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An in-depth review of the Simba Hybrid ® Original Mattress: what is it, what’s it like, and is it worth it?
There’s no more rewarding feeling than coming home from a long trip to your own bed. Especially if you travel as much as I do!
And after sleeping in my share of truly awful beds in hostels and cheap hotels around the world, I can appreciate more than most the value of a comfortable mattress! I also appreciate the value of that bed being as supportive and comfortable as possible.
So when Simba got in touch to see if I wanted to try out their super-popular, award-winning Hybrid® Original Mattress – I jumped at the chance.
I’ve been meaning to replace my old mattress for a while, so the timing was perfect. It was a mid-range one from IKEA and seemed great at first, but after sleeping on it for a couple of months I quickly realised it wasn’t supportive enough. I was sinking into it too much and was constantly waking up with a stiff back. Time to see if Simba really are as good as all the awards suggest!
The blurb from the website promises “tailored full body support and soothing pressure relief ”. Sounds great – but does it deliver? Here’s my review of the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress…
Disclaimer: Simba sent me their Hybrid® Original Mattress free of charge in exchange for this review. But this post contains only my own experiences and thoughts.
Who Are Simba?
Simba is a British mattress company that claims to have “created a mattress engineered for sleep”. Their mattresses were designed by sleep scientists and specialist engineers – based on sleep science and data from over 10 million sleepers. They even invented a new kind of foam, Simbatex®, which provides much better temperature control than traditional memory foam.
And with over 250,000 five-star reviews* and 60-odd industry awards, this truly feels like a company you can trust to give you a good night’s sleep!
The Tech: What Makes the Hybrid Original Mattress so Special?
The Simba Hybrid® Original Mattress is essentially a cross between a traditional sprung mattress and a memory foam mattress. There’s plenty of tech-y info on their website that goes into a lot more detail about the science behind why these mattresses perform so well, so I’ll just cover the basics here.
Six different layers work together to create the ultimate mattress:
- Soft & breathable knitted cover. It can be zipped off for washing.
- Cooling Simbatex® foam layer: extra cushioning and airflow to help keep you cool at night.
- Supportive Aerocoil® springs: 2,000 pocketed micro springs, zoned in 13 areas for full body support.
- Stabilising core foam layer: for structural support and airflow.
- SupportCore™ sprung base: 1,000 pocketed, tempered steel barrel springs for even more support. These also help reduce how much foam is used for the mattress, making it more eco-friendly.
- CertiPUR® foam base: for more stability and support.
Simba Hybrid® Original Mattress Review
Delivery and Unboxing
My brand new Simba Hybrid® Original Mattress arrived within a few days of ordering – and was delivered right to my bedroom door!
It comes in a box measuring just 105cm x 50cm x 50cm. Even though I knew the box was that small when I ordered – I was still surprised by just how small the box is! Inside, the mattress is vacuum-packed and rolled up to fit in such a compact space, it was almost unbelievable.
If you’re considering buying a Simba mattress (and even if you’re not), chances are you’ve seen at least one video of someone unboxing one by now! Well, I can confirm it is absolutely as easy as it looks.
I unboxed and set the Simba Hybrid Mattress by myself without any issues. It might have been easier to manoeuvre with a second pair of hands, but it’s easy enough to do on your own.
You simply slide off the plastic wrapping, and the Simba mattress expands – like magic! Within a few moments, it was almost full-size! It’s pretty crazy to watch it go from a super-compact, rolled-up mat to a thick, bouncy mattress so quickly. After a few more hours of airing out and expanding, it was ready to go.
There was a bit of a chemical-ly smell (don’t worry – this is totally normal) when I first unwraped the mattress. For me, the smell was gone within two days. I left the mattress on the floor while I was airing out the smell and slept on my old one, but you don’t have to – it’s fine to sleep on!
Trying Out the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress
As soon as it had “bounced back” from being vacuum-packed, I could see this was a very high-quality mattress. I love the minimalist, elegant design and the super soft top cover.
With three different kinds of foam, and two layers of different types of springs, a lot is going on inside the Simba Hybrid Mattress. But what does it actually feel like?
