Lucid Mattress Review: An Affordable Amazon Choice Mattress – CNET
Lucid Mattress Review: An Affordable Amazon Choice Mattress - CNET
Lucid 10-inch Gel Memory Foam mattress
Like
- Easy on your wallet
- Multiple firmness levels to suit all sleeping positions
- Memory foam perfect if you love a conforming feel
- Great motion isolation
- Best for people under 230 pounds
Don’t like
- Resistance when combination sleepers try to switch positions
- Not ideal for people over 250 pounds
Product details
- Type Memory foam mattress
- Firmness Medium-soft or 3
- Trial 30 nights
- Warranty 10-year limited warranty
Many online mattresses average around $800 to $900 for a queen size like Casper or Puffy. But what about people who just want a simple mattress that’s comfy and easy on the wallet? That’s where Lucid comes in. The Lucid Gel Memory Foam mattress is one of the most affordable mattresses I’ve ever tested, plus it’s a huge favorite among Amazon shoppers. In fact, Lucid sells its mattresses straight through the online retailer and has over 10,000 Amazon ratings, with most of them being 5 stars. You have to like memory foam to like this mattress, but if you do, I suggest you keep reading.
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This Lucid mattress review will focus on its Lucid Gel Memory Foam model, but it has three different Lucid Hybrid mattresses for those who want more support and a different feel. Otherwise, this Lucid bed has a lot to offer in terms of firmness and thickness options. Below, I reveal my thoughts after testing this mattress and the kinds of people I think are good matches for it.
First impressions
I honestly had low expectations for this mattress because it was so much cheaper compared to other foam beds I’ve tested (sorry Lucid), but actually I was pleasantly surprised. I remember one foam mattress I purchased from Amazon years ago was just a slab of flimsy, exposed foam. This one is fit with a cover and you can pick how thick you want your Lucid Gel Memory Foam mattress to be for more or less support.
The feel will differ slightly depending on the firmness you get, but either way, it feels like classic, sink-in memory foam. The question will be how far you sink into that memory foam. The softer the Lucid mattress was, the more I became nestled into the bed’s foam layers.
Firmness
Thankfully, you have three firmness options when it comes to choosing your Lucid mattress. I really appreciate when a brand makes a bed so versatile, because it gives you the chance to cater to your primary sleeping position. Here’s how I’d rate the three firmness levels:
Medium Plush: This is the softest mattress of them all and rated around a medium-soft or 3 out of 10 with 10 being the firmest. It’s best for people who want maximum pressure relief.
Medium: This sits around a medium or 5 out of 10 on the firmness scale. It’s ideal for combination sleepers or people who want both pressure relief and support.
Firm: This falls around medium-firm to firm or an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale. It’s the most supportive, and good for back or stomach sleepers.
Comfort
You have the pick of the crop when it comes to how tall you want your Lucid Gel Memory Foam mattress to be. You can go with 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 or 14 inches.
Here’s is a breakdown of its happy-medium 10-inch model:
- A thick 7.5-inch layer of firm, dense foam, which is the bed’s primary source of support.
- A 2.5-inch layer of memory foam with tiny little gel beads, meant to help regulate temperature, scattered throughout.
The cover is thin and stretchy, and it doesn’t fit tightly around the foam, but at least it’s still on there. Unless you’re a neat freak who needs flat and wrinkle-free sheets/bedding, this shouldn’t be a problem for you.
Feel
This mattress has dense, slow-responding, pressure-relieving memory foam that will feel comfy to memory-foam lovers. I switch positions often when I sleep, so it makes it harder for me to pull myself out of the position I’m in into a new one. But, if you like that hugging, nestling feeling, I don’t think you’ll mind — especially if you stay in one position for most of the night. Also, the firmer mattress model does help you stay more on top of the mattress than inside the foam layers.
Motion isolation
If there’s one thing this bed excels at besides price, it’s motion isolation. If you have a partner who gets up often in the middle of the night or moves around the mattress, the Lucid Gel Memory Foam bed is great at deadening the movement.
Edge support
The thicker your mattress the better edge support it will have, so I’d opt for the 12- or 14-inch model if it’s something you’re really serious about. The 10-inch model didn’t perform great in this department, which is to be expected with a two-layer bed and the thinner models would feel even less supportive. Though, if it’s not something you care about (i.e. you don’t share a bed with anyone or you share a large, king size bed), the 10-inch model would be just fine.
