I don't typically write reviews for things I like, or don't like. If I take the time to write down my opinion it's generally to complain about truly being disappointed or on rare occasions, like this one, truly amazed. Having my expectations exceeded is a rarity, one in which I'm willing to put my time and words to paper - or screen. This, this is one of those exceptional experiences- and I can't believe it's over a mattress of all things.

Buying a mattress shouldn't be hard, but it is. It's made harder by today's advertising and BS. We no longer know what the best way is to buy the thing we've bought our whole life. Are we being ripped off? The answer is of course yes; but how do we solve that? The answer in this case is Zinus.

Perhaps embarrassingly, I put more research into my latest mattress purchase than I did my last car. Maybe because it's such a personal purchase and one you live with for such a long period of time. What you sleep on, and how you sleep, matters. A decade ago I bought my last mattress. It was a good mattress. It was very expensive. It served me well"¦ for a few years. I extended it's life far past it's usefulness by adding memory foam and padding and then again by telling myself it was sufficient, for years.

After at least a year of restless nights which I attributed to other causes I finally admitted to myself I needed a new bed. What a pain, literally. This began my research into what to buy and from where.

If you're looking at a Zinus then you've undoubtedly looked at the other major players in this category. They've sprung up all in the last couple of years because of one major reason - mattress sales are a scam. Unfortunately, so are online mattress sales for the most part. After a lot of research which you can do in your own time using Google, nearly all these "˜online mattress companies' are actually made in the same factory using nearly identical material. They all add in their own exclusive features but they are mostly the same. The major difference being the name on the box it's shipped in.

Zinus is considerably cheaper than the rest. It is nearly identical to the rest. It's cheaper because they lower their markup. It really is that simple. The big players in this game pretend to offer a great deal but then markup their mattress by 300% or more. Ask yourself why they can afford to let you sleep on it for 3 months, then pay someone to come to your house and take it to the landfill if you don't want to keep it. They would literally rather pay someone to throw it away than to take it back. That's how inexpensive it is for them to make them. The markup is so much that their product becomes disposable.

This doesn't mean they are bad mattresses. In fact, all those name brand online retailers sell great mattresses, nearly identical to the Zinus. They are just incredibly overpriced.

Now my review - my mattress rant is over. I hope some find it useful.

I bought the "˜Zinus Memory Foam 12 Inch / Premium / Ultra Plush / Cloud-like Mattress, King'. With it I also bought the platform bed from Zinus - also because of the incredible price and which I'll also review. (spoiler, it's fantastic)

The mattress comes compressed in a box of course. That's how it works. Unlike some other manufacturers it fully uncompresses and is ready for sleep on day 1. There is no chemical smell because it's not treated with the same nasty chemicals that some other manufacturers put on theirs. I've read a lot of "˜explanations' from the other makers as to why they fill theirs with chemicals, none of which are convincing. My guess, is so that they can sit in warehouses for years and not get moldy.

This is without a doubt the most comfortable mattress I've ever slept on. If it's comfortable to you will of course depend on what your definition of comfort is. Zinus makes several different mattresses in varying degrees of firmness. I just happened to luck out buying the right one for me the first time, I think. This one is firm, but giving. It's the kind of mattress where I can roll around on one side and it doesn't effect my partner on the other side. You don't feel movement unless it's right up against you. At the same time it gives slightly, making it very conforming to your body. One of the most important things to me as a person who is generally hot all the time is that it stay cool, and this does. I didn't realize it until I got this mattress but I believe one of my issues for such a long time, was being hot. I get no heat from this mattress at all.

As an example of just how comfortable this mattress is, having not slept in it yet, I also purchased a very expensive and beautiful down mattress topper along with very beautiful, thick, luxurious sheet set. Ultimately I ended up sending all that back because honestly sleeping on the mattress itself with no other bedding under me save a thin fitted sheet is unbelievably comfortable. You'll want as little as possible between you and the mattress. I'm not sure what I can say that would be more complimentary than that.

I've had the mattress for a few months now and it really has been life changing. Not in a "˜save the world' kind of way - but it has saved my sleep. I sleep well, and for the first time in years. A good bed makes a good difference. I've been a tad evangelical about this review only because it's made such a positive improvement in my life- and for far less money than the alternatives.

A few tips:

Put your mattress on a VERY firm surface. This isn't your old traditional mattress, you do not want it on a bed springs. If you can't buy a platform bed now, put it on the floor.

Do not add a bed topper even though your experience with your old mattress may incline you otherwise. Sleep as close to the mattress as you can. No topper, thin sheets.

If you don't believe you can buy a great mattress for hundreds less, buy the more expensive ones first (I did). There is no risk in comparison. Those other brands let you send it back within 90 days at no cost. Buy it, send it back, then buy the Zinus and compare. You can also easily send this back. I'd be absolutely shocked if anyone says they went with the more expensive brand after a comparison.

I'm glad you spent the time to read this review. Now, do your research, compare, and buy this mattress.

Okay it's time. I purchased this mattress approximately 3.5 years ago and it's the best. Granted prior to buying this bed I slept on a couch until I could afford a good quality mattress, therefore, you'd think my expectations/standards were low, but still I did extensive research. I remember my cousin had purchased a mattress from Costco that was Zinus, and it was great, so I followed suit. Anyways 3.5 years later and I still love it, for the price you can't beat it, if your able to ignore the fact that it comes in a box, you won't regret it! I paired mine with a hypoallergenic topper and these bamboo sheets from Costco. It's the best.

