Saatva Contour5 Review: This Memory Foam Mattress Provides the Responsiveness I Need

Updated: Aug. 22, 2024

From temperature control to pressure point relief, my Saatva Contour5 review explains exactly how this cooling mattress performs in real life.

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After trying the Saatva Contour5, I gave away my original mattress to a friend. Don’t ditch your mattress just yet, though—there’s more to the story. I spent nearly two months scrutinizing every inch of Saatva’s new cooling mattress. Whether I was paging through a book before bed or hitting snooze on my alarm, this Saatva mattress was on my mind. I was evaluating if my usual chest pain went away, if I sweated through my pajamas and if my cat could jump into bed after his midnight snack without disturbing me. Here’s what I found, as detailed in my Saatva Contour5 review.

What is the Saatva Contour5 mattress?

The Saatva Contour5 is a cooling, memory foam mattress with a luxurious twist. According to the brand’s website, this model is “the World’s most luxurious memory foam mattress.” Compared to the memory foam mattress I had been using before, this was an obvious upgrade. It actually didn’t look or feel like a classic memory foam mattress. This option is sturdy and thick and looked hardy right off the bat, especially compared to the bed-in-a-box options I’ve been used to. Lying on this bed felt like receiving a hug from a strong, empathetic older brother: supported, at ease and comfortable.

Saatva Contour5VIA MERCHANT VIA MERCHANT

I Tried It

Saatva Contour5 Mattress

You can tell right away that this cooling mattress is made with quality materials that provide a supportive place to sleep.

Saatva Contour5 mattress features

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

The Saatva Contour5 looks like a quality mattress at first glance. It’s thick, made with strong materials, and stitched in a way that makes it look like it’ll last a long time. It turns out that the Saatva Contour5 has quite a few high-value features in its seven layers.

Adaptive cooling technology

A major feature of this Saatva model is its cooling technology. Saatva uses proprietary technology to absorb excess body heat and disperse it away from your body. It’s also made with gel-infused memory foam that’s packed with airflow channels to keep the air flowing around your body. Both of these features work together to get rid of extra body heat and keep the air flowing to keep you cool.

Firmness options

With this mattress, you can choose from medium or firm. The medium option is best for side sleepers, back sleepers and combo sleepers. It offers lots of body hugging and plenty of support. On the flip side, the firm option offers less of a body-hugging feel and more support than the medium. Stomach sleepers will especially appreciate the body contouring and extra support. The best mattresses tend to offer options for different sleepers, and the Saatva Contour5 is no different.

Botanical antimicrobial treatment

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

This mattress is treated with a plant-based antimicrobial solution. This is a safe and eco-friendly way to stop the growth of mold, bacteria and mildew. This treatment can help you sleep healthier while extending the lifespan of the mattress, as the brand details. This can help you feel safer when you lay your head to rest at night.

Pressure relief

This mattress is made with seven layers, including high-density memory foam and a plush foam core. The different memory foam layers help with pressure relief on common pain points, like the shoulders and hips. The two firmness options make the pressure relief even more noticeable for different types of sleepers.

365-night home trial

You can try out a Saatva mattress for an entire year before committing. Saatva offers this home trial for all of its mattresses, so you can try it night after night and still get your money back if you don’t like how it feels.

Free in-room delivery and setup

All Saatva mattresses offer white glove delivery, which means the mattress will be brought into the room of your choice and set up—for free!

Free mattress and foundation removal

Getting a new mattress is great, but getting rid of your old bed can be a hassle. My old memory foam mattress sat propped up in my office for nearly two months, as I was holding it for friends. But Saatva offers mattress and foundation removal for all of their mattresses—at no extra charge!—which is a definite positive.

Lifetime warranty

Saatva offers a lifetime warranty on all of its mattresses. Since the price range can be between $1,000 to over $3,000 for a mattress, a lifetime warranty offers peace of mind to those who are making a big investment in their mattress. While this Saatva may not be the most affordable mattress, it’s worth it, given its lifetime warranty.

How I tested it

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

For this Saatva Contour5 review, I put the mattress to the test for nearly two months. I’m a combo sleeper and share a bed with my husband and cat. I jumped, rolled around, slept and put the edge support to the test. Here’s what I thought:

Delivery and assembly

Although Saatva offers free in-room delivery and setup, my husband and I opted to just have the delivery driver place the mattress right inside our front door so we could set it up at a later time. It took a lot of strength and energy for the two of us to move the mattress into the next room and get it on the bed frame. Other than the weight—which is 116 pounds for a king—there was no real setup for this mattress.

First impressions

This mattress didn’t strike me as a memory foam mattress at first. I was used to the bed-in-a-box memory foam mattress I was currently using, which was super soft and looked like a marshmallow. Honestly, I was worried that my cat would eventually tear it right open when he scratched it before hopping in bed. The Saatva Contour5 was different. It looked well-made and firm right from the start. When I laid on it for the first time, I worried that getting the “firm” option was a mistake. It was undeniably supportive, but it felt like it dug into my hips. The firmness did take a bit of getting used to since I’m a combo side and back sleeper, but over time, I noticed less pressure on my hips and shoulders.

Comfort

This mattress is comfortable, but it took a week or two for me to really believe that. My biggest mistake may have been choosing the firm option instead of the medium, which is better for side and back combo sleepers like me. I immediately felt the mattress digging into my pressure points while on my side, like my shoulders and hips. However, it wasn’t entirely uncomfortable because I felt much more supported and cradled by the Saatva Contour5 than I felt with my old memory foam mattress. In fact, I chose the firm option because my former mattress was way too soft and didn’t provide enough responsiveness when I switched from side to side or side to back. Over time, this mattress became really comfy and what I would call the ideal mix between supportive and cozy.