Temperature
Lucid tries to help prevent its mattress from retaining heat as much as traditional memory foam used to do with the gel beads, but I wouldn’t say it’s a cold sleeping mattress by any means. It won’t actively cool you down with technology in the bed’s layers, nor does it have a cooling cover. So, in general, it won’t make you sleep warmer if you’re a cold sleeper, but it won’t keep you cool if you’re a hot sleeper.
Who is this mattress best for?
There are hundreds of different mattresses on the market and you can’t expect them all to be perfect for you. Here’s who I think will be most accommodated by this Lucid mattress.
Position
There are three different firmness levels available from Lucid, each one offering a little something different. Its Medium option will accommodate all sleeping positions because of its balanced firmness profile. Side sleepers who want a soft feel can opt for the Medium Plush and back or stomach sleepers who want a firmer mattress should go for the Firm bed for more support.
In other words, this mattress does accommodate all sleeping positions.
Body type
I don’t think the Gel Memory Foam mattress is supportive enough for someone who weighs over 230 pounds, if it’s meant to be used as an everyday, long-term use mattress. If you want it in your guest bedroom, then that’s OK. However, if you’re plus-sized and want the most from your bed, I’d suggest a Lucid Hybrid mattress for its more supportive coils.
Folks under 230 pounds, on the other hand, should be just fine on the Lucid Gel Memory Foam bed.
Price
Lucid mattress pricing
Size | Measurements (inches) | Price |
---|---|---|
Twin | 38×75 | $209 |
Twin XL | 38×80 | $217 |
Full | 54×74 | $266 |
Queen | 60×80 | $343 |
King | 76×80 | $440 |
Cal king | 72×84 | $434 |
One of my favorite things about this mattress is its low price and how it competes with big budget-bed names like Tuft and Needle and Allswell. Prices vary depending on the firmness, height and size you choose (and prices fluctuate on Amazon often in general), but a queen-size, 10-inch-thick Lucid mattress will cost you around the $300 to $360 range through Amazon, which is hundreds of dollars cheaper than your average 10-inch bed-in-a-box mattress. Although, Lucid and many other mattress brands are lowering their prices for Cyber Monday. Check out our best mattress deals page to see what kind of promotions are happening.
Shipping, trial, warranty
Whether you have Amazon Prime or not, you’ll receive free shipping on the Lucid mattress and it’s backed by a 10-year warranty. Lucid doesn’t offer a generous trial period like some other mattresses in a box, but it is eligible for return within Amazon’s standard 30-day window. Returning the mattress to Amazon isn’t the easiest, so I’d make sure you’re positive on your purchase before you pull the trigger.
Final verdict
The Lucid Gel Memory Foam bed’s prime audience is memory-foam fanatics on a tight budget who love the slow-responding, syrupy feeling it provides. This bed is offered in multiple firmness levels so side, back, stomach and combination sleepers under 230 pounds can all find a firmness level that’s accommodating and comfy.
I personally liked the Medium option because it was a nice balance between firm and soft, but it’s nice that you can go on either side of the spectrum to best accommodate your own preferences. You can even choose a different height if you’re looking for more (or less) support and durability. For the surprisingly low price point it offers, it’s a quality choice for the right kind of sleepers.
You might like this mattress if:
- You weigh under 230 pounds
- You like the feel of pressure-relieving, slow-responding memory foam
- You’re on a budget of under $500
- You’re a big Amazon shopper and fan
You might not like this mattress if:
- You weigh over 230 pounds
- You’re turned off by the “stuck” feel of memory foam
- You want a hybrid mattress with more support
Lucid mattress FAQs
How long does it take a Lucid mattress to expand?
It should take around 24 to 48 hours for your Lucid mattress to expand to its intended size and feel. However, you’re able to sleep on your mattress right away — just know it’ll be most comfortable after it has fully expanded.
What are Lucid mattresses made of?
Lucid mattresses are made with different types of foam, and the Lucid Gel Memory Foam mattress helps regulate temperature better than standard memory foam. The foam is covered in little blue gel beads that are designed to draw heat away from your body.
How much is a Lucid mattress?
Lucid mattresses tend to be very budget-friendly. The queen-size Lucid Gel Memory Foam mattress, for example, retails around $300 to $360 via Amazon.