Saatva Contour5 Mattress Review: Classic Memory Foam Design From a Luxury Brand

Saatva makes some of my favorite mattresses, and its Classic mattress is one of our highest-rated beds. The brand new Contour5 is a direct answer to Tempur-Pedic. It has a classic, dense, body-contouring memory foam feel, organic materials and two firmness options and is a great option for anyone seeking luxurious memory foam. 

First impressions of the Saatva Contour5 mattress

When Saatva first announced this mattress, I had a clear idea of what to expect. Saatva makes two other beds that prominently use memory foam, the Loom & Leaf mattress and the Memory Foam Hybrid — and neither of those mattresses are in the same style of Tempur-Pedic mattresses, which many sleepers are looking for. 

When the Contour5 arrived in our office for testing, the bed lived up to my expectations almost exactly. Myself and the testing team observed the same type of classic, dense memory foam feel found on the Tempur-Pedic line and beds like Nectar and the Leesa Reserve. It also had a lot of the design hallmarks of the Saatva brand like an organic cotton cover, earthly colors and a luxurious look (although I would have loved to have seen side handles on this bed).  

Right off the bat, I could tell that this bed is a worthy competitor to the Tempur Adapt and ProAdapt, as well as the Leesa Reserve Hybrid, which is my personal favorite Tempur-Pedic alternative. 

Is the Saatva Contour5 mattress right for you?

For anyone looking for a luxurious, classic style of memory foam mattress, the Contour5 should be on your shortlist. It looks and feels a cut above more affordable memory foam options like Nectar, Dreamcloud and Bear and is in the same class with high-end options like Tempur-Pedic and the Leesa Reserve Hybrid. 

It’s also backed by a generous set of policies, including in-home setup and old mattress removal at no extra cost, an entire year trial period and a lifetime warranty, which makes for an easy buying experience. 

Saatva Contour5 mattress firmness and feel

Saatva Contour5 feel

The feel of the Saatva Contour5 is a straightforward, classic dense memory foam. There’s quite a variety in memory foam types these days, like the responsive style memory foam from the Amerisleep lineup of mattresses to the light, airy memory foam found in the Layla and Layla Hybrid and beds that are made with memory foam but don’t really feel like memory foam (further examples include Casper and Leesa). With the Contour5 mattress, though, you’ll get the traditional type of memory foam feel. 

When you lie down on it, the bed will feel firm at first (especially if your room is cold), and then you’ll slowly start to sink into the top layers of foam as it conforms to your body’s shape. It has a body-conforming quality that can relieve pressure on joints like your hips, shoulders and even your lower back.

The hallmark of a classic memory foam feel like this is its lack of responsiveness. When you press down on it and remove your hand, the foam takes a significant amount of time to snap back into its original shape. This lack of bounce can deter some sleepers from tossing and turning at night, which can lead to more restful sleep, but other sleepers sometimes report feeling “stuck” in a memory foam bed like the Contour5. It comes down to personal preference with a distinct feel like this.

In the past year, I have switched to the Tempur-Pedic Pro Breeze mattress, which has the same type of feel as the Contour5, and I find that I get restless sleep with little to no tossing and turning throughout the night.

Saatva Contour5 firmness and sleeper types

The Saatva Contour5 is available in two different firmness profiles, a medium and firm. The model we were able to test was the medium and we found it to be right on the firmer side of medium, between a 5 and 6 on our scale. 

Our new firmness testing device, dubbed the Mattress Smasher 9000, determined it was a 6 out of 10, which is exactly what I thought it was. 

Read more: How We Test Mattresses

This means that it should be accommodating for all sleeper types, back, stomach, side and combination (although combination sleepers will likely not enjoy this mattress because of the lack of responsiveness). 

Based on information available from Saatva, we estimate the firm model to be a medium-firm and better for back and stomach sleepers looking for less give in their mattress. 

Saatva Contour5 mattress construction

The Saatva Contour5 is composed entirely of foam layers, with no coil option. The beds I compare to the Contour5 the most are Tempur-Pedic and the Leesa Reserve — Tempur-Pedic has hybrid coil options and the Leesa Reserve is a hybrid by default. 

