Saatva vs Beautyrest: Which One Should You Get For The Best Sleep?

Breakdown of the Beautyrest Black

At present, the Beautyrest Black lineup comprises of seven different models ranging from somewhat pricey to absurdly expensive. They differ in their overall feel as well as the layers they use to achieve these. For this comparison, I have decided to discuss the Beautyrest Black Katarina Luxury Firm Pillow Top model since it is evenly comparable in terms of response and performance with the Saatva Luxury Firm model.

Construction

The Katarina, despite its middling rank in the Black hierarchy, contains a dizzying collection of foam layers to achieve its moderately firm response.

Cover and Pillow Top

A simple yet elegant cover adorns the Katarina, much the same as the rest of its siblings. It exudes an aura of understated lavishness that belies the multitude of advanced foam layers beneath it. In the case of the Katarina Pillow Top variant, as implied by the name, the mattress also has an added pillow top above its topmost layer proper.

Comfort Layer

The uppermost layer of the mattress is comprised of comfort foam (whose density is undisclosed, unfortunately), capped with SurfaceCool™ Plus Fiber. The former provides a soft yet none too enveloping contact surface for your body, while the latter improves airflow under the surface to enhance cooling.

Contour Layer

This layer is responsible for enabling the mattress to contour to the shape of your body and is made out of two sub-layers of memory foam between which is sandwiched an additional slice of comfort foam (possibly to prevent the viscoelastic layers from sinking in too much):

Here’s a video that discusses the cooling properties of diamonds in more detail:

Support Layer

Similar to the layers discussed above, the support core of the Katarina is actually an amalgamation of multiple sub-layers:

Firmness and Feel

Once again, the other models in the Black lineup may use the materials discussed above (as well as ones that aren’t covered here) in completely different combinations to modify the firmness output. However, this is what you may expect from the Katarina:

Comfort and Support

The balanced hybrid design of the Katarina, which seems to lean a little bit towards conformity, makes it well-suited to the needs of the average sleeper who does not have any specific sleep preferences. The multiple layers of strategically placed memory foam and comfort foam provide ample adaptiveness without succumbing to the ‘hugging’ that is usually found in viscoelastic products.

The stiff yet responsive action of the individually wrapped pocketed coils complements this cushioning with a sturdy support that sustains your weight throughout the night.

Edge Support

You can expect a decent amount of edge support from the Katarina, thanks to the dedicated Ventilated AirCool Beauty Edge that bounds its support layer.

Cooling

As a result of the multitude of heat dissipation and air ventilation features embedded in its design, the Katarina is able to yield a cool, relaxing sleep experience – and frankly, one cannot expect anything less at its asking price.

Motion transfer

Thanks to its heavy reliance on memory foam in its contouring layer and the fact that the innerspring foundation is also made out of independently acting pocketed coils, the mattress can isolate sudden movements superbly.

Durability

Despite stringent quality assurance testing (e.g. the heavy duty Cornell Test) for their products, and using thick high-carbon steel for the Advanced Pocketed Coil™ layers, Simmons somehow fails to mention the densities of the foam layers in their Black lineup. Knowing the densities is key to predicting the useful lifetime of any mattress.

Based on the popularity that Simmons enjoys though, I was able to find hundreds of reviews of the mattress online, and unfortunately, there was a clear trend of degradation after a few years, implying that substandard foam densities were used in the mattresses’ manufacture.

Put simply, despite the innovative and decidedly decadent design of the Beautyrest Black, don’t expect it to perform like day one for more than a few years.

Unique Features

Ultra-plush option

The Beautyrest Black lineup contains an ultra-plush option which offers an extreme amount of contouring. This is not available in Saatva, where even the Plush variant has some resistance to your weight.

Moreover, among these models, there may be those that achieve the same firmness level as another model through an entirely different combination of layers, which could add subtle differences in their behavior, resulting in a richer variety for the consumer to choose from.

A softer response

Since it uses more foam in the layers preceding the innerspring base, the Beautyrest Black is able to achieve a softer initial feel than Saatva, which can also enhance its motion isolation to some extent.

