Koala Plus Mattress Review 2024: Like being hugged to sleep
Touted as being Koala's most 'advanced mattress yet', transitioning onto the Koala Plus was a breeze for me. But my partner is divided. Here's our honest review.
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Mattress-in-a-box brands turned the market on its head, offering high-quality, affordable mattresses, delivered directly to your door. For something so important, expensive and heavy, they really have taken the friction out of the buying process.
Many even give you a trial period, so you can have it picked up and refunded for free.
Ever since my partner moved in, we've been on a mattress-in-a-box, upgrading from a saggy spring to a Sleeping Duck hybrid. We were sold on its mid-range price point, supportive semi-spring core and the option for a half-medium, half-firm topper - an absolute game-changer as we tend to disagree over what "the ideal mattress firmness" is…
But after rising damp ruined our mattress we were on the hunt for a replacement. So it sounded like fate when we were offered to try the Koala Plus*.
Similar to our previous mattress, it's mid-priced, costing more than the starter Koala SE Mattress but less than the premium Koala Luxe Mattress.
Unlike my previous mattress, it's not a spring-foam hybrid, but is completely foam-based. While this can mean heat retention and less support, the Plus has responded by packing a lot of tech under its hood, including a Cooling Gel Comfort layer to wick moisture and a five-zone core for superior support.
Then there's the incredibly soft Kloudcell Comfort Layer that feels like a dream to lie on.
Sounds fancy, but is it really all that?
Well, I quickly became a fan of our new Koala mattress, feeling like I was being hugged to bed every night by the plushness of it all. My partner however struggled with the softness.
1-MINUTE REVIEW: KOALA PLUS MATTRESS, QUEEN
What You Need To Know:
The Koala Plus is built with comfort in mind - no matter your preferences. That's the beauty behind it: it's extremely customisable.
If you like a firm mattress, pop the comfort later firm-side up. If you like something softer, flip it to the medium-firm layer.
If you're a cold sleeper or it's winter, turn the seasonal topper to the organic cotton side for added warmth. If you run how, or it's summer, flip it to the breathable CoolThread side.
The only thing it doesn't do is offer half-half options (Partner Preference) for if you and your partner have different firmness needs. Note: This is an option on the bestselling Koala Mattress.
As a cold sleeper, I loved how soft and plush the topper feels, instantly cuddling me to sleep every evening. Which is also a bonus as I'm the sort of person that takes a while to "get comfortable".
I was also pleasantly surprised that I didn't have any adjustment period moving from a hybrid to a foam mattress.
As a side-sleeper, the level of support was just right and I would often wake up feeling refreshed.
The delivery process and set-up was smooth and easy, though I recommend doing this early in the morning to give your mattress more time to decompress before sleeping on it.
At $990 for a single (or $1590 for a queen), it's very competitively priced and comes with a 10 year warranty and 120-night trail.
What comes in the delivery: Box 1 - the Base Layer - (Dimensions: W161 × D41 × H41cm and boxed weight: 23.82kg). Box 2 - Comfort Layer and Topper - (Dimensions: W157 × D29 × H29cm and boxed weight: 20.08kg)
HOW WE TESTED THE KOALA PLUS MATTRESS
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My partner and I have been testing the Koala Plus Mattress for the past month, and have seen it through colder nights as well as warm nights - though nothing higher than 25 degrees. I’ve tried both the medium-firm and firm settings of the comfort layer and have spent three weeks using the winter topper and one week using the summer one.
My partner and I have very different sleeping positions and firmness preferences. I tend to run cold (you’ll find me in a doona during summer), am a side-sleeper who occasionally suffers from hip and back pain (thanks to a three-year-old who likes to be carried), and for the most part am a light sleeper. My partner runs hot, sleeps mostly on his back and is a deep sleeper.
Then, there’s our daughter. She runs extremely hot and climbs in anytime between 1am and 4pm to starfish in between us. FYI - she has no problems sleeping anywhere.
HOW WE EVALUATED THE MATTRESS
- Delivery and set-up
- Firmness and comfort
- Adjustment period
- Price and value
- Verdict: Is it worth buying?
FULL REVIEW OF THE KOALA PLUS MATTRESS
Koala calls the Plus Mattress their "most advanced" mattress to date. It's packed with temperature-regulating tech to keep you comfortable throughout the night, has a luxuriously soft upper layer and is designed with five zones of support.
With a family of three very different sleepers testing it out, opinions are divided. Read on to find out why.
DELIVERY AND SET-UP
With two large boxes to cart into the house, you’ll want to be home to meet this delivery.
Koala made it easy for me by letting me nominate my delivery date so I'd be home. They then emailed and texted me on the day of delivery to let me know it was on the way and the estimated delivery time - between 10am and 2pm. They also included a tracking link on each so I could follow my driver to my door.
This wasn't the end. I then got even more texts when the truck was streets away and then another when the delivery was complete. Very helpful, indeed.
Being home, I met my driver at the door and asked him to leave the boxes in the hallway, which he was more than happy to do.
Later, my partner and I moved the boxes up two flights of stairs to the bedroom. At around 20kgs each, they can be managed by one person but because they're bulky I'd recommend making it a two person job.
A straightforward instruction manual made set-up a breeze: Unpack the Base Layer (Box 1), break open the heat seal and unravel on your bed frame, making sure you've got it in the right direction (otherwise you’ll have to use more muscle to flip it the other way around).
