Simba Hybrid Original Mattress Review (King-Size)
What do you do when a deluxe mattress company calls upon you to review one of their top-quality, technologically advanced mattresses? Shriek “yes, yes, oh my god YES!” Harry Met Sally-style of course. Which was hurriedly converted to a calm & composed “yes please, I’d love to” in my reply to the Simba Mattress team. If you can’t tell already, I am beyond delighted to be reviewing the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress (king-size; other sizes such as single 3’0 are available ) here at the Cara Sutra blog today – a surprising, welcome change to the plentiful sex toy reviews I usually write. A deluxe Simba Mattress review is a great fit here on the blog – due to my sex blogging antics, my bed is often more like my office than my sturdy desk & chair set-up. And of course, at the end of another day/early evening testing the latest sex toys & bondage gear, I need a comfortable mattress to get some deeply replenishing sleep.
What sort of Simba Mattress did I get?
My husband and I have a king-size bed, so I requested a king-size Simba Mattress. I was informed that our new, king-sized Simba Hybrid Original Mattress had been ordered and would soon be dispatched.
The exact mattress we received is called the Hybrid Mattress Original on the Simba website. This mattress is medium-firm firmness. The company say that there have been half a million of these mattresses sold, and that the Hybrid Original is their “first Hybrid design, AKA our unique take on a typical cool foam mattress. A mix of innovative micro-springs & cushioning foam.”
How long did it take to arrive?
My Simba representative ordered the mattress for us on the 7th February 2024 and it arrived early on 9th February. I could excitedly track the journey of our new mattress thanks to the tracking details and link provided on the Simba dispatch notification emails. There were also notifications via text message the day before and the day of the delivery, to confirm dates/times.
What was delivery and packaging like?
Delivery was fast, while the delivery people were friendly and helpful. My husband took delivery of the new Simba mattress, and he reports that there were two delivery guys who not only lifted the box from the back of their van to our doorstep but offered to bring it inside and deliver it upstairs if we wanted, to make things easier for us. Extremely impressive plus reassuring for buyers who would find it difficult or impossible to lift a heavy mattress box up to their bedroom on their own.
As you can see from the photos, the box is sturdy, bright, and is branded proudly with the Simba logo. There are hand holes on the sides to make lifting it easier. The basic steps of unpackaging your new mattress and getting it on the bed are handily printed on the top of the box. I was worried they’d sent the wrong size mattress, as I didn’t think the box looked big enough to hold a king size! But as you’ll see, it was definitely a king size Simba mattress inside the box, thank goodness.
By the way, you can recycle the Simba mattress packaging. The leaflet which comes with the mattress gives details about what the packaging is made from, and how to recycle. Simba even take old mattresses (they don’t even have to be Simba branded) away for recycling (you need to pre-book this with the Simba team).
First things to do when you get a new Simba mattress
You will find plenty of information about receiving your new Simba mattress, how to unpack it and get it on your bed, and how long to leave it before you enjoy your first sleep on it, on the Simba website. There is also a brief outline on the top of the box which I’d strongly recommend taking note of before opening, and inside the box there’s a ‘Thanks for shopping with Simba!” glossy information leaflet which has a QR code that leads to more in-depth info online.
Here are the main points to remember when unpacking your new Simba mattress:
- Don’t open the box until you get it into your bedroom.
- Remove anything which could be knocked over when the mattress unfurls, such as ornaments or lamps.
- Open the box and position the rolled up, securely packaged Simba mattress on your bed base. It should be positioned to unfurl white-side-up.
- Carefully cut along the line indicated on the plastic covering.
- Allow up to 6 hours for your new Simba mattress to reflate, ready for your sheets & your first night of Simba sleep. It can take up to 72 hours for the Simba mattress to fully reflate, but it can be slept on after 6 hours.
Putting our new Simba mattress on the bed
After getting the old mattress off our bed, and the sheets to the side, we were ready to get our new Simba Hybrid Original Mattress out of its box and on to our bed base. We opened the mattress box in our bedroom and were able to position the rolled up mattress at the bottom of the slats ready for releasing from its packaging.
There is a cut line defined on the roll of packaging, but I would warn to still be extremely careful as you cut along the plastic, taking great care not to snag the mattress cover with your scissors. Take it slowly, it doesn’t spring out that quickly so you have time to take great care when snipping through the plastic.
As you can see in my video demonstration a little later on in this review, some heft is required to move the mattress about so it’s in the correct position on the bed base. Once unfurled in the plastic and the right way around (white side up), you can go about snipping off the rest of the plastic cover.