Responsiveness

The responsiveness of this mattress is my favorite part. I toss and turn a lot, and the Saatva actually made it easier for me to switch positions. When I started using my old memory foam mattress, I developed a muscle pull in my chest/sternum area. I believe it formed because I had to use all my muscles to toss my body from one side to the other during sleep. That mattress was not responsive at all. After two weeks of sleeping on the Saatva Contour5, the muscle pain in my chest went away (after two years!) I credit the responsiveness of the Saatva to helping me change sleeping positions without stressing my muscles.

Cooling effects

One of the primary features of this mattress is its cooling effects and technology. I don’t sleep particularly hot to begin with, I keep my home temperature at around 70 degrees Fahrenheit at night and I already sleep with linen sheets, which are known to keep body temperatures down. Those various factors may explain why I didn’t particularly notice that I slept cooler with this mattress. I’m not saying that the Saatva Contour5 isn’t cooling, as it was designed to be with its adaptive cooling technology, but I just might be a different kind of sleeper.

Motion isolation

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

The motion isolation of this mattress is notable. Like I mentioned before, I sleep with my husband and cat, who jumps in and out of bed throughout the night. While testing this mattress, I would rarely—if ever—wake up when someone else moved around in the bed. I also tend to get up earlier than my husband, and he hardly even stirs when I get out of bed in the morning.

Edge support

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

It’s no surprise to me that the edge support on this mattress is top-notch. The whole thing is sturdy and supportive, and the edges are no different. I’m always sitting on the edge of my bed to put on socks or clothes, so the support is welcomed. I also rolled around a ton and never felt in danger of rolling off.

Pros

  • Quality materials
  • Medium and firm options
  • Solid support
  • Body-contouring capability
  • Pressure-relieving capability
  • Responsive
  • Substantial motion isolation
  • Stable edge support
  • Free mattress and foundation removal
  • 365-night home trial
  • Lifetime warranty

Cons

  • Doesn’t feel as cooling as advertised
  • Had some off-gassing at first

Why you should trust me

I test mattresses and sleep products for a living, so I made sure to put this cooling model from Saatva through the ringer. I’ve written about the best mattresses for a range of websites, including GQ Magazine, Self and Forbes Vetted. For this article, I—along with my husband and cat—spent nearly two months sleeping and lounging on this mattress.

FAQ

Saatva Contour5 Memory Foam MattressSHANNON ULLMAN FOR RD.COM

What firmness levels is the Saatva Contour5 available in?

The Saatva Contour5 is available in medium and firm. The medium is best for side sleepers, back sleepers and combo sleepers, and the firm is best for stomach sleepers.

Who is the Saatva Contour5 mattress best for?

The Saatva Contour5 is best for someone who wants comfort and support at the same time. This mattress is a more luxurious option that’s right for someone who is ready to invest in a mattress that’ll last them many years to come.

Are Saatva mattresses sold in stores?

Yes, but not everywhere. In fact, there are only about a dozen cities that have Saatva stores where you can visit in person. Saatva has a generous return policy, so if you have to buy a mattress online, you can easily return it if it’s not for you.

What other reviewers had to say

This is a new offering from Saatva, so people are still spending time putting it through their own tests. However, one reviewer on the brand’s website wrote a Saatva Contour5 review.

“I just received my mattress two days ago, and I can already tell the difference in my back after years of sleeping on terrible, cheap mattresses,” writes Aspen B. “This bed is incredible. The delivery service was also top-notch and a very quick process. I feel like I’m sleeping on a cloud, and the medium firmness is perfect for me. I’m a side and stomach sleeper. I was walking around with stiff muscles every single day and waking up several times a night…I know this is the solution to my pain, and I’m so excited to see how it gets even better!!”

Product comparison: Saatva Contour5 vs. Saatva Rx mattresses

The Saatva Contour5 and Saatva Rx mattresses have their similarities and differences. Here’s how to choose between them.

These mattresses both come in different firmness levels, are memory foam-based and have body-contouring features. They also have that edge support, responsiveness, breathability and multiple layers of comfort.

When it comes to differences, here’s how I would summarize it: The Saatva Contour5 is a luxury cooling, memory foam mattress that offers body cradling and support, and the Saatva Rx mattress is a luxury memory foam option designed specifically for people with chronic joint and back conditions. The main difference between the two mattresses is that the Saatva Rx has extra back support and contouring abilities and is a bit more responsive than the Contour5. The Rx features micro coils that offer more flexibility for body contouring, proprietary tech for lumbar support, a gel-infused memory foam lumbar crown and a dual-coil design for more airflow. On the other hand, the Contour5 focuses more on firmness and support and has extra tech to provide a cooling effect.

Final verdict

The Saatva Contour5 is a well-made memory foam mattress that offers body contouring with tons of support. It offers two firmness options so many sleepers can find the support that’s right for them. While I didn’t think that this mattress helped me sleep particularly cool, I do think the support and motion isolation feel top-notch. The price point may be steep to some, but for the quality, the investment is worth it. Just make sure that you choose the right firmness option for your sleeping style. If you aren’t sure, the generous return policy lets you test it out before fully committing.

Where to buy the Saatva Contour5 mattress

Saatva Contour5VIA MERCHANT VIA MERCHANT

I Tried It

Saatva Contour5 Mattress

If you're looking to invest in a well-made mattress, this Saatva option was built to last and provides comfort along the way.

If you’re not looking to shop Saatva in person, you can snag one on the brand’s website, where mattresses range from $1,000 to nearly $3,000. The Saatva Contour5 costs $2,995 for a queen mattress and over $3,000 for a king mattress. However, the brand often runs sales that can help you snag it at a discount.