I’ve been using my new Simba mattress for a few weeks now and I absolutely LOVE it. It’s seriously comfy – but supportive at the same time.
I have to admit I was a little sceptical. I’ve always preferred a traditional sprung mattress and have had a bad experience in the past with a cheap memory foam mattress. I was worried that this hybrid mattress would feel too soft or unsupportive.
Simba rank it as a medium-firm mattress. That’s about right – it feels firm in a solid, supportive way – but is still soft enough to feel super comfy at night.
This really is the comfiest mattress I’ve ever owned – the perfect, cosy addition to my bedroom. I already struggle to get out of bed in the mornings and now I almost never want to leave!
In fact, for the last few weeks, I’ve been waking up feeling much better rested. I’ve also noticed that I’ve been waking up less in the night – which might be related (or it might be my annual January health kick!). Either way, I’m definitely getting a much better night’s sleep on my new Simba mattress.
Temperature Controlling
The other major selling point of the Simba mattresses is the temperature-controlling Simbatek foam. It’s hard to tell exactly how effective this is, as England is absolutely blimmin’ freezing at the moment and my flat gets pretty cold at night!
In fact, I was worried that the promised cooling technology might make me too cold at night, but that’s not been the case. The temperature so far has been juuuust right – which I think is the point. The mattress is designed to absorb body heat and allow for better airflow, controlling your temperature so you don’t get too hot or cold.
I’ll update this post again after summer to confirm how well it works in hotter weather!
As Sustainable as Possible
One thing I love about Simba is how sustainable this company is. They even have an official B Corp™ accreditation to prove it!
All Simba mattresses are made in the UK in zero-waste factories using recyclable materials, and all waste is recycled or repurposed into other products. And even though the mattresses arrive vacuum-packed in plastic, that packaging is up to 60% recycled and from approved FSC sources. Find out more here.
It’s so great knowing that my mattress came from a home-grown British company – and didn’t have to be shipped from halfway around the world. If only more companies were like this!
Honest Opinion
I’ve seen a lot of reviews from people claiming this mattress will “change your life” and calling it an absolute game-changer. And if you’re sleeping on a really BAD mattress at the moment, then the Simba Hybrid Mattress probably will dramatically improve your life.
But realistically, this mattress isn’t quite so “life-changing” as I’d hoped. It doesn’t feel like sleeping on a cloud or floating in zero gravity. I mean, it’s not made of magic!
But what you do have is a really high-quality, comfortable mattress with great support and loads of proven science behind it – setting you up for a much better night’s sleep than a lower-quality mattress would. I genuinely have noticed a significant improvement in my sleep since I switched over.
And thanks to the 200-Night Trial, you have 200 nights to sleep on it before deciding if the Simba Hybrid Mattress is right for you. So you can’t really lose!
Simba Hybrid Mattress Review: The Short Version
So far, I’m genuinely really impressed by the Simba Hybrid Mattress. The delivery and set-up process is super easy, the quality is fantastic, and I’ve been sleeping much better.
Update: I’ve been sleeping on my Simba mattress for two months now and I love it. In fact, I love it so much that I just splurged and bought myself the Simba Hybrid Pillow! My sleep has definitely improved since making the switch.
Things I Love
- Easy to unbox and set up on my own.
- Sustainable, B Corp™ accredited company.
- Made in the UK.
- Medium-firm mattress – just the right level of support.
- Anti-allergy cover.
- Pocketed micro springs – contour with the body for spinal alignment. You can feel the support!
- The cover zips off and can be washed.
- 200-night trial – if you don’t like your new mattress, Simba will pick it up free of charge and give you a full refund.
Things I Don’t Love
- I’d like to see the packaging brought up to 100% recycled – and it would be good if it was recyclable as well.
- The off-putting smell when you first unpack the mattress – although this is perfectly normal and goes away quite quickly.
- The initial cost: a double currently costs £1089 and a king is £1259.
- These aren’t cheap mattresses and you’re paying for quality. But there are deals and sale prices so often that the full price seems high by comparison! I highly recommend holding out for a sale before investing in a new Simba mattress.
If you found this Simba Hybrid Mattress review helpful, don’t forget to leave a comment! I’d love to hear what you bought!