The bottommost layer of the Contour5 is a six-inch-thick layer of dense support foam, which is what we almost always see with foam beds. Above the support layer is a 2-inch layer of a transition foam to provide a buffer between the main comfort layers. This transition layer is the main construction difference between the medium and firm models of the Contour5.

Above the transition layer are multiple layers of memory foam to provide the classic, dense memory foam feel of the mattress. 

The bed also uses eco-friendly materials, including organic cotton and recycled materials, and it has an antimicrobial treatment. 

The Contour5 has a zoned-support construction element in the center third of the bed. There is a “Lumbar Zone Matrix” that not only makes the bed slightly firmer in the center, where you carry the majority of your body weight but has elements to improve the temperature regulation. 

Saatva Contour5 performance

Edge support

During testing, I didn’t notice any red flags in the edge support department, but it isn’t exceptional either. On my back, putting all my weight on the edge, I did notice a bit of compression that made me feel a bit like I might roll off. On my side, this was less of an issue.

The firm model will likely have improved edge support over the medium model because a mattress with a firmer profile will have less compression. 

I don’t see the edge support being a problem for most sleepers, but it’s not the best-performing memory foam mattress I’ve tested. 

Motion isolation

Motion isolation refers to how well the bed deadens the impact of movement on the mattress — if you’re a light sleeper who shares a mattress with someone who tosses and turns a lot, having good motion isolation is especially important. 

Memory foam mattresses that don’t use coils are consistently the highest performing beds in this category and the Contour5 is no exception. In testing the mattress deadens cross mattress motion well, and if you’re a light sleeper you should get more restful sleep on the Contour5 in comparison to others. 

I wound up making the switch to a Tempur-Pedic mattress for this reason because my partner is a light sleeper and had issues with our previous mattress, and it has made a huge positive impact on their sleep quality. 

Temperature regulation

Despite the cooling elements in the center third of the Contour5, I’d classify it as a temperature neutral mattress. The vast majority of beds fall into this category because very few beds have phase-change fibers that work to cool sleepers down at night. The Contour5 shouldn’t heat up on you though, and if you do sleep hot on it that is likely a result of other environmental factors and not the mattress itself. 

If you are a hot sleeper and want every advantage to help cool you down at night, you might want to check our best cooling beds list, or you can check out the Eight Sleep Pod which works with virtually any existing mattress and provides incredible temperature control.

The Saatva Contour5 is one of the more expensive beds from the brand, but it’s competitively priced when compared to other mattresses in its class. 

It is a bit more affordable than the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt but more expensive than the base model Adapt and Cloud mattresses from Tempur-Pedic. When factoring in discounts, the Saatva Contour5 and the Leesa Reserve Hybrid are almost the same price at the time of writing. 

There are other much more affordable memory foam options like the Nectar Classic, Dreamcloud and Bear Original, but the Contour5 is noticeably more premium than those. 

Be sure to check out our mattress deals page to see the latest deals on the Contour5 or any other mattress you might be interested in.

Saatva Contour5 mattress policies

Free shipping (white glove delivery)

Unlike most online mattresses that are rolled up and packaged tightly in plastic and then shipped to you in a large box, Saatva ships all of their beds fully expanded with in-home setup and removal of your old mattress (if you choose). This is often called “white glove delivery.”

This can be especially nice if you don’t want to deal with unboxing a mattress, which isn’t too difficult, but if you struggle to lift things, it can be a hassle. The bigger hassle is getting rid of your old bed, which can actually cost a bit of money to dispose of a mattress, and with any mattress from Saatva, you won’t have to deal with it.

365-night trial 

All Saatva mattresses come with an extra-long trial period of 365 nights in comparison to the usual standard of 100 nights. So you have quite a while to really test it out and see if you like it. 

Keep in mind that it can take a month or longer for your body to adjust to a new mattress, no matter how well-suited it is to your sleeping preferences. The trial period begins the day the mattress is delivered, not when you actually start sleeping on it.

Return policy

At any point after the first 30 nights post-delivery you decide the Saatva Contour5 mattress isn’t for you for any reason, you can return it and get a refund. You just contact the company, and it will coordinate with a third party to pick up the mattress for you and then the bed is usually donated. 

