Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: a comfort-driven organic mattress

The Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress is an elevated iteration of the Awara Natural Hybrid Mattress. This is a new generation of organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly mattresses and a front-runner in the natural mattress space. It boasts four inches of organic, Rainforest Alliance certified Dunlop latex — that’s two inches more than its predecessor. Its responsive, bouncy yet firm coil-based structure means you get exceptional comfort and cushioning without that sinking and form-shaping you get with memory foam. 

If you're looking for the best mattress with a conscience, you can rest easy with the Awara Premier, confident in its strengths in performance, design, and the company ethos too. 

Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: price and availability

At around $2,198 for a full size Awara Premier, $2298 for a queen and $2598 for a king, it does run towards the mid-to-pricer end of organic mattresses. However, Awara does often run promotions and sales throughout the year. At the time of writing there was up to $799 off the range, with queen sized mattresses priced at just $1499 and both king and California kings for $1799. 

Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: design

Okay, so first of all, you may be wondering; “why do I need an organic mattress?” And, I must admit I was somewhat skeptical myself. But, doing research into mattresses and the types of chemicals used in their composition which can slowly release for years while we sleep — think formaldehyde, mercury, lead and flame-retardants like TDCPP or TCEP, I was sold into the natural mattress space. As sleep is all about regeneration and rest, and, as bed is one of my favorite places to be, I wanted a mattress that safely supports and nurtures my wellbeing and that has a sustainable and ethical stance too — more on this later.

Both Awara mattresses use natural latex derived from the rubber tree, rather than petroleum-based or polyurethane foams. They also use natural water-based adhesives instead of chemicals, and a non-toxic silica-based fire retardant that’s certified for safety by the SGS, supported by the natural flame-retardant properties of the wool layer too. 

An additional two inches has been added to the Premier’s latex layer versus the original Awara, making it 12 inches thick. It features a plush Euro top made out of organic New Zealand wool, which helps to regulate your body heat and help wick away any moisture for a cooler, sweat-free sleep. Beneath this, is four inches of breathable, Sri Lankan Dunlop latex — a less processed form of latex that’s durable and helps contour to your curves and support your pressure points and joints. This tops the eight inches of individually wrapped support coils which further improve the breathability of the mattress as well as providing that support and motion isolation — stopping the bed from being too buoyant, or you from being bounced around by your partner’s movements for that matter.

Another advantage of latex is that it’s a great choice for allergy sufferers. Unlike other mattress materials, latex is antimicrobial which means it can prevent or minimize dust mites and other allergens from forming within the mattress. As someone with significant dust allergies, this was an instant draw for me too.

Continuing its mindfully designed spec, it also features all-round edge support. This means that if you’re sharing a bed and end up being pushed towards the edge, you won’t roll off the bed, it’s firm and supportive from end to end. 

On the heavier side of mattresses — the full weighs 104lbs — the Awara Premier helpfully has four handles to help you maneuver and position it comfortably. 

Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: performance and comfort

Having had my share of pungent memory foam mattresses and toppers over the years, when I opened up my vacuum sealed Awara Premier, there was absolutely no chemical smell or “off-gassing”, other than from the unsealing process of the mattress itself. It was truly a breath of fresh air, and other than needing to let the mattress settle into shape for four to six hours, as is recommended after unboxing it, there was no need to air it out for several days. 

As a hybrid mattress with latex and support coils, the Awara Premier is definitely in the medium to firm camp. As a petite person who sleeps either on my back or side and with general muscle aches and pains, I was a little concerned it might be a touch too firm for me, but it actually surprised me with its responsiveness and give. Unlike slow-moving memory foam which holds you in position, the Awara moves with you, contouring your curves but without you sinking into the bed. Switching position on the latex Awara is seamless and the latex bounces back into shape immediately so you’re not left with uneven sleeping grooves you can get with memory foam over time. 

The Awara Premier is great for back and side sleepers as it provides good support for spinal alignment. It’s worth noting that mattress firmness can be a deeply personal thing, so if you’re a side sleeper and you find that firmness pushing too much against your pressure points, you can always add a natural feather and down mattress topper in for a little added softness. 

This is one of the most comfortable and luxurious mattresses I’ve slept on, with the right bedding you can totally feel like you’re sleeping on a hotel-grade mattress in the comfort of your own home. 

Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: verdict

If you’re in the market for an excellent quality organic, sustainable, and ‘clean’ mattress, the Awara Premier should be top of your list. The mattress itself is exceptional and no attention to detail has been spared from its breathability and buoyancy through to the motion transfer and edge support too. 

Beyond the mattress, there are some other compelling points to note, which certainly can make you shop with more confidence. Awara offers a 365 day sleep trial, which means that you truly can put the Awara to the test for a significant amount of time and if it’s really not the mattress for you, you can get your money back. It also has a forever warranty too.

On the eco-friendly aspect, I personally really appreciated that Awara sources its materials with sustainability in mind. The New Zealand wool is sourced from farms with sustainable farming practices, as is the latex from Sri Lanka. And, for every mattress purchased, Awara’s non-profit partner Trees for the Future plants 10 trees in Kenya, Senegal, Uganda, or Tanzania. 

Awara Premier Natural Hybrid Mattress review: also consider

A big contender in the organic mattress space has to be the Avocado Green Mattress. Like the Awara Premier, it is a hybrid mattress with latex foam and pocketed coils, however, the Avocado doesn’t feature as much latex, so the motion transfer is stronger and it runs a bit firmer which could be an issue for side sleepers. For a full, you’re looking at $1,399 without a pillow top add-on. 

Closely priced to the Awara Premier at $2,295 for a full, is the Zenhaven Latex mattress by Saatva. Unlike the Awara which can’t be flipped, Zenhaven has a soft side and a firmer side, so you can just flip to whichever side you prefer. It also has similar layers of New Zealand wool, latex, and coils. It offers a 180-day sleep trial. 

If you’re after even more layers, the GhostBed Natural Mattress has five, consisting of two types of latex — Talalay at the top and Dunlop as the base, plus coils, wool, and cotton. It comes with a 101-night sleep trial, and at $1,920 is a good mid-range priced mattress.