What is a Tempur-Pedic mattress and are they worth the money? I'm a mattress tester — here's what I think

A woman lays on her stomach on top of the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress
(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)

Tempur-Pedic is the luxury mattress brand steeped in prestige, thanks to their cutting edge design and high quality materials. But what exactly is a Tempur-Pedic mattress and are they worth their hefty price tag? 

Tempur-Pedic has curated three mattress collections, the Adapt, Cloud and Breeze. After reviewing the year’s best mattresses for all sleepers, we deem the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt to be the best mattress for those with joint pain, thanks to its outstanding pressure relief. 

Within this guide, we’ll pull back the covers to see what exactly it is that sets a Tempur-Pedic mattress apart from its competitors, plus how much you can expect to pay. Tempur-Pedic has monthly sales and offers on its products but tends to save its biggest discounts for major sales holidays. Right now, there’s $500 off the Breeze collection, Tempur-Pedic's cooling mattress range, thanks to an early 4th of July mattress sale. But is it worth buying? Let’s take a look. 

What is a Tempur-Pedic mattress?

  • Long lasting proprietary Tempur foam originally designed by NASA
  • Contouring weightless feel
  • Foams infused with PCM to keep hot sleepers comfortably cool

Tempur-Pedic have been developing its foams since the 1960s, originally designing the material for NASA to use in aircraft seats. Fast forward to the 1990s and Tempur-Pedic decided to put their know-how into producing mattresses. 

Tempur mattresses are made with this unique material – a pressure relieving synthetic foam that’s similar, but not the same, to memory foam. The foam is famous for molding to the body as you sleep, keeping you held in one position throughout the night. 

The Tempur foam is slow to respond, allowing for slow sink as the foam warms up through the night. It’s a real love it or hate it feel, with those who love it praising the contouring weightless feel that the foam produces. Although slightly different to memory foam, we’ve still included the Tempur-Adapt in our best memory foam mattress round up.

What is a Tempur-Pedic mattress like to sleep on?

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress on a platform bed

(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)
  • Tempur-Pedic mattresses are available in a range of firmness ratings
  • Exceptional pressure relief soothes aches and pains
  • Even with firmer mattresses you should expect a pronounced ‘sink’

Tempur foams offer a distinct ‘hug’ to sleepers, contouring around them to give a feeling of weightlessness along with some exceptional pressure relief. But it’s not a feeling that everyone enjoys, with some describing it as like sleeping in quicksand. It can make changing positions a little challenging, but for dedicated side and back sleepers, the pressure relief around shoulders, hips and lumbar region is top of the range. 

The firmer Tempur-Pedic and hybrid options offer support for stomach sleepers but, however you sleep, the feel of these mattresses is unique.

There are three distinct ranges in the Tempur-Pedic line up – the Tempur-Cloud, the brand's entry level range, the Tempur-Adapt, outstanding pressure that adapts to your body, and the Tempur-Breeze, which offers the latest in cooling technology. The Tempur-Cloud is only available in a medium firmness, but the more expensive models have options in soft, medium, medium hybrid and firm, depending on which exact model you choose.

How much does a Tempur-Pedic mattress cost?

  • Tempur-Pedic's entry level model starts at $1,999 for a queen
  • Mattress purchase comes with a 90 night sleep trial
  • Expect up to 30% off Tempur-Pedic mattresses at major sales events

The first thing you need to know about Tempur-Pedic mattresses is that these are investment beds. You’ll pay a premium for the brand name and the unique feel that the mattresses provide but for those who are fans, the price is undoubtedly worth it. 

Prices start from $1,699 for the Tempur-Cloud, which puts even this entry-level Tempur-Pedic into the premium price bracket. Prices for a queen start at $1,999 for the Tempur-Cloud, $2,199 for the Tempur-Adapt and $4,599 for the Tempur-Breeze. If you upgrade either the Tempur-Adapt or Tempur-Breeze to one of the more expensive models, you’ll be looking at paying even more than these respective prices, with the most expensive Tempur-Pedic, the Tempur-Breeze Luxe Breeze coming in at $5,599 for a queen.

A blue bedroom containing the Tempur-Ergo smart in a split king

(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)

These prices put the Tempur-Pedic mattresses in a different bracket to many of their rivals, so looking out for discounts is essential. There are monthly offers and discounts on products, although not always mattresses – bookmark our Tempur-Pedic mattress deals page to keep up with the latest. Expect to see up to 30% off or discounts of $500 off certain collections when on offer, although you’ll undoubtedly see the best deals around major holidays (more on that in a minute).

At 90 nights, Tempur-Pedic’s trial period is frankly a little disappointing for such high-end mattresses, particularly when you consider that many other brands offer a whole year to try out a mattress. There’s a 10-year warranty and the Adapt and Breeze models come with free white glove delivery. The cheaper Cloud range is just delivered to your front door by UPS.

When is the best time to buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress?

  • Black Friday is the best time to buy a mattress
  • Other major sales events through the year will offer large discounts
  • Tempur-Pedic generally have monthly offers on different products

Black Friday at the end of November is the best time to buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress, which is when the largest and most generous offers and discounts rolled out. It’s closely followed by Cyber Monday, with many deals now running over the entire Black Friday weekend.

Presidents’ Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day are the other three big hitters when it comes to discounts, although you will also see reductions in the upcoming 4th of July sales. Right now, there's a decent $500 off all mattresses within the Breeze collection  - making now an excellent time to buy a cooling mattress (the next major mattress sale isn't until Labor Day in September). 

Discount-wise, expect to see up to 30% off mattresses or discounts of around $300 off all sizes. At major sales events such as Black Friday, you’ll also often see the brand selling off end of line products, or mattresses without a return policy – last year we saw a whopping discount of over $1,000 on an end of line cooling mattress.

Should you buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress?

Buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress if...

✅  You have a healthy budget: Even with discounts and offers, buying a Tempur-Pedic is an expensive undertaking. The entry-level Tempur-Cloud is still a premium priced mattress, even with the largest discount we’ve seen. 

✅  You want a proper memory foam ‘hug’: Sinkage on Tempur-Pedic mattresses is pronounced, meaning you will sink into the mattress, benefiting from superior contouring and pressure relief. 

✅  You share your bed with a restless sleeper: The deeper sinkage of the Tempur foam does a superb job of isolating motion, making the mattresses a great choice for those who share their bed with a restless partner. 

Don't buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress if...

You like to lie on top of the mattress: The unique feel of the Tempur foams means that even with the firmest option, you’ll still be sinking into it. If you prefer a mattress that you lie more on top of, consider the Saatva Classic instead. 

You’re a combination sleeper: It’s a bit of a challenge to move around on Tempur-Pedic mattresses. The contouring foam holds you in one position as you sleep, meaning that these aren’t a great choice for combination sleepers who may struggle to change position during the night. 

You've got a tight budget: Even Temour-Pedic's entry level range is a eclipses the price of most of the entries in our best mattress guide. If you've got a smaller budget but want excellent pressure relief, try the Purple Original instead – our guide to if Purple mattresses are worth the money can tell you more.

Top 3 Tempur-Pedic mattresses to shop today

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Pro Breeze mattress: $4.099

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Pro Breeze mattress: from $4.099 $3,599 at Tempur-Pedic
If you sleep hot but your heart is set on a Tempur-Pedic, the Tempur-Breeze range is for you. The cheaper option, the Pro Breeze, is guaranteed to feel 5 degrees cooler than comparable Tempur mattresses (you can also upgrade to the Luxe Breeze, which keeps sleepers 10 degrees cooler). Made with a SmartClimate cover with cooling fibers, Tempur PureCool foam and phase change material, along with ventilated foam, the Tempur-Breeze range does an excellent job of keeping sleepers cool. There's $500 off all sizes of the Breeze collection, which is incredible value for money.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress:

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress: from $1,699 at Tempur-Pedic
If you want to sample Tempur-Pedic’s pressure relieving comfort but don't have an enormous budget, the Tempur-Cloud is the brand’s cheapest option. In our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud mattress review we found that the mattress was pretty soft, but still offered great pressure relief. It’s not a mattress for stomach or combination sleepers though, and our testers also found it too soft to sleep on their backs.

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Luxe Adapt Ultimate Pressure Relief:

Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Luxe Adapt Ultimate Pressure Relief: from $3,799 at Tempur-Pedic
In our Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt mattress review, we noted that the mattress offered ample support and pressure relief, making it an excellent choice for both back and side sleepers. The Luxe Adapt is the brand’s more luxurious option, with thicker foams for even more comfort and support. It does sleep hot unfortunately, so isn’t a great choice if you struggle to stay cool overnight.

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.