Leesa Legend Review

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In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

Performance Tests

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Leesa Legend	Average
Overall Score	9.19	8.64
Price (Queen)	$2,099	$1,380 (Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	9.0	8.8
Sinkage – Depth	1.88″	2.16″
Sinkage – Feel	Minimal	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	10	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	4.38 m/s²	8.64 m/s²
Response Time – Score	9.9	8.9
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.4 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	11.57″	9.69″
Bounce – Feel	High	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.0	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	5.50″	4.07″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	9.0	8.5
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.8
Comfort Layer Thickness	4.5″	4.2″
Mattress Thickness	11.5″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	8.9	8.4
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	4 days	6 days
Company – Score	9.5	8.7
Trial	100 nights	166 nights
Warranty	10 years	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 14 years

How is Leesa Legend Different?

The Leesa Legend hybrid has a slightly higher performance score than average, but also an above-average price tag as well—56% higher than the average hybrid mattress.

Advantages

The Legend hybrid has slightly better cooling performance than average as well as lower levels of motion transfer, 48% lower than the average levels.

Material response time is also faster than average.

Neutral Factors

This mattress has 13% less surface sinkage than average and 20% more bounce than average. These two factors are not really good vs. bad, but more of a factor of personal preference.

Disadvantages

Edge support is a little lacking on the Legend, where we measured 32% more sinkage when seated directly at the edge of the mattress. It’s also a thinner mattress (11.5″ thick) compared to the average mattress thickness of 11.9″.

Overall, the cooling performance of the Leesa Legend is excellent. Looking at our objective data, we measured a maximum temperature of 91.2° F.

This max temperature is 0.2° cooler than the average among all mattresses we’ve tested to date.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Heat dissipation on the Leesa Legend is also quite good. Within the first minute, the Leesa Legend is able to dissipate 3.8° F of heat.

The mattress continues to gradually dissipate heat over the 5-minute measurement period, ending at 84.0° F.

Speaking subjectively, I found the Leesa Legend mattress to be comfortably cool for the duration of the cooling test.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

I did not feel any degree of notable heat retention around my body. The Leesa Legend was cool and breathed well, despite having a fairly notable contour around the body.

Our pressure point sinkage test measured a sinkage of 1.88” deep. This is slightly below the average across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 2.12”.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

Notably, the Leesa Legend uses a zoned support system, which provides more support in the middle of the mattress and less support at the feet and head.

This is designed to help keep your spine in proper alignment, especially for side sleepers.

During our tests, the zoned system seemed to do exactly that. The mattress is comfortable in all positions, but certainly, it’s designed with the needs for side sleepers in mind.

Motion transfer on the Leesa Legend mattress is extremely low. Our motion transfer accelerometer tests measured a maximum acceleration range of 4.38 m/s².

The level of motion transfer is documented in the video below.

This is slightly lower motion than average. The average acceleration range across all mattresses we’ve tested to date is 8.33 m/s².

Looking at the motion transfer chart, you can see significant energy up until 0.3 seconds, with moderate energy continuing up to the 1.0-second mark. This is a fairly long duration for energy to continue across the mattress, despite the fact that the total energy is still below average.

While the Leesa Legend mattress has low motion transfer, it’s not the absolute best we’ve tested. Leesa’s Original and Studio mattresses were both among the very best we’ve tested, with an acceleration range of 2.06 and 2.22 m/s², respectively.

So if super low motion transfer is important to you you may want to consider a non-hybrid option (which generally has more motion compared to 100% foam mattresses).

Response time was very fast. In fact, the Leesa Legend is tied for the fastest response time among all mattresses we’ve tested to date at 0.2 seconds.

A full recovery doesn’t take much longer. By 0.4 seconds the Legend’s materials have fully recovered.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Even with thick comfort layers of foam on top, the Leesa Legend springs back to its original shape quickly.

This helps prevent any type of a “stuck” or trapped feeling, which can sometimes happen, especially with 100% foam mattresses. The Leesa Legend quickly adapts to changes in position as you move during the night.

The Leesa Legend has very high bounce, which is to be expected, given the hybrid design. On our bounce test, the Legend had a max sinkage depth of 6.35”, a max rebound of 5.22”, and a total bounce height of 11.57”.

This is notably higher than the average bounce among all the mattresses we’ve tested to date, which is 8.52”.

The level of bounce is also documented in the video below.

Most mattresses that have pocketed coils are going to have a total bounce range that exceeds 10”. This type of bounce gives it a very traditional feel.

As a result, many sleepers who have been sleeping on more traditional coil or innerspring mattresses may find the transition less jarring (as opposed to the transition to an all-foam mattress).

More bounce isn’t necessarily better or worse for sleeping.

However, higher levels of bounce are almost always better for sex (which we discuss a bit further down the page).

Edge support while sitting was good, but not amazing. In our tests, we measured 5.5” of compression while sitting directly on the edge.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

This is on the higher end of what we like to ideally see, but it’s not terrible by any stretch. On average, across all mattresses we’ve tested to date, we see a sitting edge compression of 4.86”.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

So the Leesa Legend’s 5.5” is a good bit deeper than the average. While sitting support leaves something to be desired, edge support while lying on the mattress was excellent.