There is a $99 fee to return any mattress from Saatva.  It used to be one of the only brands that has a return fee but more and more online brands now have a similar fee.

Warranty

All Saatva mattresses are backed by a Lifetime warranty, which is above and beyond the usual online mattress standard of ten years.

Like pretty much any warranty that lasts longer than 10 years, this warranty is tiered and offers more protection in the first 10 years in comparison to the years after. 

How does the Saatva Contour5 compare to similar mattresses?

Saatva Contour5 vs. Leesa Reserve Hybrid 

The Leesa Reserve Hybrid is one of my favorite memory foam mattresses. It uses coils for support and actually ships in two boxes, one with the base (coils and transition foam) and a comfort insert that comes in three different firmness options: soft, medium and firm. 

It also features a dense memory foam feel, and it has a noticeably cool to the touch cover. Both the Leesa Reserve Hybrid and the Saatva Contour5 are similarly priced. Personally, I like the Leesa Reserve just a bit more — but the Contour5 has a much friendlier set of policies with white glove delivery and a much longer trial period. Also, I could see some sleepers preferring the fact that the Contour5 doesn’t use coils, while the Leesa Reserve Hybrid does. 

Saatva Contour5 vs. Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt

The Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt is the mattress in the brand’s lineup with most available options. It comes in three different firmness profiles, a soft, medium and a firm — plus there’s a medium hybrid option that uses coils. 

The cover on the ProAdapt feels cooler than the Contour5, but it’s nowhere near as cooling as the much more expensive Breeze models from Tempur-Pedic. The ProAdapt is more expensive when compared to the Contour5, and the Contour5 is backed by a more generous set of policies.

Final thoughts on the Saatva Contour5 mattress

Overall, I have a high opinion of the Saatva Contour5, and I think it achieves everything Saatva set out to do, which is to make a classic, dense memory foam mattress that’s also luxurious. It’s also trying to compete in a space with one of the most recognizable and long-standing mattress brands, Tempur-Pedic. The Contour5 has the same type of dense memory foam feel as Tempur-Pedic and has some novel features we don’t see in the Tempur-Pedic line, like zoned support and organic materials. Tempur-Pedic has more available firmness profiles, generally better temperature regulation and hybrid options. 

Perhaps the biggest difference between the Contour5 and Tempur-Pedic is that the bed is backed by Saatva’s generous set of policies. I could see that being a tie-breaker for certain shoppers wanting a longer trial period and a less expensive return fee. 

I think Contour5 is an excellent addition to the Saatva mattress line and gives shoppers seeking this type of classic memory foam bed another option aside from Tempur-Pedic, and more choices are always a welcomed thing.

You might like the Saatva Contour5 mattress if

• You enjoy a classic memory foam feel
• You want to be able to pick and choose your firmness level
• You want a long trial period
• You want a luxury mattress

You might not like the Saatva Contour5 mattress if

• You prefer a coil mattress
• You want an especially soft mattress
• You are shopping on a tight budget

Other mattresses from Saatva

Saatva Classic: This is one of our all-time favorite mattresses, and we put it on many of our best lists for its comfort, versatility and price. It comes in three different firmness levels that work for most sleepers. It uses two layers of coils, it’s plenty supportive, and it has an accommodating and traditional pillow-top feel. There are just a lot of things to like about the Saatva Classic, and it is more affordable than the Saatva Contour5.

Saatva Rx:  The Saatva Rx is a relatively new bed from Saatva that is designed to provide targeted support for sleepers with chronic pain. It has two layers of coils, foam-tipped pocketed coils and micro coils to achieve that level of support, and it has a nice, comfy pillow-top feel. It only comes in one firmness level and it’s a bit softer than a medium to make it a nice option for side sleepers looking for joint pressure relief.

Saatva Solaire: This mattress from Saatva is designed specifically for couples. Instead of using coils or foam as the support layer, it actually uses air chambers on each side that you can adjust with the provided remote, allowing each sleeper to set their preferred firmness profile. For couples who can’t agree on a firmness for their mattress, a bed like Solaire can be a potential solution.

Saatva Contour5 mattress FAQs