The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress review: sleep therapy for most couples
Soft yet supportive, The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress gives most sleepers the best of both worlds
Though the word “firm” sounds like a nightmare for most side sleepers, they can sleep soundly knowing that The WinkBed adds a luxurious pillow top to its luxury firm hybrid mattress. Thanks to its soft yet supportive approach, decent motion isolation and cooling capabilities, this gets our vote for the best made-to-order mattress for couples with different sleeping habits.
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Luxurious fabric cover and pillow top
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Extremely supportive
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Made of eco-friendly, American-sourced materials
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Excellent edge support
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Only 120-night risk-free trial
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Motion isolation could be better
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No side handles
Why you can trust T3
How exactly does The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress set itself apart from its rivals? It’s not an easy undertaking with quite a few competing luxury mattress brands out there. Brands like Saatva, Nectar and DreamCloud have been on many of the best mattress lists for years.
Yet, while most luxury firm mattresses beat around the bush, taking some folks a bit of breaking in or quite a bit of travel to get to that supportive layer, The WinkBed gets right down to business. It delivers that supportive layer exactly where most people need it, including lightweight users, while still offering that dreamy sink-in feeling.
Combined with its triple-layer cooling tech inside and ability to minimize motion transfer, it’s a great “compromise” bed for couples with different or opposing preferred sleep positions. Just as it is an excellent choice for sleepers who sleep hot or have back issues. Whether you’re a side-sleeper, a back sleeper or a stomach sleeper, The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress is worth checking out.
The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress review: Design
The WinkBed comes in a choice of four firmness levels: softer, firm, plus (for heavier people) and luxury firm, as well as sizes from twin to Cali king. I tested the luxury firm in queen size, which measured 60 inches in width and 80 inches in length.
This is a heavier bed, weighing 125 pounds. It’s 45 pounds heavier than the DreamCloud Luxury Firm mattress and 5 pounds heavier than the Saatva Classic mattress. Since there are no handles sewn to its sides for lifting, you might want to ask a friend for help to life it into position.
Like most hybrid mattresses, The WinkBed combines the sleeping-on-a-cloud feel of foam and that next level of support that innerspring pocketed coils offer. However, it also does a few things differently. For one, it shaves at last half an inch off its competitors’ 14-inch standard thickness, making it sit a little closer to the floor – something that most people are used to. While I’m a fan of extra-thick beds as it not only adds to that feeling of luxury but also helps keep a lot of floor debris at bay, this 13.5-inch thickness feels like a compromise. It makes getting in and out of bed easier, at the very least.
For another, it comes with The WinkBed’s proprietary LumberLayer, which are foam enhancements that offer added support around the lumbar region. While other hybrid beds don’t offer much support around that area of your body, this mattress’ level of lumbar support is noticeable. Again, while still keeping everything nice and soft.
There are three main layers underneath a 100% natural Eucalyptus-derived Tencel cover: the gel-infused, hypersoft, quilted Euro pillow top foam, the SleepCalm stabilizing gel foam and the individually-wrapped pocketed coils. These layers are then fringed by The WinkBed’s Extra-Edge Support System that is just as soft yet supportive as the rest of the bed.
The WinkBed mentions a Triple Layer Heat Disperse Tech without being specific. It’s possible it might be referring to the Eucalyptus-derived Tencel cover, gel-infused pillow top and stabilizing gel foam here, but all I really know that it’s supposed to actively wick heat away from the body, keeping you nice and cool even on warm nights.
The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress review: firmness and comfort
The first thing you’ll likely notice about The WinkBed – as soon as you lay down on it – is its uncanny knack for making you feel like you’re laying on a firm, yet still fluffy, cloud.
While other mattresses at this level of firmness (6.5) come with thicker pillow tops, The WinkBed’s approach seems to be to make you feel enveloped while simultaneously and immediately giving support. And that’s the dream if you weigh less and therefore need to sink in more to get to that supportive layer. These sleepers will appreciate that they won’t have to do so to find that sweet spot between comfort and support on this mattress.
That’s also great for side-sleepers who still prefer supportive over super soft. The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress essentially straddles that line between offering contouring to minimize pressure points (at the shoulders, for example) and providing enough support where it’s needed, making it great for that type of sleeper.
