The Koala mattress is the manufacturer’s flagship and most affordable option. It’s currently one of the most popular mattresses in the market and won’t lack in most lists of the best mattresses in Australia.
Before digging into this review of the Koala mattress, let’s share our view of who it’s ideal for based on its characteristics. As an all-foam mattress, the Koala may or may not work for you, depending on your weight, body shape, and sleeping style.
Ideal for:
Lightweight to average-weight back, side, and front sleepers
Anyone suffering from sharp pressure points or back pains
Memory foam lovers who prefer a mattress they don’t get stuck in
Couples and pet owners looking for a mattress with minimal motion transfer
First-time online buyers who are unsure about their ideal mattress firmness feel
The Koala Mattress Firmness
Firmness: Flippable, medium-firm 6 out of 10 and the firm side a 7.5 out of 10
When analysing a mattress, particularly its feel, we prefer starting with firmness. Firmness refers to how soft or firm the mattress is. Mattress firmness is subjective and depends on body weight and personal preferences. So our analysis will only give you a rough idea of how you will likely experience the Koala mattress.
The Koala uses a two-sided, flippable comfort layer that gives you two firmness options: medium-firm and firm. During our Koala mattress review, our team rated the medium-firm 6 out of 10 and the firm side a 7.5 on the mattress firmness scale.
6.5 is the industry standard for medium-firm mattresses that offer deep sinkage and body contouring. On the other hand, 7.5 is slightly firmer. Mattresses in this firmness range are popular among people who enjoy sleeping “on” the mattress, not “inside” the materials.
Switching between the two firmness levels is pretty straightforward. Unzip the cover, flip the top layer, and zip it back. The zip works nicely, but it’s advisable not to use much force.
The Koala Mattress Layers
The Koala mattress is a bed in a box. It’s compressed and rolled into an airtight bag and then put in a sizable cardboard box for shipping to your doorstep. It’s made of two layers that make up its 24cm height profile.
Cover- made of Tencel Lyocell fabric. Tencel is a fully biodegradable, eco-friendly fabric derived from eucalyptus trees. It’s commonly used in mattress covers today because of the soft feel that makes it comfortable even for sensitive skin. Tencel lyocell also gets a lot of marks for its breathability and moisture absorption properties. The Koala mattress cover is removable and machine-washable.
Kloudcell foam topper- a flippable comfort layer engineered by Koala to provide a cloud-like feeling. The first impression of the Kloudcell foam is that it behaves like a blend of latex and memory foam. While the medium-firm side has a level of contouring, we found it more cooling than traditional visco elastic foam. The lack of sink, especially on the firm side, means better air circulation. It also makes moving on the mattress impressively easier. This layer has convenient tags to indicate which side is medium-firm and firm.
Support core- high-density polyfoam layer with zoned support. This layer is the foundation of the mattress and the primary source of support. Its zoned design offers varied support to different sections of your body. Precisely, the middle part of the mattress that makes contact with your lumbar area has more support to provide superior alignment and pressure relief.
The Koala mattress inflates instantly after unwrapping it from the plastic packaging bag. While it’s ready to sleep on almost immediately, it’s advisable to allow 24-72 hours to inflate fully and stop off-gassing.
The foam used for the two layers is GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia) and CertiPur-US certified. CertiPUR-US certification means the foams have passed rigorous safety and performance standards and don’t contain potentially hazardous compounds, including CFCS and other ozone depleters. On the other hand, the GECA logo means that you’re making a good environmental choice.
Is the Koala a Good Mattress?
The Koala has received a favourable rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from its current users and reviewers on Productreview.au. In fact, the consumer opinion site awarded it its badge of the best mattress in Australia in 2023.
Our team went through hundreds of Koala mattress reviews and complaints to give you a clearer perspective of how it performs on different fronts.
The Koala mattress cooling
The Koala mattress performs slightly above average to promote a cooler sleeping surface throughout the night. That’s partly due to its high-density polyfoam in its layers and Tencel lyocell cover.
All-foam mattresses, particularly memory foam, struggle with heat retention. Polyfoam sleeps cooler than memory foam because it contours less compared to memory foam. Secondly, this mattress’ firm side has less give, so you’ll sink less, leading to less heat retention. Unless you get too hot at night, the Koala mattress is more likely to promote a good night of sleep. But it won’t sleep as cooler as hybrid mattresses do.
