Leesa Reserve Review

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

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 Reserve	Average
Overall Score	9.03	8.53
Price (Queen)	$2,959	$1,535 (Memory Foam Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	10	8.6
Sinkage – Depth	2.09″	2.16″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	8.2	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	9.11 m/s²	8.75 m/s²
Response Time – Score	7.2	8.8
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.6 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	1.5 sec.	1.0 sec.
Bounce – Height	6.83″	9.26″
Bounce – Feel	Low	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	9.1	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	3.75″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Excellent	Good
Sex – Score	7.7	8.3
Pressure Relief – Score	10	8.6
Comfort Layer Thickness	4.5″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	14″	12.1″
Off-Gassing – Score	8.6	8.2
Off-Gassing – Smell	Strong	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	5 days	7 days
Company – Score	9.7	8.6
Trial	100 nights	178 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	38% have lifetime warranties, average of other 62% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Leesa Reserve Different?

The Leesa Reserve Hybrid has higher overall performance than average and a price point that is above average—93% more than the average memory foam hybrid (or $1,424 more for a queen-sized mattress).

Advantages

Advantages include better cooling performance than average, better edge support, and a thicker mattress profile (14″ compared to 12″ average).

Neutral Factors

This mattress has slightly less sinkage than average and 30% less bounce than average. Both of these factors are considered neutral since their value fall within a reasonable range that most sleepers would find comfortable.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages include 5% more motion transfer than average, slower material response time, and a worse sex performance (largely due to the lower levels of bounce).

This mattress comes with a 100-night trial period which is shorter than the 164-night trial period average.

The Leesa Reserve has outstanding cooling. During our tests, I felt no significant level of heat retention around my body. Quite to the contrary, the mattress has a cool-to-the-touch feel.

The cover is infused with cooling fibers, which creates a notable cooling sensation on the body. In addition, the hybrid design and high-quality materials throughout the mattress are having a positive impact on performance.

• 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

In our objective temperature testing, the Leesa Reserve was just north of average at 90.0° F. After getting off the mattress from minutes 0 to 1 the temperature declined 4.2°, which is also just north of average.

However, we see a more dramatic drop from minutes 0 to 5, where temperature declined by 9.1°, which is 1.81° cooler than average.

In my view, the cooling cover greatly impacts the overall cooling experience on the mattress.

Many types of cooling covers will start off cool and then more gradually warm, but that wasn’t my experience with the Reserve. It remained a fairly consistent level of cool throughout the tests.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

The Leesa Reserve has a moderate level of sinkage. In our pressure point sinkage tests, we measured a sinkage depth of 2.09”. This is 0.07” less sinkage than the average of 2.16”.

The level of sinkage is documented in the image below.

The Reserve creates a dramatic body contouring hug. However, because sinkage is moderate I never felt overly hugged or entrapped by the mattress.

The mattress is able to create the hugging and pressure-relieving feel that high-end memory foam is known for, without it being excessive.

The Leesa Reserve has a low level of motion transfer. In our tests, we measured a total acceleration range of 9.11 m/s². This is slightly more motion transfer than the average of 8.64 m/s², but still considered a low level.

Overall motion is very well restrained. The higher density foams, 4.5” of memory foam on top, and a non-quilted cover are all having a positive impact on the lower motion transfer.

The pocketed coils help as well, at least relative to what a non-pocketed coil would. That said, it’s also the coils that are creating the bulk of motion we measured.

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

In our motion transfer chart, which visualizes our accelerometer data, we see the highest motion peaks from 0 to 0.15 seconds. Motion declines rapidly thereafter and by 0.52 seconds we’ve returned to near-zero level of energy.

Mattresses with the least motion transfer are able to disperse all energy within 0.3 seconds. The Reserve isn’t quite at the level, but it’s not far off. Given the moderate level of motion transfer by acceleration range and the low level of motion duration, I expect most sleepers will find motion to be a non-issue.

The Leesa Reserve has a moderate material response speed.

In our tests, we measured a mostly recovered response time of 0.6 seconds and a fully recovered response time of 1.5 seconds.