This is actually the fourth Zenus mattress I have bought. The other three mattresses were mattresses: king(12"), short queen for a camper(10"), & regular queen(12"). I really really like this brand. I am very pleased with the workmanship of this brand.
Do make sure that the mattress is left in the bag; it will be much easier to handle when you put the mattress on top of the boxsprings and open the plastic bag. It comes folded in half & rolled into a cylinder in a box that is 15" x 15" x 47". The shipping box with the mattress inside is 68 pounds. I was able to move this box around and to get it onto my bedframe without any help. I am a female, 60 years old,190lbs, & 5'8".
I was a little surprised at the difference between an 8" mattress and a 12" mattress. The mattress is medium-firm. If it is in your budget go for the 10" or 12". It takes a full 48-72 hours for the mattress to expand. Be patient. You will be happy with this mattress either way. I do use a mattress cover between the mattress and the sheets. If you are buying one of these mattresses for a child, make sure that you do use a waterproof sheet between the mattress and the sheets (in case of body fluid accidents).
The queen size sheets fit this mattress just fine; deep pocket sheets are not necessary. You will need a box spring or solid base. OR you will need a bedframe that tells you do not need a boxspring or base stating you can lay the mattress directly on the slats without additional support. I bought a metal bedframe with an 18" clearance underneath (through Amazon & supports 3000 pounds) I used a sheet of 1/2" plywood on the frames to support my mattresses. These mattresses or bedframes do not require the 1/2" plywood; it is a personal preference I have done with all 4 Zenus mattresses I own. These mattresses are a good buy with a good price.

I have updated my original review score of (2) stars to (5) stars. This is not in regards to the mattress, but rather to reflect the excellent customer service that I received from Zinus and Amazon. After my review below, I removed the mattress from my bedroom and put it back out in the ventilated area in hopes that the smell would eventually recede and the mattress would continue to expand to it's full size. Unfortunately, there was really no discernible change in expansion or in the terrible odor during that time. So, I decided to start the return process, and was, quite frankly, expecting to accept the fact that I had wasted my money with this purchase. Honestly, I could not have been more wrong. Zinus responded to my review within (4) four hours and gave detailed instructions on how to proceed. After following their instructions and contacting Amazon I was issued the full purchase price, as I did not want to take another chance with this bed. The only thing I was asked to do was give the mattress to a charity or dispose of it, which I will gladly be doing the latter. I can't wait to not smell it anymore. I would like to say thank you to both Zinus and Amazon for taking care of the situation. Endings such as these seem to be too few and far between these days. Needless to say, I will be purchasing another mattress from Amazon once the refund goes through.

Well, I waited a full week, but so far like many others, I'm disappointed with the purchase of this mattress. Let me start by saying that it was a Prime item that arrived a late. And as you can see from a couple of the pictures below it looked like the box was dragged the entire way behind the delivery truck. To top it all off, it was left sitting outside my place of residence in the driveway...Yes, I mean just laying on the ground where anyone could have made off with it if they wanted to. Apparently, opening a breezeway door was just too much for the deliver guy. There was some damage to the mattress inner packaging, but the bed itself was undamaged. Anyway, I followed the unpacking directions, and let the bed sit in a ventilated area for 72 hours before sleeping on it. During that time it inflated to about 9 inches, and in the full week since, the center sections have managed a little more than 10 inches but the corners have remained at 9". And two corners seem deformed. The bed is extremely firm, with little to no give. Which also defeats the purpose of this purchase. This mattress is replacing a firm hybrid bed and I would have to say it's a toss up between which one is harder. I have recently switched to sleeping on my side, so, I was looking for a plush mattress that would accommodate me. Needless to say, I'm not sleeping on a cloud. Additionally, the smell has not diminished at all. It is incessant, all encompassing, and permeates anything that comes in contact with it for more than an hour. When I go to the gym and pull my clothes out of my gym bag I can smell the bed. When I come back home and step into the house the first thing I can smell is...the bed. It's been a week...How long is it supposed to take before this starts to taper off? Look, I read many of the reviews before making the purchase so I know that this isn't anything new. I took a chance and simply got a bad egg. I'll try to give it another week to see what happens, but I've pretty much decided to ask for a refund and go with another brand. Hmm, maybe, I'm just being grumpy from lack of sleep. One questions I would like to ask others who have had the same problem, is if they live in cold climate areas. I do, and wonder if being delivered and sitting in the cold for lengthy periods of time effects the bed negatively? It's hard to believe there can be so many differing reviews on this thing. Who knows.

I've been sleeping on the "8 inch" queen size for a week. It took the full 72 hours to expand, only to 7 inches. Room temperature matters when expanding, its fall here & hadn't turned the heat on yet so it only expanded to 4 inches until I got the room temp above 70 degrees, then it expanded much faster. It was packaged in August 2022 & it was opened October 2023 so maybe a year under pressure has its effects? No noticeable smell. Its a slow moving foam so it feels firm until you lay in the same position for about a half hour & get sunk into it. When you roll over your body divet can be a bit uncomfortable. I will be buying a foam topper. I do sleep longer & better quality of sleep than my old mattress. No kickbacks or incentives for this review. I feel it is a good quality mattress for the price. I'd recommend buying the mattress with a 2-3 inch foam topper.