The Koala mattress back pain
There’s no single best mattress for all people suffering from back and neck pains. Whatever mattress relieves your pain and allows you to sleep comfortably is the perfect bed for you. That said, individuals with lower back pain should get a mattress that balances both comfort and support. This balance is essential to keep the spine in neutral alignment to allow it to rest and rejuvenate throughout the night.
Experts often lean toward medium-firm mattresses as being ideal for people with back pain. Unsurprisingly, most Koala mattress reviews on TrustPilot indicate that the medium-firm version helps solve chronic back and neck pain issues.
The Koala mattress motion transfer
The Koala mattress excels at isolating movements on one side of the bed. But this is often the case with most all-foam mattresses. Motion isolation refers to how well a mattress contains one sleeper’s movements to their side instead of transferring it to the other side. If you share your bed with a partner or a pet, a mattress with good motion isolation can help you get a restful sleep even when the other sleeper is restless. An all-foam mattress like the Koala greatly reduces motion transfer because the weight of each sleeper is contained on their immediate side of the mattress.
The Koala mattress edge support
The Koala mattress rates average as far as edge support goes, but this is expected for an all-foam mattress. Edge support refers to how sturdy the mattress feels along the perimeter. A mattress with stronger edges feels large because the entire sleeping surface is usable. This is crucial for co-sleepers and individuals fond of hogging the bed. A mattress with a supportive perimeter also makes it easy to climb on and out of bed. Some all-foam mattresses have a weaker perimeter than the Koala.
The Koala mattress for sex
A good mattress for couples needs several characteristics to make it great for sex. For one, the mattress needs to respond quickly to movements and changes in sex position. Secondly, the mattress needs a good bounce to promote comfortable and rhythmic movements. A mattress with a good amount of bounce will have a higher energy return instead of absorbing all the energy. Regarding firmness, couples want a mattress they don’t sink too far into. Otherwise, they may feel trapped and unable to move around easily.
The Koala is okay for sex for a couple of reasons. It has a balanced feel, which makes movements easy. Its dual firmness design means couples can identify what’s perfect for their sex life. And unlike memory foam, the Koala has a bit of bounce, making it ideal for lovemaking.
The Koala mattress off-gassing
Off-gassing is a common complaint in Koala mattress reviews. But this is to be expected of all mattresses that contain foam materials. Off-gassing in a mattress occurs when minute chemicals called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) break down into a gas and float around in the air. While the smell is unpleasant for most people, the “new mattress smell” is not harmful. There’s nothing to worry about, particularly if the mattress is CertiPUR and GECA-certified. Judging by Koala mattress reviews online, some people find it comfortable to sleep on the same day. Others prefer leaving it in the open for 24-48 hours for the smell to dissipate.
The Koala Mattress Sleeping Styles
So far, this Koala mattress review has shed light on how it’s made and performs on different fronts. Let’s take it a notch higher and figure out how the Koala mattress feels to sleep on for different types of sleepers.
The Koala Mattress for Side Sleepers
Side sleepers weighing under 100 kg should feel comfortable sleeping on the medium-firm side of the Koala mattress. People who sleep on their side want a mattress with a near-perfect mix of support and cuddly pressure relief. The mattress should allow their hips and shoulders to dig into the mattress for proper spinal alignment without being too stiff. They shouldn’t sink too far, though, as this may strain their spine. If you weigh closer to 100 kg, you may want to try both firmness feels to figure out which one works best for you.
The Koala Mattress for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers under 60 kg will enjoy the medium-firm side of the Koala mattress. This firmness level provides a good blend of lumbar support and pressure relief around the upper back for sleepers in this weight group. However, they will likely find the firmer side too firm for comfort.
Back sleepers who weigh 60 to 100 kg will prefer the firm side. To this group, the firm version of the Koala packs enough contouring at the lower back and should be able to support their spine throughout the night. Back sleepers above 100 kg are likely to find the Koala mattress too soft and lacking in support.
The Koala Mattress for Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers prefer mattresses that are supportive enough to maintain neutral spine alignment. The mattress also needs to be slightly soft to offer pressure relief to the chest, hips, and knees.
The medium-firm version of the Koala mattress will appeal to most stomach sleepers under 60 kg. But in general, we’d steer stomach sleepers under 100 kg toward the firm version of this mattress. Stomach sleepers above 100 kg will find the Koala mattress uncomfortable almost immediately. We’d recommend a hybrid mattress with a firmness rating of 7 and above on the firmness scale for this group.
