The Brooklyn Bedding Essential is one of the most affordable mattresses from the top-rated American sleep brand, with a queen size on sale for $699 (was $932) at Brooklyn Bedding with discount code SCHOOL25. That puts it in the same price bracket as the Nectar Classic and the DreamCloud Hybrid, two of our top recommendations for all sleepers in our best mattress of the year guide.
So what is the Brooklyn Bedding Essential hybrid, how does it compare to the competition, and who should and shouldn't buy it in this year's Labor Day mattress sales and deals? Here we look at all key aspects of the mattress, from price and trials to comfort, design and temperature regulation.
Here's what you need to know about this affordable Brooklyn Bedding hybrid mattress, and whether or not it would suit your sleep needs and body type...
Brooklyn Bedding Essential: Price & trials
- Good value for money ($699 for a queen)
- 120-night trial and 10-year warranty
- Suits most sleepers looking for a medium-firm mattress
The Brooklyn Bedding Essential is discounted in monthly mattress sales so you’ll never pay full MSRP. The usual discount is 25% off all sizes, though we have seen bigger savings during major holiday sales such as Black Friday mattress deals in late November.
This is how much the Essential costs when on sale versus the MSRP:
- Twin: $399 (MSRP $532)
- Twin XL: $549 (MSRP $732)
- Full: $599 (MSRP $799)
- Queen: $699 (MSRP $932)
- King: $849 ($1,132)
- Cal king: $849 (MSRP $1,132)
Right now you can save 25% off the Brooklyn Bedding Essential with the code SCHOOL25. If you're wondering whether to buy it now or wait to see if a bigger discount arrives during the Labor Day sales, we'd advise waiting. Why? Because based on previous years sales, we predict there'll be a higher saving of 30% off come Labor Day. So we predict a queen will go on sale for
That means you could end up paying $652 for a queen size Essential mattress instead of $699. The trial period is generous too at 120 nights – that's four times the minimum trial period we recommend to enable your body to get used to a new bed.
However rival brands Nectar Sleep and DreamCloud Sleep each off year-long trials. They also offer free returns too, whereas Brooklyn Bedding charges a $99 returns fee, just like Saatva, our top recommendation for this year's best hybrid mattress for all sleepers, does.
The Brooklyn Bedding Essential comes with a 10-year warranty, so you can expect it to last a good eight years (the average lifespan of a mattress) as long as you learn ho to clean your mattress properly and rotate it regularly to spread out wear and tear. We'd also recommend investing in one of the best mattress protectors for safeguarding your bed from stains, spills, mites and buds.
Brooklyn Bedding Essential: Comfort & support
- Medium firm feel
- High-density foam for full body comfort
- Encased coils for stronger edge support
The Brooklyn Bedding Essential is a medium firm mattress – the brand rate it as a 6 out of 10, but customer reviews suggest the real feel is nearer to 6.5, so a little firmer than advertised. Much like our current top-rated mattress the Saatva Classic – read our testers feedback in our Saatva Classic mattress review – the Essential is more coils than foam but it is very basic compared to the Saatva.
This means that as with many mattresses for stomach sleepers you shouldn't sink too far in. This makes it ideal for those who sleep on their front, as your hips will be lifted and your spine properly aligned.
We also feel that the Brooklyn Bedding Essential would be a good fit for average weight and heavy weight back sleepers, with high-density foam handling comfort and pressure relief.
We question its comfort for lightweight side sleepers though, as there’s not enough foam and sinkage to cushion pressure points alongthe shoulders and hips. If you’re a side sleeper, take a look at one of our best mattresses for side sleepers recommendations instead.
Because of the smaller amounts of foam in the Essential, the mattress should deliver good motion isolation and with more coils to foam, sleepers should remain cool at night. So the Brooklyn Bedding Essential could be a great choice for couples and hot sleepers.
Brooklyn Bedding Essential mattress: Design & materials
- The Brooklyn Bedding Essential is 10” high
- The mattress is a hybrid, using a combination of coils and foams
- The foams are breathable, helping body heat to dissipate
The Essential is a simply designed mattress made of four layers. The quilted comfort layer contains 1.5” of high-density foam, designed to provide pressure relief. Underneath this is a transition layer of 0.75” of more high-density foam which sits on a layer of 8” individually encased coils.
These provide the main support structure of the mattress, helping to support the spine and provide motion isolation. The coils are also reinforced at the edges for perimeter support. The whole mattress sits of a base layer of 0.25” of high-density support foam.
It's not a cooling mattress, but the Brooklyn Bedding Essential does use breathable foams and fabrics. These help heat to dissipate and, combined with the individually wrapped coils, should keep sleepers comfortable during the night.
Brooklyn Bedding Essential mattress: Should you buy it?
Buy the Brooklyn Bedding Essential mattress if…
✅ You sleep on your stomach: The firmer feel of the Essential, combined with the smaller amount of foam, means that stomach sleepers will be able to keep your hips elevated and your spine aligned.
✅ You sleep with a restless partner: High-density foams should add up to better motion isolation, so you shouldn’t be disturbed by any movement from your partner.
✅ You sleep warm: It’s not a cooling mattress per say, but the small amounts of foam in the Essential, combined with well-spaced coils, means this mattress should regulate temperature well. If you’re a really hot sleeper though, we’d recommend investing in one of this year's best cooling mattresses instead.
Buy the Brooklyn Bedding Essential mattress if…
❌ You're a lightweight side sleeper: Users rate the Essential as on the slightly firmer side than medium-firm, so if you weigh 150lbs or under and side only on your side we question whether there'd be enough comfort and pressure relief for you. For an alternative soft yet affordable mattress for side sleepers, consider the Cocoon by Sealy Chill Hybrid (from $539 at Cocoon by Sealy).
❌ You want the option of free returns: Most of this year's best mattresses in a box for all budgets come with free returns, but Brooklyn Bedding charges $99 to return the Essential. Saatva also charges a $99 returns fee.
