I've slept on memory foam and latex luxury mattresses — here's which one should you buy

Tom's Guide

18-07-2025

Choosing the best mattress for your sleep is difficult, especially with so many options out there. How do you know what's best for you? Latex, foam, springs, horse hair? (Yep, I said horse hair.) If you're looking to invest in a luxury bed, you want to get it right.
I've slept on both a memory foam luxury mattress and a latex luxury mattress to compare how each feels and who they'd best suit. While I loved both, each certainly had its benefits and drawbacks.
I'm sharing my experience of sleeping on both to help you find the best luxury mattress. Whether you're a side sleeper, back sleeper, hot sleeper or just a bad sleeper, here's how to choose between a latex and a memory foam luxury mattress.
I was lucky enough to be able to review the Nectar Luxe Memory Foam mattress, which is a 14' tall luxury bed made up of four foam layers. This was the first all-foam bed I slept on, and I was surprised at just how much sinkage there was.
When I laid on it for the first time, each pressure point of my body (hips, shoulders and knees as a side sleeper) sunk into the soft upper layers which created a kind of weightless, cloud-like feeling. It certainly felt like what you'd expect a luxury mattress to feel like — a true indulgence.
This sinking feeling had the effect of stopping me from tossing and turning, which I usually do a lot, and so I slept better through the night. However, I did find this a little frustrating when I was trying to change positions or get comfortable. Sometimes it felt like I was battling the foam.
When it came to navigating hot nights, this cradling feeling became pretty suffocating. I ended up feeling claustrophobic and it didn't help that memory foam often traps heat because of its density.
The Nectar Luxe has cooling fibers incorporated into its cover, and most luxury mattresses will have a similar feature. Even so, the act of feeling swaddled by a mattress isn't the most cooling sensation.
Despite this, I still loved the feeling of memory foam. Knowing I could slip into a cozy and indulgent bed at the end of the day was a luxury I think is well worth investing in. It felt almost impossible to sleep in an uncomfortable position on this mattress because it adapts to your body so perfectly.
We're all individuals with our own preferences, so memory foam won't be for everyone. The best memory foam mattresses are often customizable to suit many different preferences, but here's who I think would benefit from a luxury foam bed.
While side sleeping is generally considered the best position for your physical health, if you're not sleeping on a supportive bed, then it's possible you'll wake with aches and pains.
As I mentioned, the pressure points on the hips, shoulders and knees can easily become numb, 'dead' or painful if you don't have enough supportive and cushioning layers in your mattress.
Quality, luxury memory foam is high-density, which means it won't wear easily like cheaper foam options (think polyurethane). It also means it won't collapse beneath your weight but instead mold around your body, keeping it supported and creating that 'weightless' feeling.
The result is an incredibly comfortable surface for side sleepers, no matter if your preference is firm foam or soft. It's no surprise many of the best mattresses for side sleepers are all-foam beds.
Something my husband and I noticed was that we literally couldn't feel each other move once we were both lying on the mattress.
We have different sleep schedules so I'm usually already asleep when he comes to bed, which means often waking up when I feel the bed move.
When sleeping on a luxury memory foam mattress, there were multiple times when I woke in the night surprised to find my husband lying next to me. I had no idea he was even in the room!
This is because of something called motion isolation. Foam absorbs movement and stops it from traveling across the mattress. Great motion isolation is found in the best mattresses for couples, and it's something that you can almost always rely on a luxury memory foam mattress to deliver.
Memory foam is the most pressure-relieving material you'll come across in a mattress. Originally developed by NASA to reduce the impact on astronauts on space trips, it's a slow moving foam that will contour to every body type.
Whether you're lightweight, elderly or experience joint or muscle pain, extra pressure relief can be just what you need to sleep peacefully and wake up without any stiffness.
Switching from a memory foam mattress to a luxury latex mattress was a big change. I was excited to give latex a go. The promise of cool, breathable sleep, as well as being a more sustainable, natural option compared to the chemical-based foams we're used to, piqued my interest.
Despite my friend's raised eyebrows as I tried to convince them that it's actually quite common to find latex in a mattress, it turns out that most of the best organic mattresses incorporate this material to create a responsive, bouncy and pressure-relieving surface.
I slept on and reviewed the Birch Luxe Natural mattress, which combines layers of wool with layers of latex and coils. When I laid on it for the first time, I was surprised at how firm it was.
There wasn't that traditional sinking in feeling that you associate with a luxury mattress, but the soft cotton cover and the complete lack of off-gassing felt luxurious in itself.
While the pressure relief was more subtle than memory foam, as soon as I lay down on it I could feel the wool euro-top giving a little bit beneath me. But the most noticeable difference was the immediate and robust support from the latex.
I had become so used to slowly sinking into my bed that to remain on top of the latex mattress was a refreshing change. I could move around with ease and when I changed sleeping position, I was immediately comfortable again — rather than waiting for the foams to contour to my body, the latex bounces back to shape instantly.
I was slightly worried that going to a much firmer surface would make side sleeping uncomfortable, but that wasn't the case at all. I realized that I didn't have to literally sink into my bed to get enough pressure relief to sleep comfortably. Instead, I slept deeply and I felt like every single bit of my body was supported well. It's a different type of luxury, but it certainly is luxury.
Not everyone will like the feel of latex, especially if you're searching for a marshmallow soft bed. But below are the people I'd recommend a luxury latex mattress to.
I used to think my tossing and turning was a problem that kept me up at night. Turns out, it's just how I get comfortable and the movement is part of me settling down to sleep. This means I sleep on both sides and on my back.
If you're anything like me, sleeping on top of a mattress rather than sinking into it is much more comfortable. This way you can change positions without fighting with 14 inches of foam, and become instantly comfortable again.
While you can get more plush latex beds, in general they have a firmer feel because of the structure of the material. This is also a good thing for combination sleepers, because it'll help keep your spine aligned no matter what position you sleep in.
There's no doubt that latex is a cooler material than memory foam. While the latex bed I tried is also a hybrid, which is naturally cooler anyway, the structure of latex means you're less likely to overheat.
This is because it's more open and allows air to flow through it (compared to the dense structure of foam). So it's no surprise the best cooling mattresses often incorporate this material.
Natural materials are usually cooler than synthetic materials, too. The wool and cotton in the mattress I tried will have helped temperature regulation because they're moisture-wicking as well as breathable.
More and more people are choosing to shop sustainably to help protect the environment. The mattress industry is unfortunately one full of waste and toxic materials, with many cheap foam mattresses releasing harmful gases.
One way to ensure your mattress doesn't damage the environment in its production process is to opt for natural materials like latex. While you will see artificial latex beds, it's best (for quality and durability) to opt for a GOLS-certified natural latex mattress.
This is derived from the sap of rubber trees, so it's a regenerative process, making it more eco-friendly.