Puffy Royal Mattress review: A stately choice for side sleepers who run cold and like a plush feel

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Since 2016, Puffy has made high-quality mattresses in the USA. It's known for its 101-night risk-free trial and generous lifetime warranty. Plus, its mattresses tend to come with free extras, including pillows, mattress protectors, and a sheet set.

Recently, Puffy updated its mattress line. As the main tester for our best mattress guide, I spent a month sleeping on the brand's softest option, the Puffy Royal. It features a cushy combination of foam and pocket coils that you sink right into for optimal pressure relief. I was also impressed with its outstanding motion isolation and decent edge support, though the Royal does have some negatives. Below, I outline all of my experiences with the mattress.

Construction

Puffy mattresses are made in the USA using CertiPUR-US-certified foams. The mattress comes with two pillows, a mattress protector, and a sheet set. The Puffy Royal is available in twin, twin XL, full, queen, king, California king, and split king. I tested it in queen. 

At 14 inches, the Puffy Royal is a thick mattress with several layers. Starting from the top, the quilted cover is made of polyester, polyethylene, rayon, and elastane and has a cool-to-the-touch feel. A thin layer of wool to help with moisture-wicking layer follows directly below. Next is a thin layer of heat-resistant fibers. Then, the gel-infused foam is supposed to keep you cool. 

The next layer is contouring foam, which keeps your spine aligned and offers pressure relief. Below that sits f pressure-relieving memory foam. Another foam layer offers zoned support, with optimal cushioning around the legs, back, shoulders, neck, and head. The base layer is made up of foam-encased pocket coils, which help with airflow and motion isolation. The coils are bordered by dense foam for extra edge support. 

Despite the preceding descriptions, the Puffy Royal was not cooling or supportive.

Our review of the Puffy Royal Mattress

Setup

The Puffy Royal Mattress comes vacuum-sealed in a large box, and setup was pretty standard. The queen weighs 105 pounds, so I'd recommend getting a friend to help you unbox it. It comes with unboxing instructions and a cutting tool. You just empty the wrapped mattress onto the foundation and carefully remove the plastic with the provided cutting tool. 

It took me about five minutes to unbox and set up the mattress, and it expanded to full size almost immediately. The bed had an odor that dissipated by bedtime. I liked that the mattress has six handles around the periphery to make moving it easier.

Unfortunately, Puffy doesn't offer white-glove delivery, so if you need help moving the mattress to your bedroom and setting it up, you'll have to consider other options.

Comfort and support

Puffy markets the Royal as an "ultra-plush" option, and I'd say that's pretty accurate. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is the firmest, I'd give the Royal a 3, soft. I liked how much I sank into it, making it ideal for sleeping on my side. 

I slept incredibly well on the Puffy Royal. I use the Garmin Forerunner 945 smartwatch to track my sleep quality, and my sleep scores were well above my average of 63, including several nights in the 70s and 80s. 

I found the pressure relief outstanding. However, my spine did not stay aligned. I used the lowest-profile pillow I had and still awoke a few mornings with neck and shoulder soreness. However, at 6 feet tall and 240 pounds, I'm a bigger person and thus sink in more. Petite individuals may have more luck maintaining a neutral spine on the Royal.

Heat dissipation

I tested heat dissipation using a laser thermometer. Before I went to bed each night, I measured the mattress's surface temperature. First thing in the morning, I measured the temperature again to see how cool the mattress stayed, and then again two minutes later to evaluate how much heat dissipated.

Despite all of its cooling materials, the Puffy Royal was among the hottest mattresses I've tested. On average, it was over 90 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up from it, a full degree hotter than the average of all the beds I've tested. This temperature only dropped nine degrees within two minutes of getting up from it. Most mattresses I've tested cooled by at least 12 degrees.

I tend to overheat in bed, and that was the case with the Puffy Royal. I had to keep my legs and arms uncovered and point a box fan at my bed to stay cool. When I went to the bathroom in the night, I'd come back to a still-warm bed. Consequently, I wouldn't recommend this mattress to hot sleepers, but cold sleepers might love it.

Edge support

A mattress with good edge support helps you feel comfortable when lying or sitting on the very periphery of the bed. If you share a bed and your partner likes to encroach on your side, excellent edge support will keep you from feeling like you're falling off the bed when you escape to the edge. It also makes getting into and out of bed a little easier. 