The Koala Mattress Price and Sizes
The Koala is a quality mattress sold at a relatively affordable cost. The original Koala mattress is several hundred dollars cheaper than its higher-end siblings, the Koala Calm As and the Soul Mate mattresses. Our Koala mattress review found that it’s priced comparably to other all-foam mattresses of similar quality. However, its use of Kloudcell technology and a flippable comfort layer makes it pricier than other budget-priced all-foam mattresses.
The Koala mattress is available in 5 Australian mattress sizes:
Single 92W x L 188L x 24H
King single 107W x 203L x 24H
Double 138W x 188L x 24H
Queen 153W x 203L x 24H
King 183W x 203L x 24H
Koala Mattress Service
One area in which Koala excels most is customer service. Whether the mattress worked for them or not, most people say Koala’s level of customer care blew them away. And this starts right from easy ordering to fast delivery and the easy return process. It’s not every day that you come across a mattress brand that maintains excellent communication even when trying to return the mattress. So, good job, Koala!
Koala Return Policy
The Koala mattress comes with a 120-night trial. There’s no mention of a mandatory break-in period on their main site. It’s advisable to give your body 21-30 days to get used to the new mattress. If you feel that the mattress isn’t working, you can return the Koala mattress for a full refund within the 120-night trial.
Koala will pick up your mattress and cover the return shipping if you’re in the metro areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra, and Perth. Unfortunately, there’s no free return shipping outside of these metro areas. All returned Koala products are assessed and either resold at the Koala Second Home for resale, donated to charity, or recycled.
Koala Shipping
Koala offers same-day 4-hour deliveries for orders within the metro areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Canberra (applies if you order on weekdays before 2 PM). But there’s also an option to schedule the delivery to a date and time of your choice. For deliveries outside the metro areas mentioned above, expect the mattress to arrive in 1-10 days.
Koala Warranty
Koala mattresses are covered by a 10-year warranty starting the date you receive the product. The warranty covers physical damage, major blemishes, and manufacturing defects in materials and workmanship. It’s only applicable to the original purchaser (can’t be transferred) and can only be provided by Koala.
Our Mattress Verdict
That’s it for our Koala mattress review. And this brings us to the million-dollar question, “is the Koala mattress worth it?” Well, we think the Koala offers a lot of value for the money if you’re a lightweight to average weight side or back sleeper.
There are cheaper all-foam mattresses out there. But very few (if any) offer you two firmness feels in one mattress. The other mattress in our reviews with a flippable comfort layer is the Sleeping Duck. But it’s almost twice as expensive.
Considering Koala’s excellent communication, quick delivery, a 120-night trial, and free returns, there’s really no reason not to give the Koala mattress a shot.
Our Mattress Verdict
That’s it for our Koala mattress review. And this brings us to the million-dollar question, “is the Koala mattress worth it?” Well, we think the Koala offers a lot of value for the money if you’re a lightweight to average weight side or back sleeper.
There are cheaper all-foam mattresses out there. But very few (if any) offer you two firmness feels in one mattress. The other mattress in our reviews with a flippable comfort layer is the Sleeping Duck. But it’s almost twice as expensive.
Considering Koala’s excellent communication, quick delivery, a 120-night trial, and free returns, there’s really no reason not to give the Koala mattress a shot.
Pros
A flippable comfort layer offers two firmness choices
Koala has been an Aussie brand manufacturing all its products in Australia until 2021, when they moved production to China.
The Koala mattress has a flippable comfort layer with varying firmness levels. One side is medium-firm and feels like a 6 on the firmness scale, while the other is firm and has a rating of 7.5.
All-foam mattresses naturally sleep hot. But most Koala mattress reviews from current users reveal that it sleeps cool even in humid weather.
Most people with back pains say that they felt much better within days of sleeping on the Koala mattress. The best part is that the Koala has two firmness feels in one mattress. And you can return it for a full refund if it doesn’t work for you.
MattressVerdict.com is a mattress & sleeping products reviews website. Our website compares leading brands, provides detailed reviews about the product construction, warranty, return policy and more. We do not list all mattress brands out there, nor do we cover all aspects of brands we list. We do our best to keep the information accurate, but we can't promise you that it is. Companies often change their product as well as their prices, warranty periods and more.The best way to get accurate information is to go to their respective official websites. We receive referral fees from the brands on the website. We do our best to provide accurate information. Fees impact rankings, rating and reviews.
