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Up until now, I’d given all-foam mattresses a wide berth.
Former encounters with a cheap model from a dodgy website traumatised me so much that successive ones were tarred with the same brush: spongey, overheating and restrictive. The bad foam mattress I’m still trying to forget felt like sinking into quicksand and took considerable effort to haul oneself out of. Rock scrambling gear would have helped.
Foam alone is not enough, I thought. They need the support of springs to keep everything upright and supported. Now sleeping on a Tempur mattress, I can see how wrong I was.
Tempur has been making mattresses since the early 90s, using tech originally designed by NASA for space travel and developed it to create the trademarked TEMPUR Material, a type of memory foam unlike any other.
This Material is viscoelastic, meaning it feels both fluid and spring-like. The exact formula is closely guarded by 10 people, all of whom work for the company. It's up there with the recipe for Coca-Cola or KFC. Online, you'll find four mattress types at TEMPUR, three of which are in the SmartCool family.
Memory foam that stays breezy - especially in summer? This I had to try for myself.
TEMPUR Pro Luxe Smartcool Key Specs
- Weight: for king size 50.16kg
- Layers: four
- Dimensions: king size measures 150 x 200cm
- Finance available?: yes, 0 per cent interest via Novuna Personal Finance.
- Free trial?: yes, 100 nights
- Guarantee included?: yes, 10 years
- Delivery costs: nada, it's free to the room of your choice.
- Old mattress collection: sadly not offered. You’ll have to sell, donate or dispose of your old bed yourself.
- Sizes available: single, double, king and super king.
- Tensions available: soft, medium, medium-firm and firm.
Delivery
It took just over a week for the mattress to arrive (the company says it takes sixty hours to make one mattress and it is quality tested 67 times before going anywhere), fully ‘inflated’ unlike bed-in-a-box brands that vacuum squeeze beds into easily moveable boxes. Wrapped in protective plastic, the delivery people navigated the 50+kg onto my bed frame while I stood nearby trying to look helpful. From ringing my doorbell to leaving, it was over in less than 10 minutes.
Slipping the plastic off the mattress was the ‘hardest’ part, but as heavy as it was, I could still lift each corner to pull the protective sleeve unaided.
Design
Standing 30cm high, the TEMPUR Pro Luxe Smartcool is a handsome-looking mattress. The removable white QuickRefresh top, stitched with a nice wave pattern, feels cool to the touch, is sweat-wicking and can be unzipped for a wash when the time comes.
Underneath the cover are layers of TEMPUR Material, a network of highly sensitive open cells that respond to every nocturnal toss and turn. From the top, there's 5cm of pressure-relieving TEMPUR Advanced Material, 10cm of dynamic support technology foam, a 7.5cm layer of trademarked TEMPUR DureBase Technology and bringing up the rear, another 7.5cm layer of DureBase, all working to offer unparalleled support.
What does all this mean? If you're a fidgety sleeper, as I am, every position feels comfortable.
Performance
From sitting up in bed reading (fine, scrolling) to laying flat at lights out, I could almost feel the cells in the mattress supporting my shifting weight.
Rather than sinking in and feeling wedged or trapped, I was surprised at how held aloft I felt. This could be because I chose a medium-firm level of tension (there are three others to pick from). On my first night sleeping on the mattress - also incidentally as a heatwave gripped London - I could practically feel my spine unfurling back into the right position after a long day tapping away at a desk. The support you feel from laying on this bed is second to none, from edge to edge. The lack of aches, pains and twinges in the morning proves it.
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The higher temperature also allowed me to see how cool this Smartcool mattress really was, given regular memory foam is notorious for trapping heat. By morning it was warm, but not more so than my previous bed, a hybrid design. Since temperatures have cooled, I’ve woken up every morning sweat-free and feeling fresh. As for the surface, it pings back to its original shape almost instantaneously.
The TEMPUR Material claims to absorb motion incredibly efficiently too. To check, I placed a glass at the foot of the bed and sat down heavily at the head. The water inside barely rippled. Aside from enjoying the occasional bed picnic, this means that if you’re sharing with a partner who works odd hours or moves about a lot, you won’t disturb each other in your sleep.
Maintenance
The cover can be unzipped and thrown into the washing machine at 40°. Vacuuming the surface every so often helps keep the bed feeling fresh. Other than that, there’s nothing else to it. The mattress doesn’t require flipping or rotating.
The only stipulation is the frame. Set this mattress on a raised bed frame (with feet, legs or castors) with slats so air can circulate unhindered around it.
Verdict
TEMPUR Pro Luxe Smartcool mattress
- Weight: for king size 50.16kg
- Layers: four
- Dimensions: king size measures 150 x 200cm
- Finance available?: yes, 0 per cent interest via Novuna Personal Finance.
- Free trial: 100 nights
- Guarantee: 10 years
- Delivery costs: nada, it's free to the room of your choice.
- Old mattress collection: sadly not offered. You will have to sell, donate or dispose of your old bed yourself.
- Sizes: single, double, king and super king.
- Tensions: soft, medium, medium firm and firm.
When looking at best mattress lists, TEMPUR routinely comes out on top - and no wonder.
Its cutting-edge technology - derived from NASA, no less - combined with an enduring commitment to quality results in mattresses on another level altogether.
The Pro Luxe Smartcool is the perfect example, offering unparalleled support and comfort whatever your ideal sleep position. Four layers of high-performance TEMPUR Material foam, specially developed by the brand, work to manage shifting weight, isolate movement and support pressure points. Say goodbye to waking up with unexplained twinges, aches and pains. The design is finished with a removable sweat-wicking cover which can be unzipped and put in the washing machine when it’s time for a spruce.
Tension is available in four levels so you should be able to find one that suits your needs. Medium firm offers a ‘held aloft’ feeling with a nuzzling layer of cushioning that, for us, proved the perfect environment for a decent night’s kip.
And if you’ve been put off by visions of sweltering in an all-foam bed, there are no such worries here. Heatwaves notwithstanding, you’ll feel refreshed in every sense after a night on this mattress.
Buy now £3399.00, TEMPUR
