Peace Lily vs Koala Soul Mate Mattress Comparison

The Peace Lily mattress is for anyone that’s concerned about the environmental impact of their mattress and the chemicals they might be bedding down with. The Peace Lily is a natural, cleaner, eco-friendly choice, which seems to be the main reason Aussie sleepers choose it.

You might also choose it if you’re after a supportive, supple and springy sleeping surface that provides excellent pressure relief. It’s got the widest range of sizes of any mattress we’ve reviewed, including long single, king single and super king. This means it suits a wide range of sleepers, including children.

Latex isn’t known for its ability to reduce partner disturbance so shift workers or particularly wriggly sleepers might need to look elsewhere.

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 highly recommend the Peace Lily mattress, especially for its natural, eco-friendly focus. A good choice for back and side sleepers, it offers a flippable firmness level between medium and firm and great pressure relief. Springy, it provides a lovely cushioning feel that gently moulds to your body. With a 25-year warranty - one of the longest we’ve seen - this is a durable, long-lasting mattress. (Be sure to read the warranty carefully to understand Peace Lily’s requirements around a suitable bed base to prevent moisture build-up.)

• Flippable firmness layers so you can choose a medium or firm feel.
• Huge range of sizes which is the widest of all mattresses we’ve reviewed.
• The clean, green naturalness of the mattress, including its sustainable manufacturing.
• That it’s handcrafted.

• Heavy to move, lift and turn.
• Returns policy isn’t great with customers in non-metro areas having to arrange a charity pick up or drop off.
• Delivery timeframes are vague.

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 Peace Lily mattress has 5 layers of natural, certified organic materials:

1. A 100% certified organic cotton handmade cover that’s soft, cool and moisture wicking.
2. 100% certified organic cotton wadding for a breathable, luxe-feeling cover.
3. A medium 5cm layer of 100% natural rubber latex.
4. A 100% natural rubber latex core layer.
5. A firm 5cm layer of 100% natural rubber latex.

The layers are encased in 100% certified organic cotton, complete with a cotton tape edge that’s double stitched for durability.  The layers are glued together with a natural latex glue that’s adhesive and chemical free. There are no toxins, polyurethane foams, chemical adhesives or nasties of any kind in a Peace Lily mattress. This is backed by international certification bodies, including eco-INSTITUT, OEKO-TEX and the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS).

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).

Peace Lily offers a 100-night free trial. However, they do ask you to try your mattress for at least 30 nights. This gives your body time to adjust and also allows the mattress to fully decompress. If it’s still not for you, you need to email Peace Lily and follow their instructions. The mattress needs to be in good condition and clean with no stains or tears, etc. (Pro tip: use a mattress protector!)

If Peace Lily agrees it’s in good condition, they’ll arrange a local partnered charity organisation to pick up your mattress for free. Once it’s been accepted and picked up by the charity, then Peace Lily will process your refund.

Some Aussie customers haven’t had the best returns process, especially those in more rural areas with no partnered organisations nearby. In some cases, customers have been left to arrange their own charity pick up / drop off. This has involved contacting local charities and attempting to wrestle a heavy latex mattress into their vehicle for drop off. Honestly, the returns process sounds like a hassle unless you live in an urban area.

The Peace Lily mattress comes with a great 25-year warranty. Latex mattresses tend to be more durable and longer lasting than other mattress types. However, you must use a bed base with your mattress, otherwise the warranty is void. It’s worth taking a read of the warranty to understand what Peace Lily defines as a suitable bed base.

All orders are dispatched within 1-2 business days of ordering and can take up to 15 business days for rural deliveries. Compared to Koala, who contact you with the day and time slot for delivery so you can make sure you’re home, Peace Lily is a bit more hands-off. Although you’ll get a tracking link emailed to you, they highly recommend you choose the authority to leave delivery option. Given the price of these mattresses, you might not feel comfortable having your mattress left outside your home.

Peace Lily courier drivers don’t bring your mattress inside your home or up any stairs so expect to haul the box around by yourself.

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.