Koala Mattress Review: Is This Aussie Favourite Worth the Hype?
With its adorable mascot and clever marketing, Koala has become Australia's sweetheart in the mattress world—but does it offer the same comfort as its namesake's tree-top naps? In this Koala mattress review, we explore their most popular mattress, starting at $850 and available in all sizes, featuring proprietary Kloudcell technology wrapped in a Tencel-polyester blend cover. The innovative flippable comfort layer lets you customize firmness without wrestling the entire mattress. With a generous 120-night trial period and 10-year warranty, they're clearly confident about delivering on that promise.
Koala's mission was simple: offer quality mattresses to Aussies without the premium price tag. While the brand has since diversified into furniture (a story for another day), their mattress remains at the heart of their identity. But does all this innovation and marketing prowess translate into a better night's sleep? Our thorough testing cuts through the hype to reveal the truth.
For this review, we tested their latest March 2024 model, which features enhanced upgrades, including a reversible Kloudcell comfort layer, increased height from 22cm to 25cm, and improved edge support.
Review Summary
4.2 out of 5
The Koala Mattress stands out as one of Australia's top mattresses foam. This latest version offers enhanced comfort and support, exceptional motion isolation, and versatile dual-sided comfort layers for custom sleeping experiences. Though its medium-firm feel might not perfectly accommodate heavier sleepers, the Koala Mattress remains an impressive choice.
What We Like
- Innovative dual-sided comfort layer design for custom firmness
- 3-zone support base providing targeted pressure relief for different body areas
- Excellent motion isolation
- Rapid 4-hour metro delivery
What We don't Like
- Some off-gassing and endocrine disruptors from synthetic materials
- Too soft for heavier sleepers, even on the firmer side
Koala Mattress : What You Should Know
Through its innovative design, the Koala Mattress offers versatile comfort suitable for most sleeper types. Its top layer is removable and flippable and acts like a built-in topper. The medium-firm side (rated 6/10) and firm side (rated 7/10) provide balanced support for all sleeper types. The mattress features solid edge support and responsive foam that facilitates easy movement.
The mattress's core construction consists of two main layers beneath its TENCEL blend cover: a dual-sided Kloudcell® comfort layer offering different firmness levels on each side and a high-density foam base with a 3-zone support system. At 25cm thick, this construction ensures targeted support for various body zones while the flippable comfort layer allows easy firmness customisation, beneficial for partners with different preferences.
The 2024 version represents a significant upgrade, addressing key feedback from previous models. Koala has enhanced the Kloudcell® technology for improved temperature regulation and refined the zoned support system for better pressure relief—issues that customers frequently mentioned in earlier versions.
Koala uses CertiPUR-US® certified polyurethane foams, a baseline safety standard that limits specific chemical emissions and flame retardants. However, the predominantly polyester cover (83%) undermines the breathability benefits promised by their Kloudcell technology. You can expect some initial off-gassing to occur, but typically dissipates within a few days.
Positioned in the mid-high segment, the Koala Mattress offers good value considering its innovative dual-sided design and certified materials. However, the price point seems somewhat elevated for what remains essentially a synthetic foam construction. Shoppers would be wise to watch for promotional offers, which Koala has regularly provided throughout the years. The investment is backed by a 10-year warranty and a generous 120-night trial period. The company provides fast, free delivery (4-hour delivery in major metropolitan areas), flexible payment options, and highly-rated customer service available through multiple channels.
Overall, this Koala Mattress Review highlights a product that stands out for its customisable comfort, best-in-class motion isolation in the Aussie market, and strong service offer—but isn't without its drawbacks.
Is This The Right Mattress For You?
The Koala Mattress performs best for light to medium-weight sleepers (under 90 kg), offering balanced comfort through its foam technology and dual-sided flippable design. The medium side provides adaptable support for most sleepers, while the firm side adds extra stability for those needing more support, particularly back and stomach sleepers.
However, heavier individuals (above 90 kg) and dedicated side sleepers might find limitations in support, even on the firm side. Despite the high-density foam base and zoned support system, the mattress may lack the necessary firmness for optimal spinal alignment in these cases. Let's analyse how this mattress performs for different body types to help you determine if it's your perfect match.
Good softness and body contour adaptation are ideal for all sleeper positions under 60kg. The overall structure provides excellent breathability and support, but some stomach sleepers might find it slightly too soft, resulting in limited pelvic support.
