Puffy Lux Mattress Review

What is Puffy and the Puffy Lux?

Puffy is an online mattress brand that’s a relative newcomer to the mattress-in-a-box scene, having rolled out its first mattress in 2017. While it’s younger, the company isn’t new to mattress manufacturing: Puffy spent years developing and testing certain materials and unique foams for its mattress lineup.

We tested the most popular model, the Puffy Lux, which is an entirely foam mattress. It has four layers that the company claims provide different qualities as you sleep. The top two are 1.5-inch layers of Puffy’s cloud foam, with the uppermost purporting to have temperature regulation properties, and the second being “plush” to provide a cradling sensation when you lie down. The two bottom layers of denser foam create a stable foundation for the mattress.

The mattress is on the pricier side, with even the twin size costing more than $1,000. The queen size retails for $1,795, and California and regular kings are a mere $5 shy of $2,000.

How did we test the Puffy Lux?

The Puffy Lux went through the same rigmarole that all mattresses we test here at Reviewed endure: First and foremost, I slept on it for a month. Over the course of my time with the mattress, I took notes on its overall comfort, performance, versatility, heat retention, edge support, and so on.

From there, the mattress was moved to the Reviewed lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where it went into custody of our senior scientist, Julia MacDougall. She performed additional tests, including checking the mattress for heat retention using a heated blanket, and taking various measures of support, stability, and motion transfer, using tools such as a bowling ball and weights.

What’s great about the Puffy Lux?

The Puffy Lux lends a marshmallow-y cushion rather than a firm surface for sleeping. It provides a nice, slightly sinking sensation while you settle in, making your body feel cradled by the sleep surface rather than absorbed in it, which can sometimes be the case with quicksand-like memory foam. The cushioning stops short of making you feel as though you’re seeping into putty.

The uppermost layer of foam, the “cooling cloud,” doesn’t actually claim to cool—it’s designed to keep your temperature neutral. And by that standard, it succeeds: I never woke up feeling hot, and lab tests confirmed that it doesn’t heat up over time.

Puffy claims the mattress has a hypoallergenic cover. Though customer service wasn’t able to provide significant details on how the cover is hypoallergenic, an agent said that the weave and polyester fiber used make it difficult for dust mites to penetrate—a major plus for allergy sufferers.

What’s not great about the Puffy Lux?

While the Puffy Lux didn’t leave me feeling mired, make no mistake: This is a soft mattress. If you don’t like soft beds, forget this one entirely. The softness means the bed also may not be supportive enough to keep the spine properly aligned for some body types or sleep positions. If you’re a stomach or back sleeper, for example, and have ever awakened after a night on a squishy bed feeling as though your lower back was strained, you probably want to take a pass on Puffy.

One of our evaluations of a mattress's surface give is rolling over on it to see how much effort it takes. People often shift positions overnight, and mattresses that are too soft can make this difficult, which can disrupt your sleep. The Puffy Lux's soft surface means it isn’t the easiest to roll on, but it also doesn’t take as much effort as some of the other mattresses we’ve tested. That said, it may not be the best choice for people who really thrash around at night. (I’d say I'm an active sleeper and it wasn’t a bother for me, but others may experience it differently.)

Finally, there’s the smell. Initially, the Puffy Lux hardly off-gassed, the process newly unwrapped mattresses go through when they release residual odors from manufacturing. I was surprised, however, when I stuck my nose right up against the bed on my last day of testing, a month after I opened it, and I still noticed a chemically smell. My sheets and bedding seem to have provided an ample buffer during the night—but the lingering smell left me wondering about just how long the mattress might stink.

Is the Puffy Lux worth it?

In the scheme of the mattresses I’ve tested, the Puffy Lux is above average, and I enjoyed sleeping on it. For many, it will strike the right balance of cradling and support, without the quicksand sensation of some foam. However, its softness may not offer enough support for some folks. The only way to really know is to test the mattress for yourself. Puffy has you covered in that regard, with a 101-night sleep trial. If you buy it and find it isn’t for you, the company will arrange to come and pick it up, so you don’t even have to break a sweat.

For me, the real trouble with the Puffy Lux is the price tag. I liked the mattress and had a good experience with it, but I just don’t think it’s worth the steep, $1,000-plus price tag. My parents were on the market for a new, but cheaper, mattress for my younger sister. I immediately recommended the Puffy Lux, because it was comfortable and I was under the impression it was an affordable option. What can I say: This mattress didn't impress quality upon me the same way as some of the others I’ve tested, like the Leesa Hybrid. But when I hopped online to share a link, I was shocked by the price. The material and feel of it didn’t strike me as a luxury bed, let alone something I’d pay $1,800 for.

The Leesa Hybrid, which reigns supreme as my favorite mattress and is far more versatile and provides better support without compromising on cushion, is $100 cheaper than the Puffy. Would I sleep on the Puffy Lux again? Sure. Would I drop that kind of money on this mattress? Probably not—I think that for most people, there are superior mattresses out there, at better prices.