Tom's Guide Verdict
While the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper comes with a price tag higher than the cost of some queen-sized beds (it’s $498.75 for a queen at MSRP), we appreciated how its hybrid design boasted top-quality features. Its steel microcoils supported us and relieved our pressure points, and its heat-dissipating cover kept us sleeping cool. The 3.75"-thick topper also features premium memory foam, which added cloud-like plushness to our mattresses. However, we found it too soft for front sleepers and those who prefer a firmer sleep surface.
Pros
- +
3.75" thickness boosts older beds
- +
Adds a plushness for side sleepers
- +
Great motion isolation
- +
Anchor straps included
Cons
- -
Not firm enough for front sleeping
- -
Non-removable cover
- -
May be too thick for taller beds
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Helix is a luxury sleep brand known for its US-made mattresses tailored to accommodate certain sleep positions. Helix ranks highly in our best mattress guide so we were eager to see whether their GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper could earn a spot in our best mattress toppers guide too.
We spent four weeks testing and sleeping on a full-size GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper to see whether its hybrid microcoils-and-foam design could deliver the enhanced support and cooling comfort it promised.
In our in-depth review below, we’ll explain what the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper in a Luxury Firm was like to sleep on, how we rate it in all key areas, and whether we think it's worth buying compared to other toppers we've tried and loved.
Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper: Review in brief
- Has a hybrid design that combines foam and microcoils
- Billed as a cooling topper, it features a heat-dissipating cover
- Choose one of two firmness levels: Plush or Firm
The unique selling point of the Helix GlacioTex Mattress Topper is its 3.75" thick hybrid design, which combines steel microcoils (individually-wrapped coils much smaller than mattress springs) with memory foam. Its cool-to-the-touch cover made from GlacioTex — a trademark heat-dissipating fabric — means it's billed as a cooling topper, and it also comes in two firmness levels to choose from: Luxury Plush or Luxury Firm.
In our GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper hands-on review our main tester, shared her initial thoughts after sleeping on a full-sized Luxury Firm topper for a week. After just seven days, she had already noticed the benefits of the unique design and was immediately impressed with its thick plushness and how the mattress topper stayed put on top of the bed. Over three weeks later, and we're still impressed with how luxurious the topper feels.
We tested this Luxury Firm mattress topper for four weeks in total and placed it on a medium-firm mattress topped with breathable cotton bedding and a year-round duvet. We picked the Luxury Firm option, as Helix says its durable yet body-cradling support is ideal for older, sagging mattress. However, despite this being the firmer option, the Luxury Firm GlacioTex Premium Topper delivered an ultra-plush sleep surface — so we can only imagine how soft the Luxury Plush version is.
Type: Hybrid
Depth: 3.75"
Cover: Polyester and polyethylene (GlacioTex)
Corner straps: Yes
Trial period: 100 nights
Warranty: 1-year limited warranty
Starting MSRP: $373.75
Our lead tester sleeps on both her side and back, and felt most comfortable and supported when side sleeping on the GlacioTex Premium mattress topper thanks to its soft pressure-relieving memory foam. Our front-sleeping tester also appreciated the sense of cocooning comfort the topper provided, but felt it was too soft when sleeping on his stomach.
As for the cooling tech, all testers admired the smooth material of the cooling cover and how it remains cool and comfortable throughout the night. The cover also comes with anchor straps to keep the topper in place and securely attached to your mattress. However, be aware that this temperature-regulating cover is non-removable and spot-clean only — which doesn't make for an easy clean.
Price-wise, the GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper sits in the premium price bracket, with a queen often selling for $399. To put that figure into perspective, plenty of the best cheap mattresses sell for around that price in a queen, so you'll need to make sure that this mattress topper is worth buying. Luckily, it comes with a 100-night sleep trial, so you can try it out for over three months before committing to your purchase. Other benefits include a one-year limited warranty (which is pretty stingy, as many cheaper bed toppers come with five-year warranties) and free shipping.
Overall, testers came to the consensus that the topper feels luxurious and supportive, but felt it would be most beneficial for people who enjoy a softer tension. If you’re used to a hard mattress or want to make a soft bed more supportive, then you’ll probably need to opt for topper that feels firmer.
Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper: Price & deals
- A queen costs $498.75 at MSRP, but it's often taken down to $399
- Frequent 20% to 25% discounts means you'll never pay full retail
- Benefits include free shipping, one-year warranty, and 100-night trial
With a starting MSRP of $373.75, the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper sits in the premium price bracket, with a queen's list price being more expensive than some queen mattresses at $498.75. However, Helix regularly throw 20% to 25% sales, taking a queen down to $399 or $374.07. (For reference, the average cost of a queen-sized cooling mattress topper is around $375.) You'll usually see the 20% discount, but expect a 25% sale around holidays such as the Presidents' Day mattress sales.
Below are the official MSRPs for the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt + Cooling Mattress Topper:
- Twin MSRP: $373.75
- Twin XL MSRP: $373.75
- Full MSRP: $436.25
- Queen MSRP: $498.75
- King MSRP: $561.25
- Cal king MSRP: $561.25
While this hybrid topper's premium price tag may be justified by its innovative microcoil-and-foam design, it's not as unique as you think. Nolah and Brooklyn Bedding, which belong to the same parent company as Helix, also have 3.75" microcoil bed toppers with suspiciously identical designs.
Helix's design surprisingly has the cheapest price tag, with a queen-sized Nolah Microcoil Topper regularly priced at $495 and a queen-sized Brooklyn Bedding Microcoil Topper at $462.
However, this price comparison doesn't mean that the Helix Premium GlacioTex Mattress Topper is the cheapest microcoil mattress topper on the market. Head over to Saatva, and you can pick up a queen-sized Micro-Coil Mattress Topper for $295 at Saatva. Admittedly, it's 0.75" thinner than the Helix and has the same one-year limited warranty, but its sleep trial is 80 nights longer than Helix's 100-night sleep trial.
There are also plenty of t memory foam toppers that sell for less and have longer warranties, such as ViscoSoft's mattress toppers, which have a limited warranty of five years (the average lifespan of a mattress topper). Meanwhile, you can enjoy a generous lifetime warranty with the Puffy Deluxe Mattress Topper at Puffy, with a queen size regularly priced at $245.
Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper: Design & Materials
- 3.75" fiberglass-free build of steel microcoils and memory foam
- Non-removable cover made from heat-dissipating GlacioTex
- USA-made and GREENGUARD Gold certified
The Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper combines steel microcoils and premium memory foam layers, mimicking the build of the best hybrid mattresses. It's fiberglass-free and assembled in an Arizonan factory, with foams and coils produced in house. Its hybrid design is built to retain the shape and support of the topper over time.
It's relatively thick at 3.75-inches tall as it's made up of three internal layers plus a cooling cover and supportive base. While its large depth means its good for adding thick support to older, worn-out mattresses, bear in mind that it will make your mattress much taller. So, if you have a mattress over 12", you may want to consider a shorter topper - especially if you have mobility issues.
The top layer layer is 1.5" thick and made from high-density foam and determines the firmness of your topper (softer if you go for Luxury Plush or firmer if you pick Luxury Firm). We found this layer to provide a nice, cushioned surface in the Luxury Firm edition. Next, a 0.75" tier of individually-wrapped steel coils provides a durable center for support and pressure relief, followed by 1.5" of support form to reduce sagging and dipping.
Sandwiching these layers are a stabilising base and a cooling top cover. This cool-to-the-touch cover is made from GlacioTex, a trademarked heat-dissipating fabric found in some of the best cooling mattresses on the market. This material felt smooth and tactile, and the cover includes side straps that fit neatly underneath your mattress to keep it firmly in place so it doesn’t slide off. However, the cover is non-removable and spot-clean only, so don't expect an easy, thorough clean if you accidently spill something or want to give your topper a good spring clean.
Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper: Performance
- Arrives boxed up and vacuum packed, taking minutes to expand
- Plush and most supportive for side sleeping
- We rate it to be much softer than its Luxury Firm label
Set-up
Much like the best mattresses in a box, the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper comes rolled up in plastic and packed in a cardboard box. As soon as we unboxed the topper and freed it from its plastic wrapping, it started expanding and reached its full potential within four hours. Due to its steel coils and bulky foam layers, the topper is quite heavy and bulky, so this is something to keep in mind when you come to lift or rotate it.
While there wasn't strong or unpleasant off-gassing, there was a faint scent of plastic packaging that lingered for a few days.
