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Summary: After three months of sleeping on the Birch Luxe mattress, I highly recommend it as an incredibly comfortable, nontoxic solution to sleep troubles. The layers of cashmere, wool, and steel coils relieved my aches and pains and offered temperature regulation that significantly improved my sleep. In short, it’s divine!
Pros
- The Birch Luxe is made of responsibly sourced materials like cashmere, wool, and cotton that help regulate temperature while you sleep.
- Although the standard Birch Natural mattress offers plenty of comfort, the Birch Luxe upgrade adds seven extra layers, including a not-too-plush Euro top and a more robust coil system of up to 1,000 coils for lumber support.
- Birch mattresses are GREENGUARD Gold certified meaning there is no concern about exposure to harmful chemical emissions from off-gassing while you sleep.
- You don’t have to purchase a Birch foundation to house your Birch Luxe. (Birch still recommends some support such as a bunkie board with a box spring or a substantial slatted system.)
Cons
- Delivery and setup were fairly easy, but you may want to spring for Birch’s in-home setup and removal service to help with the cumbersome swap of old mattress for new.
- While there was no off-gassing smell, I detected a faint gamey, more natural smell, probably from the wool and cashmere.
- My only real issue was the edge of the mattress — due to the full perimeter reinforcement — was flipped up, almost like a lip around the edge of the bed. I could feel it even with tight sheets, but it has since relaxed a bit, or at least I’ve gotten used to it.
My husband and I bought our first mattress together when I was eight months pregnant with our first daughter. It was the first king-size mattress for both of us, and a significant upgrade from the Craiglist queen we’d be sleeping on for six years prior.
I’ve been a mediocre-at-best sleeper since birth – dolphin chronotype here – and I’d somehow never put much thought into how the materials and construction of a mattress could affect health and sleep quality. As far as I was concerned, clean and soft should’ve sufficed. However, researching that first mattress opened my eyes to how toxic mattresses could be, thanks to poor and unethically sourced materials further doused in chemicals. Finding a nontoxic mattress became priority number one. Innovative at the time, we settled on a solid natural latex mattress with an organic bamboo cover. It was heavy as could be and super firm. But it was free of chemicals, and we didn’t complain.
Fast forward more than a decade, and we find ourselves aging right along with a hump in the middle of our old mattress, grappling with disrupted sleep due to temperature fluctuations, hormones, and some random aches and pains. It was time for a mattress upgrade. 🛌
Why choose Birch?
The Birch line was created in 2019 by Helix after the company recognized the need for a responsible and sustainable line of sleep gear and mattresses. Birch by Helix came out of the gate making better sleep products for people and the planet. Birch sleep products carry a host of notable accolades that testify to these commitments — like ECOInstitut testing and several other certifications, such as the Rainforest Alliance and the GREENGUARD Gold Level. These third-party verifications mean that conscious consumers like myself can relax, knowing Birch products are built with ethically and responsibly sourced materials and don’t pose health risks.
“Birch fits the bill for those who toss and turn, couples with different sleeping preferences, or any kind of sleeper looking for more support.”
Birch uses 100% natural latex made of sap from rubber trees in Asia, Africa, and Brazil as an alternative to the off-gassing polyurethane-based foams doused in flame retardants you’ll find in other mattresses. They also use certified organic cotton and organic wool. Wool is naturally allergen-free, mildew-resistant, moisture-wicking, and insulating. Makes sense!
There was one surprising material, however. Cashmere (commonly used for sweaters) is used in an upgraded Birch Luxe mattress layer. It comes from the fine, downy undercoat of goats living and thriving in the harshest climates in the world. As it turns out, cashmere offers exceptional temperature regulation when used in a mattress, which makes sense as it keeps those goats warm in winter and cool in summer. (BTW, no goats are harmed during the once-a-year sheering process.)
Birch’s nontoxic, certified, and functional materials are paired with other high-quality materials that won’t degrade, like the Luxe’s USA-made steel coils, offering a supported sleep for years to come. And with pressure relief engineered for side, back, and stomach sleepers, it fits the bill for those who toss and turn, couples with different sleeping preferences, or any kind of sleeper looking for more support.
Birch Natural vs. Birch Luxe
Although Birch’s standard Natural mattress would have more than met our mattress needs, we yearned for advanced comfort and luxury. Both models are designed to provide pressure relief in all sleeping positions. The Luxe upgrade, however, houses an enhanced coil base that provides zoned lumbar support, which we hoped would further address those tired body aches and pains.
In addition, the Luxe boasts full-edge, four perimeter support and is slightly firmer than the standard mattress, although Birch considers both the Luxe and the Natural medium-firm. The Luxe is also made with additional comfort layers of sustainably sourced cashmere and wool, a plush pillow top with quilted organic cotton, and a breathable woven cover — all of which add a little cush to the surface.
