Birch Mattress Review - Reasons To Buy/NOT Buy (2022)

Who Is It Best For?

People that want a firmer bed with natural materials

If you want a responsive mattress

Who Won’t Love It?

If you want an especially soft bed

People that do not like the feel or latex foam (it’s bouncy)

Birch Mattress Overview

Helix Sleep (Birch’s parent company) is known for their accommodating mattress catalog, as they seemingly make a mattress for every sleeper position and body type. As such, it only seems right that they came around to making the Birch Natural Mattress, an eco-friendly latex hybrid mattress made with natural and organic materials. Beds made with natural or organic latex foam have their own benefits, such as their durability and hypoallergenic/antimicrobial properties, not to mention they’re ultra-safe and friendlier on the environment than your typical foam or hybrid bed. This is just one of the many reasons we love the Birch organic mattress.

In this review, we’ll uncover the ins and outs of the Birch Natural mattress and who we think it’s most suitable for. If there’s a particular part of this Birch Mattress review that you’re most interested in learning about, use our helpful jump-to links below to get you there.

Honest Birch Mattress Video Review

Above is our detailed Birch bed reviews video that outlines what you need to know about the Birch mattress from Helix.

Birch Natural Materials And Design

The Birch Mattress 11″ tall and four layers thick — but best of all, the materials used to make it are sourced from nature, and each Birch organic mattress is assembled in the United States. According to the website, your mattress won’t travel more than 100 miles from one of the manufacturing facilities to get to your home.

Base: The first layer from the bottom is a slim 0.5” thick and made out of 100% natural Birch wool to provide a sturdy base for the rest of the mattress
Coils: Next comes a layer containing hundreds of 8” individually wrapped steel coils, which were manufactured in the USA
Foam layer: The third layer is a 2” thick layer of natural OEKO-TEX certified Talalay latex foam
Wool layer: Finally, at the top is another 0.5” slab of natural Birch Wool to soften the feel of the bed a little and act as the mattress’ comfort layer.

Birch also has an organic cotton cover that absorbs moisture and adds air-flow to help regulate the bed’s temperature

It’s also worth noting that the Birch mattress is GREENGUARD Gold certified, meaning the bed is safe for sensitive individuals like children and has been tested for volatile organic compounds, harmful chemicals, pollutants, phthalates and formaldehyde.

Birch Bed Feel And Firmness

Firmness
After testing out the Birch mattress, we think it has a slightly neutralized latex foam feel. It’s bouncy like traditional latex foam, but it’s slightly softer and lighter due to the top wool layer. Latex foam is responsive like a sponge, but the coils also give the Birch bed an extra bounce factor.
On our scale from soft to firm, we rated the Birch organic mattress around a medium-firm. Though, it might feel firmer to petite individuals and softer to those who are more heavy set.
Pressure relief
Overall, we think the Birch mattress provides a good amount of support for your trunk and spine. The bed doesn’t provide as much pressure relief as a soft mattress, but if you’re a back or stomach sleeper, it’ll be a good option.
Temperature
Birch’s latex foam is a cooler sleeping material than other foams like memory foam. Plus, the organic cotton cover is more breathable than standard cotton or polyester, so we’d say overall Birch sleeps temperature neutral. If you get warm during the night and you might be interested in a mattress that actively cools, take a look at our post on the Best Mattresses For Hot Sleepers. We also recommend you check out how we grade the temperature characteristics of mattresses.

Birch Natural Mattress Performance

Is Birch A Good Mattress For Couples?

We recommend couples look for a mattress that has good edge support and limits motion transfer. The Birch Natural mattress offers both, so we think couples will love this mattress.

Edge Support

The Birch mattress is built to be firmer around the sides of the mattress to prevent you from feeling like you’re plummeting off the side. You can learn more about how we judge edge support on this page.

Motion Isolation

Next, to test how well Birch does with limiting motion transfer, we set a glass of water on the top of the mattress and had one of our team members roll back and forth on the bed next to it. The glass of water stayed steady only with a few minimal swishes, so it’s safe to say it passed.