Back Sleepers (9/10)
The Kloudcell® foam creates an impressive balance between support and comfort for lighter frames. The spinal alignment is well-maintained, though some might find the foam slightly too plush for optimal lower back support.
Stomach Sleepers (8/10)
The mattress effectively prevents excessive pelvic drop, helping maintain proper spinal alignment. Some might find it slightly too soft, potentially creating minor lower back arching. However, choosing the firm side can significantly reduce this sensation.
Side Sleepers (8/10)
The comfort layer nicely cradles pressure points around shoulders and hips for lighter frames. While the softness works well for gentle curves, those preferring more support might experience an excessive 'sinking' sensation.
Koala's innovative foam and zoned design offers a great combination of support and comfort for sleepers between 60 to 90kg. While suitable for all sleeping positions, some stomach sleepers and hybrid sleepers might find it too soft, even on the firm side. Consider trying the firm side or adding a topper to reduce this plushness.
Back Sleepers (9/10)
The foam adapts beautifully to medium-weight sleepers, providing solid lumbar support. The 3-section support zones work efficiently to distribute weight across the mattress surface. If the firmness level suits you, there's not much to criticise here.
Stomach Sleepers (8/10)
The zoned structure helps prevent excessive hip sinking, promoting proper spinal alignment. The cover adds a welcome boost of breathability. However, sleepers on the heavier side of the weight range might still find even the firm side too soft to provide optimal support.
Side Sleepers (7/10)
The soft foam adapts well around hips and shoulders, effectively reducing pressure points. The 'Zero Disturbance®' design is a plus for couples, minimising motion transfer. However, dedicated side sleepers might find the foam too yielding for optimal long-term support.
Good durability and general support from the high-density foam. However, even with the firm side (due to insufficient layer thickness), firmness might not be adequate for optimal support, especially for long-term stomach or back sleepers for heavy sleeper profiles. Side sleepers may experience significant sinking at pressure points. A firm topper is almost essential, though this might create overheating issues.
Back Sleepers (7/10)
The high-density foam base provides decent support for heavier weights on the firm side. Temperature regulation is good, preventing overheating issues. However, the foam might not be firm enough to prevent excessive sinking over time.
Stomach Sleepers (7/10)
The zoned design offers some support to prevent pelvic sagging, and the non-slip base ensures stability during movement. However, the overall lack of firmness, even on the firm side, may not suit heavier stomach sleepers, potentially leading to uncomfortable spinal arching.
Side Sleepers (6/10)
The comfort layer helps reduce pressure on sensitive areas like shoulders and hips. While material durability is a plus for heavier sleepers, the sinking depth might compromise hip support and cause slight discomfort, even when using the firm side.
Is This Right Mattress For Your Kids?
While the CertiPUR-US® certified foam offers a safe, hypoallergenic sleep surface with decent temperature regulation, the mattress may still be too soft to properly support spinal development in growing children. Even the firmer side might not provide the necessary structure for kids aged 3 to 10. For more tailored recommendations, check out our guide to kids' mattresses, where we explore firmer, more natural options—including alternatives like the Joey by Koala kids mattress, specifically a mattress designed with young sleepers in mind by Koala.
But the mattress finds its sweet spot with teenage sleepers, where the Kloudcell® foam demonstrates its versatility. The adaptive technology handles growth spurts effectively, providing good pressure relief for developing joints while maintaining adequate support. Both medium and firm sides accommodate different sleep preferences, making it particularly suitable for adolescents who are discovering their preferred sleep position.
1. Comfort & Firmness Evaluation
Koala's marketing visuals might lead you to expect a soft-medium firmness sensation and cloud-like experience from Australia's best-selling mattress in a Box. However, the reality offers a distinctly different feel—think of walking on packed beach sand, where you'll find supportive resistance with just enough give to be comfortable.
The mattress includes a flippable comfort layer, allowing you to switch between firm (7.5/10) and medium-firm (6/10) configurations. While both options maintain Koala's signature supportive character, the difference between the sides is subtle rather than dramatic. The foam responds differently from traditional memory foam, offering immediate resistance while still accommodating body contours - though always with a focus on support rather than sink-in comfort.
For couples, Koala offers a "Partner Preference" option - a thoughtful solution where one side remains firm (7.5/10) while the other offers medium-firm (6/10) support. This configuration eliminates the need to compromise on firmness preferences, though you'll need to decide which side suits each sleeper when setting up the mattress (this option is only available in Queen and King sizes.)
