Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress: a Perfect 100 for Side Sleepers?

When seeing the words “gel foam”, I usually imagine a memory foam product that is great at heat regulation, but a bit on the firmer side. With regard to the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress, however, the added benefit of heat regulation comes without any downsides. The CertiPUR certified, dual-layered foam design features a gel foam top layer to prevent heat buildup during sleep, but is soft enough to allow side and stomach sleepers to get a great night’s sleep as well.

Another day, another mattress review! Today I’ll be reviewing the Queen-size version of the Linenspa 10-inch Gel memory Foam Mattress. I performed my test with the actual product using our standard Zen Sleeping Scoring System, which reviews 5 main categories each worth a possible maximum 20 points: Initial Checks, Feel & Firmness, Smell, Heat Regulation, and Value. The “Quick Summary” you see above takes our Zen Sleeping Score and gives it an aggregate rating, as well as a breakdown of each category (with a 10-point system). However, I definitely recommend you check out the whole review before making any decisions!

I also conducted in-depth questionnaires with over 50 verified purchasers of the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress. These questionnaires will be brought up in almost every section, as I love utilizing some cold-hard statistics to supplement my own professional opinions; these purchasers will have used the mattress for much longer than I can personally test it, so they are a great way to learn about any random hiccups that may arise months or years after purchasing your own. Out of the 50 purchasers, 23 have owned the mattress more than 6 months.
On to the rest of the review!

Table of Contents

• Initial Checks
• Feel & Firmness
• Smell

• Heat Regulation
• Value
• Zen Sleeping Score

Initial Checks

1. Where was the memory foam mattress produced?

The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress is made in China by Linenspa and was first released on January 7, 2015. For those of you who regularly read my reviews, you may skip to the next section. For any first-time readers, however, the following is very important, so please read carefully.

Normally when I see the words “Made in China”, I choose not to perform a product test / write up a review; in other words, it’s a complete deal-breaker for me. The reason is real simple: most memory foam mattress companies who want to cut corners in terms of production costs typically look to have their mattresses made in China. Most of the time, the raw materials used in these mattresses are of mediocre quality at best; at worst, the mattresses could be produced using harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, and worse. On the other hand, mattresses made in the USA and Europe undergo much stricter testing standards, so you will (most likely) be spending your hard-earned cash on products that are 1) of higher quality and 2) not harmful. The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Foam Mattress passes this test even though it’s made in China, and in the next section you will see why.

Linenspa provides an awesome and very informative website that includes a full FAQ for customers as well as great customer service (social media, email, and telephone). Their website also features products that are not found on other online retailers, like Amazon; it definitely pays to check it out. So, for this section I will award 5 out of 5.

2. Is the manufacturer listed on the CertiPUR-US site?

Yes, which means their mattresses are :

– Made without ozone depletes
– Made without PBDE flame retardants
– Made without mercury, lead, and other heavy materials
– Made without phthalates regulated by Consumer Product Safety Commission
– Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) emissions for indoor air quality

To touch back on the point I made in the previous section, typically mattress manufacturers from China are not CertiPUR certified, and so it is completely impossible to know under what conditions their mattresses are made (and with what materials).
The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Foam Mattress is CertiPUR certified, so there is nothing to worry about. 5 out of 5 points here.

3. What is the actual thickness/ density of the memory foam layer?

The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress offers a memory foam top layer thickness of 3.5 inches, which is pretty luxurious if you ask me. Normally a top layer between 2.5 and 4 inches is adequate, and normally most 10-inch memory foam mattresses I review have a top layer on the lower end. Therefore, I’m quite happy to see Linenspa featuring quite a generous memory foam layer. To add to that, the top layer is infused with gel to promote a more open-celled memory foam structure, which in turn makes the bed more adept at regulating heat. We will put that claim to a definitive test in the Feel & Firmness section.

Carrying a density of 3 lb pcf, I believe the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Foam Mattress will provide a comfortable sleeping experience for people with any sleeping position. The combination of the thickness and density of the top layer initially leads me to believe that it may be a bit too soft for more heavyweight sleepers ( > 200 lbs). However, Linenspa markets this memory foam mattress as medium firmness, so we will find out for sure in the Feel & Firmness section. For now, I award 5 out of 5 points for the top layer check.

