The Best Mattresses for Sex (and Everything Else)

Want to give your sex life a boost? Start with your mattress. Just as every great painting starts as a blank canvas, the best mattresses for sex make the ideal jumping-off point for some seriously good lovemaking. After all, unless you’re an Olympic-level sex athlete, you’re probably doing the deed in bed most of the time. But what actually makes a mattress good for boning on? We spoke to some experts to get the rundown.

The Best Mattresses for Sex, According to GQ

The Best Mattress for Sex Overall: Saatva Classic Mattress

All three experts I interviewed for this piece raved about Saatva mattresses, and specifically this hybrid one. It combines individually wrapped coils with memory foam, which has been infused with cooling gel, so even if you tend to sleep hot, this mattress should keep you comfy. Natassia Miller, a certified sexologist and the founder of Wonderlust, recommends this one for its great bounce and excellent edge support. “It’s like the mattress version of a good lover: responsive, supportive, and doesn’t overheat under pressure,” she says.

The Best Budget Mattress for Sex: Brooklyn Bedding Signature Hybrid

Miller recommends this hybrid mattress for shoppers on a budget. “It’s bouncy, cool, and durable,” she says, making it “a solid all-rounder if you want performance without a luxury price tag.” Individually encased coils give it great bounceback and motion isolation, while multiple layered types of foam add comfort and cushioning. One bummer is that you’ll have to shell out an extra $300 for a cooling top, so this may not be quite as good a deal for hot sleepers.

The Best Luxury Mattress for Sex: WinkBeds Luxury Hybrid Mattress

This luxe hybrid mattress comes highly recommended by Leah Levi, a therapist and relationship expert for Flure. “It combines the best parts of coil and foam systems to stay responsive, quiet, and supportive across the entire surface,” she explains. While its price isn’t exorbitant for a mattress, it boasts fancy features you’d normally have to pay more for, including targeted lumbar support, fantastic edge support, and stabilizing gel foam for motion isolation.

The Quietest Mattress for Sex: Helix Midnight Luxe

Miller likes that this popular mattress is “plush enough to be cozy, but still springy enough for movement.” In other words: It’s perfect for sex. But perhaps even more notable is its noise level; Miller says this is a particularly quiet mattress, so you won’t have to worry about roommates or family overhearing your sexploits through thin walls. Sleep-wise, this mattress is best suited for side sleepers, with its layers of plush memory foam, but its coils provide targeted back support that anyone can appreciate.

The Best Dual-Sided Mattress for Sex: Saatva Zenhaven

“Saatva is a popular mattress brand that offers multiple firmness levels to choose from,” says Dr. Jenn Gunsaullus, Ph.D., a sociologist and resident sex educator for Pjur. Dual-sided mattresses are spendy, but they offer some versatility that other mattresses don’t: “They can be flipped, if you prefer a softer sleeping surface when you’re not being intimate,” Gunsaullus explains. Not everyone will love having to flip their bed back and forth between sleep mode and sex mode on the regular, but it might be worthwhile for shoppers whose sex-mattress preferences differ dramatically from their sleep-mattress preferences.

The Best Organic Mattress for Sex: Avocado Green Mattress

Shoppers who are environmentally conscious might prefer a mattress made of organic materials, like this one. It lacks a lot of the chemical add-ons that other mattresses have, too (such as cooling gel or flame retardant), and its latex foam material offers better airflow and bounceback than memory foam. “It’s one of the most sustainable mattresses on the market,” Miller says— plus, it’s “great for sex and your conscience.” One thing to note here, though: the softer versions of this mattress cost hundreds of dollars more than the firm version, so if you prefer a plusher sleeping experience, there are more cost-effective options out there.

What to Look for in a Good Mattress for Sex

“A good sex-friendly mattress should strike the right balance between comfort and performance,” Miller says. “Think of it as your silent (but very supportive) partner.” Here are some key qualities to consider when shopping for your next mattress.

• Bounce/Responsiveness: “You want a mattress that bounces back, not one that swallows you whole,” Miller says. It’s much easier to change positions mid-sex or maintain momentum if your mattress has high responsiveness/bounceback. Miller suggests looking for latex or hybrid mattresses with coils, as these are much bouncier than memory foam, which you can sink right into.
• Edge Support: “Sex doesn’t always happen in the middle of the bed,” Levi points out. “A mattress with strong edges gives you more space to move around without feeling like you’re going to fall off.” Getting a concussion mid-bang would probably kill the vibe.
• Durability: Naturally, you want something hardy enough to survive not only wild nights of sex, but also many years of sleep. A mattress, like a good pair of shoes, isn’t something to skimp on, since a bad one can cause pain and spinal issues, among other problems—not to mention, replacing them is expensive.
• Cooling: If you’ve ever tried to have sex on a humid summer night, then you know exactly why this matters. “Some mattresses trap body heat, which can make sex sweaty, and not in a fun way,” Levi says. “Latex and hybrids sleep cooler thanks to better airflow, and gel-infused foams or breathable covers can also help if you like memory foam but don’t want to overheat.”
• Noise Level: “Nobody wants a squeaky bed, especially if you have thin walls,” Levi says. Usually the bed frame is the culprit, but the mattress can play a role too. “All-foam beds are usually quiet, and hybrids with individually-wrapped coils are a good, silent option as well,” suggests Levi.
• Height: Finally, you’ll want to consider the height of your bed frame and boxspring (if you have them) in addition to the height of the mattress itself, since the combination thereof will affect which positions you’re able to comfortably get into. “Aim for that just-right height—typically around 24 inches from floor to top of mattress—so getting on and off feels natural,” Miller suggests.

Mattress Firmness Levels & Materials

You could fall down the mattress-research rabbit hole for hours if you wanted to (and I have!), so to spare you the trouble (and the back pain), here’s some key info to keep in mind when mattress-shopping: