Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe: Which mattress for back pain should you buy in the Black Friday sales?

In this Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe mattress comparison, we’re looking at both luxury mattresses to see which offers the best lumbar support to reduce back pain. Helix’s USP is that it makes a mattress to suit every body type and sleeping style but, if you experience back pain, there are other important factors to consider.

The Helix Midnight Luxe features in our best mattress round up as the top pick for side sleepers and both the Midnight Luxe and the Helix Dusk Luxe feature in our best mattresses for back pain guide. Both are hybrid mattresses that feature premium pillow tops for superior pressure relief and durable steel coils for zoned, adaptive lumbar support. This all bodes well for sleepers with back pain, of course, the key is knowing which of these two mattresses is best geared up to your sleeping style.

The Black Friday mattress sales already starting to appear online, and the Helix Black Friday mattress sale has launched with 27% off sitewide when you enter the code TOMS27. If you’re in the market for a new mattress that will cradle your body as you sleep, relieving your aches and pains, why wait for Black Friday? Find out now whether the Dusk Luxe or Midnight Luxe is right for you.

Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress: Price & Trials

  • There’s currently 27% off Helix mattresses with code TOMS27, plus you’ll get two free pillows
  • Helix mattress sales range between 20 and 30% off
  • Both mattresses come with a 100-night trial and 15-year warranty

Like many of the best hybrid mattresses, the Helix Midnight Luxe and Dusk Luxe are both premium mattresses. But thanks to evergreen discounts, you’ll generally find between 20-25% off in the Helix mattress sales.

Right now though, you can get 27% off with our exclusive discount code TOMS27, and you’ll also get two free pillows included. This takes a queen size mattress down to $1,732.54 for both models, from the MRSP of $2,373.33. However, we have seen discounts of 30% at major sales events and, with Black Friday coming up, it’s worth waiting if you’re not in a major rush to buy.

Extras wise you’ll get a 100-night sleep trial, 15-year warranty and free shipping to your door. For a premium mattress, these are a little disappointing, particularly when you consider that other luxury mattresses such as the Saatva Classic offer a 365-night trial, lifetime warranty and free white glove delivery.

Helix Midnight Luxe: from $1,373.80$1,002.54 at Helix

Helix Midnight Luxe: from $1,373.80 $1,002.54 at Helix
The Helix Midnight Luxe is currently 27% off with the code TOMS27, taking a queen size down to $1,732.54. You’ll also get two free pillows when you purchase the mattress. We have seen 30% off at major sales events so, if you’re happy to wait until the end of November for the Black Friday mattress sales, you may get an even larger discount.

Helix Dusk Luxe: from $1,373.80$1,002.54 at Helix

Helix Dusk Luxe: from $1,373.80 $1,002.54 at Helix
With both mattresses from the Luxe range, you’ll pay exactly the same price for the Helix Dusk Luxe at present, with a queen at $1,732.54 along with two free pillows. You’ll also get the same extras.

Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress: Materials & Design

  • Both mattresses are hybrids, with six layers and stand 13.5” high
  • Both mattresses have enhanced lumbar support
  • Both mattresses have the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover

As you’d expect from mattresses made by the same brand, there are plenty of similarities between the Helix Midnight Luxe and Helix Dusk Luxe’s designs. Both mattresses start with a breathable Tencel cover, but sleepers do have the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cover for extra cooling.

You’ll see this fabric in many of our best cooling mattresses, with it being well regarded for its ability to help keep sleepers cool. At the bottom end of the mattresses, both have a layer of individually wrapped coils that are reinforced around the perimeter and the middle third for enhanced lumbar support. And both are finished with a DuraDense foam base layer for support.

However, there are differences. Underneath its cover, the Helix Midnight Luxe has a premium quilted pillow top sewn into the mattress for added cushioning for side sleepers, followed by a layer of responsive polyfoam. Up next is a layer of copper gel foam, followed by another transition layer of memory foam on top of the coils.

Exploded diagram showing layers of Helix Midnight Luxe mattress

(Image credit: Helix)

The Helix Dusk Luxe skips the pillow top, going straight for a layer of responsive foam to contour to the body followed by a layer of Helix Dynamic Foam – a latex-foam hybrid that’s been designed to provide medium level support for back and stomach sleepers. Below this is the transition layer of memory foam that sits on top of the coil layer.

Both mattresses also have the option to upgrade to an ErgoAlign Layer, which we would recommend to back pain sufferers. This upgrades the top layer of the mattress with ultra-dense zoned foam that adds more body contouring and support where needed around the lumbar region. This is usually priced at $249, but the current discount takes it down to $199.

Exploded diagram of helix dusk luxe materials

(Image credit: Helix)

Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress: Comfort & Support

  • Both mattresses are rated at 6/10 and are medium firm
  • Helix’s USP is that it has a mattress for every sleeping style
  • The Helix Midnight Luxe is geared towards side sleepers, while the Helix Dusk Luxe is designed for back and stomach sleepers

We rate both these Helix mattresses highly for back pain sufferers, with each designed to suit a different type of sleeper. In our Helix Midnight Luxe mattress review, we rated the bed as the best mattress for side sleepers that you can currently buy.

Why is this? Well, the plush pillow top delivers outstanding pressure relief when you’re sleeping on your side and prevents any pressure points forming at the shoulders and hips. But underneath this, the mattress is fairly firm, with the reinforced coils and copper-infused memory foam working in tandem to keep the lumbar region supported and the spine aligned. This firmer support also means that many back sleepers might also see an easing in their back pain, but we wouldn’t recommend it to heavier bodies or those who sleep on their stomach.

A woman wearing blue and white stripy pyjamas lays on her side on the Helix Midnight Luxe mattress

(Image credit: Future)

Fortunately, this is where the Helix Dusk Luxe jumps in. In our Helix Dusk Luxe mattress review, we found that the bed offered exceptional support from the responsive foam, with just enough contouring to cushion the knees, shoulders and hips when lying on the back or stomach.

You won’t sink into the Dusk Luxe, but there is still a bouncy, cloud-like feel that helps to further cushion the body. The same enhanced lumbar support from the zoned coils keeps hips from sinking into the mattress, meaning this is best mattresses for stomach sleepers we’ve tested.

Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress: Temperature Regulation

  • Both mattresses come with a standard breathable Tencel cover
  • There is also the option to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover
  • The Helix Midnight Luxe seemed to do a better job at cooling with the standard cover than the Helix Dusk Luxe

Staying cool and comfortable at night is particularly important for back pain sufferers. Tossing and turning at night as you throw covers on and off will only exacerbate aches and pains. So, you want a mattress that keeps you cool whatever the outside temperature is.

We tested both mattresses with the standard Tencel cover and found that the Helix Midnight Luxe did a great job of keeping our tester cool with its well-spaced coils and copper-infused foam (copper is thought to help draw heat away from the body). However, the mattress was tested in winter by a tester who isn’t naturally a hot sleeper.

The Helix Dusk Luxe on the other hand did retain a little more heat than expected. Our main tester was not naturally a hot sleeper but felt the breathability of the mattress was, at best, average. However, there is the option with both mattresses to upgrade to a GlacioTex cooling cover, which does a fantastic job of keeping sleepers cool and comfortable.

Hand on the cover of the Helix Dusk Luxe

(Image credit: Future / Alex Temblador)

Helix Midnight Luxe vs Helix Dusk Luxe Mattress: Which Should You Buy?

Buy the Helix Midnight Luxe if…

You’re a side sleeper who enjoys a firmer feel: Although the Helix Midnight Luxe is specifically designed for side sleepers, it’s a medium firm mattress. This means it will be firmer than a lot of mattresses designed for side sleepers. However, this is ideal for back pain sufferers as it will help to keep the spine aligned.

You’re a side sleeper or lighter weight back sleeper with back pain: The enhanced lumbar support will keep these sleepers pain free, but there’s still plenty of cushioning at the top to prevent any pressure points building up.

You share your bed with a restless partner: Being disturbed by a restless partner won’t do much for back pain either, so you’ll be pleased to hear that motion isolation on the Helix Midnight Luxe is superb.

Buy the Helix Dusk Luxe if…

You suffer with lower back pain: The zoned support and slightly firmer foams of the Helix Dusk Luxe help prevent any sinkage in the lower lumbar region, which helps to prevent back pain building up.

You sleep on your back or stomach: The Helix Dusk Luxe is specifically designed for back and stomach sleepers, offering zoned support that keeps the hips lifted and the spine in perfect alignment.

You want a slightly bouncier feel: The mattress has a layer of latex-foam that provides a bouncier feel to it, while pressure points are still kept cushioned.

Jo Plumridge
Mattress tester and sleep writer

Jo Plumridge is an experienced mattress reviewer with several years' experience covering all things mattresses and sleep, and who tests memory foam, hybrid and organic mattresses. What Jo doesn't know about a boxed mattress isn't worth knowing, so naturally we tasked her with producing a series of features for Tom's Guide looking at all aspects of mattresses, from how to pick between latex and memory foam (it's a tricky one), to the seven mistakes people make when buying a mattress for the first time. When testing the DreamCloud Luxury Hybrid for Tom's Guide, Jo said: "I loved the back support and pressure relief it offered. Plus, it looks far more expensive than it is." When she isn’t writing about sleep, Jo also writes extensively on interior design, home products and photography.