Soft on top, firm underneath: how "a bit of both" works.
A mattress has two jobs done by two different parts. The comfort layers, the top 5 to 10 cm of memory foam, latex or fibres, set how it feels: plush, medium or firm at the surface. The support, the spring unit and the base, sets how it holds you: whether your hips hammock or stay level. They are independent.
"Soft top, firm support" is not a compromise. It is the best-selling combination in the premium trade and it is exactly what The Hotel Bed is. What people hate is the opposite: a firm top on soft support, which feels hard and sags at the same time.
| Option | What changes in the build | Where it is offered | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tension: Medium or Firm | The comfort layers stay the same; the support changes. Firm means 2.0 mm spring wire instead of 1.8, a 40 kg base foam instead of 33 to 35, and a 50 kg encapsulation rail. The chapter's feel is kept; the hold underneath is chosen. This is how the traditional premium makers sell every mattress. | The Single Life, The Rebound, The Bad Back Years, The Hotel Bed. Fixed on the others, because their feel is the chapter. | No charge. Made to order makes it free. |
| Split tension | Two spring units side by side under one comfort layer: Medium on one side, Firm on the other. No seam on top. | The Bad Back Years and The Hotel Bed, king and super king. | +£100 |
| The Soft Top | A 5 cm topper in soft memory foam or Talalay latex, in a Tencel cover with corner straps. Turns any Firm into plush-on-firm. It is also the first line of the 30-night swap: "too firm" gets a Soft Top before it gets a collection, because that is usually what people wanted. | Sold on its own for any mattress, and as an add-on. | £149 memory foam · £199 latex |
| What we do not do | Flippable dual-feel mattresses (two full comfort builds, heavy, dear and confusing) and choose-your-own-layers configurators. Two tensions and a topper cover it. |
Which tension?
Medium is right for most people, including most people with a sore back. Firm is for heavier builds (roughly 16 stone and over), people who sleep on their front, and people who already know they like a solid bed. If you are not sure, take Medium: it is easier to firm up a medium with time than to soften a firm, and the Soft Top exists for exactly that.
The Single Life
A bed you don't have to share. Yet.
The Bad Back Years
For when your back starts having opinions.
The Hotel Bed
Why is it always better in a hotel? This is why.