Koala Calm As vs Koala Soul Mate Mattress Comparison

We reckon side sleepers will get a great night’s sleep on the Koala Calm As mattress. With its 5 layers and foam construction, it offers a lot of soft, sinkable support for side sleepers’ necks and spines, helping to keep them in the correct alignment. The Original Koala mattress (the precursor to the Koala mattress) impressed Cosier writer Elese with its minimal partner disturbance and the Calm As mattress, with 2 extra layers, will be even more effective. Co-sleepers, this one’s for you.

Honestly, at this price point the Koala Soul Mate mattress should be for everyone (*who can afford it). Though we say it’s more a master bedroom mattress than a guest or kids one.

It does seem to deliver a good night’s sleep for all types of sleepers. Because of the 5 zone support that’s specifically for your head, shoulders, lower back, thighs and feet, it works really well for side and back sleepers, helping ensure your spine stays in the correct alignment. The addition of the bamboo charcoal memory foam layer ticks both hot sleepers (it’s breathable) and bed-sharers’ (it reduces motion transfer) boxes.

We reckon so. Designed to suit a range of sleepers, but especially good for side sleepers, the Koala Calm As foam mattress is great at providing supportive comfort all night long. It suits Aussie sleepers well, thanks to the attention paid to keeping you cool as you sleep. Partner disturbance is also minimal. Koala itself is a great Aussie company with some really solid eco-credentials.

• The supportive comfortable feel of the mattress.
• Customisable firmness level that can be flipped.
• The attention paid to keeping you cool on hot nights.
• Koala’s environmental and sustainability focus.

• It’s pretty deep at 29cm so check if your fitted sheets will work.
• No handles which makes turning and moving it tricky.
• It’s heavy, weighing up to 51.75kg for the king - those handles really would have come in handy.

The Koala Soul Mate has a lot of tech in it. For a mattress in a box, it’s more comparable to a shop-bought mattress which makes it very good. But what you get for the higher price point doesn’t bowl us over. You’re basically getting a bamboo charcoal layer and foam springs. Most sleepers seem to love it although it doesn’t always live up to its price, with a few people pointing out that for them, it’s not zero partner disturbance. If you’re looking for a firm, supportive mattress in a box and you’re happy on the higher end of the price scale, we reckon the Koala Soul Mate is worth a go.

• The oh-so supportive, cradling feel.
• That it offers a flippable firmness level between medium and medium-firm.
• Luxe feel, thanks to the 9cam sleeping surface plus 2cm quilted cover.
• Koala itself with their planet-friendly focus.

• It’s quite high (33cm) so you’ll probably need new sheets.
• No handles so turning and moving it is tricky.
• It’s heavy - the king weighs almost 60kg so handles would be even more helpful.
• That price though.

The Koala Calm As mattress is a foam mattress with 5 layers:

1. A 7cm polyester sleeping surface and a 1cm quilted cover. This sleeping surface is designed to keep you cool and dry as you sleep.
2. Flippable comfort layer which offers you a medium-firm or firm feel.
3. A support layer with 3 support zones that are targeted to your important bits, like your back and shoulders. It’s got air tunnels too to help air move freely and avoid that sticky feeling. It’s also designed to spread your weight evenly across the mattress.
4. Another support layer, much deeper this time. It’s the firmest core of the mattress and should provide great support for every type of sleeper.
5. Edge support to make sure you don’t sink when you perch on the end to put your socks on.

All the foam is polyurethane foam that’s certified free of formaldehyde and other nasties and is low-VOC (volatile organic compounds).

The Koala Soul Mate mattress is a foam mattress with 5 layers. It’s sort of a hybrid because it’s got springs as well as foam. But these springs are foam, not steel.

1. A 9cm sleeping surface made of polyester and viscose which is designed to keep you at the right temperature, whatever the weather’s doing. This is topped by a 2cm quilted cover for that plush feel.
2. The same flippable comfort layer you’ll find in all Koala mattresses. It offers a medium-firm or firm feel.
3. A bamboo charcoal memory foam layer. As well as being antimicrobial, the memory foam is pressure relieving and helps air flow nicely around the mattress.
4. A layer of 5 zoned foam springs. This tripped us up, a lot. Foam. Springs. We consulted an engineer and apparently this could be a thing but it’s certainly not well known tech. The idea behind it is that the springs respond to all your body’s movements to give you support exactly where you need it.
5. Edge support so when you’re getting in and out of it, you won’t sink.

All the foam is polyurethane foam that’s certified free of formaldehyde and other nasties and is low-VOC (volatile organic compounds).

With the average free trial period being 100 nights, Koala beats it by offering 120 nights. Koala will only pick up the mattress for free in most areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. If you’re outside these areas, you’ll need to bring it to the nearest Koala warehouse - ouch. Although they promise a full refund, note that delivery fees are non-refundable.

Koala ships for free nationwide, although they do offer weekend delivery for $70. Delivery can be same day in metro areas. Outside metro areas, you’re looking at 1-15 business days. They have a delivery checker on their website so you can get a more accurate idea of how long it could take.

The Koala Calm As mattress has an industry standard warranty of 10 years that covers any physical damage and defects in the materials and workmanship. It doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, which includes ‘softening of the product that does not affect performance’. This sounds a little subjective to us as your idea of your mattress becoming too soft they might argue isn’t performance related.

Koala offers a better-than-standard 120-night free trial period. If you’re in most areas of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide, it’s good news: Koala will pick up your unwanted Koala mattress for free. If you’re outside these areas, you need to bring or send it to the nearest Koala warehouse, and they won’t cover any of these costs. Although they promise a full refund, note that delivery fees are non-refundable.

Koala ships for free nationwide, with optional weekend delivery costing $70. Delivery can be same day in metro areas. Outside metro areas, you’re looking at 1-15 business days. They have a delivery checker on their website so you can get a more accurate idea of how long it could take.

Like all 3 of their mattresses, the Koala Soul Mate mattress comes with an industry standard warranty of 10 years. Honestly, for the price you’re paying we don’t think it’s great that the warranty is the same as the 2 less expensive options. The warranty doesn’t cover normal wear and tear, which includes ‘softening of the product that does not affect performance’. This sounds a little subjective to us as your idea of your mattress becoming too soft they might argue isn’t performance related.