The mostly recovered time is 0.19 seconds slower than the average of 0.41 seconds. The fully recovered time is 0.62 seconds slower than the average of 0.88 seconds.

Comparing these response times to the overall average we can see they are worse. Most mattresses today utilize poly foams that rebound back to shape effectively instantly.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

That said, the Reserve is designed to create a dramatic memory foam hug and pressure relief. That type of feel comes with a slightly slower material response.

Suffice to say, this is a mattress where you really need to love the feel of memory foam with the slower response and dramatic body contouring hug to be comfortable.

The Leesa Reserve has a low level of bounce. In our tests, we measured a total bounce height of 6.83”. This is 2.86” less bounce than the average of 9.69”.

The thicker-than-average 4.5” comfort layer and the fact that the comfort layer is all memory foam work to dramatically reduce bounce.

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

This lower level of bounce is great for helping to reduce motion, but it also makes it a bit harder to move around on the mattress and inhibits sex performance. As with material response time, the lower level of bounce is a byproduct of the more traditional memory foam feel.

The Leesa Reserve has excellent edge support for both sitting and lying. In our sitting edge support tests, we measured a sitting sinkage compression of 3.75”. This is 0.32” sinkage less than the average of 4.07”.

While sitting on the edge of the mattress I felt well supported and there was no collapse of the materials. Lying edge support was equally as impressive.

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

While lying on the edge of the mattress, I felt well-supported in all sleeping positions. The Reserve has many positive design and material factors going for it.

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

The thicker-than-average 14.0” total profile, high-quality high-density foams, and reinforced perimeter edge support coils are all having a positive impact on edge support for both sitting and lying.

Sex performance on the Leesa Reserve is fair. On the positive side, the mattress has good edge support, it’s cool, pressure relieving, and doesn’t make much noise. However, the level of bounce just isn’t great.

At just 6.83” of bounce it’s enough that it’s not terrible, but it’s a far cry compared to the average bounce level of 9.69”. When it comes to the dance without pants, more bounce is almost always better.

In our tests, we often see mattresses breaking 10”, with some outliers reaching as high as 17”.

This is yet another performance area where if you simply love the feel of memory foam you’ll need to accept everything that comes with it. And less than incredible sex performance is one of those areas.

How Do We Determine Sex Score?

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%	6.7	Low
Edge Support	20%	9.1	Excellent
Noise	5%	10	Minimal
Pressure Relief	5%	10	Outstanding
Cooling	5%	10	Outstanding

The Leesa Reserve has outstanding pressure relief. During our tests, I felt no pressure points build up anywhere on my body. The mattress is incredibly comfortable.

The Reserve is equipped with a 4.5” comfort layer, which is 0.3” thicker than the average.

What the raw numbers don’t tell is just how high quality the foams are, especially the comfort foams. Leesa doesn’t tell us the exact density in terms of PCF (pounds per cubic foot, a common measure of foam density for mattresses), but we can glean that these foams are notably higher density than most.

Higher-density foams simply mean there is more material within the foam layer. Higher-density foams tend to last longer, resist sagging more, and are typically more comfortable.

The law tag tells us this mattress is 154 pounds, which means it is absolutely packed with higher-end foams.

While foam density is a more precise measure of general mattress quality, we can also look at the total mattress weight to infer quality (as a general rule).

Leesa’s Original mattress only weighs 71 pounds in the Queen size. Even the Leesa Sapira is 115 pounds.

By comparison, the Reserve is significantly heavier than both. When I consider the totality of the mattress thickness, mattress weight, foam quality (based on look and feel), and our subjective experience lying on the mattress, I am confident most sleepers will find the pressure relief to be exceptionally good. 

Pressure Map – Side Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Minimum	Maximum
Side Sleepers	0.25	0.02	1.72

Pressure Map – Back Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Minimum	Maximum
Back Sleepers	0.16	0.02	2.03

Pressure Map – Stomach Sleepers

Pressure Relief (PSI)	Average	Minimum	Maximum
Stomach Sleepers	0.15	0.02	1.59

Off-gassing on the Leesa Reserve is strong right out of the box. The odor took 5 days to fully dissipate, which is the average duration of time, based on all mattresses we’ve tested to date.