Stylish cover

This is largely an aesthetic aspect, but the richly designed fabric cover of the Black mattresses is able to convey the sense of luxury much better than the Saatva.

Better brand recognition

Again, this does not have an impact on the actual performance of your bed, but if you want to show off, the Beautyrest Black brand is far more recognizable than the Saatva.

Which One to Get?

Saatva

check price

The Saatva is the better choice in these cases:

You want more bang for your buck: The least expensive Beautyrest Black mattress costs over $1000 and offers little compared to the Saatva. To get something that is similar to Saatva’s performance, you need to drop about a thousand more. It is thus clear which of the two you should get if you’re looking for top-of-the-line performance on a budget.

You want an easier time choosing the mattress: I found the simple Plush-Luxury Firm-Firm division of Saatva’s models to be much easier to choose from compared to the multitude of models and construction differences present in the Black lineup.

If you’re a rookie at purchasing expensive bedding, you might want to go with the Saatva to simplify the buying process.

You want a springier response: As it only uses foam sparingly in its upper layers, the Saatva yields a brisker, springier response to your weight that is more in-line with innerspring mattresses and is often sought by back and stomach sleepers (although side sleepers should have no trouble sleeping on it either).

Despite their thinness, the upper foam layers ensure that the motion isolation of the product is more than adequate, nonetheless.

You want better customer support: Since they focus their efforts on just two products (Saatva and Loom and Leaf), the manufacturer is able to offer dedicated customer service to you even before you make a purchase.

They are also quick to address any issues that you have since their success is largely dependent on how pleased their customers are due to a lack of any significant brand recognition. This is not the case with Simmons, where I’ve noted several complaints on their product pages about the dearth of adequate customer support.

You’re a sleep geek who has to know what they’re buying: Being one myself, I realize the importance of knowing the specifications for them mattress you’re spending your hard earned cash on – and in this regard, Saatva is the clear winner because they disclose the density of the memory foam they use so that one can know exactly how well the product will perform for their requirements.

A trial period is needed: The 180-day sleep trial that comes with the Saatva mattress gives you the freedom to try it out risk-free – if you’re not satisfied, you can return it and get a full refund. No such policy is available with the Beautyrest mattress, which is more expensive and therefore represents a greater risk. 

This also makes the Saatva a better choice if you’re not certain about whether a memory foam / innerspring hybrid mattress is right for you or not.

Durability is vital: If you’re interested in a product that you buy once and forget i.e. it continues to perform year after year without giving you any trouble, the Saatva is a safer bet.

The reasons for this could be its high foam density or its lack of reliance on foam in its upper layers, but the fact remains that it suffers remarkably few complaints of breakdown compared to the foam-laden Black mattresses.

Beautyrest Black

Here are a few reasons to get the Beautyrest Black:

You want more choice: With more firmness levels and more variation between its models, the Black series is definitely for those individuals who are picky about their sleep choices and want to buy a product that is as close to their preferences as possible.

You want bragging rights:  As already discussed before, the Simmons brand has been around for decades – indeed, they are pioneers in mattress technology. If showing off is important to you (not that I advise it), you should choose Simmons over Saatva (which has only been around for a few years by comparison!).

A more conforming response is needed: These mattresses have a relatively higher cushioning effect as a result of the liberal use of memory foam in their upper layers. This isn’t to say that the Saatva is stiff and unyielding; it’s just that the softness of the Black mattress is more palpable in how it counters the spring of its pocketed coils so that you feel less like you’re floating on the bed.

Aesthetics are important: The Black series boasts an extremely well-crafted cover with intricate patterns and a dull grey color scheme that gives it a formidable yet inviting look. If you plan on using the mattress as it is or with just a transparent protector, a Beautyrest Black mattress will look better in your bedroom than the Saatva.

I hope you enjoyed going through this in-depth comparison of the two products (and found it assistive). Do share it with your friends and family, and if there are any questions you want to ask or feedback you want to provide, the comments section is open for you.

Saatva vs Beautyrest Comparison