What we like about the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress

It has good edge support

The Leesa Original Hybrid offers exemplary edge support thanks to the supportive pocket springs and dense base foam layer. To test edge support, we take a 150-pound bag and move it along the mattress to see how and when the edges compress. When we rolled the punching bag to the edge of the Original Hybrid, the mattress still managed to keep it supported before it finally tipped over the edge.

It diffuses heat well

The Leesa Original Hybrid did a reasonably good job of diffusing heat. This is undoubtedly a result of the breathable cover, porous middle foam layer, and pocket spring construction. It's by no means the coolest mattress we have tested, but considering it isn't marketed as a cooling mattress, the fact that it managed to perform so well in this area is impressive. It won't offer sufficient relief if you often overheat at night, but it provides just enough heat diffusion to keep most folks comfy.

It's incredibly comfy, especially for side sleepers

Regarding the all-important matter of comfort, the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress is a masterclass in providing a perfect balance between support and cushioning. The Original Hybrid's combination of memory foam upper layers and pocket spring base results in a surface that will suit almost anyone regardless of their sleeping position.

The overall comfort of the mattress is enhanced somewhat by the fabric cover.  We also liked the feel and texture of the fabric cover (a.k.a., the ticking) of the mattress itself. It probably doesn't add much to functionality, but it has a nice texture and feel. The fabric is a combination of primarily polyester, with lesser amounts of viscose and poly-lycra, an uncommon blend that Leesa developed for its mattresses. You can tell thought went into it because the fabric cover is aesthetically and tactilely pleasing.

What we don't like about the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress

Motion isolation was only average

Over the last few years of testing mattresses, we have noticed certain trends regarding the inherent pros and cons of all-foam and hybrid mattresses. For example, foam mattresses tend to offer less edge support; conversely, hybrid mattresses like the Leesa struggle a bit with isolating motion.

To test motion isolation, we drop a 150-pound punching bag onto one side of the mattress, and using an accelerometer, we record how the motion is registered on the opposite side. When we performed this test on the Leesa Original Hybrid, the accelerometer detected a reasonably high amount of movement.

Pressure point relief was just average

While we think most will find the Leesa Original Hybrid quite comfortable, we did notice that it offered only mediocre pressure point relief in our tests.

To test pressure relief, we move weights, like a barbell, across the mattress and measure how the weights sink into the surface. This gives a sense of how various parts of the body would be supported or cushioned. In our tests, the weights didn't sink in as deeply as they would for a softer mattress. Despite this, the Original Hybrid should still feel comfortable for most sleepers.

The off-gassing smell lingered for a few days

If you've ever ordered a mattress in a box or indeed any piece of furniture online, you've probably noticed that they let off a chemical aroma once they are removed from their packaging. The cause of this distinct odor is a combination of gaseous byproducts of the manufacturing process called volatile organic compounds," or VOCs, as well as flame retardants and various resins, adhesives, and other materials used to make mattresses.

When testing mattresses, we note how long the odors take to dissipate completely. The off-gassing smell of the Leesa was fairly strong initially and took a few days to disappear completely.

What are other people saying about the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress

The Leesa Sapira Hybrid was beloved by customers, and it seems like the Original Hybrid mattress is gathering similar support. It averages 4.5 stars from 37 reviews. Customers praise it for its comfort and support: "Comfy and supportive. No shoulder or hip pain for this side sleeper." one writes. "This Leesa mattress is absolutely life changing!! No more back pain and uncomfortable nights---my husband is EXTREMELY picky, and he is in love." says another.

The mattress only has two 2-star reviews at the time of publication. There is a 1-star review, but that appears to be for a different mattress entirely.

What is Leesa's return policy and warranty?

Leesa mattresses come with a 100-night sleep trial, so you can make sure you love the Leesa Original Hybrid as much as we did with peace of mind. You must spend at least 30 nights on the mattress before initiating the return process, which starts from the delivery date. If you don't love the bed, reach out to the company before the 100-night window closes, and it will help facilitate a full refund. Returned mattresses are either locally donated or Leesa will take them back for recycling---either way, Leesa arranges everything on your behalf.

The mattress also comes with a 10-year warranty. If, within that time, it starts showing signs of wear, like permanent indentations, owners can reach out to Leesa to make a claim and the company will work to rectify the issue. That said, the Leesa must be used on a surface "compatible with its design." A customer service rep provided further details indicating that if you're using a slatted base that's not from Leesa, there should be no more than three inches between slats to offer adequate support. In addition, the mattress must be used on some sort of base---not the floor---as this will void the warranty.

Should you buy the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress?

Yes, it's one of the best hybrid mattresses we have tested

It's been about three years since the Leesa Sapira Hybrid first blew us away, so we were curious to see if the Original could meet our already high expectations. We're happy to report that the Leesa Original Hybrid maintains and, in some cases, builds on the strengths of the Sapira. With excellent edge support, good heat diffusion, and incredible comfort, it's one of the best hybrid mattresses you can buy.

Yes, the Leesa Original Hybrid mattress has its downsides. The inconvenience of needing longer to air out or the mediocre motion isolation and pressure point relief aren't great. But all in all, it's a fantastic bed that most sleepers will find comfortable, regardless of their preferred sleep position.