Leesa offers a trial period of 100 nights, which is a bit shorter than the 164-night average for a trial period. It also comes with a lifetime warranty.

Of the 210+ mattresses we’ve tested to date, 25% have lifetime warranties. The average of the other 75% of mattresses is 14 years. Compared to this date, the Leesa warranty is longer than average on all accounts.

Shipping and returns are both free from Leesa.

How Do We Determine Company Score?

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	Lifetime
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	10	$0
Trust	50%	10	Outstanding
Country of Origin	0%		USA

The Leesa Reserve is available in three firmness levels— soft, medium, and firm. We tested the medium version and found the firmness to be at a 5.5 out of 10 (on a scale where 10 is the firmest).

Based on material and feel, we estimate the soft mattress to be a 4 out of 10 and the firm to be a 7 out of 10 (with a slightly firm feel).

Leesa Reserve: Soft

Leesa Reserve: Firm

The Leesa Reserve has outstanding support. During our tests, I felt well-supported in all sleeping positions. The mattress is equipped with 9.5” of total support materials.

We have a 1.0” foundational support foam, 8.0” pocketed coil unit, and 0.5” transitional poly foam.

This is notably thicker than the average support layer thickness of 7.8”, based on all of our tests to date.

These materials are more than capable of providing support for even the heaviest weighted bodies.

In addition, the Reserve is available in 3 different firmnesses, soft, medium, and firm.

While the medium will be appropriate to the vast majority of sleepers, having the option for soft and firm means there are great picks even if your preferences and body’s needs necessitate a soft or firm feel.

Overall, I’m extremely pleased with the Leesa Reserve’s support and I expect most sleepers will find it more than satisfactory.

Check out the table below to see the sleeper weights and sleeping positions that would be best suited for this mattress.

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

Design

The Leesa Reserve is a 14″ thick memory foam hybrid with a luxury feel and build quality. It is available in 3 firmness levels.

The Leesa Sapira Chill is the only other Leesa mattress currently in the collection that comes in three firmness options—Plush, Medium-Firm, and Firm. The Oasis Chill comes in two firmness options—Cushion-Firm and Plush.

Materials

The Leesa Reserve uses a blend of memory foam, transitional poly foam, pocketed coils, and a thin support foam base. From top to bottom, there are 6 layers in this mattress, as listed below:

• 1.5” Memory Foam
• 1.5” Memory Foam
• 1.5” Memory Foam
• 0.5” Poly Foam (supposed to be 0.75″, according to manufacturer)
• 8.0” Pocketed Coils
• 1.0” Support Foam (supposed to be 0.75″, according to manufacturer)

The Cover

The Leesa Reserve has a cooling cover with a rich, textured look. It is thick and plush without being considered a quilted or tufted cover.

There are carrying handles on the side of the mattress and a navy accent to separate the top from the side panels.

The Comfort Layer

The comfort layer is made up of three primary layers of memory foam. All three layers are 1.5″ thick although foam color varies between each layer.

According to the website, the bottom 1.5″ layer is a “support foam”, but it feels like pretty standard memory foam to me.

The Support Layer

The support layer starts off with a 0.5″ transitional poly foam. According to Leesa, this layer should be 0.75″ but ours was definitely a little short of that.

The poly foam is followed by 8.0″ pocketed coils and a 1.0″ base support foam. Each coil is individually encased in a thin fabric that allows each coil to move independently from each other.

Product Evolution

The Leesa Reserve was launched in 2024. Being new to the Leesa lineup, there have been no major design or material changes since its initial release.

For Leesa, this is a new top-of-the-line mattress offering a 2-part design that is shipped in two boxes. This is the first mattress from Leesa to be designed in this way and marks an evolutionary step in their mattress collection.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Not sure if the Leesa Reserve is the right pick for you? Check out these three other top-rated memory foam hybrids for high-performing alternatives you may want to consider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions? Check out some of the top FAQs on the Leesa Reserve mattress below and get the answers you’re looking for.