I felt no sensation of being rolled off the mattress or any lack of support. The Leesa Legend is as supportive at the edge as it is at the middle of the mattress. 

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	9.7	Very High
Edge Support	20%	6.9	Mediocre
Noise	5%	8.0	Moderate
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	9.0	Excellent

For the Leesa Legend, these individual factors give it an overall excellent rating.

When we look at the individual factors that make up the sex score, a few of those factors are more critical than others.

Bounce, for example, is worth 60% of the total score. The Leesa Legend is bouncy and active because of the coils and poly foam combined. Pressure relief and cooling also put up excellent scores.

There’s a small amount of noise from the mattress because of the use of coils, but it’s not hugely disturbing.

The lowest score that the Legend received in the sex test is the edge support score. Especially for sitting or any type of amorous activity on the edge of the mattress, it’s going to be less than amazing.

Pressure relief was excellent. The Leesa Legend has 4.5” of comfort materials, which is just about as much as you’ll ever see in a mattress.

This thickness of comfort materials creates excellent pressure relief for sleepers of all weights and all sleeping positions.

When you couple the material quality with the zoned support system, it really is a strong mattress design that delivers support well in excess of what most mattresses will.

The Leesa Legend had a strong smell upon the initial unboxing. And that smell lingered for around 4 days.

However, after which, the smell was minimal and not enough to be noticeable, in my view.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	100 nights
Warranty	10%	8.0	10 years
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	10	Outstanding
Country of Origin	0%		USA

Leesa first launched in 2014 and was one of the bigger names hit the direct-to-consumer mattress world.

They offer terms and conditions that are generally favorable to consumers, like the 100-night trial period, the 10-year warranty, and free shipping and returns.

For free, you can opt for “No Contact Shipping” which means your Leesa will be dropped at your doorstep.

Or for an added cost of $150, you can get “White Glove Delivery” and your mattress will be unboxed and set up in the bedroom.

If you try out the Leesa and decide that it’s not right for you, just let Leesa know and they will send a team to pick up the mattress, at no cost to you.

The firmness of the Leesa Legend comes in around a 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale, where 10 is the most firm.

Leesa rates their mattress at a 4 out of 10, but in my view, it really isn’t quite that soft. However, it’s certainly the softest mattress they offer.

For comparison, here are the firmness level of other Leesa models:

• Leesa Original: 6 out of 10
• Leesa Hybrid: 6 out of 10
• Leesa Studio: 6 out of 10

This is just a touch softer than the original Leesa, but would generally be considered comfortable for the majority of sleepers, despite weight and sleeping position.

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

I found the Leesa Legend to be extremely supportive in our tests. The most impressive design element of the Legend is the zoned support system.

The mattress has micro coils at the feet and head, with poly foam support in the center.

This type of zoned system creates more support where you have more weight, and lower support where you have less weight. This configuration helps to improve spinal alignment, especially for side sleepers.

When you coupled this zoned system with the Leesa Legend’s 4.5” of comfort material on top, it really is an impressive material construction and mattress design.

Design

The Leesa Legend is a hybrid mattress that uses a combination of foam, micro coils, support coils, and support foam.

It has a thicker profile (12″) and is a bit softer than the original Leesa.

Materials

The materials of the Leesa Legend are broken up into six different layers. There are four materials within the comfort layer itself and then the coil layer and support foam fall below.

The six layers of the Leesa Legend include:

• Poly foam
• Memory foam
• Micro coil / 1.5” poly foam (zoned materials)
• Pocketed coils
• Support foam

The Cover

The cover of the Leesa Legend is soft and breathable. It is made with Merino wool, 100% organic cotton, and fiber from recycled water bottles.

If sustainability is important to your mattress choice, the Leesa Legend certainly checks many of the right boxes on the cover alone.

This cover also has the same 4-bar design that is classic for the Leesa brand.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is essentially made up of 3 layers—two layers of foam and one layer of either foal or micro coils, depending on where in the mattress you’re looking.

• The top of the comfort layer is a 1.0″ layer of poly foam. Poly foam provides faster response time and good cooling.
• The middle part of the comfort layer is 1.0″ of memory foam which is great for pressure relief, contouring, and better hug.
• The base of the comfort layer is either poly foam or microcoils.

Whether the base of the comfort layer is coils or foam depends on what part of the mattress you’re looking at.

At the head of the mattress, the Leesa Legend uses micro coils.

In the central part of the mattress, roughly waist to thigh, the Leesa Legend uses poly foam.

The Support Layer

The second layer of coil is larger and thicker than the micro coils above. They are pocketed coils, which allows them to provide pressure support on an individual basis, depending on how much pressure is applied within each zone.

The support of the Leesa Legend continues from the coils into a single 1.0″ layer of foam that sits at the base of the mattress. This foam is the firmest layer in the mattress and is designed to provide support to the layers above.

Product Evolution

Leesa, as a company, has been around since 2014, when they launched into the market with their first 10″ combo foam mattress.

While the Leesa Original mattress has had some minor changes over the years, the Leesa Legend mattress has been unchanged since it’s launch.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Still not sure if the Leesa Legend is the best pick for you? Check out these three other options for recommendations of similar mattresses.

Frequently Asked Questions

For more info on the Leesa Legend, check out some of the top FAQs below and get the answers you’re looking for.