I use a yardstick placed on the side of the bed to measure how much the edge sinks when I sit on it. I also lie on the very edge of the mattress and roll until I fall off. If my body makes it to more than a 45-degree angle to the bed, the mattress has good edge support.

It was a mixed bag with the Puffy Royal. When sitting on the side, it sank 4.5 inches, which is significantly more than the 3-inch average. Yet, when I lay down, I felt supported and could roll quite far before falling. The difference was I was putting more pressure on the mattress when sitting, suggesting heavier individuals may not feel as supported.

Motion isolation

When your partner moves in the night, you don't want them to jostle you and disrupt your sleep. This is where good motion isolation can help. I test motion isolation by dropping a bowling ball, so it lands 12 inches from a soda can. If the can stays upright, the bed has impressive motion isolation. If it falls over, the motion isolation is so-so.

The Puffy Royal passed the bowling ball test, with the can remaining upright after I dropped the ball. I also placed a vibrometer on the opposite side of the mattress, as if it were a person and the bowling ball was a sleeping partner who moved too much. The vibrometer readings were among the lowest I've seen. 

The Puffy Royal has excellent motion isolation. Considering this, along with the adequate edge support, I'd recommend it to couples who share a bed. 

Trial period and warranty

Puffy offers a 101-night trial period. If, during that time, you decide the Puffy Royal isn't right for you, you can return it for a full refund. I didn't find any catches in the return policy. In fact, I found it interesting that you get to keep the freebies (pillows, sheets, etc.) if you return the mattress. I also liked that you can choose an organization to donate the mattress to, or Puffy will donate it to a children's charity. Puffy is available in showrooms nationwide at various independent retailers if you want to try it before you buy.

Puffy is known for its lifetime warranty, which doesn't appear to have any catches. I like that Puffy will cover the entire replacement cost during the mattress's lifespan. The warranty requires that you use a suitable foundation or the floor and that you don't misuse the bed.

Cons to consider

The Puffy Royal may not be supportive enough for most people. Since it sinks so much, your spine doesn't stay aligned. I used the Mattress Checker app to assess my spinal alignment. The measured deviation angle from a neutral spine was 13.5 degrees, which is the worst I've tested. For reference, six degrees or less is considered good. Because of this, I wouldn't recommend the Puffy Royal to stomach sleepers, back sleepers, heavier individuals, or back pain sufferers. However, petite individuals and side sleepers may appreciate the plush, sinking-in feel.

Hot sleepers should also look elsewhere. The Puffy Royal was among the hottest mattresses I've tested. It warmed up significantly while I slept on it and did not dissipate heat well when I got up. If you're constantly cold in bed, this might be the mattress for you.

What are your alternatives?

The Puffy Royal is expensive at $2,399. I've also tested the brand's top-selling mattress, the Lux, which is about $900 cheaper. It was similar to the Royal in that it was soft and had great motion isolation. I found the Lux had better heat dissipation but worse edge support. Still, side sleepers who tend to overheat might prefer the Lux.

The all-foam Cloud is Puffy's most affordable and firmest mattress. The Monarch is the priciest and is advertised as "luxury-plush." It's similar to the Royal but has a layer of latex. We haven't tested the Cloud or Monarch yet.

Beyond Puffy, two mattresses I think you should consider are the Leesa Sapira Hybrid and the Saatva Classic. The Leesa Sapira is the top pick in our best mattress guide and costs about $1,000 less than the Puffy Royal. Unlike the Royal, it has impressive heat dissipation and an average firmness that will appeal to most sleepers. 

The Saatva Classic is the best luxury pick in our guide and costs $600 less than the Royal. It's available in three firmness options, comes with white-glove delivery, and features a 365-night sleep trial and lifetime warranty. I also found it stayed cool and had unparalleled edge support.

For more recommendations, check out our guide to the best mattresses.

The bottom line

While there are suitable alternatives, the Puffy Royal is a superb choice for people who want a soft, pressure-relieving mattress to sink into. Side sleepers and petite individuals who share a bed are the main demographic for which I recommend the Puffy Royal, especially if you tend to sleep cold. If this resonates with you, give it a try. You can always send it back for a full refund within the first 101 nights.