Summary: Awara’s mattresses blend sustainability and luxury — offering all the certifications you’d expect of a top-of-the-line natural option at an easier price point. Awara’s Natural Luxury Hybrid Mattress has cooling technology that keeps me, a life-long hot sleeper, comfortable all night long with airflow-promoting coils that are wrapped in organic, breathable fabrics.

Pros:

  • Awara has a signature fabric blend of organic wool and bamboo that is breathable and temperature-regulating. It kept me, a hot sleeper, cool all night long.
  • 8” of individually wrapped springs also boost breathability by improving airflow, and they make the bed firm, supportive, and durable — with help from organic latex.
  • I was pleasantly surprised that I could carry the mattress to my bedroom and install it without any additional help, which can’t be said for most other brands.
  • Awara’s natural and organic materials mean you can rest easy knowing you’re sleeping safely and supporting thoughtful business practices.
  • Awara also has a 365-night trial, a lifetime warranty, and free shipping (which can be a major cost) so you can make sure you’re getting the most for your money.

Cons:

  • While Awara is more affordable than other sustainable, luxury mattresses on the market, it is higher than other box mattress companies at $1049 for a queen.
  • The firmness is a plus for many sleepers, but if you prefer more give, this might not be the right fit for you.

As a kid, I shared a bedroom with my sister. I could never understand why we, with our identical sheet sets and matching bedtimes, had such different quality of sleep. My sister would sleep like a stone, snoring from the moment her head hit the pillow until our alarms rang in the morning. Meanwhile, I would toss and turn and wake up restlessly in the middle of the night. I wish I could say I was kept up by the secrets of the universe but I was just a really hot sleeper. 

“I wish I could say I was kept up by the secrets of the universe but I was just a really hot sleeper.”

For years, I’d resigned myself to half-remedies. I tried mattress toppers, breathable sheets, cold showers before bed, and weighted blankets. Some helped more than others. Linen sheets? A godsend. Most cooling mattress toppers? Well, those were only as good as the mattress underneath. I suspected that a good mattress would be the answer but frankly, I couldn’t afford anything more than the DTC box mattresses always advertising sales on social media. While they served me well for a time, my recent move made the decision easy. It was time to get a cooling mattress.

Awara is relatively new to the game but they’ve become one of the top sustainable mattresses available. And while it’s a higher price point than many basic mattresses, it is still one of the more affordable luxury mattresses — and the one that met all of my needs. Cooling, yes, but also non-toxic, durable, and comfortable. The Awara mattress scores tens across the board in the categories that matter to me.

Why Awara?

Awara offers the best of both worlds. It’s a luxury mattress with all the smart engineering to promote spinal alignment, durability, and breathability. But it’s also convenient to order, engineered for moving (shoutout to the side straps), and relatively affordable for the sustainable mattress market.

Here’s the math: The Awara Natural Luxury
Hybrid Mattress costs $1049 for a queen. Meanwhile, other comparable organic mattresses can run you around $1800–$2100+ (though, we always encourage you to watch out for sales around major holidays!). You’re already saving a a thousand dollars compared to Awara’s peers — and that’s without the extras of pillows, a protector, and sheets which Awara offers as a reasonable package with your order.

And let’s not lose sight of sustainability. I believe that real luxury is being able to choose the more sustainable option. From buying fewer but better clothes to organic produce, I save my splurges for nontoxic products that will improve my quality of life.

“It’s a luxury mattress with all the smart engineering to promote spinal alignment, durability, and breathability.”

Over the past few years, I’ve taken steps to eradicate toxic chemicals from most of my life, so it was high time I do the same with my mattress. Many of us just don’t know how many potentially harmful chemicals are in our mattresses. For so long, I washed my sheets in organic detergent with absolutely no idea that the mattress they were sitting atop was probably full of harmful substances like polyurethane, VOCs, PFAS, fiberglass, and flame retardants.

We spend a third of our life in bed — admittedly more for me, who often finds herself working from bed. The research is growing and it points to mattresses as contributors to decreased immunity, hormone dysregulation, and changes to your nervous system. Investing in a nontoxic mattress is an investment in our long-term health.

“Investing in a nontoxic mattress is an investment in our long-term health.”

This doesn’t even begin to get to the environmental effects of a mattress — from production to the waste they can generate. Here’s the good part: Most of us keep our mattresses for years — even decades. When it comes to clothes, shoes, or other stuff we buy, keeping things for longer is almost always the more sustainable option. However, as mattresses get older, they break down. They don’t just lose their shape, they release harmful emissions and VOCs. In the short term, these can lead to immediate effects such as eye and respiratory irritation, headaches, dizziness, nausea, and allergic skin reactions. In the long term, these can be harmful for the environment and your health.

While fewer than 2% of mattresses on the market receive organic certifications, Awara is proud to boast a whole host of the most important certifications. But what does this mean? It’s more than just clever marketing — Awara walks the walk. The top layer is made of GOTS certified organic New Zealand wool under a bamboo-based rayon blend. Then, a layer of 2” of medium firm, GOLS & FSC-certified organic latex provides support, comfort, and durability. The materials come with high-quality sourcing and a forever warranty so you can rest easy knowing you’re getting the best of the best.

My Awara mattress review

My villain origin story is the time I ordered a mattress for my cross-country move from New York to California with 2-day delivery and it didn’t arrive for two weeks. That taught me two things: The mattress is the anchor of the home, and never to play it fast and loose with mattress delivery ever again. Things were different this time around with Awara.

DELIVERY

When I got the coveted “Your Order is Confirmed!” notification from Awara on a Friday afternoon, I didn’t expect any updates until Monday. Imagine my surprise when it didn’t just ship on Monday, but arrived at my door early Monday afternoon.

