Not many mattresses actually feel cool to the touch − this one does

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress | Was $2,265, now $1,585.50 at Brooklyn Bedding

When you make the most of the mattress sales, you could save hundreds of dollars on a Brooklyn Bedding mattress.

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Many mattresses claim to be cooling, but few deliver on that promise. As a hot sleeper who suffers from night sweats, especially during the summer, I need a specialist cooling mattress to carry any excess thermal energy away from my body and out of bed. I haven't had much luck with hybrid mattresses in the past: most are breathable, but none actually felt cool to the touch.

Back in Spring 2024, I took a trip to the Brooklyn Bedding factory in Glendale, Arizona, to see how a mattress is made. While I was there, I sampled more than 40 mattresses from Brooklyn Bedding and some of their sister brands, including Bear, Leesa, and Nolah. I liked the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress so much that I took it home for long-term testing.

As H&G's resident Sleep Editor, I lead a team of expert testers in the search to find the world's best mattress. In the interests of fair comparison, we assess each mattress against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. Six months into testing, I can confirm that the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress excels at thermoregulation: I'd rank it among the best cooling mattresses.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress review − six months later

Who would the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress suit?

• Hot sleepers: now that I've slept on the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, I can confirm that the cooling cover and cooling foam help to keep my night sweats under control. If you suffer from hot flashes or you live in a warm climate, this mattress would make a great thermoregulator.
• Front, back or side sleepers: the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress comes in a range of mattress firmness levels to suit all sleep positions. I recommend Firm for stomach sleepers, and Medium for back or side sleepers. I tried all three in the Brooklyn Bedding showroom, where the Soft felt seriously soft: I couldn't settle into the mattress without feeling that I was sinking through it.
• Anyone who struggles with mobility: the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress has excellent edge support. I could comfortably sit or sleep on the side of the bed. If you need a little help getting into or out of bed, then you can lean on your mattress for solid support: the springs are reinforced around the edges.

What's it like to sleep on the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress?

• Thermoregulation: I was expecting big things from the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress, and I wasn't disappointed. This is a hybrid mattress, with a sprung core and comfort layers of memory foam (if any of these terms are new to you, feel free to cross-reference against my mattress jargon buster). Your average hybrid mattress is breathable, because of all the air between the coils. The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress takes things up a notch. The comfort layer is made from gel memory foam, all the better to absorb excess body heat. It's the cooling cover that really impressed me. Even through a mattress protector and fitted sheet, it felt cool to the touch when I first lay down. I've slept on the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress through all four seasons. It came in handy during summer heatwaves, and it's still working through the winter, keeping my body just the right side of cool and dry while my space heater warms the rest of my bedroom.
• Motion isolation: if you share a bed with a pet or partner, or you're a very light sleeper, then motion isolation might be one of the most important factors for you when buying a mattress. In that case, I'd advise you to try the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Mattress in Firm: I've found holds its shape better than Medium or Soft. To test the motion isolation of the mattress, I filled a glass with water and set it in the center of the mattress before applying pressure around it. Once I got within six inches of the glass, it started to wobble. By the time I was an inch or two away, the glass was bouncing perilously, and water threatened to spill. This indicates some motion transfer through the mattress. If, like me, you prefer a bit of bounce in your bed, then this shouldn't be a problem. If you're looking for more solid support, I recommend the Tempur-Pedic ProAdapt Medium Hybrid Mattress.

• Edge support: the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress feels firm right the way around the edges. As you can see in the picture above, the mattress dips slightly beneath your body weight, but you shouldn't start to slip or slide off the bed. You could comfortably sit on the side of this mattress to get dressed in the morning or nurse a baby in the night.
• Pressure relief: the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress comes in Soft, Medium, and Firm. Knowing the difference between US vs UK beds (US mattresses tend to feel softer), I opted for Firm. I'm glad I did: as a stomach sleeper, I need a supportive surface to stop my hips from sinking and keep my spine in line. The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress is a plush mattress, designed to cushion your joints and relieve pressure. For a firmer feel, I recommend the Bear Elite Hybrid Mattress. For anyone in need of extra pressure relief, I rate the Simba Hybrid Pro Mattress.

How does the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress rate online?

The Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress boasts a 4.7 average star rating from more than 3,000 verified reviews. Most reviews mention the thermoregulation, as well as the plush comfort of the mattress, but few mention the motion isolation, or lack thereof. This feeds into my theory that many shoppers don't mind a bit of motion transfer. If nothing else, a bit of bounce makes it easier to get into and out of bed.

The most common complaint concerns the look and feel of the peaks and troughs on the mattress surface. Even through my mattress protector and a fitted sheet, I could feel the dips and ridges of the diamond pattern. Some nights, I had to shuffle around, trying different positions in different parts of the mattress before I could get comfortable. If you're looking for a plush hybrid that feels nice and smooth up top, I recommend the Stearns & Foster Estate Mattress.

Should I buy the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress?

Most of the hybrid mattresses I review retail for at least $2,000 for a Queen: the combination of a spring core and a memory foam comfort layer ups the price. By contrast, the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress retails for $1,585.50 for a Queen. I wouldn't say it's one of the best affordable mattresses for buyers on a budget, but it's certainly more affordable than many of its close competitors.

If you're looking for a mattress that can keep your night sweats under control, I can recommend the Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress. I've slept comfortably through heatwaves and cold snaps, when I've had a space heater blaring in my bedroom. The motion isolation leaves a little to be desired, but I like a bit of bounce in my beds, and the sturdy edge support more than makes up for it.

Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling Mattress | Was $2,265, now $1,585.50 at Brooklyn Bedding

When you make the most of the mattress sales, you could save hundreds of dollars on a Brooklyn Bedding mattress.

View Deal

How we test mattresses

As H&G's resident Sleep Editor, I lead a team of experts in the search to find the best mattress. Together, we represent a wide range of ages and sleep styles and we live right across the country, in warm, cold, and temperate climates. We test each mattress for a minimum of 30 nights in our own homes before we write our reviews. After the initial test period, we often continue to test each mattress and update our reviews accordingly. To learn more about how we test mattresses, consult our expert guide.

For the sake of a fair fight, we assess each mattress against the same criteria: pressure relief; thermoregulation; motion isolation; and edge support. To assess edge support, we lie on the mattress and flip between our stomach, back, and sides, considering how the mattress feels in each position. To assess thermoregulation, we switch off our HVAC to sleep through all seasons, making note of any night where we wake up in a sweat.

To assess motion isolation, we fill a glass with water and place it in the middle of the mattress. Then, we take a weight and set it on the mattress, moving incrementally closer to the glass. The more the glass moves, and the more water spills, the worse the motion isolation and the less suitable the mattress for couples and light sleepers. To assess edge support, we sit on the side of the mattress and measure how far we fall. The further we sink, the worse the edge support, and the harder it might be to get into and out of bed.

We also consider the practical parts of buying a mattress, including the sleep trial, the warranty, and the details of delivery. We like to compare our findings against verified reviews to see how other customers are sleeping on the same mattress. Finally, we bring it all back to the price to help you determine value for money.