Birch Mattress Sleeper Types

Back and Stomach Sleepers
This mattress is ideal for back and stomach sleepers because of how firm it is. If you sleep predominantly on your stomach or back, you’ll need something firm to keep your spine from sinking into the mattress, and we think Birch does the trick.
Combo Sleepers
We also think combo sleepers will like this mattress because it’s quick to respond, so it’ll be easy to switch positions, and it’s both supportive and pressure relieving.
Side Sleepers
When it comes to side sleepers, it will largely depend on your weight. If you’re over 250 lbs, you’ll be fine. But if you’re a petite side sleeper, you might want to consider the Birch Mattress Topper. It costs an extra $400 for a queen-size, but it’ll make the bed feel softer for somebody who doesn’t exert a ton of pressure into the mattress.
If you’re petite and spending an extra $400 is out of the question, take a look at our post regarding the Best Soft & Plush Mattresses.

When you’re looking for a new mattress, consider your sleeper type to make sure you don’t wake up with pins and needles in your arm or an aching back.

Birch Bed Body Type Analysis

Aside from your sleeper type, the other important factor you must consider when you purchase a mattress is your weight.

Petite to Average Individuals

Average individuals are in the clear for most mattresses, including Birch, because they don’t exert as much pressure on mattresses as heavy body types. As for to petite sized people, this mattress may be too firm and not provide enough spinal alignment.
Heavy Individuals

Birch mattress accommodates all body types since it contains both foam and coils. It also helps that the mattress is on the firmer side because heavy sleepers will lay more on top of the bed rather than in it.

Birch Mattress Pricing

The retail price of a Birch Mattress is slightly more expensive than your average bed-in-a-box, but that shouldn’t come as a huge shock considering the bed uses all-natural materials. There are folks willing to pay good money for a non-toxic, organic mattress, and fortunately, Birch is priced reasonably enough to where you won’t break the bank. Here’s how pricing breaks down by size:

SIZE	PRICE (MSRP)
Twin	$1,249
Twin XL	$1,299
Full	$1,499
Queen	$1,699
King / Cal King	$1,999

Birch is backed by the popular online mattress company Helix Sleep, so it’s not new to how the industry works in terms of coupon codes and promo codes.

Birch regularly offers discounts to make the mattress even more affordable. The company typically offers $200 off, which would bring a queen-size below the $1,300 mark. Check the Birch Living website for current prices and offers.

Birch Mattress Review Verdict

There are all-natural and organic mattresses out there pushing $2,000 like Zenhaven, and it’s not surprising to see even higher prices elsewhere — especially for latex foam mattresses.

With that being said, we think the Birch mattress is a great value for what you’re getting. Not only do we think it’s cozy and comfy to sleep on, but all the materials inside are sustainably sourced from nature and 100% non-toxic. If you’re interested in a slightly firmer organic bed, and you have the means to spend over $1,000, we recommend you give it a shot. Remember, you’ll have a risk-free trial to fall back on, and you’ll be making a difference for the reforestation efforts if you decide to keep it.

Other Birch Living Products

Birch Pillow
Birch Plush Organic Mattress Topper
Birch Foundation
Birch Natural Wood Frame
Birch White Wood Frame

Birch Mattress Ratings

Amazon Reviews: The Birch mattress is not for sale on Amazon.

Birch Company Policies

When you purchase a Birch mattress, you’re not just getting a mattress. You’re also getting some excellent standard company policies that protect your purchase. Birch isn’t just another bed-in-a-box mattress company. So, you can expect the following policies:

Trial period length: Birch offers a 100-day free trial to test the mattress and make sure it’s to your liking.
Warranty policy: Birch has a most generous warranty policy, covering mattresses for 25 years. That’s more than double the warranty period for most mattresses.
Shipping info: Free shipping and free returns are standard at Birch. Birch ships to all 50 U.S. states.