4. What is the actual thickness of the foam in the supporting layers?

This memory foam mattress features a basic dual-layered design, so there is only one real support layer – the base layer. I usually prefer 2-layered memory foam mattresses, because some triple or quad-layered memory foam mattresses tend to feel awkward and “shifty” when you move around on the surface. A dual-layered design usually ensures a good transition between the soft top layer and the high density bottom layer without the inclusion of any middle layers that could unbalance the feel of the mattress. The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Foam Mattress features a 6.5-inch thick base layer made with high-density foam. A 6.5-inch thick bottom layer is on the lower end of the spectrum for base layer thickness, which seems to further validate my theory that this mattress will feel great for all sleeping positions as long as you are not overly heavyweight. Regardless, I look forward to revealing all in the next section. For this check I will award 3 out of 5 points.

The Initial Checks are done, and in total I awarded an 18 out of 20 – a solid start!

Feel & Firmness

I strive to be as thorough as possible in my reviews, especially when it comes to one of the most important aspects of a mattress – the feel and firmness! In this section I divide my review/testing up into three parts. First, I sleep on the mattress for a week and take diligent notes on my overall sleeping experience (feel, firmness, how well did I sleep) and present my findings. Then, I conduct in-depth questionnaires with 50 verified purchasers of the mattress to improve my understanding of how well the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress holds up in terms of feel and firmness. Lastly, I conduct three durability tests by asking even more in-depth questions of my verified purchasers who have owned the mattress > 6 months.

Feels comfortable for any sleeping position, with a small caveat

My sleeping experience on the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress was great. I’m a 200 lb male who prefers sleeping on his back, so I prefer to sleep on a surface that feels comfortable but not too soft; in other words, a mattress with enough support so that I won’t sink in. This typically turns out to be a mattress with medium firmness. The Linenspa 10-inch felt softer than I’m typically used to, but after the first two nights I actually became quite accustomed to it. Usually memory foam mattresses either feel perfect for back sleepers and too firm for side/stomach sleepers, or perfect for side/stomach sleepers and too soft for back sleepers. While I do admit it did feel softer than normal at first, I believe that most back sleepers would actually find the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress to feel pretty comfortable and not too plush. Inherently, the soft firmness makes this mattress a perfect match for most side and stomach sleepers as well. However, I do have a word of caution: if you’re a heavy individual (over 200 lbs) and are a back sleeper who sleeps next to a partner, go for a mattress that is firmer. This mattress is soft and comfortable, but for heavyweight individuals who have to sleep on one side of the mattress, it will feel too soft and unbalanced.

I also noted that many of the verified purchasers echoed similar sentiments. Out of the 50 I questioned, 28 of them believed the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress was a great fit for them. Of the remaining 22, 14 of them thought it was slightly too soft but still comfortable to sleep on regularly, 5 thought it was too soft to get a good night’s sleep, and 3 thought it was too firm. My rule of thumb: The mattress will feel perfect for side and stomach sleepers, as well as back sleepers who weight 200 lb and below. For everyone else, as long as you don’t sleep near the edges of the mattress, you will also be fine; if you are heavyweight and sleep with a partner though, look for a mattress that is firmer.

Durable, stain-resistant cover

While we are pretty much done with testing feel and firmness, we also need to conduct some tests on durability. A mattress that is more durable will not only last longer, but will give you the same effective sleep over a longer period of time. In order to test durability, we look at three main factors: garment construction, surface / edge abrasion, and stain release. For all of these factors, I turned to my trustworthy 23 verified purchasers who have owned the mattress for more than 6 months. I like to get their opinions vs all 50 purchasers because those who have owned the mattress for a longer period of time will have much more informed opinions about how well their purchase has held up over time.

Garment construction refers to how resistant the mattress is to tears at the seams, body and sleeves. The more durable a mattress is, the more resistant it is to these types of tears. All 23 customers verified that there were no visible tears on their mattress, which is great.

Surface / edge abrasion refers to how resistant the memory foam mattress is against wearing away when rubbed against another surface. Since the mattress will be rubbed against your skin, during washing, drying and everything in between, this is an extremely important factor to review. Again, all 23 customers reported seeing no types of surface or edge abrasions. The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress comes with a breathable bamboo cover, which I assume is quite effective at preventing surface and edge abrasions.

Stain release refers to how effectively the mattress can release stains. It’s important for two reasons: durability and aesthetics. A more durable mattress typically will be able to release stubborn stains with ease, and secondly, who likes to sleep on a mattress with stains?! 13 of the 23 respondents reported stains, and all of them were able to easily remove the stains using conventional cleaning methods. So all in all, great!

We have now tested the feel, firmness, and durability of the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress; I will award 18 out of 20 points in this section.

Smell

Oftentimes, memory foam mattresses come with a distinct “new memory foam” smell that lingers around for a few days. If you do encounter this smell, don’t be alarmed; it is a very normal occurrence, and often is very random. That being said, if the smell is extremely strong and smells of chemicals (like formaldehyde), then I would highly recommend returning the mattress for a refund; strong chemical smells emanating from a memory foam mattress typically mean that the mattress was made with highly toxic chemicals that are not CertiPUR certified.

In my case, there was a strong, non-chemical smell upon unpacking the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress. I am always prepared for the new memory foam smell, so it didn’t really come as a surprise to me that this one would smell. However, the important thing is that the smell must go away within a reasonable period of time, which I recommend to be around 1 week. So before sleeping on the mattress, I placed it (without any sheets or anything covering it) in a well-ventilated room that also gets a good amount of sunlight during the day. I left it there for about 4 days, upon which I noted the smell had gone away completely. 4 days is more than I am usually accustomed to, but it is still less than a week so no big deal there – however, I will deduct some points because of that. Normally I don’t have to wait more than 2 days for the smell to go away.

My 50 respondents had a wide range of experiences with smell. 26 of them reported no smell at all, 15 of them reported a strong smell that went away within a week, and 9 of them reported a slight smell that went away within a couple days. For this section, I will award 15 out of 20 points.

Heat Regulation

Heat regulation is a very important factor to test, especially when it comes to gel-infused memory foam mattresses like the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress. To test and review heat regulation, I take notes on heat buildup during 1 week of sleeping on the mattress. I wake up 2-3 times every night for that week to record how how I feel, as well as if I note any stickiness or uncomfortable heat buildup. As with the other sections, I also get in touch with my verified purchasers to ask for their opinions as well.

The Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress felt neutral to comfortably warm for all 7 nights that I tested heat regulation. I did not observe ever feeling sticky or uncomfortably hot. I attribute the effective heat regulating abilities of this mattress to the gel-infused memory foam top layer. Memory foam that has been infused with gel has a more open-celled structure, which allows air to flow through easier and also prevents heat from getting captured. As I noted earlier, this mattress also has a cover made with rayon from bamboo, which also prevents unnecessary sweating at night due to its moisture resistant qualities.

The overwhelming majority of verified purchasers also loved the heat regulating abilities of the Linenspa 10-inch. 40 out of 50 respondents thought the mattress felt neutral, 4 felt it was comfortably warm, and 6 felt it was uncomfortably hot. For heat regulation, I award 19 out of 20 points.

Value

If you are looking for a gel-infused memory foam mattress that provides superior comfort for side and stomach sleepers as well as back sleepers under 200 lbs, the Linenspa 10-inch is a wonderful deal. Not only are you getting a dual-layered memory foam mattress with a gel-infused memory foam top layer, but you’re also investing in a sleeping product with superior heat regulation that is made from high quality, CertiPUR certified material. The firmness is on the softer side so it may not be the best choice for back sleepers who are heavyweight, but otherwise it is a great investment. 20 out of 20 points here.

Zen Sleeping Score

We at Zen Sleeping believe that a mattress with a score of >70 passes our performance standards. After adding up the totals of each section, we are glad to report that the Linenspa 10-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress has attained a Zen Sleeping Score of 90.5! Below you will see a breakdown of how each section in this review stacks up against one another.