Score: 4 out of 5
Temperature regulation
One of the special features of this topper is that it has a temperature-regulating cover made from GlacioTex, a polyester-and-polyethylene blend fabric designed to dissipate heat. It's the same cooling fabric that we tested in our hands-on Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Mattress Protector review, and the material is designed to pull heat away from your body to ensure you remain at a comfortable temperature.
We tested this mattress in the winter months where the room temperature never got above 68° F, but we found it to be cool-to-the-touch regardless. The cover felt smooth and cool without being too cold, while the topper's foam and coils gently mould to the body without feeling hot or stuffy. Plus, the addition of microcoils boosts airflow for more breathability.
Score: 4 out of 5
Comfort and support
Our main tester, who is a side and back sleeper, placed the GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper on a medium-firm bed and tested it over the course of a month. She was instantly impressed at how luxurious it made her mattress feel. She enjoyed the cushioning support it gave her when she was sleeping on her side, which is the position she felt most comfortable sleeping on here. She also noted that the topper felt very comfortable when laying on her back, never feeling like the topper was sagging or her hips were sinking too far.
After a few weeks, however, our main tester was keen to get back the firmer feel of her existing mattress. Although, she chalks this up to a personal preference for firmer beds. She came to the conclusion that while she thinks the hybrid topper can upgrade the feel of a tired, worn mattress, it’s better suited to those who are after a topper with a medium-soft feel (such as lightweight side sleepers).
This view was corroborated by our stomach-sleeping tester, who admired the sponginess of the top cover but found it a little too soft for front sleeping. Overall, we express doubts over whether this topper really should be classified as "Luxury Firm".
While we found the overall feel of the topper quite soft, it bounced back to shape quickly so we never felt stuck when changing sleep position. The topper also remained firmly in place thanks to the side straps and the supportive base layer.We also noticed how the topper delivered excellent motion isolation, with bed-sharing testers reporting no disturbance when either parties moved in the night.
Score: 4 out of 5
Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper: User reviews
As the Helix GlacioTex Topper was only recently introduced to Helix's sleep repertoire, we could only find a limited number of online reviews for the Helix GlacioTex Mattress Topper.
There are currently no customer reviews or ratings on the brand’s own website, so you’ll have to go over to Amazon to find a smattering of user feedback. There’s an overall 2.8-star rating of the topper on Amazon, but bear in mind this comes from just three ratings. Two of these reviews award the topper four stars, and while they are generally positive, customers have pointed out that the topper is quite heavy to move and not as firm as stated (opinions that match our experience with this topper).
The one negative review complains about a deep groove forming in the surface after a month of use, pointing out that their 30-day return window has closed as they purchased from Amazon. (You can only take advantage of the 100-night sleep if you purchase directly from Helix's website.)
Should you buy the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper?
If you're a side sleeper who wants to add plushness to a too-hard bed or give a tired mattress a makeover, the thick Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper is a great option. Those who sleep hot will feel refreshed by its heat-dissipating cover, and bed-sharing couples will appreciate the minimal motion transfer.
However, while its premium price tag is in line with its high-quality design (complete with anchor straps and innovative microcoils), the Helix GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper won't be suitable for those on a tight budget. Those who sleep on their stomachs should also avoid as even the Luxury Firm model won't provide the firmness to support your pressure points.
Buy it if...
✅ You share a bed: The dense memory foam layers provide good motion isolation while the individually coils limit motion transfer, making it ideal for anyone who doesn't want to be disturbed by a restless partner.
✅ You sleep hot: The heat-dissipating GlacioTex cover is cool-to-the-touch while the foam provides softness without being stifling or stuffy.
✅ You're a side or back sleeper: Our main tester sleeps on both her back and side, and she found that she was well supported and comfortable in both positions thanks to the pressure relief the topper delivers.
Don't buy it if...
❌ You have a mattress over 12" tall: The GlacioTex Premium Mattress Topper is 3.75" thick. This height may not seem like much, but adding this to a mattress over 12" will take your bed over 16".
❌ You want to add firmness to a too-soft mattress: While rated as Luxury Firm, we found this mattress topper to be incredibly plush and won't add firmness to a mattress that feels unsupportively soft.
❌You sleep on your stomach: If you're a front sleeper, the GlacioTex Premium will likely be too soft to support your hips even in the Luxury Firm edition.
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