The Arrival & Unboxing

The Emma Original mattress is available to buy on the brand’s Canadian website. Emma does not use an exclusive carrier to deliver the mattress to your doorstep. Rather, the logistics carrier selected is dependent on the customer’s location.

The mattress comes with a plastic cutter to help open the package, as well as a welcome booklet containing information about the product. Just unbox the Emma Original, roll the mattress out, remove the plastic wrap, and you’re ready to sleep. However, Emma does recommend waiting at least 30 minutes to ensure the mattress fully expands.

The Look & Feel

The Emma Original has a neutral colour scheme of white and grey, including a knitted white removable cover. The mattress has a classic memory foam feel and medium firmness. Ultimately, it provides a balance of softness and support with minimal sinkage into the mattress’s upper layers.

The following results were determined by licensed 3rd-party engineers, commissioned by us:

Mattress Layers

At times, information on the Emma Canada website can seem a bit confusing, if not misleading. That’s because it sometimes presents conflicting descriptions. For example, some pages refer to the Emma Original as a “five-layer” mattress, while others classify it as a three-layer mattress.

To be clear, the Emma Original is composed of only three foam layers, plus a mattress cover and edge support perimeter. The company sometimes refers to the cover and edge support as “layers.” Note that this is not a common way for mattress companies to refer to layers.

• First layer: 2 inches of Airgocell foam. This top layer conforms to your body and provides pressure relief. Emma claims that this foam increases airflow and reduces heat while you sleep. Layer density: Unspecified.
  

• Second layer: 2 inches of memory foam. Since memory foam is slow to respond to movement and has a high degree of sinkage, the transition layer contours to the body and provides additional motion isolation. Layer density: Unspecified.
  

• Third layer: 6 inches of support foam. This bottom support layer gives Emma its structure and prevents sleepers from sinking in too deep. Layer density: Unspecified.

Mattress Cover

Made with a polyester and elastane fabric blend, the Emma Original comes with a soft removable and machine-washable top cover.

Emma was founded in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2015. Since launching, Emma has expanded operations to 17 countries across Europe, Asia, and North America.

While the company has found success in Europe, the Emma mattress sold in Canada is different from the signature foam mattress made in the UK. At one point, Emma was using Amazon to ship its mattress, but it has since launched its own Canadian website and uses an assortment of couriers to fulfil orders.

Emma offers free shipping, even for remote locations, and uses FedEx, UPS, or Canpar Express to deliver in Canada. Customers should expect their mattress within 3–7 business days.

Customers can receive scheduled delivery and in-home setup for an additional $150 with their mattress purchase. However, Canadian buyers should be aware that this delivery service is only available for specific areas in Ontario.

Emma has a 365-night sleep trial, offering one of the longest trial periods in Canada alongside Douglas. Buyers can try out the mattress at home before deciding to keep it.

To initiate a return, Emma asks customers to wait at least 21 days after receiving the mattress. This waiting period allows for an adjustment period, as it typically takes around 30 days for individuals to become accustomed to a new mattress. Once the trial period is over, customers can contact Emma via phone or email to arrange a return. The Emma website says it will coordinate the pickup of the mattress at no cost to the customer.

We hire 3rd-party engineers and use public data to rate mattresses on over 25 criteria.

With Emma, it’s important to consider two things.

First, the lack of transparency surrounding the composition of the mattress and its suitability for the needs of Canadian sleepers. When our team contacted Emma’s customer service team, we were given conflicting information about where Emma mattresses are manufactured for Canadian orders. We were first told it was Germany and later told it was the USA. The mattress tag itself states Mexico.

Additionally, the new version is even softer than its predecessor. Most Canadians prefer a firmer mattress, and the softness of the Emma Original may not be suitable for all body types or comfort preferences.

Second, there is an apparent disconnect between the glowing reviews on the brand’s website and the experience of Canadian customers. With an F rating on BBB and “Poor” on Trustpilot, complaints from customers on third-party review sites paint a very different picture of the company and highlight significant customer service issues.

Even the company’s price and policies are not compelling enough to warrant buying the Emma Original. A Queen is regularly priced at $979 CAD, whereas you can get the all-foam made-in-Canada Douglas for $799 CAD. Even Emma’s year-long sleep trial is not an exclusive feature—in fact, Douglas offers the same 365-night trial and a longer warranty.

Exploring Canada-based alternatives like Douglas may provide a more reliable and tailored solution for sleepers seeking a quality mattress from a customer-focused company.