Our pick
Stearns & Foster Estate
This lofty, upscale-looking bed updates the strong support you might expect from a classic innerspring with memory-foam cushioning. Its prominent quilting style isn’t for everyone, though.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $0.
The Stearns & Foster Estate (Pillow Top Firm) is the most supportive-feeling mattress we tested.
Back-sleepers will likely appreciate the extra thickness and the quilted, pressure-relieving, medium-firm feel, which evokes a five-star-hotel-bed experience (thanks to a memory-foam pillow top created by Tempur-Pedic). Some of our testers didn’t care for the “bumpy” texture created by the deep quilting on the surface, though.
Return policies depend on where you purchase the mattress.
Our pick
Tempur-Adapt (Medium Hybrid)
With a luxurious, slow-sinking foam and sturdy edge support, this mattress feels leagues ahead of most mattresses we tried. But it also costs two to four times as much.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $2,000.
The Tempur-Adapt (Medium Hybrid)’s substantive foam-on-coil construction keeps the spine aligned while also embracing every curve of your body with a slow memory-foam sink.
It’s on the firm side of medium-firm, but because it’s so conforming it doesn’t feel stiff.
You may be able to try it out at showrooms and department stores around the country. If you decide you don’t like it within 90 days, you can return the mattress for a full refund, minus the transportation costs.
Our pick
WinkBed
A layer of coils, including firmer ones around the perimeter, gives this resilience and sturdy edge support. And the thick pillow top loosely cradles without feeling sticky.
With coils and a thick, foamy pillow top, the WinkBed (Luxury Firm)’s cushioned, supportive, medium-firm feel should appeal to back sleepers. It’s been a crowd favorite since we first started testing it in 2019, appreciated for its muted springiness and solid construction.
It’s made with high-quality materials (including dense foam and sturdy coils), so it’s a good investment for back-sleepers who find it comfortable. Coils around the perimeter provide decent edge support, and they should keep the edges from slumping over time, so you’ll be less likely to deal with sagging years from now. And because those coils are individually wrapped, you’ll have good motion isolation.
The WinkBed comes with a lifetime warranty and a 120-day trial period.
Our pick
Charles P. Rogers Estate SE
This flippable, two-piece mattress is made with high-quality, durable materials—such as latex and extra-sturdy coils—that are rare even in more expensive mattresses. But it’s heavy, and if you want help setting it up, you’ll likely have to pay extra.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $1,900.
The 13-inch-thick Charles P. Rogers Estate SE should satisfy a wide range of back-sleepers.
It consists of two pieces: The bottom is flippable (so you can choose between a medium-firm feel to something slightly firmer), and it contains strong, house-made coils as well as durable and supportive latex. The top piece—which gently cushions and conforms to the shoulders, lower back, and hips—has a touch of springiness to it and will likely appeal to those who want pressure relief but not a billowy surface.
Thanks to its sturdy materials, we think this mattress should hold up better than most of the other mattresses on this list, even for people who weigh more than 200 pounds.
The company offers a 100-night trial, within which time you can return the mattress for a refund (but you’ll pay a $200 “recycling fee” and in-home delivery fee, if you chose that in lieu of free FedEx shipping).
Our pick
Novaform ComfortGrande
This Costco favorite is made from layers of foam that are as dense (and probably as durable) as the foam in many mattresses that cost twice as much. Testers loved its cuddly yet supportive feel, but some found it too firm.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $500.
The Novaform ComfortGrande’s loose, cuddly sensation at the surface, along with undeniable support beneath it, should work great for most back-sleepers, including those who sometimes also sleep on their sides.
Its construction keeps the spine from overarching but still offers a soft cradle for shoulders, hips, and lower back. Its foam densities suggest that it should hold up best for people who weigh less than 200 pounds.
If you need to return the mattress for any reason, at any time, Costco offers a full refund.
Our pick
Zenhaven
The all-latex mattress should prove more durable and breathable (and thus feel cooler) than many other foam mattresses. Good latex mattresses are expensive, but we think this one is a good value.
Buying Options
*At the time of publishing, the price was $2,400.
Saatva’s Zenhaven is made completely of latex, and although you can find less expensive all-latex mattresses, the 10-inch Zenhaven feels more supple than its cheaper latex competitors, offering curve-conforming cushioning to the shoulders, lower back, and hips. It also has an intrinsic springiness that is likely to suit people who prefer a foam cushion without stickiness.
The Zenhaven is flippable: One side is medium-firm, which appeals to back-sleepers who sometimes sleep on their side (or just prefer a softer feel); the other side is slightly firmer, which is helpful for aligning the spines of those who spend most of their time on their back. (This versatility may be appealing to people who aren’t sure about their firmness preferences.)
Zenhaven offers a 365-day trial (though you have to pay a shipping cost of nearly $100 to return the mattress) and a lifetime warranty.
Our pick
Leesa Sapira Hybrid Mattress
The Leesa Sapira Hybrid combines sturdy foam layers with just enough bounce. It also offers better cooling and a thicker cover, compared with the competition.
Back-sleepers who want a slightly softer mattress may find the Leesa Sapira Hybrid to be a good compromise.
It’s on the softer end of medium-firm, but thanks to its coil layer, the mattress has more bounce than an all-foam mattress and even other hybrid mattresses (those made with coils and foam). And because it’s designed with a denser memory foam than cheaper beds (4 pounds per cubic foot, as opposed to the typical 3), it feels sturdier.
You can try the mattress for 100 nights, and return it for a full refund if you don’t like it.
