The Koala Calm As Mattress Review for 2023
Can the Koala Calm As mattress deliver the perfect night’s sleep?
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In this guide
If trying to pick the best mattress is more difficult than keeping up with the latest Kardashian drama, we’ve got your back. Rather than risking a bad night’s sleep and the need to schlep a mattress all the way to a warehouse to return it, you can trust us to do the hard work.
Koala has revolutionised their mattress offering. From 1 original, they’ve now got 3 options. The Calm As is their mid-range mattress. Still all foam, it’s packing 5 support layers to deliver you the dreamiest night’s sleep yet.
In this Koala Calm As mattress review, we’re covering everything you need to know - from how it feels to sleep on and the sleepers it suits to whether it can handle the heat of Aussie nights.
- 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.
Is the Koala Calm As mattress any good?
We reckon so. Designed to suit a range of sleepers, but especially good for side sleepers, this 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.
Who’s the Koala Calm As mattress best for
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 New 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.
The ordering and delivery process
Koala doesn’t just offer mattresses in a box, their offering is huge and includes beds, sofas, chairs and bedlinen. We found navigating to the mattresses section of their website not too difficult, especially as we knew which of their 3 mattresses we wanted.
We simply chose our mattress size (Koala loses points for not helpfully reminding us of their mattress dimensions near the buttons) then ignored the optional extras, like a bed base and pillow. (They gain points back for the convenience of offering all bed stuff in one.)
We liked that by adding our postcode, we got an upfront delivery estimate with more delivery options at the checkout. This included getting to choose our delivery date and time, from ASAP to a few hour slot.
What's the Koala Calm As mattress made from?
The Koala Calm As mattress is a foam mattress with 5 layers:
- A 7cm polyester sleeping surface and a 1cm quilted cover. This sleeping surface is designed to keep you cool and dry as you sleep.
- Flippable comfort layer which offers you a medium-firm or firm feel.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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).
What the Koala Calm As mattress feels like
Most people think that the Koala Calm As mattress feels more medium than medium-firm or firm, even with the flippable layer on the firm side. Because it’s packing 4 layers of foam, it feels really cushioning. There’s a definite sink factor with foam, but not so much that you can’t get out or sink for centimetres. It feels like being gently cocooned by your mattress. If you’re after a firm mattress, the Koala Calm As probably won’t do it for you.
Partner disturbance
What partner disturbance? With 5 layers of pressure-absorbing foam, partner disturbance is minimal. Plus, an all-foam construction with no pesky springs means you won’t ever hear your partner moving.
Suitability for hot sleepers
Koala has worked hard to make the Koala Calm As mattress as cool as possible. This includes the sleeping surface that’s made with COOLMAX technology. These polyester fibres are designed to wick away any moisture (er, sweat) so you stay cool and dry all night. The third layer has air tunnels to help air move freely around the mattress, which should also help on hot nights.
A small number of sleepers say they feel cool and dry while sleeping on a Koala Calm As, but most don’t mention it. Cosier writer Elese tried the Original Koala mattress (which came before the New Koala mattress) and found that a little hot. Perhaps the 2 extra layers on the Calm As plus the COOLMAX tech that the New Koala doesn’t have make a big difference.
Off-gassing smell
A few sleepers say that the only downside with the Koala Calm As is the smell which hung around for a few days. However, Elese reckons there was no smell when she opened the Original Koala mattress box, unrolled it and used it. If you’ve not got a really sensitive nose, you probably won’t notice a smell.
Bonus bits
Koala really nails the environmental sustainability thing. A B-Corp certified company, they have to meet and maintain really high standards in their supply chain and manufacturing processes. That’s not just about their impact on the planet, but on people too. Other good bits about Koala are their membership of 1% for the Planet (they donate 1% of their gross sales every year to a range of causes) and their partnership with WWF Australia. For every mattress sold, Aussie’s koalas get some love.
How much does the Koala Calm As mattress cost?
Prices start from $980 for a single mattress, up to $1,950 for a king.
Trial, warranty and shipping
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 New Koala 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.
How long does the Koala Calm As mattress last?
The Koala Calm As mattress should last at least 10 years - it comes with a 10-year warranty. Lots of people rave about the quality of the mattress, both its materials and workmanship.
How the Koala Calm As mattress compares
Koala Calm As mattress vs Koala mattress
The Koala Calm As mattress is more expensive than the New Koala mattress - the Calm As starts at $999, the New Koala at $749. The Calm As also has 2 more layers, including edge support; COOLMAX tech; and a 1cm plush cover. It’s 4cm higher too.
Koala Calm As mattress vs Koala Soul Mate mattress
The Koala Calm As mattress is more affordable than the Koala Soul Mate mattress, with the Calm As double at $1,499 and the Soul Mate double at $2,890. The Calm As has 1 less support layer (it hasn’t got the bamboo charcoal layer) and is 4cm shorter. But the biggest difference is the Soul Mate is a (sort of) hybrid mattress which means it’s got a layer of foam springs, rather than the traditional steel.