Birch Mattress Vs Other Brands

Birch vs Tuft & Needle Mint Mattress

When comparing the Birch mattress with Tuft & Needle Mint, the first place we’ll start is the price, and there is a big difference between the two in this regard as the Birch mattress is nearly twice as expensive. Birch uses all-natural and organic materials, while Tuft & Needle is constructed entirely from polyurethane foam. This construction also makes the Tuft & Needle mattress fall on the softer side, while the Birch mattress is a firmer mattress. As a result, the Tuft & Needle is better for side sleepers, while back and stomach sleepers will prefer the Birch mattress.
Birch vs Layla Mattress

Layla Mattress is nearly half the price of the Birch. Layla is an interesting mattress because it features a soft side and a firm side by using varying thicknesses of memory foam on either side. That gives you the best of both worlds and makes the Layla good for all types of sleepers. The Birch remains a fairly firm mattress due to the Talalay latex foam hybrid construction.
Birch vs Nest Alexander Mattress

The Birch and Nest Alexander mattresses are priced nearly the same. The similarity ends there, however, as these two beds are constructed quite differently. As we know, the Birch mattress is a hybrid mattress that uses a combination of innerspring coils, a layer of Talalay latex foam, and a wool topper to create a fairly firm natural and organic mattress. The Nest Alexander, on the other hand, is a flippable mattress with four types of foams layered to make a soft side and a firm side, making the mattress ideal for all types of sleepers.

How We Test The Mattresses

My Slumber Yard

y Slumber Yard has been around since the beginning of the bed in a box craze. Our team has personally tested and reviewed over 175 mattresses so far, and we keep more than 150 beds in our office so we can compare them (and take afternoon naps).
When testing mattresses, we evaluate the following factors:
Construction: We cut beds open to see what’s inside and how it’s made.
Feel: We check if it has a stuck-in-the-mud memory foam feel, or if it’s more of a neutral foam or a plush pillow top, etc.
Firmness: We have our own firmness scale and evaluate how that may vary depending on your body and sleeper type.
Pressure relief: We test what’s the sweet spot for different body and sleeper types.
Support: How that changes by body/sleeper type
Edge Support: This is important for couples who share a bed. Would you roll out of the bed, or can you sleep confidently close to the edges?
Motion Isolation: We use the water glass test to see how the bed fares with motion transfer. This is another important factor for couples who don’t want to wake up when they move.
Temperature Regulation: We use a temperature gun to evaluate if the bed warms up, stays neutral or actively cools while you sleep.
Noise: This could be an issue in beds with coils or innerspring.
Off-Gassing: Some beds could have a smell for a few weeks after unpacking, and we try to warn you about it.
Company Policies: We also take into account policies such as shipping, returns, trial period and warranty.
Value: We look at a bed’s price in the context of what it offers in terms of features and quality of materials and construction.

How did The Slumber Yard get this bed?

Birch sent us this mattress at no cost so we could review it. We retain full editorial control over the reviews and opinions we publish.

Do I need a foundation for my Birch mattress?

It’s not required that you get one, but it is recommended. The company’s website suggests a bunkie board with a box spring or any support system with thick supportive flats.

Does Birch offer any other products?

Along with the Birch mattress and topper, the company also sells a pillow.

What is Birch made of?

Birch is made with steel pocketed coils, natural Talalay latex foam, natural wool, and organic cotton. The entire bed is GREENGUARD Gold Certified by the UL Environment.

How firm is the Birch mattress?

There are technically two options for firmness levels with this mattress. If you get it without the topper, it’s about a “medium-firm,” but if you end up purchasing the topper, it’s a bit softer.

Where is Birch made?

It’s made in the United States.

Is the Birch mattress hypoallergenic?

The natural and organic materials inside Birch Mattress help give it hypoallergenic and antimicrobial properties.

Does the Birch mattress sleep cooler than other mattresses?

Even though latex foam doesn’t retain heat like memory foam, it isn’t actively cooling. We would say the Birch is temperature neutral.

Why Trust Us

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