After the packaging is completely removed, allow 6 hours for the new Simba mattress to ‘reflate’ before your first ever sleep on it. It can take 72 hours to reflate fully, but after 6 hours you can sleep on it safely and feel the benefits.
There was a discernible difference in the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress after we allowed 6 hours for it to reflate, ready for bedtime. The cover is slightly loose at the start because the mattress hasn’t fully puffed out yet; after 6 hours it fit snugly and the mattress felt moderately firm and comfortably ‘bouncy’ ready for sleep.
I would recommend planning when exactly you unpack your new Simba mattress – in the morning or early afternoon is best as then you have enough time to allow the mattress to reflate before you sleep on it that night.
Just on the bed:
After 6 hours:
The first sleep on our new Simba mattress
I was very excited to try out our brand-new, deluxe Simba mattress. After waiting the recommended 6 hours for reflation, it was difficult to resist an extremely early night! The sheets were put back on the bed and it all looked so sumptuous and inviting.
Getting into bed and lying down on our new mattress was a real treat. After all, this was over £1200-worth of luxury mattress beneath my husband and I, and we looked forward to deep, replenishing sleep without any prodding and poking – from the mattress, at least.
As a perimenopausal woman who struggles with night sweats and insomnia, I was particularly interested in how upgrading to this Simba Hybrid Original Mattress would impact on my body and my sleep quantity and quality.
After the first night sleeping on the mattress, I was impressed with not only how quickly I had got to sleep – very different to my usual story! – but also that I was less hot during the night than I’d been with our previous mattress (another brand, standard sprung mattress). Perhaps this was at least partly psychosomatic, as I had been so looking forward to trying out this indubitably top quality, deluxe and expensive mattress which boasted so many beneficial features.
I will say that I was slightly achy after the first night, which worried me a little – but I needn’t have worried. The small aches went away by the second night and weren’t there the second morning of waking up on the new Simba mattress. I put it down to being a creaky middle-aged woman on top of all of this perimenopause rubbish I’ve got going on.
It was after the second night that I knew for sure that this Simba Hybrid Mattress was perfect for us. To be honest, my husband could fall asleep on a washing line, so he’s not the best to ask about mattress quality. If we’ve nothing else planned, he can fall asleep within 30 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. Yes, I am jealous.
So what exactly are all these beneficial features the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress claims to deliver? I’ll set them out below for you, as there are plenty to digest!
The Simba Hybrid Mattress – Stats & Facts
The website stated perks of this mattress are:
The Hybrid design
The ‘Hybrid’ part of the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress’ name refers to its combination design featuring patented springs to give tailored support, and cool cushioning from Simba’s innovative foam. Why have one or the other when you can have both?
The springs
Let’s talk about those springs for a moment. The springs in the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress are made from titanium alloy to deliver strength in a tiny size. The Hybrid Original mattress has double the amount of these ‘Aerocoil’ springs than the Hybrid Essential – that’s 2,000 springs in total! You don’t feel the springs when lying on the mattress, but they are there providing full body support and soothing pressure relief as you rest or sleep.
These springs work in 3 ways:
- Contour: each spring compresses individually in response to body weight; they’re also zoned for optimum pressure relief and contoured support
- Cool: they gently push fresh, cooling air through the mattress as they compress
- Control: their conical shape means they compress inwards, limiting transfer of movement
The core
The core of the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress give 100% edge-to-edge support. The ‘SupportCore’ base prevents roll-off at the sides, with 1,000 pocketed barrel springs to ensure no dipping in the middle or at the sides. This means the surface of the mattress feels balanced and stable at all times, whether you’re sleeping on the left or right, whether you and your partner move around a lot on the mattress or whatever pressure any area of the mattress comes under.
The foam
A big draw of the Simba Hybrid Original for me personally was the promise of cooler sleep. I’ve never been as hot in my life as I am now during this period of perimenopause as a middle-aged woman. The open-cell Simbatex foam used in the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress is cooler than memory foam as it has a less dense structure, providing airflow through the mattress. Simbatex foam is also infused with graphite, which is a natural heat conductor, helping to draw excess warmth and humidity away from the body for cool, fresh sleep every night.
Another bonus: Simba foams have all received the CertiPUR label, meeting the requirements of not including unwanted chemicals in the foam material. There are no destructive agents of ozone, heavy metals, mercury or lead used in their manufacture. Therefore, they are perfectly safe and suitable for everyone.
