Leesa Legend Mattress Review: An Extra-Supportive Hybrid Bed for Everyone

When buying a mattress, you’ll want to think about your sleep style. Some mattresses are better for side sleepers while others are more fit for back sleepers. For those who need a little more support while sleeping, it can be hard to find a mattress that's both comfortable and supportive. Enter the Leesa Legend. The hybrid bed's unique dual-coil layered construction makes it firm but flexible, so you don't sink down too far or feel like you're sleeping on a wooden plank.

This mattress checks a lot of boxes for shoppers interested in a high-end mattress from a reputable brand. I focus on the Legend model in this Leesa mattress review, but feel free to check out our review of the original Leesa mattress if you're interested. 

I also think it's important to mention that Leesa is a certified B corporation. That means a purchase from Leesa means you're donating to a good cause; of every 10 mattresses sold, Leesa donates one to a child in need. This isn't a particularly common practice across all bed-in-a-box brands, so it's something I really appreciate about Leesa. 

Read more: How CNET Tests Mattresses

The Leesa Legend mattress, Leesa's premium bed offering.

Lindsay Boyers

First impressions 

Upon first glance, the Leesa Legend mattress doesn't look like anything special, but never judge a book by its cover. It's an incredibly comfortable mattress with a durable and supportive construction that you don't see in a bed every day. But even though there are two layers of coils in this bed, it's not overly firm -- nor can you feel the innersprings like you can with some traditional coil mattresses. It feels like the first Leesa mattress that made the brand so popular, just with a more souped-up and supportive construction.

Video: Leesa Legend Mattress Review

Watch CNET video producer Owen Poole review the Leesa Legend mattress.

Firmness

Leesa loves making mattresses that are widely accommodating, and like most of the beds in its catalog, the Legend falls around the medium mark on the soft-to-firm scale. On the numerical scale, I rate it around a 5 out of 10 with 10 being the firmest. It feels soft enough to cradle my curves when I'm on my side, but I also don't feel my back sag into the mattress when I lie on my back and stomach. It's a nice balance between soft and firm, which tends to accommodate a lot of different types of sleepers. 

Comfort

Most hybrid mattresses contain one layer of steel coils on the bottom of the mattress (with the exception of flippable hybrids where coils are in the bed's center). The Leesa Legend, however, contains dual coil layers for even more maximum support and durability. Only a handful of beds have this construction, including the Saatva mattress, so it helps this bed stand out from the sea of other online mattresses. 

Here's what's on the inside of your Leesa Legend mattress, from bottom to top:

• The first layer is a slab of foam to act as the bed's foundation.
• Next is a thick system of over 1,000 pocketed coils that is the bed's primary support system.
• The following layer is a thin foam slab that acts as a transition between the pocketed coil layer below and the second micro coil layer above.
• Here is where you can find the second layer of coils. They are called micro coils because they aren't as tall as standard innersprings, and they provide an extra component of support. There's also a slab of foam in the center of this layer to help improve motion isolation.  
• Next is a layer of memory foam for comfort and pressure relief. 
• On top of the memory foam is a slab of perforated foam that allows increased airflow. 
• Lastly, there's a soft cover that contains sustainable materials, including organic cotton and fiber from recycled water bottles. 

A peek at the inside of the Leesa Legend's dual-coil layers.

My Slumber Yard

Feel

Imagine a hybrid between a marshmallow and a cloud -- the fluffiness of a cloud and the support of a marshmallow. It's seriously comfortable. The Legend is a soft foam mattress that responds more quickly to pressure than memory foam, but it's not as bouncy as a latex foam mattress. It softly cradles my curves without pulling me into the mattress like I'm falling into a sinkhole, but at the same time, it's supportive and sturdy. I think it's incredibly pleasant and most people would find it comfortable like most people find puppies cute. 

Motion isolation

Thanks to the foam slab in between the micro coil layer, it's not the worst at motion isolation. However, I think foam mattresses and memory foam hybrid mattresses do a better job at isolating motion. With that being said, I wouldn't say this one does a bad job. It's average, whereas foam mattresses and memory foam beds have stellar motion isolation. 

Edge support

Like most hybrid mattresses, the Leesa Legend is a good bed for couples to share because the edges feel sturdy and supportive. Imagine a mattress where the foam gives every time you sit or lie along the side -- it's not a good time, especially for people who have to share a bed. Luckily, that's not a problem you'll run into when you're sleeping on a Leesa Legend. 

Temperature

Thanks to the perforated foam in the layer toward the top of the bed and coils, this bed is good at regulating temperature and preventing you from overheating. However, it doesn't have any technology or special materials to make it feel cool or actively cool you down. My verdict here is that the Leesa Legend mattress is temperature-neutral.

Who is this mattress best for?

As with clothes, it's best to find a mattress match that best suits your specific body type, preferences and needs.

Sleeping position

Medium firmness levels like the one provided by the Leesa Legend are versatile because they're soft enough to accommodate side sleepers, yet firm enough to support back and stomach sleepers. For this reason, I think the Leesa Legend mattress is a good choice for any sleeping position unless you're a back or stomach sleeper over 230 pounds, or a side sleeper under 150 pounds.  

Zooey Liao/CNET

Body type

This is a perfect mattress for heavier individuals who want extra support for maximum comfort and durability because of the dual coil layers. It's even good for a medium-size person, especially if you suffer from back pain and need extra reinforcements to keep your spine in a proper alignment. 

The one body type I don't recommend this bed for is people under 150 pounds. You don't need the extra support that a hybrid mattress with one coil layer offers, and you especially don't need to pay extra for the support of two coil layers. 

Price

Premium mattresses usually come with premium price tags, and the Leesa Legend mattress is no exception. It's not made for people on a tight budget, or people who want a regular ol' mattress. However, if you see the value in a dual-coil layer mattress with fluffy, soft comfort, you might not mind the price. A queen size retails for $2,599, but you can usually walk away with some sort of discount. I've seen the price go down to $2,099. 

Right now, Leesa is offering 25% off mattresses. Check out our best mattress deals page to see what kind of promotions other brands are offering. 

Trial, warranty, shipping and returns 

Maybe you wouldn't think twice about buying a pair of shoes over the internet, but you might hesitate to buy a bed over the internet, especially one that costs about $2,000. Don't worry, brands like Leesa know that you're going out on a limb and try to make the process as hassle-free as possible. Here are the different perks Leesa offers:

• Free shipping and returns
• 100-night risk-free trial
• 10-year warranty

The Leesa Legend will be conveniently delivered to you rolled up inside of a box. Just unpackage, unroll and voila, you have yourself a new mattress. Be aware that you might notice a new mattress chemical smell coming from your bed, but it's nothing to worry about. It's to be expected with all new bed-in-a-box mattresses that aren't made with organic materials, and it disappears after a day or so. 

Final verdict 

There's no denying that the Leesa Legend is an extremely nice mattress. It's made with sustainable and comfortable materials, it has a unique design that provides maximum support for sleepers, and its feel and firmness are ultra-accommodating. It is expensive, more so than many other hybrid mattresses on the market, but it's fitted with more bells and whistles than your typical hybrid bed. You just have to decide if it's worth it for you.

You might like this bed if:

• You want a long-lasting bed that provides a ton of support.
• You want a premium mattress made with eco-friendly materials.
• You dislike a memory foam feel and want something more neutral.
• You sleep on your side, stomach, back or a combination of them all.
• You have an average or petite body type.

You might not like this bed if:

• You want a bed that's either very soft or very firm.
• You want to spend under $1,000 on a new mattress.
• You weigh under 150 pounds and don't need additional support.
• You want a true memory foam mattress.