The FedEx delivery driver hauling a giant box emblazoned with “Awara” on the side was impossible to miss. But he had a trolley and all I had were my two hands. So after signing for the package, I was intimidated by the size of the queen bed in the box. If I had more notice, I thought, I would’ve recruited a friend to help — someone who isn’t perpetually talking about getting into weightlifting (guilty) but actually does it. So you get a picture of what I’m working with!

But I’m pleased to report it was surprisingly easy to carry the mattress from my door to my room. Though I’d recommend you bring along someone to help, the packaging isn’t overly bulky or obtrusive.

A large brown cardboard box with the word "awara" printed in white lies against a dark wooden fence and a black metal railing. The box appears slightly damaged.
The mattress arrived super fast, though the box was a little worse for wear. Happily, there was no impact at all on the mattress itself. I was worried about moving it on my own but I was pleasantly surprised that it was light and fairly easy to maneuver.

UNBOXING

Once I got the mattress in my house, I immediately started unboxing. The mattress came with its own tool to cut through the compression packaging without rupturing the mattress. One tip: A unique feature of the Awara mattress is the handles at the base that make it easy to move and put together solo. This detail helped make it one of the easiest mattresses I’ve ever put up — despite being bigger and thicker than other mattresses I’ve used in the past.

“A unique feature of the Awara mattress is the handles at the base that make it easy to move and put together solo.”

In no time, it was on my bed frame decompressing. I couldn’t stop touching it. The quilted top was an immediate signifier that this mattress was more luxurious than I had ever experienced before. I almost wanted to sleep on the mattress bare. Even other luxury mattresses I have tested in-store displays still feel like mattresses. The quilted cover is more comfortable than many mattress toppers I’ve tried, and it works out since I chose not to use a topper with my Awara so I could experience the full benefits of the mattress’s cooling system.

Instruction manual on a beige carpet with four steps for setting up a mattress: find the spot, watch it expand, open packaging, and let it breathe or use it. A white tag is placed at the top.
A wooden bed frame with evenly spaced slats is shown with a rolled-up mattress in plastic packaging placed on top.
The mattress came with simple instructions and a tool that would cut through the compression packaging without rupturing the product. I appreciated the handles on the mattress too!

As directed on the instructions, I let the mattress air out for a few hours before making the bed and sleeping in it. It did have a slight smell, but nothing too overpowering that aired out by the time I went to bed. I couldn’t wait to climb in to sleep.

MY FIRST SLEEPS

In terms of comfort, the experience was immediate. I could feel it was a fit. I like a firm mattress, so the Awara mattress was perfect for me. It had just enough give (admittedly, I did do a bounce test and it passed with flying colors) while retaining its shape. I also noticed this as I slept. As referenced above, I’ve been a tosser and turner my whole life, but I slept like a stone on my Awara. A cool stone, at that — which was the most satisfying part.

“I’ve been a tosser and turner my whole life, but I slept like a stone on my Awara. A cool stone, at that — which was the most satisfying part.”

For context: I received my Awara during a heatwave. I also cannot get to sleep without a comforter — I’m envious of everyone who can sleep with nothing cocooned around them during the hotter months. So, while I hoped for a little relief from the mattress, I wouldn’t have held it against Awara if it didn’t eradicate my hot sleeping completely. To my surprise, I woke up in the morning. Not in the middle of the night, feeling stifled and sweaty. Not intermittently from my own distress. From someone who has been called a restless sleeper by everyone I have shared a bed with, this was a monumental achievement. 

In the days that followed, I waited to see if this would stick. My best sleep usually comes when I’m physically exhausted — and maybe the setup had just tuckered me out enough to send me to such a deep slumber. Yet, every night was the same. I woke up cool, refreshed, and most importantly, not drenched in sweat.

The mattress was the perfect degree of firm to minimize disruptive motion, and the quilted top was so soft and comfy I wanted to sleep on it bare!

While I was most excited about the Awara’s cooling capabilities, one hidden benefit is that it’s supposed to help you get out of bed more easily. No, really. Engineered for firmness, it reduces motion — from a partner, a pet, or your own tossing and turning — and doesn’t give at the edges, making it easier to roll out of bed. You just won’t want to, it’s that comfortable and cool. But, with the quality of sleep I’ve been getting, I wouldn’t be surprised if I was able to move my wake-up time a bit earlier.

Is Awara the best organic option on a budget?

Mattresses are an investment, and this one is the perfect product for hot sleepers looking for a firmer option that’s made sustainably.

So, is Awara worth it? In my opinion, absolutely. The combination of comfort, durability, and eco-friendliness makes it a solid investment in both your health and the planet’s wellbeing.

I can confidently say the Awara has been a game-changer for my sleep quality and overall wellbeing. I like it so much that during the review process, I even bought an Awara mattress protector to keep my mattress fresh for as long as possible. I never want to give this one up!

“I can confidently say the Awara has been a game-changer for my sleep quality and overall wellbeing.”

While not the cheapest option out there, it’s competitively priced for a natural, high-quality mattress — especially when you look at the luxury sustainable options that can run you $4000+. And take it from me, you won’t be able to appreciate the difference until you experience it.

That said, it might not be for everyone. If you prefer an ultra-plush feel, you might find the Awara too firm, even after you’ve slept on it for weeks or months. (If that’s you, there are plenty of other options.)

For hot sleepers, I can’t recommend this product enough. Is this how everyone else has been living during hot summers? I can’t believe cool sleepers have been gatekeeping this from me my whole life. While I’ve been obsessed with the difference my linen sheets make to my sleep quality, the Awara mattress takes it to a new level. Combined, I don’t think I’ll ever go back.

Langa Chinyoka is a Contributing Editor at The Good Trade. She is a writer and strategist based in Los Angeles.