The product of experts and research
The development of Simba mattresses benefit from the expert knowledge of sleep scientists as well as specialist engineers, who include the body data of over 10 million sleepers and 70 prototypes to continually provide the best mattress technology and manufacture.
A trusted, award-winning brand
It isn’t just the Simba Mattress company themselves who sing their praises. Simba is the most 5-star rated mattress brand in the world, with over 25,000 five-star reviews. They have helped well over a million people sleep better and have won over 60 industry awards. Wow.
Benefit from reduced foam design
Despite using 60% less foam than standard, there’s no compromise on comfort – or the Simba technology which results in the ‘no roll-off’ SupportCore as well as the recycled ‘ReGen’ base.
Removable, washable & replaceable cover
Mess happens – no one knows that better than a veteran sex toy tester and filthy fetishist with a one-track mind! Even the best laid fluidproof sheets can go awry, so it’s great to know that the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress has a removable, washable cover. This means that as well as being deliciously comfortable and stable, the mattress is also practical no matter what happens upon it.
The Simba Hybrid Original Mattress has a soft, breathable, anti-allergy cover, with a zip-off top surface which is machine washable. I think this is a truly brilliant inclusion and I don’t know why all mattresses don’t have the same feature!
UK-sourced and UK-made
My Simba Hybrid Original Mattress was hand-assembled in Manchester, UK – just like all the Simba mattresses. The titanium alloy springs are from Leeds and the airy foam layers are from Middleton.
100% recyclable
Simba say that no mattresses should head for landfill, and I agree. Simba mattresses are 100% recyclable – plus they offer a not-for-profit mattress removal/recycling service. It doesn’t matter what brand or size your old mattress was, either. A great idea and a genuinely helpful service to offer.
Simba Stats – Roundup
- The Simba Hybrid mattresses are labelled as ‘medium-firm’. There’s no universal firmness rating system in the mattress industry, so this medium-firm design is based on independent studies which show this is best for sleep quality and comfort.
- This Simba Hybrid Original Mattress is 25cm deep.
- The Hybrid Original has up to 2,000 25mm conical pocket Aerocoil springs, made with titanium alloy and manufactured in Leeds, enclosed in a 100% polypropylene pocket. It is zoned in 13 areas for full body support.
- It has a 500g knitted top cover which is washable, plus it’s certified recycled.
- There is an internal cover to protect the mattress layers when the top cover is removed for washing.
- The Hybrid Original has a Simbatex open-cell foam support layer.
- There is a no roll-off SupportCore base which has up to 1,000 durable steel springs.
- My Hybrid Original mattress has 4 handles to make moving it around much easier.
Cleaning & Care
As mentioned earlier, the top cover of the Simba Hybrid Original mattress is removable and washable (washing instructions are included). It’s recommended to wash this at 40°C on a reduced spin cycle. Do not use chlorine bleach, also don’t tumble dry, iron or dry clean.
The grey base fabric can also be cleaned with a soft, damp & clean cloth using small circular motions. Using a mattress protector is a good idea too as this will help extend the life of your mattress.
A common question about these mattresses is: “Do I need to flip my Simba mattress over sometimes?”
The resounding answer from the Simba website and materials is “No flipping’ way!”
You don’t have to turn the mattress over, as you may remember being advised with other brands – but rotating the Simba mattress regularly is one of the few conditions of the 10-year warranty. Turn it 180 degrees on the base – once a month for the first 3 months, then every 3 months for the rest of its life.
200-night trial, and their returns policy
Yet another great feature provided by the Simba Mattress company (I know, there are a lot) is the 200-night trial and their returns policy.
How does it work? Well, if you decide that your new Simba mattress isn’t for you after all, during the first 200 nights, you can call the team. They will arrange a free collection of the mattress and refund the cost (or any financing payments made). This doesn’t include delivery charges. Also, you don’t have to squish it back into the box (big relief).
The Simba mattresses also come with a 10-year guarantee as briefly mentioned previously. If it fails during that time, Simba will exchange it for a brand new one. Very reassuring.
How did the advertised benefits translate into real-life use?
To be entirely honest, before I looked in depth at the various beneficial features of the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress that I’ve been sleeping on for a month, I didn’t know exactly why this mattress felt more comfortable and special to me personally. Just that it is the most expensive mattress I’ve ever slept on, which in itself leads one to feel that a product is more luxurious and therefore better quality than others.
After doing my research into both this particular mattress and the Simba company as a whole, I’m genuinely impressed. Not just at the cutting-edge technology which is scientifically driven, but at the various ethical stances the company have and the promises they make and stick by. The 200-night trial and returns policy. The old mattress recycling program. The reduced carbon footprint manufacture, with sustainable materials sourced and used within the UK. These and many, many more.