Delivery & setup
Our king-size Birch Luxe mattress came in a box, and the delivery was SO simple. I got an email notice that it was out for delivery. Our regular FedEx delivery person gladly set the box inside our front door when it arrived. No annoying scheduling or signature necessary.
Despite my excitement, I waited until my husband got home before unboxing the Birch Luxe. I felt that the job was too big for one, and he helped me move our old mattress out and the box containing our new mattress into the bedroom. Keep in mind that Birch does offer an in-home setup and removal service for an additional price, but we opted not to. I’d say it might be worth it for most, though, because moving our old mattress required the help of a neighbor, followed by a scheduled pickup that couldn’t happen for a week.
The official unboxing and setup of our new Birch Luxe mattress was easier than I’d thought it’d be, considering I’d had difficulty conceiving that a king mattress would come out of a standard shipping box. I referred to the instructions provided by Birch for guidance. Once out of the box, we set the rolled-up, vacuum-sealed mattress on our existing platform foundation and started to unroll layer upon layer of thin plastic wrap, tightly bound for shipping. Eventually, we carefully used a box cutter to cut through another layer of vacuum-sealed plastic, and the mattress started to puff up. It felt like magic, soon enough we had a new mattress!
While it was tempting to hop on it immediately, we waited the recommended two hours to put body weight on it. During this time, my daughter commented that it didn’t smell icky, like chemicals, as it sometimes does with new furniture or packages. Even with all the plastic, I could not detect off-gassing. We waited until bedtime to make the bed and used the same — but freshly laundered — sheets we’d had on the old mattress. There was no issue with the fit even though this mattress is taller than our last.
Sleep trial & warranty
A major perk of the Birch Luxe Natural mattress is its 100-night sleep trial, which starts on delivery day. If you are unhappy with the mattress after the initial 30 days and up to the first 100 days, you can return it for a refund. There is a $99 return fee, but Birch works to donate, recycle, or repurpose returned mattresses (which I’d imagine are few and far between). The Birch Luxe also comes with a 25-year warranty, which primarily covers dipping or sagging of more than 1.5 inches on the surface of the mattress. (Note: This only applies if the mattress is used atop the proper support system!)
So, is the Birch Luxe my dream mattress?
After three month of sleeping on our Birch Luxe mattress, my husband and I are well-rested and clear on what we’ve missed out on all these years. We are delighted with this mattress; our 8 and 10-year-old daughters agree. I’d imagine the dogs would be pretty happy, too, if we allowed them on our family’s newest prized possession.
After the first few nights, I detected a slightly gamey, more natural smell, probably from the wool and cashmere. It was faint. No chemical off-gassing smell ever appeared, meaning it definitely lived up to its GREENGUARD Gold certification.
My only issue was the edge of the mattress, in other words the full perimeter reinforcement, was flipped up, almost like a lip around the edge of the bed. I could feel it even with tight sheets, but I believe it was still from the way it was shipped because it has since relaxed a bit, or at least I’ve gotten used to it now.
This mattress is luxe, in all the best and most rewarding ways. For instance, I had been worried that the Euro top would be too squishy as we have not been a fan of the bed we slept on with a pillow top. My worries were unfounded as the Birch Luxe Euro top was just enough to gently hug all the right spots without making you feel like you’re sinking into the mattress.
The drastic height and weight differences between me and my co-sleeper also made me concerned that the Birch Luxe would not be firm enough to handle our tossing and turning throughout the night without waking the other. Our old mattress was an 8 or 9 out of 10 for firmness, while the Birch Luxe comes in around a 6 or 7. Although there was slightly more movement than our old tank of a mattress, Birch’s reinforced steel coil system prevented the majority of motion transfer, and in no way did it disturb our sleep — probably because I am sleeping sounder already thanks to Birch’s other perks.
So, my answer is yes! This mattress helps me sleep better, so much so that I’ve gone from avoiding bedtime to looking forward to it. Now, I just have a more challenging time getting up. After my first night on the Birch Luxe, my daughter had to wake me up, and I typically don’t even need an alarm clock. In addition to deeper, better-quality sleep, I’ve also noticed my body feels refreshed and ache-free. I also went from a restless side sleeper to a comfy combo sleeper — spending a good part of the night on my back and sans any pillow between my knees.
Throughout the review period, we also had significant fluctuations in outdoor temperatures (like highs in the 80s one night and then in the 40s the next), and we felt no discomfort temperature-wise. Although the price point of the Birch Luxe starts at around $2,000 for a full-size mattress, when you spread its cost out over a potential lifespan of 25 years or more, for all that comfort… it’s worth it. The best part is I can feel good about our selection as an investment in an Earth-friendly product and one that will only positively affect my health and my family’s. Dreamy!
Randi Donahue is a freelance writer who lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida and is fortunate to live right next to a glorious nature preserve and a few miles from a white sandy beach. She and her family are passionate about nature, health & wellness, and sustainable living and believe the path to a healthy and prosperous life requires authenticity, kindness and a whole lot of fresh air.