Because there isn’t a thick, overly plush pillow top layer to get in their way, back and stomach sleepers will likely enjoy sleeping on this mattress as well. It’s among the most supportive mattresses I’ve slept on that doesn’t make you feel like you might as well be sleeping on a hard floor. There’s a lot of lumbar and sacral support here, which not only helps with your sleep posture but also alleviates any back pain you’re experiencing.
In fact, it’s apparently designed to help with back pain, touting not just the LumbarLayer foam enhancements, but also a three-step back relief system that it claims will “eliminate muscle tension” as well as “align the spine and joints.”
The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) Mattress is a great mattress choice for different types of sleepers. It makes it an excellent option for couples who don’t necessarily have the same sleeping position preferences. That and the fact that there’s minimal motion transfer.
To be clear, I have found the DreamCloud Luxury Firm mattress to fare better in terms of isolating movements. When I did the wine glass test on The Winkbed, there was still enough motion transfer there to possibly tilt the glass. However, it certainly fairs better than other mattresses.
I experienced similar results with someone else on the bed. That is, you will still definitely feel your bedmate moving, especially if they tend to move violently or make bigger movements when shifting. However, the mattress has reduced motion transfer enough that you’ll likely sleep through it – or at the very least, you won’t be shaken awake every time.
Much like the rest of the mattress, The edges of The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress also have that plush yet very firm feel. There’s a lot of support at the edges, as well as some sink, which is great. While some mattresses have overly hard edges, this one keeps you comfortable while very much in place. It’s a great – and consistent – way to round out the whole thing.
The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress review: price
With the exception of the Plus, The WinkBed starts at $1,049 for a twin and caps at $1,849 for a California king. The queen-size mattress I tested will set you back $1,599. It’s $100 more expensive than the Saatva Classic Mattress, and up to $150 cheaper than the DreamCloud in some sizes. However, Winkbed is currently offering a $300 discount code for every mattress on the site, making it more affordable if it’s beyond your price point.
Sadly, The WinkBed is only available for purchase within the USA, which makes sense considering this isn’t your typical bed-in-a-box product – although it is shipped in a box.
The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress review: delivery and returns
While every WinkBed mattress is made to order, the company doesn’t currently offer white glove delivery. Each mattress will come in a box, delivered to your doorstep by Winkbed’s shipping partners. That means that mattress installation will not be included, nor will you be able to request the removal of your old mattress. You’ll need to make those arrangements yourself.
Luckily, the mattress is not impossible for one person to set up – though considering its weight, you’ll be better off having someone to assist. Plus, WinkBed offers free delivery with every mattress purchase. As long as you’re within the contiguous United States, that is.
All mattresses come with a 120-night risk-free trial, which means that you’ll get your money back if you’re not satisfied and you wish to return your order, as long as it’s within the 120-night period. Winkbed will give you a full refund, as well as arrange a free pick-up for you.
The catch is that it’s one 120-night trial per customer. Should you want to exchange the first mattress for another one, you’ll only get a 60-night trial on the second mattress. You’ll also need to pay a $49 return fee, which will cover the shipping of the second mattress, the cost of picking up the first mattress and any recycling fees.
Should I buy The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) mattress?
There are quite a few amazing luxury bed brands out there. There’s no denying that. However, The WinkBed sets itself apart by getting rid of all the fluff – quite literally.
Using a gel-infused foam for its pillow top and its proprietary LumbarLayer alongside a layer of individually wrapped pocketed coils, The WinkBed is able to create a luxury firm hybrid mattress that is just as plush as it is immediately (not to mention, incredibly) supportive.
As such, The WinkBed (Luxury Firm) is an ideal mattress for different types of folks, no matter their sleeping type or even weight. It’s even excellent for couples who just can’t quite agree on the firmness level and a good choice for people who suffer from back pain considering the level of support it offers.
True, there are cheaper mattresses out there. However, for a luxury mattress, The Winkbed (Luxury Firm) sits in the mid-range, putting it on par with many of the most popular brands and making it accessible to most people who need that higher quality of sleep.
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Michelle Rae Uy is a tech and travel journalist, editor and photographer with a bad case of wanderlust. She is a regular contributor for IGN, TechRadar and Business Insider, and has contributed to Thrillist, Paste Magazine, Nylon, Fodor's and Steve's Digicams. Living mainly in California with her adorable cats, she splits her time between Los Angeles, London and the rest of the world.
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