Getting to the nitty-gritty of actual sleep on the mattress, I can say that without a shadow of a doubt this is the best mattress I’ve ever slept on. I actively look forward to getting into bed at night, and since sleeping on my Simba Hybrid Original Mattress I have experienced a lower rate of my perimenopausal insomnia, the hot flushes in the night and my body feels cradled and supported.
It’s difficult to describe the firmness vs softness of the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress. I detest a ‘soft’ mattress. I don’t want to sink into a pile of feathers to try and get great sleep, not at my age and not with my weary bones and muscles. I need support. This has previously translated into buying firm mattresses from other brands, where the firmness seems to come from multiple strong springs, but without the benefit of cushioning – so I feel those springs digging into me before and during sleep. With the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress it’s entirely different. It’s a mattress like none other I’ve ever had. This one has a plush top layer, with the firmness of the central, balanced and zoned inner area felt through it without the pokiness of any springs coming through.
I love that this is a deep mattress. Depth is always welcome 😉 but with a mattress it feels especially luxurious as well as of practical use. This is a chonky-boi mattress on my bed base, but I can easily move it around for the required rotation (not flipping over!) due to the side handles.
My husband and I are not light, petite people. We are also of the ‘chonky’ variety, and rapidly becoming more so in our advancing years. Therefore the depth of this deluxe mattress plus the incredible, full body support provided by the inner core is extremely welcome.
As I mentioned, I’ve noticed the benefits of temperature regulation with this Simba Hybrid Original Mattress. The cooling air flow through the Simbatex foam may sound like a gimmick, but I can wholeheartedly report that this included technology makes an enormous difference. My husband and I both ‘run hot’ these days, and our bodies are a lot cooler during and after sleep on this Simba mattress than with any of our previous ones.
There isn’t a lot more to say other than that we absolutely love our new Simba Hybrid Original Mattress and I strongly urge everyone to check out which Simba mattress would be right for them. These luxury mattress brands always seemed a bit too risky, too expensive and potentially full of gimmicks than any real-life benefit before we had the amazing opportunity to own this Simba mattress and try it for ourselves. The reality is that there’s no risk at all thanks to Simba’s policies and guarantee, plus you can pay in instalments which makes the cost a lot more bearable.
I’m in love with my Simba Hybrid Original Mattress, I doubt any other type or brand could live up to this one!
Simba Mattress Video Review
Check out my video below, which shows us getting the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress unpackaged and rolled out on our bed ready for reflation – the last segment is after waiting 6 hours and it’s ready to sleep on at that point:
Is the Simba Mattress worth the money?
An initial check of the Simba mattress pricing may seem expensive, compared to cheaper brand, standard mattresses. This review has demonstrated the additional, exceptional benefits you will receive when you invest in a Simba mattress. Plus, I wasn’t previously aware that a Simba mattress can be purchased in instalments, making them accessible to a wider audience.
After our experiences sleeping (& other activities) on the Simba Hybrid Original Mattress, I can confirm that in my opinion, the Simba Mattress is worth every penny. This is not a gimmick, you’re not paying simply for the brand name – the price reflects the research and technology which has gone into making a superior-quality, long lasting, reliable and effective product.
In addition, to help improve your sleep quantity and quality, there is a Simba Sleep Coach app available. At the time of writing it’s only available on the Apple App Store, coming soon to Google Play for Android devices.
Where to buy your Simba Mattress
Ready to get a better night’s sleep – every single night? Don’t forget that Simba offers a 200-night trial period of your new Simba Mattress, which begins on the day of delivery. There is an awesome returns policy plus a 10-year guarantee. They will deliver to your room of choice, and even take your old mattress away if you wish, for it to be recycled.
Get 15% off your first full-price order from Simba Mattresses by signing up to their newsletter on the website. There are also instalment payment options available to help ease the financial commitment – see the product pages for full details and acceptance conditions.
I would like to take this opportunity to say a bright, enthusiastic and well-rested THANK YOU to Simba Mattresses for sending us their Simba Hybrid Original Mattress to test, review and enjoy for many, many years to come. It has been and I’m sure will continue to be a sheer delight!
Buy your Simba Mattress from simbasleep.com or click through the big green button below:
I received the above product free of charge, in exchange for my fair & honest review here at carasutra.com, from the Simba Mattress team. Non-sponsored and unaffiliated review.