The mattress promotes proper spinal alignment through its three-zone support system, designed to provide targeted support for shoulders, hips, and feet. While these zones are marketed as a key feature, their differences are pretty subtle in real-world use.
The edge support provides adequate stability for most sleepers. This zoning system should accommodate most sleeping styles, though its effects are more understated than you might expect from the marketing materials.
Anticipate a 7-14 day adaptation phase to experience the mattress's supportive architecture fully. If you've been influenced by marketing imagery suggesting cloud-like softness, consider alternative options—this mattress delivers biomechanical support prioritising spinal alignment rather than the ultra-plush sensation depicted in promotional materials. The disconnect between expectation and reality may result in significant dissatisfaction for those seeking exceptional softness.
2. Materials & Durability of Koala Mattress
With 25cm in height, the Koala Mattress sits within standard dimensions while incorporating several targeted material choices. Let's break down what lies beneath the marketing terminology:
Koala Mattress, layer by layer:
- Top Cover: while featuring 17% Tencel Lyocell with 83% recycled polyester blend and antimicrobial treatment on top, the remaining cover consists of 100% polyester sides with reinforced stitching and an anti-slip polyester bottom panel.
- Flippable Layer: a 7cm copper-infused polyurethane foam layer offers customizable firmness through its flippable design, with the option to choose between classic dual-firmness or Partner Preference configuration for couples requiring different firmness levels on each side.
- Support Core Foam: the foundation consists of 18cm high-density polyurethane foam featuring a three-zone design specifically engineered to provide targeted support for shoulders, hips, and lower body regions.
What is Khoucel, really?
Khoucel is Koala’s own name for a copper-infused synthetic foam (polyurethane). The copper helps improve airflow and cooling compared to standard foam.
Koala created Khoucel to address one of the biggest issues with synthetic foam: poor airflow and weak temperature regulation. While the copper infusion brings some improvement, it’s still a synthetic solution—and it doesn’t match the natural breathability and comfort of materials like latex or wool.
Don't be swayed by fancy terminology - beneath the marketing language, you'll find well-engineered but conventional materials focused on delivering consistent support.
What’s New in the 2024 model? A Closer Look at Koala’s Mattress Changes
The 2024 Koala Mattress update responds to significant user feedback about heat retention, support issues, and partner disturbance concerns. Koala's primary solution introduces 17% more "Kloudcell" technology (already present in previous models).
The cover material has been redesigned. While Koala prominently markets its Tencel Lyocell component, it only has 17% of the top cover layer, with the remaining 83% being recycled polyester. This matters because polyester propriety, despite being durable and cost-effective, is inherently less breathable than natural fibres. It tends to trap heat, potentially creating an uncomfortable sleep environment, especially in Australia's humid climate zones.
Also, with this new version, Koala offers customers a choice between two configurations for the flippable layer: a Flippable Firmness design allowing adjustment between medium and firm feels or a Partner Preference option featuring firm on one side and medium-firm on the other.
While the New Koala Mattress 2024 version shows significant improvements in partner disturbance reduction, body support, and heat management through enhanced airflow, temperature regulation remains a concern. Despite improvements, the reliance on synthetic materials continues to present challenges for sleepers in warmer climates.
3. Health & Sustainability Assessment
Koala's environmental approach combines actual initiatives with questionable marketing claims, requiring a closer look at their sustainability practices.
Material Origins & Sustainability
While Koala shows more transparency than many competitors about their materials and Chinese manufacturing, their sustainability claims deserve closer examination. The mattress features a "Carbon-zero TENCEL™ Lyocell" cover, which sounds impressive but represents only 17% of the cover material. While using recycled polyester for the remaining cover material shows environmental consciousness, transitioning to a full Tencel or cotton cover would provide better breathability and a more sustainable solution.
The core construction relies heavily on polyurethane foam, a petroleum-based synthetic material. The support core and flippable comfort layer use this material, highlighting a disconnect between marketing emphasis on sustainability and actual material choices.
Health Considerations
The mattress carries CertiPUR-US® certification, ensuring lower VOC emissions than many synthetic options. However, during our testing, we noticed significant off-gassing upon unboxing. We recommend allowing the mattress to decompress for 48 hours in a well-ventilated room, regardless of respiratory sensitivities.
Koala has significantly reduced VOC emissions and endocrine disruptors throughout its foam formulation. While possibly the safest synthetic sleep surface currently available, transitioning to natural materials would establish definitive toxicological and environmental superiority.