Then, unpack the Comfort Layer and Topper and do the same thing. I highly recommend choosing your firmness and seasonality at this point so you don't have to struggle with flipping everything over before bed. You can zip these two layers onto the base layer and wait for it all to decompress.
Now, it says on the instructions that you can sleep on the mattress straight away. While that might be true it also says it takes a full 72-hours to bounce into its final shape - which sounds like an extraordinarily long time when you’ve already done away with your old mattress.
We felt the difference. Sleeping on it the first night it felt low and a little saggy. Over a few days it firmed up, but just be warned that it won't be the most comfortable mattress in the early days.
FIRMNESS AND COMFORT
Over the years I've slept on spring mattresses, hybrids and memory foam. This is my first experience on polyurethane foam. For those who are wondering what the heck that is (myself included), in short, it's a budget-friendly foam that's hypoallergenic and supports your natural spinal alignment.
The clincher? It's not as durable or pressure-relieving as memory foam or latex, and not as breathable as spring.
I tried both the medium-firm and firm comfort layers and perhaps I'm not a Princess and The Pea here but I didn't notice a difference at all. My partner noticed a very "slight" difference - but it still didn’t reach the firmness levels of our old mattress.
On the upside I slept like a baby on both, which I can likely attribute to the eight centimetres of Kloudcell tech inside the comfort layer which, as the name suggests, is designed to feel like a cloud.
Partner disturbance
My partner and I go to bed around the same time, but sometime in the early morning our little princess climbs in to sleep between us. A few hours later, my partner wakes up to go to work. A few hours after that, I wake our daughter up for school.
Long story short, there's a lot of movement in the bed every night.
But thanks to some fancy zero disturbance tech, I've never been woken up by it - sleeping soundly as the family moves on and off. I really feel no movement in the bed. That said, I didn't feel it with my previous mattress either.
Edge support
Anyone who has a kid who loves to cuddle up to them in bed will know that half the night is spent sleeping millimetres away from falling.
On our old mattress I felt that way. Constantly. It could have been the design or, it could have been the fact that we'd been sleeping on it for seven years already, but I could feel myself sliding ever so dangerously downward the closer I got to the edge.
The Plus has taken away that fear. Or at least lessened it. As my kid nudges me to the outer reaches of my bed, I can feel the support and the lack of sagginess reassuring me that I won't be rolling off anytime soon. Definitely a win.
Temperature control
The Koala Plus is designed to allow you to tailor it to your temperature needs. If you run hot or it's summer, the cool side of the topper will wick moisture. If you run cold or it’s winter, the warm side of it will keep you toasty with its organic cotton blend.
Testing it at the beginning of spring it's difficult to gauge whether this truly works yet as the temperature has been fairly mild (around the high teens at night). I definitely haven't felt too cold or too hot at night, but when summer and our 30+ degree weather sets in I'll be sure to update this review.
ADJUSTMENT PERIOD
Despite coming off a spring-foam mattress I adjusted to the Koala Plus instantly. The first night was bliss, no tossing or turning, and I woke up feeling refreshed with no hip or back pain.
My husband, however, felt differently.
Preferring a firm mattress, he wasn't sold on the lack of support compared to our previous mattress. He also noticed the height difference immediately as, at 28 centimetres thick, it sits three-centimetres lower than our old one, and affected his posture when sitting on the side of the bed.
PRICE AND VALUE
With a starting price of $990 for a single or $1590 for a queen, the Koala Plus is right on the money for a mid- to high-range mattress. In comparison, our previous mattress currently costs $999 for a single and $1649 for a queen.
Adding to its value is free delivery (pretty standard for online mattresses), a 120-night sleep trial period (above average, as most online mattresses only give you 100-nights), and a 10 year warranty (again, pretty standard).
To help lighten the load on your pocket, Koala often participates in sales events like Black Friday and Boxing Day. Though, if you can't wait until their next sale, you can get a 10 per cent off code when you sign up for emails.
VERDICT: IS IT WORTH BUYING?
Over the years I've honed in on the types of mattresses I like. I don't like latex or memory foam as I feel as though I'm sinking. I don't like straight-out-of-the-box spring as it's way too firm.
I do like a soft topper, a medium firmness and good back support. If that sounds like you, and you've got a decent amount to spend, I'd highly recommend the Plus.
Simply put, it's super comfy and with its five-zoned core, maintained my natural spine alignment throughout the night.
OTHER COMPARABLE MATTRESSES
The Koala Plus is a mid-high range mattress with a load of features tailored to a comfortable night's rest.
If you like to shop around, similar mattresses from other leading online mattress brands include the Sleeping Duck SD Mach II which is a hybrid mattress focused on breathability and spring-based multi-zoned support.
Another option is the Eva Premium Adapt Mattress which lets you tailor your sleep across nine firmness levels.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How often should you replace your Koala mattress?
All Koala mattresses are made with polyurethane foam, which is one of the more affordable, though less durable, materials for mattresses.
Koala recommends replacing it every ten years, which is also the warranty period. In this time, you'll be covered for any manufacturing or material defects, both not any general wear and tear.
If your mattress is damaged, it's recommended that you replace it earlier.
Can you put your Koala mattress on slats?
Koala mattresses can be placed on rigid slats, though we recommend keeping the gap between the slats at a minimum to reduce the chance of sagging.
Koala sells both slatted bed bases and more solid bases to complement all their products.
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*Product has been provided by Koala for a 100 per cent independent, honest review
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