The synthetic nature of the materials for this Koala Mattress raises some health considerations. Those with respiratory sensitivities should exercise caution, and the mattress isn't recommended for young children, though it's suitable for adolescents and adults. Koala has incorporated antimicrobial treatments in their proprietary foam. While the absence of chemical flame retardants is positive, this has become increasingly standard in the industry rather than a distinctive feature.
Environmental Commitment
While Koala promotes eco-conscious initiatives, their approach mixes genuine efforts with questionable marketing claims. The brand demonstrates positive environmental engagement through several promising initiatives. Their partnership with WWF, commitment to the "Koala Second Home" program, and 1% for the Planet membership show genuine environmental awareness. However, their ecological messaging often feels oversaturated with marketing hyperbole. Their claim of "planting and protecting 2 billion trees in 10 years" particularly stands out as problematic.
When companies throw around numbers like '2 billion trees,' it raises questions about marketing versus reality. Do they realize this equals planting 547,945 trees every day for 10 years straight?
For context, the Australian government's ambitious reforestation plan aims to plant 1 billion trees by 2050 - over nearly 30 years.
While Koala's furniture line appears to use more sustainable practices, the irony becomes apparent when considering their mattress's emphasis on product longevity, given its reliance on synthetic materials that typically have limited durability compared to natural alternatives.
That is why we rate Koala's environmental efforts at 3.7/5. While they demonstrate commendable initiatives that surpass many competitors, their combination of questionable material choices and overreaching marketing claims gives pause. Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between genuine environmental commitment and carefully crafted greenwashing, particularly when sustainable-sounding buzzwords outweigh substantive material choices.
4. Customer Service Experience
Koala delivers one of the most seamless customer experiences in the Australian mattress market, with an intuitive website, comprehensive Help Center, and straightforward policies that eliminate common purchase anxieties.
Free Australia-Wide Shipping
Koala stands out in the Australian mattress market with what might be the most efficient delivery service in the industry. Orders typically arrive within 1-4 business days across Australia, with metro areas (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) enjoying premium delivery options, including room placement, assembly, and packaging removal. However, rural customers should note delivery times can extend to 15 business days.
120-Night Trial Experience
The 120-night trial includes a straightforward return process managed through a simple online form. However, location significantly affects return conditions. While metro areas (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra, and Adelaide) enjoy free returns, regional customers must arrange and pay for shipping to the nearest Koala fulfilment centre—an essential consideration for non-metro buyers.
Warranty & Support
The mattress includes a comprehensive 10-year warranty, though consumers should carefully review its specific parameters. Coverage extends exclusively to manufacturing defects and material failures under normal usage conditions, with protection limited strictly to the original purchaser through a non-transferable agreement structure.
For warranty claims, Koala has created a straightforward process through its user-friendly online platform. Their customer service team remains accessible through multiple channels—chat, email, and phone—while payment flexibility is ensured through options like Zip and Afterpay.
Excellence Service with Room for Growth
On paper, Koala's service offering approaches perfection, demonstrating the robust customer experience one would expect from a major brand challenging IKEA in the Australian market. Their significant investment in client experience shows through every touchpoint - from the intuitive website to the comprehensive support system and efficient delivery network.
However, the absence of showrooms in Australia's major cities is a notable oversight, particularly puzzling considering their successful Koala Second Home initiative in Campbelltown, NSW, where they sell refurbished products. For a brand of this scale aiming to revolutionise Australian furniture retail, the inability to physically test their most significant product - the mattress - before purchase remains a conspicuous gap in an otherwise exemplary service model.
If you've been hesitant about buying a mattress online, Koala's comprehensive service and support system helps put those fears to rest.
5. Koala Mattress: Worth Your Money?
The Koala mattress is priced at $1,250 for a Queen, placing it in the upper-mid range of the Australian market. While we find it a bit expensive for a synthetic foam mattress, discounts during promotional periods can make it more accessible.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| Single | $890 |
| King Single | $990 |
| Double | $1,150 |
| Queen | $1,290 |
| King | $1,490 |
| Super King | $1,650 |
In this Koala mattress review, we’ve seen that it stands out with smart features like customizable firmness, excellent motion isolation, and stricter chemical safety standards. It’s one of the most well-known synthetic memory foam options in the country—and for good reason.
If you're after a balance of comfort, support, and modern design—and you're open to a premium price tag—the Koala mattress remains a strong pick in Australia’s competitive mattress market.
